“Boys! Let’s go! We’re already running late.” The manager shouted, throwing open the door to the room. Sehun frowned, still sitting beneath his covers. He’d put on his best sick face, and had managed to make himself look clammy and pale. The manager looked right at him and frowned. “Are you serious? You look like hell, Sehun!”

He sighed. “I feel like it.” He said blandly. “I don’t think I can make it to the interview today.” He said this lightly.

The manager frowned, but leaned against the doorframe. This was always a defeated pose, and Sehun knew it. “No one will be able to stay behind with you and take care of you.”

Sehun nodded. “I just need to sleep a little more, I think. I’ll be alright.” He said, closing his eyes and laying back on his pillows.

Suho, who had just come in to grab his phone charger, took one look at Sehun and grimaced. “There’s tylenol in the cabinet. Try to get more than a little sleep, and make sure to eat something, okay? If you don’t rein this in, everyone could get ill, so please take care of yourself, since we can’t care for you today.” Sehun nodded. “We’ll be home a little later.”

“I’ll be here,” He said, laying back down and drawing the blanket up over his head.

Suho sighed, moving to the manager’s side. “Let’s get to the car.” He said, closing the door behind him as they walked away.

The second Sehun heard the front door close he leapt up and grabbed his phone. He scrolled through his phone and found Nari’s number. Before he’d given her her phone after he got it from the apartment, he called himself, and then he called her from his own phone, so they both had each other’s numbers. He knew it sounded strange, and a little out of place, but he knew she’d need it if something happened, and Chanyeol wasn’t around.

He wanted to be there for her, and even if it was a little strange, he wanted to protect her.

He sent her a message asking if she was moving that afternoon and needed help moving anything because he’d stayed behind and had free time on his hands. He was feeling a lot better anyways.

Nari sighed, looking around the new apartment. She wasn’t sure what she needed to buy, since she wasn’t sure what Rina and Min Young were bringing with them, therefore she stuck with compiling a list of things she needed for her room. A new bed frame, a mattress, pillows and sheets, hampers, dresser, hangers, and that was basically the bare minimum of what she needed.

She would go clothes shopping on another day.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she was startled. Who would be calling her that early? She’d left the dorm early that morning to get the keys to the new apartment, and she was supposed to wait for Chanyeol to do anything, but he wouldn’t be done working until late, and she wanted to get started. No one else really knew where she was though, so that could be why someone was texting her.

She slid her phone from her pocket and stared at the screen in surprise. It was Sehun.

Do you need any help moving today? I have some free time on my hands.

Wasn’t he supposed to be with the others? At that interview? She dialed his number and held the phone to her ear. He answered almost immediately. “You know,” He started. “You could have just text me.”

“Shouldn’t you be at that interview with the others this morning?” She asked, holding the phone between her shoulder and her ear as the doorbell rang through the space.

Sehun cleared his throat. “I was left behind.”
 

“I see,” Nari said, opening the door. A delivery boy stood on the other side, holding a large container. He noted that she was on the phone, smiled, and passed her a sheet to sign off on. He was delivering the rice cakes she’d ordered for her neighbors. She laughed, signing the paper and taking the container. “In other words, you lied to them and somehow got out of it, right?”

“Do you need help, Nari?”

She sighed. “I don’t have anything to move. My apartment burned down after all. But if you want to come by and go furniture shopping with me, that’s okay.”

“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” He said easily.

Nari laughed again. “I will see you then, I suppose.” She said, hanging up. “Thank you,” She said happily to the delivery boy, handing him a few bills and then moving back into her apartment. There were six other apartments on the floor. It would be a breeze for Nari to get through.

Easily, she took each and every rice cake to the apartment of each of her neighbors, stopping long enough to have a conversation about names, occupations, and the such before she moved to the next apartment. It seemed everyone in the building

Until she reached the last door. She knocked lightly, and there was no answer. Thinking maybe they weren’t home, she gave it another minute before turning her back to the door. Just as she started away, the door creaked open.

Standing on the other side was a taller woman, who had milky skin, dark luscious wavy hair, and stunning green eyes. Immediately, Nari could tell she was exhausted. The woman had bags under her eyes and was in the middle of a yawn, which she’d covered with her hand. “Hello?” She asked, taking a small step out of her apartment. She wore a silk pajama set. The camisole clung to her, and the shorts accentuated how long and slender her legs were. She wore a silk robe, which was short and hadn’t been tied closed. Her feet dawned pink bunny slippers.

Nari laughed a little and bowed. “I’m so sorry to wake you, ma’am. My name is Park Nariko. I just moved in down the hall.”

The woman smiled, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning against the arch of the door. “So you’re the new tenant. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Victoria Wang. And I’m so sorry that I was asleep, since it is morning.” She laughed. “It’s just, I work at the hospital and I was on call last night, so I didn’t get in until maybe,” She looked down at her wrist, but there was no watch.

“It’s almost nine thirty. You have an excuse, I stopped by early,” Nari said, laughing. “I’m so sorry, had I known you were a doctor, I wouldn’t have bothered you-”

Victoria shook her head. “No no! Don’t worry about it! Besides, I was going to stop by and introduce myself anyways. And I’m not really a doctor. I’m an anesthesiologist. It’s… not necessarily… I have a doctorate I just don’t really… I give people the stuff that makes them not feel pain.” She said, laughing flusteredly.

Nari stared at her in disbelief. “Wow. A doctorate! You must be… in your late twenties then. I don’t mean to sound rude but you’re so young!” She said, gaping at her.

Victoria laughed. “Not in my late twenties. Besides, I only just got into my twenties last month.” Nari’s jaw dropped further, if it was possible. “I, uh, graduated early from high school. And I guess I’m really good at writing a thesis.” She said, laughing.

“I’m so jealous!” Nari joked, handing her the rice cake she held. “I don’t mean to be rude and run after waking you, but my friend is coming by and we’re going furniture shopping.” She smiled. “You’re welcome to join us, but I understand if you’d rather sleep.”

Victoria shook her head. “No, I’m not tired at all! Let me just throw on some clothes. I needed a new coffee table anyways.” She said, smiling. “I’ll meet you at your apartment then?”

Nari nodded, surprised that she decided to join her. “Yes. I’ll, uh, meet you there.” She turned, walking away from the apartment and back towards her own. What were the odds of her running into a girl that looked like a supermodel, was surprisingly successful, and younger than her? She really had thought she was older. She held herself so highly, and spoke so nicely. And from what Nari could see, she was good with her money.

She stopped a few feet away from her apartment and noted that Sehun was waiting outside. He was holding his phone to his ear, and staring down at his feet. He was dressed nicely, wearing a black and white striped sweater, nicely fitting jeans that had holes on both knees, and white shoes. Nari could feel her pocket buzzing, and laughed quietly as she approached him.

“You know,” She sang, and he jumped, pulling the phone from his ear. “If you bring me all your jeans, I can fix the holes on the knees. Seeing as how almost every pair you own has them.” She said, smiling.

He shrugged. “It’s a fashion.”

Nari shook her head, still smiling. “You’re all about fashion?”

“Not really.”

“Then let me fix your stupid pants,” She said, pointing to his knees.

He laughed. “What if I said I liked them?”

She rolled her eyes and opened to speak, but there was a knock on the door. She turned to find Victoria standing in the opened door. She had changed quickly, now wearing a pair of short that, like her pajamas, accentuated her long legs. The shorts were black with light colored pink and beige flowers covering it. She paired this with a white shirt that fell off one shoulder and was tucked in just above the button of her shorts and nowhere else. She wore white keds, and had pulled her wavy hair into a side braid. Somehow, in the short time span, she’d managed to rid herself of her bags and even had a nice bit of blush on her cheeks. “Ready to go?” She asked.

Nari nodded. “Victoria, this is my friend, Sehun. Sehun, this is my neighbor, Victoria.”

Victoria bowed lightly. “Nice to meet you.”

“You as well,” Sehun said, bowing in return and then looking to Nari, confused. She smiled and strode past him, towards Victoria. “Uhm, you’ll be joining us then?”

“Yep,” Nari answered. “I invited her. She’s really nice!” She called, walking towards the elevator.

Victoria laughed. “She doesn’t know anything about me, and yet, I’m nice.”

Sehun nodded. “She’s kind of… always happy? She looks for the best in people, and only the best.”

Victoria smirked at him, raising an eyebrow. “Your girlfriend?” He shook his head. “You two have known each other long then?” Again, he shook his head, and she looked surprised. “Oh, I just figured since… since you could explain her so easily and… and the way you keep looking at her-” Sehun shot her a glare that could have killed and she nodded. “Right. Okay. Elevator.” She said, continuing forward.

Nari turned to them, having already pressed the lobby button. “I don’t need much, and I’d like to wait for Corina and Min Young before I get anything outside of my bedroom, so this should be an easy trip.”

“I’m sorry, who are Corina and Min Young?” Victoria asked, stopping beside Nari.

Sehun followed the two into the elevator. “Her roommates. Corina is a teacher, and Min Young is a professional fanboy.”

“He’s a teacher too Sehun!” Nari said, pressing the close door button. “Besides, he’s not really that big of a fanboy.”

Sehun frowned. “Chen told me he grabbed his yesterday-” Nari immediately shushed him, and Victoria started laughing. “I mean, that’s kinda-”

“He’s star struck, that’s all.” Nari said, shaking her head.

Victoria looked from Nari to Sehun. “And how do you two know each other?”

Nari clasped her hands in front of her. “He’s in a band with my cousin-”

“Park Chanyeol!” Victoria exclaimed, snapping her fingers as if she should have guessed it. “I wouldn’t have guessed it, really, but he’s the only Park. I thought it was strange that you two could have met on the street or something, you know, with Sehun being so well known.”

Sehun turned to her, surprised. “So you know who we are?” She nodded. “I didn’t think you did, since you weren’t immediately-”

“Geeking out?” Victoria asked, grinning. “No, I’m an adult Sehun, I know how to control myself. Besides,” She said, stepping out of the elevator and into the lobby. “You’re no Byun Baekhyun.”