track team AU | love triangle | slice of life | slow burn | found family | comedy + longing + insane rizz
JL transferred to Korea's most elite sports university hoping for a fresh start. He didn't expect to be rooming beside the nation's top sprinte...
The refrigerator door made a sad mechanical sigh when JL opened it, as if even the appliance knew it was being neglected. Inside, a desolate shelf of half-used condiments stared back at him: mustard with crusted edges, a bottle of soy sauce with no cap, and what looked like an extremely elderly piece of lettuce.
"We are, officially," Woongki said, peering in, "out of everything that isn't disgusting."
Juwon leaned on the kitchen counter, scrolling his phone. "There's still those frozen fish balls."
"Which expired last semester," said Jeongwoo, wandering in with a bowl of cup noodles.
JL shut the fridge door gently. "I'll do a grocery run."
Woongki perked up. "Bless your heart. We would've just lived off chips and electrolyte drinks."
"I know," JL said. He was already mentally drafting the list: eggs, milk, vegetables that wouldn't wilt by tomorrow, something low-carb for Kyungho, Woongki's chips, noodles for Jeongwoo, and... maybe he could cook garlic shrimp. He hesitated at the thought, then added pasta and olive oil.
He remembered that quiet moment under the lights, Han's voice as he said he liked simple food. Aglio e olio. JL smiled faintly at the memory. He had said he would cook for him.
He opened the team group chat.
JL: Gonna make dinner tonight. I need help cooking?
Shuaibo: Define help
Woongki: I can DJ
Juwon: I will emotionally support you from afar
Chih En: I need to go have dinner at my house tonight. But I believe in you
Jeongwoo: Not available but will clean after, promise
Then a message from Han.
Han: Kitchen's too small for you all. I'll cook with JL.
No emojis. No lol. Just calm, certain, and somehow so possessive JL stared at the screen longer than he meant to. His face felt warm. He rubbed his knuckle under his nose.
Steven sent a message a minute later:
Steven: Looks like you've got it covered. I can stop by the convenience store and bring drinks after my run.
JL blinked. Then opened a private message.
JL: Hey, Han. Ok if I text you? Just about which olive oil to buy for the pasta.
Han: Of course. Here's my number.
Simple. Direct. JL stared at it like it meant more than it probably should. He smiled to himself, then walked to the grocery with a tote bag tucked under one arm. He pulled his phone out and opened KakaoTalk.
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JL was passing by rows of products, scanning the aisles. His phone buzzed again.
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JL stared at the message, heart starting to thud, until a store employee walked past and asked if he needed help.
