[CONTENTID1]Chapter 1[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2][/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3] The young girl collapsed on her bed with a happy sigh, looking around at her newly furnished room and the flattened cardboard boxes stacked against a wall. After a grueling day of hard work, she had finally finished unpacking all of her belongings into her new room. Her family had recently moved into a modern, spacious apartment just downtown Seoul. Although it was a downgrade from their previous luxurious villa and it was much nearer to school – meaning that instead of taking any form of vehicle transport she had to walk to and from school – it was in a clean, beautiful, and safe neighbourhood, which almost made up for the extended walking time. Almost.

“Yoo Jiae! I’m here for the house warming party!” a loud, boisterous, voice called out, and Jiae didn’t even have the time to groan as a body came barreling through her room door and crashing onto her bed beside her.

“Woohyun… get… off…” she grumbled, trying to shove him off with her hands, but he didn’t even budge. Frowning, she decided to add her legs into the mix, finally successfully kicking him off her single-sized bed. “You know I hate people lying on my bed!”

Woohyun didn’t even flinch as he pushed himself into a sitting position, his signature mischievous grin plastered across his face. “Come on, you don’t have to so mean to your favourite cousin.”

Jiae’s cousin was two years older than her, but due to his early birthday was in the year group three years above. After graduating from high school the year before, he had taken a gap year to figure out his options before beginning to apply to universities.

Keeping her body plastered to her new bed, the brunette tried her best to glare at him through the corner of her eye. “You’re only my favourite cousin because the rest are too old and too busy to even talk to us.”

“Hurting my feelings again, as you always do,” he sighed dramatically.

“Yeah, yeah, well it’s time to gather the pieces of your broken heart and help me move all the empty cardboard boxes downstairs.”

He eyed the stack behind him with disdain, shaking his head firmly. “I’m here as a housewarming guest, my dear Jiae, not as your worker.”

“There isn’t even a housewarming party! Not today, at least. Since you’re here uninvited, you might as well make yourself useful.”

Ignoring Woohyun’s whines and complaints, Jiae forced herself off of her comfortable bed and begin picking some of the folded boxes up, making sure to ‘accidentally’ knock his head in the process, knowing that he’d get up and help her anyways.

“Time to get cracking, Namstar! You might even get a reward from your favourite cousin if you move fast enough.”

“Sorry we can’t offer you anything better than instant noodles for dinner, Woohyun,” her mother smiled apologetically. “I haven’t had time to unpack all the boxes in the kitchen.”

“Don’t worry, mum,” Jiae rolled her eyes. “He can’t expect a feast if he’s going to show up on the day of the move.”

Woohyun only grinned wider. “Jiae’s right, auntie! I’m just here to help out-”

“-more like be a nuisance…” she muttered.

Her father chuckled and shook his head. “Your relationship is as great as ever, I see.”

“Of course, uncle!” Woohyun cried, forcefully wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “We’re the best of friends, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, yeah, a hundred and ten percent best friends. Best friends ever since my blinding presence was introduced into Woohyun’s pathetic life!”

Her parents laughed heartily as Woohyun winked at her, and Jiae rolled her eyes again jokin