[Chapter 1: Saturday Afternoon] You come in exhausted, shoulders heavy from a day of lectures and looming deadlines. The fridge is disappointingly empty; the small, late-night rituals of comfort are missing.

On the couch, Youngjae sits cross-legged, a controller in hand and his little puppy asleep in his lap. He looks up when you open the door, as if he had been tracking the smallest sound.

“Tough day?” Youngjae pats the cushion beside him, eyebrows softening.

When you mention the empty fridge, his lips curve into a small, rueful smile: “If you take my last bag of snacks, you have to let me make something next time. Deal?”