They passed between a row of parked carts before stopping in front of one. An elderly woman moved briskly amidst the rising steam, stirring a large pan with wooden chopsticks. Inside, thick rice cakes swam in a rich red sauce, glistening like polished jewels. Beside it, a pot of odeng broth simmered steadily, sending soft curls of steam into the cold air.
"Oh my, have our new students come by?" the grandmother greeted them warmly, as if she had known them for years. "How was your first day of school?"
Her wrinkled hands moved with quick familiarity. In moments, she filled two plastic cups with hot odeng broth and sprinkled a little chopped green onion on top before handing them to the two students.
Minho quickly grabbed one of the cups and took a sip.
"Ahh… now that finally makes me feel alive again," he exhaled with satisfaction. Then he turned to the old woman. "Grandma, one portion of this—and could you add some of those fried kimmari and eggplant too?"
The grandmother reached into the steaming pan and scooped out the tteokbokki. With a pair of scissors, she briskly snipped the fried seaweed rolls into bite-sized pieces—snip, snip—letting them fall straight into the thick red sauce.
Nau Rin stood quietly beside the cart, warming her cold hands around the cup of hot broth. From somewhere across the street, the song "I'm Sorry" echoed faintly through the air. Without noticing it herself, she began lightly tapping her foot to the rhythm.
Though it was still daytime, the neon lights along the street were already glowing. The wet snow reflected their colors in the puddles scattered across the road, giving the entire street an atmosphere that felt almost cinematic.
People passed by in a steady flow—some carrying umbrellas, others walking while staring down at their phones. A few had earphone cords trailing from their collars as music quietly filled their world.
Nau Rin sipped her hot broth slowly, letting the warmth spread through her. By the time she lowered the cup, Minho had already finished the food he'd ordered.
She looked at him in surprise.
"Didn't you just eat lunch not long ago?"
Minho only shrugged.
"Well, I'm a growing man, you know." he replied casually.
Nau Rin shook her head and looked off to the side. A few carts away, a small crowd had gathered, people clustered together as if something interesting was happening there.
Minho, who seemed to have finished eating, wiped his mouth and followed her gaze.
"What's everyone gathered there for?" he asked.
Nau Rin finished the last of her broth, tossed the empty paper cup neatly into a trash bin, and answered shortly,
"No idea."
"Then let's go check it out," Minho said, already stepping ahead.
Nau Rin followed after him.
When they got closer, they saw that not only students but adults as well had surrounded a small stall. Along the wall behind the counter hung rows of prizes—large plush bears, phone cases, earphones, posters, and music albums, all neatly displayed.
Behind the counter stood the stall owner, a cheerful man pointing toward several puzzle games laid out on the table—a wooden brain teaser, a Rubik's Cube, and even a claw machine filled with toys.
"Come on! Test your brain and win whatever you like!" he called out loudly to the crowd.
Minho pointed at a pair of earphones hanging on the display.
"Hey, mister, what do I have to do to win those?" he asked.
The owner chuckled.
"If you can assemble this wooden puzzle in under one minute," he said, "they're all yours."
Minho stepped over beside Nau Rin and pointed toward the display.
"I want that one," he said, indicating the earphones with his finger.
When Nau Rin looked at him, he added nonchalantly,
"My earphones are broken… You can do it."
"Alright," Nau Rin replied calmly. "I'll get them for you."
While they were talking, a girl standing behind them tugged playfully at her boyfriend's sleeve.
"I want that teddy bear," she said, her voice full of sweet insistence.
Nau Rin quietly took a thousand won from her wallet and placed it on the counter.
"The puzzle," she said simply.
At the same moment, a male student stepped forward as well, deciding to try the puzzle game alongside her.
The stall owner set two identical wooden puzzles on the table before them. Each one consisted of six pieces, already taken apart and laid out neatly.
He prepared his timer, glanced at both challengers, and pressed the button.
"Start!"
The numbers immediately began counting down from sixty seconds.
The student beside her grew nervous, hurriedly trying different combinations of the wooden pieces. Nau Rin, however, simply stared at the six pieces in front of her without moving, her gaze steady and focused.
A few steps away, Minho stood watching her. Beside him, the girl from earlier was busy encouraging her boyfriend. Glancing at Minho from the corner of her eye, she said,
"Too bad. It's obvious my boyfriend's going to win."
Minho turned to look at her. She lifted her chin proudly and continued,
"Everyone in our class calls him a 'brain.' He's always in the top ten at school."
Minho gave a faint smile and looked forward again. The girl frowned slightly.
"What's so funny?" she asked, annoyed.
Minho bent down a little to match her height and said lightly,
"Nothing… the way you talk is just kind of cute."
The girl's cheeks instantly flushed red, and she found herself at a loss for words.
Meanwhile, the stall owner announced that time was running out. By the time the timer showed 30 seconds, Nau Rin finally began to move.
She picked up two pieces first, aligning their grooves and slots carefully until they fit together. Then she added the remaining pieces one by one—three, four, five—each slipping into place with quiet precision.
The final sixth piece, however, required a little adjustment. She gently shifted the other pieces, creating just enough space before sliding it into position. When she pushed it in fully, a soft click echoed through the wooden structure, locking everything together beneath her fingers.
Nau Rin raised her hand.
"Finished," she said calmly.
The stall owner glanced at the timer in surprise—only a few seconds remained before time ran out.
The stall owner let out a long sigh of lament, shaking his head. He took the item she had pointed to from the wall and handed it to her, offering his congratulations.
Nau Rin smiled faintly.
"Thank you," she said.
Then she turned and quietly made her way out through the crowd.
A brand-new pair of earphones was set into Minho's palm. He looked at Nau Rin, broke into a grin, and raised his thumb in approval.
Nau Rin took out her phone to check the time. It was already past five—time to head home.
After getting off the bus, they turned into another street. Following the road for quite a while, they eventually stopped in front of a gray building covered with numerous signs and nameplates.
Suddenly, Nau Rin cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted,
"Seohun!"
Minho, standing beside her, flinched in surprise.
"Why are you yelling like that? People are staring," he said.
"I'm calling Seo-hun. You should call him too," Nau Rin replied indifferently.
Minho frowned.
"That's really stupid" he muttered, stepping a little farther away from her.
But only a moment later, the two of them shouted again together,
"Seohun!"
From the brightly lit windows of the gray building, several kids named Seohun popped up and began looking around in confusion.
Then suddenly, one of the corner windows swung open. Seohun leaned out.
"Be quiet!" he said sharply, before shutting the window again and disappearing back inside.
Nau Rin and Minho exchanged a glance and fell silent.
A moment later, Seohun came out of the building. Before he could say anything, Minho quickly pointed a finger at Nau Rin.
"She started it—"
Nau Rin shot him an annoyed look before turning to Seo-hun.
"So they let you out early too," she said.
"We were already about to finish anyway," Seohun replied stuffing his hands into his pockets.
Nau Rin gave a guilty grin.
"Really? That's good then. At least we didn't bother you."
They walked a few more steps and stopped under another gray building nearby.
Then, once again—
"Taehyun!" they shouted in unison.
A curtain shifted in one of the windows, and Taehyun appeared, looking flustered.
"Stop! Stop!" he whispered urgently, waving his hands as if trying to push their voices back.
But the three of them standing below had already turned it into a competition—each trying to shout his name louder than the others.
Their voices echoed through the evening street, and one by one, the lit windows stirred with movement as people peeked out to see what the commotion was about.