Chapter 3 - May

Seohyun - when the elevators in the apartment complex were broken and you helped her carry her bags up the stairs

Jason liked to think he was sane.  

A good, logical head on his shoulders.  

In this moment, he mentally swore at the gentlemanly manners that superseded his sanity.  

Sweat beaded on his forehead from the strain of carrying two gigantic bags of groceries, that weren’t even his, up three flights of stairs.  All the while maintaining an easy smile and even breath as he feigned nonchalance in completing the herculean task.  He wasn’t even dressed for this! With a light grey waistcoat that constricted his breathing and dress shoes, exercise was the last thing he had planned to do.

But when he saw the young woman, now walking beside him, struggling with the plastic bags, he was immediately out of his car and jogging towards her.

“Would you like some help with those, miss?”

She turned around, surprised that someone was calling out to her so close to where she lived.  A young man, probably no more than a year older than her, stood before her.  Impeccably dressed with a friendly grin. She blushed prettily and bowed.

“No, thank you. I’m okay. Thank you for the offer.”

“I insist. The elevators are broken and I’ll feel guilty if I knowingly let you carry these yourself.” Jason gently took both bags from her hands and stood waiting patiently.  

They stared at each other intently, neither one making a move to enter the large complex in front of them.

Jason cleared his throat, and glanced meaningfully towards the entrance, “I’m afraid I’m going to have to follow your lead.”

“Oh!” the girl’s blushed darkened, “Sorry. Please follow me.”

Silence followed the two of them into the building and to the side-stairs.  Broken only by the echoes of their footsteps and rustle of plastic.

“So… Miss-”
“Seohyun.”
“Pardon?”
“My name is Seohyun,” she smiled shyly from behind a curtain of dark brown hair.
“Mine is Jason . It’s nice to meet you,” he grinned back, “So, Seohyun-ssi… If you don’t mind me commenting, this is a lot of food for one woman…”

Giggles greeted his comment, “They’re not all for me.  My eight unnies and I share an apartment, but because I’m the youngest it was responsibility to restock groceries since they’re all busy.”

“Eight?!?!? Wow! That must be fun - always having company.”

His wistful tone caught Seohyun’s attention, “Do you live alone, Jason-ssi?”

“Hmmm?” He was brought out of his musings, “Yes, I do. I’m in Room 402, on Level 4.  The apartment always feels too big because I’m on my own.”

“Ahhh… My unnies and I live in Room 307, just the level below.”

Jason chuckled, “I have to pass by your level anyway to get to mine. I’d have had to watch you carry these bags up the stairs if you hadn’t let me help.”

Laughter echoed off the walls of small stairwell.

“It’s lucky you insisted then.”

On the next turn the pair were faced with a Fire Exit door labelled ‘Level 3’. Seohyun turned to him and said, “This is my stop then. Thank you very much for your help.”

Jason gave the younger girl a knowing look, “I’ve come this far. At least let me finish it by taking them to your door.”

With quiet sigh and a rueful shake of the head, Seohyun lead him to a cream-colored that resembled his own, but with the numbers ‘307’ emblazoned on the surface.

Mentally sighing in relief, Jason gently dropped the bags by her feet.  He held out a hand, in which she placed her own.

Then, with a firm, but gentle shake, he bowed, “It was meeting you Seohyun-ssi. Please give my greetings to your unnies.”

“I will, thank you. Again, thank you very much for your help today. Have a nice evening.”

“And to you.”

Jason walked back towards the door they had just come from and up another flight of stairs to his own apartment.

His face twisted in a sneer as he took in the sweat that coated him. Disgust poured off the usually clean and well-groomed man. Sweat in any context outside of exercise was awful. His carefully styled haired and chosen outfit was now dishevelled with spots of perspiration.

An exasperated sigh left him. And he just continued on up the stairs, shaking his head at his own ridiculous sense of manners. Maybe someday he'll be able to ignore the voice that says 'help that person'. Jason paused midstep... That'll probably never happen. It hasn't yet in all 24 years of his life... His right hand drifted to a spot just under the last rib on his left side, subconsciously rubbing the rough scar there.