The moment the graduation ceremony ended, I dragged my last bit of luggage to my new place in this city.

I rented an apartment from Elise Lambert, the landlady. She owned the entire floor.

The northernmost apartment was the smallest. Even after it was renovated, no one had lived in it.

To avoid wasting the space, Elise listed it online. I happened to come across it.

In Fleador, where space is at a premium, it was tough to find a conveniently located, affordable apartment.

I was lucky to find a kind landlady who made me feel very welcome.

I had lived here for over six months without any issues. Elise would even bring me fruit from time to time. She was definitely one of Doskoustein's top ten landlords!

One day, Elise suddenly called me.

She explained that she had to go on a business trip, which was supposed to be three days but had now extended to a week.

She was worried her son might sneak out to play while she was gone, so she asked if I could help him with his homework each evening.

Of course, the main goal was to make sure he stayed home.

It wasn't just a favor. Elise offered to waive my rent for a month.

"Leave it to me, Elise," I said excitedly.

My eyes lit up at the thought of free rent. Of course I agreed.

But after hanging up, I started to worry. My work schedule was totally different from a senior year student's. I hadn't met Elise's son. I didn't know if he would be easy to get along with. Teenagers are tricky.

After much thought, I decided to build some rapport with him before bringing up the homework.

Since it was Friday, I figured I'd invite him over for dinner.

After work, I started cooking. I figured he'd be home by the time it was past six. I knocked on the door next door.

I was expecting a typical high school kid. When the door opened, I was stunned.

"Can someone tell me how high school kids are growing up so well? I even had to look up to meet his eyes."

"Who are you?" he asked.

The boy's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Hi, Vin, right? I'm your neighbor," I said nervously.

How could a minor have such a strong presence?

"Your mom isn't home this week. She asked me to check in on you. If you haven't eaten yet, you can come over for dinner," I offered.

He raised an eyebrow.

"Alright," he said.

"Then finish your homework first and come over when you're done," I suggested.

But this kid was rebellious. He just grabbed his keys. He shut his door and walked straight to my place.

"I'm kind of hungry. Let's eat first," he said, ignoring my suggestion.

As I cooked, I thought, "Aren't senior-year students supposed to be busy studying every second? Why does this kid have so much free time?"

I finished cooking. Just as I placed the plates on the table, the boy from the sofa automatically moved to the dining table.

Vin sat quietly across from me, eating his meal. I sneaked a few glances at him, wondering how likely it was that Elise had two sons.

After all, this kid looked nothing like the stressed-out senior year student I had imagined.

Even his hairstyle seemed meticulously groomed.

Honestly, I could cry.

"Vin?" I hesitated before speaking. The boy, who had been focused on his meal, looked up at me with a blank expression.

His innocent, slightly naive eyes gave him away. Yep, definitely a senior year student who hadn't faced the real world yet!

"Senior year must be really stressful, right?"

Vin swallowed a bite of food. He cleared his throat, and said, "It's okay."

For someone so young, he sure was cool and distant. It seemed unlikely he'd ask me for help with his studies anytime soon.

"I heard you want to apply to Arabelle University. I graduated from there. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

"Hmm," his tone was strange.

His mocking tone made me a bit self-conscious. But then I thought, "I'm at least four or five years older than him.

This kid has no manners!"

"I don't even know your name," Vin said.

"My name is Angie Grant." After introducing myself, I realized a senior-year student had completely led me.

His aura was too strong.

"Alright, it's almost eight. Finish your meal and then get back to your homework. If you have any questions, just ask me. Do you have Twitter? Let's add each other."

Vin stared at me silently, which made my scalp tingle a bit.

Then I suddenly remembered, senior year students usually prefer WhatsApp.

Maybe he hadn't signed up for Twitter.

So I wrote down my WhatsApp ID for him. I saw him to the door, and shut it without hesitation.

I hadn't even made it to the couch to rest when my phone buzzed. Vin had already added me on WhatsApp.

I was still thinking of what to say when a message popped up.

[Angie, can I come over for dinner again tomorrow night?]

My first instinct was to say no, but I typed out a reply and deleted it. The thought of that one month of free rent changed my mind.

If I didn't take good care of Elise's son, I'd feel guilty about getting free rent.

I held back. How could I let pride get in the way of saving money?

[Alright, come over for dinner every night this week. What do you want to eat tomorrow?]

[Thanks, Angie. I'd like spaghetti, pizza, and maybe some barbecue ribs. But go easy on the sugar. I'm not a fan of sweet dishes.]

"This kid sure knows how to pick his meals! He's treating me like a master chef."

[Alright, as long as you like what I cook! You're at the age where you need to grow, after all.]

Even though my reply was so ingratiating, I swear, only my body bowed down. My spirit will always stand tall.

During work today, I was a bit distracted. I was afraid that a sudden task would prevent me from getting home on time.

If I worked late and didn't get back in time, I wondered if he would be disappointed.

As soon as it hit five o'clock and I confirmed there was nothing else to do, I quickly greeted my colleagues and clocked out.

While shopping at the supermarket downstairs, my phone rang again. It was a message from Vin, asking why I hadn't gone back yet.

I replied, a bit annoyed. I said that I was at the supermarket downstairs buying groceries.

What a life! I worked hard all day just to pay rent to the landlord. After work, I still had to cook for the landlord's son.

Thinking about how bleak my life was, I decided to buy some snacks and reward myself after sending Vin off.

Ideal plans are always full, but life is complicated. Faced with a row of different flavored chips, I was torn. My empty wallet didn't allow me to grab everything, so I had to choose a few based on a moment's impulse.

Suddenly, someone appeared behind me. An arm brushed past my cheek and swept five or six bags of chips into my cart. Just as I was about to get angry, I heard a familiar male voice from behind.

"If you want to eat them, just buy them. I've seen you standing here for a long time," said Vin.

Hearing this made me even angrier. He was just a senior-year student who hadn't faced the harsh realities of life. He had no idea that snack freedom was a luxury in the world of low-wage workers.

Noticing that I didn't respond, Vin seemed to pick up on my mood.

"What are you thinking? I came down to pay for your groceries. I feel bad for eating your food for free. Take whatever snacks you want, I'll cover it," he said, waving his hand casually.

My face turned red. I had the fleeting thought that Vin might be flirting with me.

It's really not my fault that my willpower is weak!

If there were a ranking for sweet talk, the phrase "I'll pay" would definitely be at the top.

Especially since this came from a senior year student, whose allowance probably isn't much. It made the gesture even more precious.

"Chips make you fat if you eat too many. I'm on a diet lately," I said, putting a few bags back on the shelf.

As I said this, I put a few more bags of chips back on the shelf.

"Although I don't have much conscience, I'm not so bad as to take advantage of a senior-year student."

When it was time to check out, I pulled out my phone first and told the cashier, "Scan mine."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Vin reaching for his pocket. So, I grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Listen to me, just save your allowance. Besides, Apple Pay is more convenient. It's a hassle to deal with a bunch of loose change," I said, trying to give him a reason that wouldn't hurt his pride.

I made sure to come up with an excuse so I wouldn't hurt the pride of a teenage boy.

Maybe he understood because his hand froze for a moment, and then he reluctantly stopped pulling out his money and just watched as I paid.

The cashier handed me the receipt and said, "If you've spent over 288, you can go to the service desk and enter a prize draw."

As soon as I heard about the draw, I got excited. "Prize draws are great!"

Even if I couldn't win the grand prize, getting some practical household items would be nice.

I eagerly went to line up at the service desk. Vin followed behind me, pushing the cart.

"What do you hope to win?" Vin asked, looking curious.

I glanced at the prize pool. The grand prize was a gift card, and the lower prizes were things like laundry detergent, toilet paper, and some fancy imported snacks and drinks.

"Toilet paper would be best. Laundry detergent would be my second choice."

"I thought you'd want the gift card or snacks."

"I don't have that kind of luck. And look at those snacks and drinks. They're probably close to their expiration date, so they're on promotion. I'd rather get something practical," I said, shrugging.

I rubbed my hands together eagerly while waiting in line, ready to take a prize home.

I never expected to draw the last prize, which was a case of beer. I was disheartened on the way home.

Vin carried two large bags full of groceries while looking at me, who seemed drained of all life. He held the beer.

"Do you even drink?"

I quickly shook my head.

"It's all close-to-expiration beer. We might as well make beer-braised steak with it tomorrow," I said, waving my hand dismissively.

"Sure. And tomorrow, I'd like some salad," Vin said.

"Okay," I replied.

Wait, what? It wasn't until after I agreed that I realized what had happened. "This kid is so sneaky! Damn it, I fell for it again."

I turned my head and saw the smile tugging at his lips. I huffed in frustration.

"I've been around longer than him. How could I let him lead me like this? I need to find a way to take control."

After he brought the groceries to my place, I made a gesture toward the door, signaling him to leave.

Vin asked if I was planning to kick him out now that he'd served his purpose. I told him he should go study and that I'd call him over when the food was ready.

I saw the corner of his mouth twitch as if he had something to say. But he just sighed and walked out.

Seeing Vin a bit defeated, my mood lifted considerably. I couldn't help but smile as I chopped the vegetables.

"Wait, what? Why am I thinking about Vin so much? Get it together, Angie. You can't be like this!"