A Routine Day with Lua
Lua-ya, my mornings started with a quick workout, a half-hearted stab at studying, some video editing, and watching Lulu's streams—a hamster wheel of a day that just kept spinning.
In the mix, there'd be some gaming here and there, or a short walk outside, but if I had to sum up my routine, that's pretty much it.
But then something special slipped into that routine.
What was it?
"Out for your workout at the same time again today, huh."
"You're out at this time too."
"This slot's just convenient."
Every day at 11 a.m., when I headed out for exercise, there was Lua, waiting.
Was she waiting for me? Or was it just a convenient time for her?
Either way, it didn't change the fact that we ended up exercising together.
I started a light jog with Lua.
This might sound weird, but since Lua was shorter than me, her stride was smaller. That meant jogging with her forced me to go slower than usual.
"Whatcha been up to lately?"
"Lately? Just working out, gaming, editing videos, that kinda thing."
"I see. What games?"
"Y'know, that one I recommended to you, or others like it."
The conversation broke up a bit since we were running, but exercise was the main goal anyway, so Lua and I kept jogging and chatting.
"What about you? What've you been doing?"
"Lately, I started Sudoku. It's pretty fun."
"Sudoku suits you."
Im Lua solving Sudoku felt so her. And knowing Lua, she'd crush it. Probably better than Lulu, even.
No matter how smart Lulu was, she couldn't outsmart my genius childhood friend right here beside me.
How could Lulu beat Lua, who'd claimed top of the school every single term since high school started?
Unless there was some twist like "Lulu was actually a Seoul Uni student all along," no chance.
"Oh yeah, that game you recommended? I'm playing it too."
"Fun, right?"
"It's good for quick breaks while studying."
It was a solid breather game. Matches had a steady tempo without demanding too much brainpower—just follow the rules and chip away.
"Wonder when they'll drop the story update."
"Who knows, probably soon."
As we kept jogging and talking, Lua asked,
"Oh, right—that snack."
"The Sandy?"
"Yeah. You finish it?"
"Of course. You got it for me last week."
Lua nodded right away.
"Tasty, huh?"
"Super tasty, obviously."
It was delicious. Especially straight from the fridge or freezer—you couldn't beat that.
"Studying much lately?"
"A little, yeah."
"For real?"
Lua slowed down, maybe tiring out, and switched to walking. I matched her pace.
Guess Lua was a desk-bound study bug at heart—stamina wasn't her strong suit. Mine wasn't great either, but hers was on another level.
Great at exercise but crap endurance? Kinda rare combo.
Anyway, I answered her question with all sincerity.
"I'm trying pretty hard."
"Trying? How much per day?"
"...About 30 minutes."
"...Why not more than 30?"
"This is my limit, limit."
Limit or not, I could probably push to an hour if pressed.
Right as that thought crossed my mind—
"...Then study with me today."
"Huh?"
Lua dropped a weird bomb out of nowhere.
"I'll come to your place at one after lunch. Cool?"
"...No exams or anything—why study together?"
"Gotta get you in the habit. You hate it?"
"No way, sounds great."
If I had to pick, it leaned toward "hate," but saying that straight up would summon Lua's iron fist. No doubt.
Once I felt that certainty, "yes" was my only option.
"Cool, lunch then one?"
"Yep, lunch then one."
"Why the formal talk?"
"Felt like I had to."
"What're you on about."
Lua snorted a laugh and started running again. I picked up my pace to match.
After that jog...
"...Jinwoo-ya."
"Yeah."
"Mind if I'm a bit late?"
"Why?"
"...Gotta shower after sweating this much."
"You can just come as is..."
—Whack!
"Ow."
"There's stuff you say to girls and stuff you don't. Pervert."
We chatted on the way home.
And once again, I marveled at Lua's violent streak. How was she exactly the same as when we were kids? Especially the violence.
*
Back home, I showered quick, boiled some instant ramen, and prepped for studying.
Oppa saw and looked shocked.
"Whatcha doing?"
"Prepping to study."
"Why?"
"Lua's coming over."
"...You two dating?"
"Nope."
After shutting that down, I finished prepping and scrolled my phone for a few minutes.
—Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~
Around 1:10, the doorbell rang.
I opened up, and sure enough, Lua.
"Hey, can I come in?"
"What if I said no?"
"You would?"
"Nah, course not."
"Pfft, move."
"Yep."
I politely held the door. Lua slipped off her sandals and padded in barefoot.
"Gimme a sec to wash my hands."
"Sure."
She stashed her sandals by the entrance, washed up in the bathroom, then greeted Oppa on her way out.
"Hi, Oppa."
"Hey. Study hard with Jinwoo."
"Sure~"
She bowed quick, then turned right to me.
"Let's go in."
"Yeah."
We headed to my room. Lua stretched with a big yawn once inside.
"Ooh~ So cool~"
"Cool?"
"Your room's freezing cool."
"That much?"
"That much."
She nodded and casually set her bag down, then hit me with a bombshell.
"Can't put AC in my room 'cause of the layout, so I live without it. Mostly hang in the living room."
"You good?"
"Manageable. Ice cream helps beat the heat when needed."
She loves ice cream.
"How much a day?"
"Like two?"
"That's a ton."
"Normal for no-AC life."
With that, she pulled out her workbook. I grabbed mine.
The gap in our levels was obvious from the books alone.
Hers was brutally hard—even for high schoolers. Mine? Mid-basic to advanced.
And even this one was what I bought after the school ditched textbooks.
"...Studying with that?"
"It's enough."
"You're smart, Jinwoo, so yeah."
...Wouldn't being smart mean tackling harder ones?
Shrugging off the doubt, I started studying with Lua.
And my focus was way better than expected—I was even surprised myself.
What can I say? Studying with Lua made it click like crazy.
This might sound off, but solo, I couldn't concentrate past 20 minutes. That's why I crammed 30 minutes hard and called it quits.
But with someone right there—Lua, no less—it felt motivating. Was it 'cause it was her?
Being near her made me tense up, wanna do better. Childhood friend thing? Or something else? No clue.
We kept at it, and before I knew it, I'd finished my section. Only one problem left I didn't know.
Time elapsed? A whopping 50 minutes. Go me—huge growth.
Before wrapping up, I decided to ask Lua about one problem.
"Hey, Lua-ya."
I called her, but she looked startled, turning to me.
"...What'd you say?"
"Hey, Lua-ya... Oh."
Then it hit me—something was off.
I'd dropped the "Im," called her just Lua.
Super naturally, without meaning to.
Embarrassment hit—shame mixed with even more awkwardness—while Lua just smiled lightly and nodded.
"Yeah, Jinwoo-ya."
She looked so pretty, and I felt so flustered, I couldn't say a word. Not until I calmed down. For a good while.