Late in the morning around a week or two later, the dorm filled with the sound of sizzles. The faint sound interrupted Ahreum’s long morning session of pointless video watching and waiting for a certain message to ping on her phone. Her head poked out of her blanket for the first time in hours when the smell of food drifted inside the room. The doorknob then suddenly turned, the door to her bedroom opened, and a fully awake, bed haired Chanyeol entered.

“Breakfast is almost ready,” he said. He casually leaned his body against the door, a forearm resting on the doorknob.

“You're awake? It's…” She checked her phone. “...still morning.” The fact that Chanyeol was awake before noon was even more astounding than the fact that breakfast was apparently almost ready.

“So?” he said.

“You only wake up this early if you have class.” Her eyes squinted as if she couldn’t believe the sight in front of her. “It’s fascinating to see you alive at this time of day.”

“Ha ha.” Sarcastic laughter came out of him. “Just come out already.”

“Don't you know how to knock before coming in? You’re breaking the rules again.”

“You left the door unlocked.”

“That doesn’t mean that you can just come in like that.”

“Do you want to eat or not?”

“Of course I do.”

“Then just come out.”

Ahreum took a minute to roll out of her blanket and off the bed before heading out to the kitchen behind Chanyeol. “Wow, are we actually having breakfast today?” she said as she approached Gong Myung, who was cooking with his back facing the living room. When he turned around, her body immediately jumped in surprise as Chanyeol laughed from afar. “Gong Myung!” she screamed. “What are you wearing?”

Confusion was evident on his face. “An apron?”

“No, I’m not just talking about the apron.” Her hand raised up to motion at his upper body. Pink rubber gloves were pulled over his hands, a black apron hung from his neck, and sunglasses rested on his face to finish the lab fashion. With the way he dressed, it seemed as if he was ready for an operation. “What is that? Don’t tell me that you cook wearing… all of this.”

“Oh… oh this?” The confusion was gone now that he finally understood what she was talking about. “It’s for safety reasons. I’m sorry if I scared you.”

“No. You have nothing to be sorry about,” Chanyeol butted in. “I want to thank you instead for making my day a little bit brighter.” He continued to laugh as Ahreum shot him a glare. “Hey, don't look at me like that. You should be used to this already,” Chanyeol said to Ahreum. “It’s not like it’s the first time that you’ve seen something like this.”

He then turned to Gong Myung. “You know who you’ll get along well with?” He didn’t let Gong Myung think about an answer before pointing a finger upwards. “The friend in the room next to yours.”

“You mean Seul-ah?” Gong Myung questioned.

“Of course I mean Seul-ah. Who else is in the room next to you? A ghost?”

Gong Myung shrugged. “There are rumors about someone dying here,” he said before going back to cooking.

“You've heard of the story?” Ahreum asked.

“Who hasn't heard of it?” Chanyeol said. “It's the most infamous story on our campus. If someone hasn't heard of it then they must be a foreigner.”

“But is it actually true?” Gong Myung transferred the last omelette onto a plate and started bringing it over to the dining table. “Is there actually a ghost here?”

“No way. It's just a rumor. I haven't seen a single paranormal event happen in the three years I've been here,” Chanyeol answered. “But have you talked to Seul-ah about it? If anyone has seen a ghost around here, it must be her.”

Ahreum slapped Chanyeol on the arm. “Stop saying that,” she scolded. She then proceeded to place utensils and bowls of rice onto the dining table for all of them, including for Seul-ah who had not yet come down.

“Saying what? It's not like I'm directly calling her a weirdo. I'm just saying that she's just more likely to see dead people,” he said. Ahreum slapped his arm again, making him yell out an “ow!”

At that moment, Seul-ah trudged down the stairs while yawning. Despite her eyes being closed, she expertly navigated her way towards the kitchen without tripping or bumping into anything this time, stopping just before hitting the sink. “Seul-ah!” Ahreum called in a cheerful manner. “Good morning!” She hoped that the half-asleep girl did not hear what was said about her just before.

“Good morning Ahreum. Good morning Chanmi. Good morning Gong Pal,” she said with another yawn.

Chanyeol’s face hardened while Gong Myung immediately corrected her. “Myung,” he said. “My name is Gong Myung.”

“Ah…” she said while nodding her head. “Myung… Myung… Myung…” She repeatedly muttered to herself until she believed that the name stuck to her memory. After that, she noticed the things that Gong Myung was wearing, a head tilt being her reaction. Her hand then reached for a drawer by the sink, taking something out before handing it to him, and to his surprise, they were safety glasses.

“Is this for cooking?” he asked.  

She nodded. “You can use them.”

“Thanks.” He gratefully replaced the sunglasses he was wearing. It was obviously a lot clearer to see, which meant that cooking would be much safer compared to the dark-framed sunglasses.

“See, I told you that you two would get along well. I just don't understand why you have to wear all of that just to cook an egg,” Chanyeol said to Gong Myung before redirecting to Seul-ah. “And um, Seul-ah…” He forced a smile to appear on his face. “I thought that we went over this. It’s Chanyeol. Not Chanmi,” he corrected her while moving a piece of omelette over to his bowl using a spoon.

She tilted her head to the side. “You don’t like me calling you that?” she asked.

“Who in the world would?” he replied, a spoonful of rice headed for his mouth.

“I didn't like what you said about me either. Sadly, I haven’t yet seen a ghost, but I will apologize if you apologize for wrongly assuming that I can see the paranormal.”

His spoon stopped before it could touch his lips. He suddenly didn’t have the appetite to eat the rice any longer despite it being right in front of his face. “So you heard.” He lowered his spoon and placed it back into the bowl. “But I just said that because, you know, you look like someone who has like, that sixth sense or whatever they call it. It’s a compliment. Really. It’s quite cool if someone, like, has that ability. So I was complimenting you. Really.”

“It’s a compliment if I like it. However, I didn’t like it.”

Chanyeol cleared his throat. “Right, I’m sorry,” he said. He then looked at both Ahreum and Gong Myung; both of them silently watched the conflict occur in front of them with no idea what to do. “Aren’t you two eating?”

“Yeah, let’s eat!” Ahreum merrily said, in hopes that the atmosphere would become brighter. “Thank you Gong Myung, for cooking breakfast.”

“You’re welcome,” he replied while taking a seat.

“Oh! Have you read the list of rules yet?” she questioned him.

“Yeah, I’ve read it.”

“Do you have anything that you want to add or remove from it? Since we’re all gathered here, we might as well talk about it now.”

Gong Myung shook his head. “There’s nothing that I want to add or remove.”

“Okay, but I think we should remove the whole ‘pledge’ rule. I don’t think it’s working because of somebody.” She eyed Chanyeol.

“Yes, I think we should get rid of it. It’s a stupid rule,” he said in a muffle from having his mouth full.

“Alright, I’ll erase it later.” She turned to Seul-ah. “Do you want to add or remove anything or make a comment?”

“I am questioning the rule about not eating another roommate’s food without their permission since it doesn’t seem like Chanyeol is following it,” Seul-ah said. “But I think I will be alright now as he had agreed to not steal them, and I’ve also moved the jellybeans to a safe place.”

“You moved them?” Chanyeol asked in surprise. “No wonder I couldn’t find them.” He muttered the last part quietly to himself.

“Okay, that’s good.” Ahreum turned to Chanyeol again. “And Chanyeol, if you break any of the rules again, we will make a complaint to the board about you. Do you understand?”

Chanyeol stopped mid-chew. He really lost his appetite this time. “Yes,” he said.

“That’s great. On to the last thing that I want to say…” Her eyes sparkled with excitement. “Let’s all hang out today.”

“Can’t,” Chanyeol immediately said. “I’m busy.”

“Busy with what? You’re never busy on days like this,” Ahreum said with a hint of disappointment.

“Ahem, I am a very busy person. You just never knew.”

“Okay, then I guess it’s going to be just the three of us,” Ahreum said.

“I can’t hangout either,” Seul-ah added.

Ahreum turned to her with a sad frown. “Why not?”

“Work.”

“Oh right, I forgot about that.” Ahreum sighed. “So it’s just going to be the two of us then,” she said to Gong Myung. “Please don’t say that you’re also busy.”

“I’m not,” he replied. “Where are we hanging out at?”

A smile lighted up Ahreum’s face as she answered, “Just around the city.”

Suddenly, a notification sounded from someone’s phone. Ahreum perked up, hand quickly reaching for her mobile, but was disheartened by a black screen. “That was me,” Chanyeol said, holding up his phone. “It’s telling me that I need to go for a very important matter.” He picked up his bowl and utensils, getting up afterwards. “You two have fun on your date. Also Ahreum, don’t drink. I don’t want poor Gong Myung to have to carry you home like I had to do.”

Ahreum stood still for a moment before reacting. “It’s not a date!” she said, a faint hue of pink creeping up on her cheeks. “It’s a friendly hangout, and I won’t drink this time!”

“If it’s just a friendly hangout, then why are you blushing?” Chanyeol asked. He strolled over to the sink, dropped off the items in his hands, and started to his bedroom to change.

“I’m not blushing. It’s my makeup!”

“Yeah right. Like you apply makeup in your sleep.” Chanyeol held back a laugh as he completely retreated into his room.

Ahreum’s whole face had been touched by red. She didn’t know if she was angry, embarrassed, or sad. It could’ve been a mixture of everything. “Anyways, let’s go in a few hours. Okay?”

Gong Myung nodded. “Sure. But just to make sure, this isn’t a date right?” he jokingly asked.

“Not you too!”

 

---

 

Seul-ah and Chanyeol left soonafter breakfast. Ahreum took some time to get ready, and right after she finished her daily hair curling and makeup routine, Gong Myung and her headed out for their friendly hangout. “You’re looking really nice today. Are you sure this isn’t a date?” Gong Myung teased.

Ahreum blushed. “Stop,” she whined as she crossed her arms.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you upset.”

“You didn’t make me upset, but you did make me feel shy. I mean, look at my face! It’s all red now.” She pouted while he laughed. They were walking down the streets of Seoul, not knowing where to go. It was going to be a go-with-the-flow kind of hangout. They’ll stop if they happen to pass by something interesting, but for now they’ll just continue wandering.

“It’s too bad that Seul-ah and Chanyeol couldn’t come. I wanted all of us to go together so that you can get to know them more,” she said.

“That’s alright. It’s harder to get to know someone when going in a big group anyway, so hanging out one-on-one isn’t too bad.”

“Yeah,” she said with a nod. “Are you adjusting okay? Is there anything or anyone in the dorm that’s bothering you?”

“Not at all,” he answered. You treat me very well. Chanyeol has been hanging out with me a lot. And Seul-ah is really nice, but she keeps forgetting my name.”

“I told you. She’s super bad at names, but if you keep at it she’ll eventually remember.”

They continued walking, but neither of them knew what to talk about. A long silence followed until Ahreum saw a stand selling accessories. “Ooh…” She stopped in front of the stand, a hand going towards a silver bracelet adorned with pink and white beads. “How much is this?” she asked the seller.

“3,000 won,” the seller replied.

Ahreum smiled. “Then I’ll take two.” She held onto the the bracelet that she previously picked out and then picked up a similar bracelet that had grayish, blue beads instead of pink and white. Her hand reached for her wallet while she asked, “Do you have change for a 10,000?”

The seller shook his head. “No, sorry.”

“Ah… you don’t have change,” she said with a frown. “Can you save that for me and I’ll come back later—”

“Here you go,” Gong Myung said. He took out some money from his own wallet and gave it to the seller.

Ahreum looked up at him, surprised at his kind gesture. “You didn’t have to do that,” she said.

“It’s alright.”

“Do you want a bag for the bracelets?” the seller asked them.

“Yes, thank you.” Ahreum nodded. “And thank you, too,” she said to Gong Myung. “I’ll pay you back later.”

“There’s no need. Let’s just say that it’s a gift from a friend.”

“A gift from a friend who’s way too nice,” she corrected. “Now I feel indebted to you.”

He scrunched his eyebrows in amusement. “For 6,000 won?” he laughed.

“Yes for 6,000 won!” Laughter enveloped the two of them as the seller handed her the bag with the newly bought accessories. “But I was planning on giving one of them to Seul-ah. Should I tell her that it was gift from you instead?”

“You were the one who picked it out.”

“But you were the one who bought it.”

“But you were planning on giving it to her before I paid.”

“But you were the one who gave up your money to buy it.”

“You know what, I’ll just take the 6,000 from you later. This is getting way too complicated.”

Ahreum laughed again. “I told you that I should just pay you back.”

“Let’s just think about this later. At this point, we’ll spend an hour trying to figure this out.”

The two looked at each other and laughed before starting to walk again. “You’re majoring in acting, right?” Gong Myung questioned.

“Yeah. It’s quite obvious isn’t it? I did cry in front of you about the whole audition problem and everything. Till this day, I can’t live off the inner embarrassment I feel from letting you see that.”

“I understand why you cried, though. It was an important audition and it makes sense that you would get upset when you didn’t even get to start acting. There’s no need to get embarrassed about something like this.”

Ahreum unknowingly smiled at his kind words. “Gong Myung, I don’t think I deserve you as my friend. You’re way too nice.”

Gong Myung humbly denied it. “I was just telling you what I thought about it. Besides, you’re a very nice person yourself.”

“Wow, I’m really not used to hearing such flattering things from someone. Seul-ah says nice things too, but Chanyeol always teases me and say that I’m annoying and everything, so it kind of drains out everything nice that Seul-ah says to me. But since you’re also flattering me too much, I think it would be hard for Chanyeol to drain everything out now.”

Their conversation was interrupted by Ahreum’s phone when it signalled that she got a message. “No… way…” Ahreum stared at her phone in shock.

“What is it?” Gong Myung curiously tried to peek at her phone screen.

“I got the part!” she shrieked in delight. “I got the part! I can’t believe that I got the part!” Extreme happiness engulfed her, which caused for her to jump up and down excitedly before leaping onto Gong Myung and hugging him.

He was startled for a moment, standing still until a smile appeared on his face. “That’s good. What part is it?”

“Mok Jihee.” Her head lifted up to face him. “I’m playing Mok Jihee, and she’s the main character’s best friend. I think that I also might be getting a love line with someone too!” She smiled widely and giggled at the thought. After some time, realization finally arrived and she quickly pushed herself away from him. “Sorry. I got too carried away,” she said, looking away awkwardly.

“You did get carried away,” he agreed. “That was actually the first time I got hugged by a girl. You stole my first hug.”

Her head swiveled towards him, completely taking it as the truth. “Really?!” she astonishingly asked. Her eyes then examined his face. “I did think that you looked innocent, but I guess it’s confirmed now.”

“I was lying,” he stated.

“Really?” She was once again surprised by him. “I totally believed it though.”

“It’s because my innocent face hides the beast inside.” He bent his fingers to form claws before seductively half-whispered an “ang.”

Ahreum’s face changed to an amused disgust. “Stop that. That’s so weird.” She pushed his shoulder with her palm, and he responded by faking pain.

“Ow!” His hand shot up to rub the pretend wound on his shoulder. “Ahreum, you’re way too strong.”

He pouted as she laughed. “Stop pretending.”

“I’m not. You’re really strong. Like really.”

“It hurts that much?” She raised an eyebrow. Gong Myung firmly nodded. “Then I’ll take you to the hospital. Let’s go.” She turned around and started walking.

Gong Myung widened his eyes. “Wait!” He reached out to hold her arm back. “Instead of a hospital, how about a café? I think a cup of coffee will help me heal.”

“Are you sure? You did seem like you were in a lot of pain and all,” she said with sarcasm.

He eagerly nodded. “Let’s go to a café.” He then started walking in front of her, still holding onto her arm. Ahreum only smiled and shook her head at his act as she allowed him to lead the way to their next destination.