Finally, a place to call my own.

 

I settled down the last of my boxes onto the floor and sunk into the plastic-wrapped sofa. Taking a good look around me, I inhaled deeply. There were random boxes scattered around the place, with almost everything wrapped in plastic.

 

I was tired, but content. All that hard work of shifting the boxes into my new apartment was finally over and I could relax myself with my own drink maker. The mere thought had me excited.

 

I still had yet to explore the place, as my father wanted it to be a 'surprise'. It was already surprising enough when I found out he had gotten me an apartment after graduating from K-Arts*. I graduated with flying colours and it all paid off.

 

After laying down on the uncomfortable sofa, I decided to explore the place a little.

 

To my delight, the bedroom was spacious and empty, ready to be decorated and personalised, the kitchen was small but efficient, the living room was cosy and yet roomy at the same time. I couldn't wait to decorate the whole place.

 

But wait!

 

There was a balcony behind the sliding door by the living room.

 

Sliding it open, I looked out into the evening Seoul sky which was a beautiful shade of orange. I had a nice view of the skyscrapers which were soon going to be twinkling with lights at night. South Korea was a small place, so there wasn't much land, resulting in magnificent buildings thanks to our talented architects.

 

Taking a whiff of air, I realised it was a bad idea with all the pollution. I ended up in a coughing fit that was very very loud.

 

“Who the heck are you?”

 

A sudden male voice was heard from my left and I found myself staring at a slightly tanned, slightly muscular, slightly handsome (okay, very handsome) young man. If it weren't for his moving lips, I couldn't imagine him being the owner of the harsh toned voice.

 

As I realised he was still waiting for an answer, I composed myself and smiled brightly. “Hi! I'm Song Gahye. I moved here recently, kinda like a few hours ago.”

 

He grunted in response. I raised a brow, hinting that I wanted an introduction from him as well.

 

“Hello,” he sighed. “I'm Kim Jongin. I've been living here for two years and for the first time ever, I have to share my balcony.”

 

 

“You should totally annoy him on purpose!” Juhyun, my best friend shouted over the phone. “Make a lot of noise or something!”

 

I laughed. “No way. I'm not that mean.”

 

“What did you say his name was?”

 

“Kim Jongin. To be honest, he sounds very familiar.”

 

“I don't care whether he's familiar or not. Just disturb him! Keep him on his toes!”

 

“Okay, okay,” I answered, scanning the room filled with boxes once more. “I'll talk to you later, Juhyun. I've got boxes to unpack.”

 

Sighing, I started arranging my stationery, books, toys and whatever into my bedroom followed by stocking the bathroom with products. Just those two rooms had already taken me about two hours to deal with.

 

There was still the kitchen, living room, balcony...

 

I peeked out and to my amazement, the scenery was breathtaking. The sky was dark, but the city was alight. As I expected, the buildings were twinkling with lights and the city was bustling with night life. Sadly, there weren't any stars in the sky, probably due to the pollution.

 

I looked to my left and spotted Jongin staring at the scenery too. He had a loose shirt and shorts on, fit for a comfy night's sleep. I couldn't help but admire how handsome he looked, and how the lights illuminated his features.

 

At this point, I didn't know whether he noticed me or not, as I had been standing at the balcony for quite some time now. His gaze was fixtated in front of him, and I couldn't tell if he was even paying attention or not.

 

“Pretty, isn't it?” I asked softly.

 

He didn't avert his gaze. “Mmm. You'll get used to it after a while.”

 

“But it's so beautiful! The way the buildings light up and how the people are bustling about is just so... aesthetic.”

 

“Are you going to be like that all the time?”

 

“Like what?” I tilted my head, confused.

 

He finally turned to look at me. “Like this. Happy-go-lucky, bubbly?”

 

“Why, is that a problem?” I looked at him straight in the eye.

 

He sighed. “Whatever. Do you wanna set up a barrier or something? On the balcony?”

 

I frowned. Juhyun's earlier words came into my mind. “Disturb him! Keep him on his toes!”

 

Chuckling internally, I shook my head. “Nah, I don't think that's neccesary. I think we can tolerate each other perfectly well. I think we're about the same age, right?”

 

Jongin grunted. “I'm twenty three. Graduated from Seoul University.”

 

“Oh, same! I just graduated from K-Arts.”

 

I didn't know if it was my imagination or a trick of the light, but I could've sworn he had a flicker of pain in his eyes. His frown set deeper onto his face.

 

“Whatever. Good night. I'm going to bed.”

 

Without looking back, he left into his apartment.

 

 

I awoke the next morning groggily, as I still wasn't used to the new place. I had to adapt for a while before I could fully sleep. Perhaps it could be because I was alone. I had never really slept alone before, as I shared with my sister at home and had a roommate in university.

 

Oh well. I had to adapt to the new change as fast as possible. If I didn't have a good night's sleep, I would most likely be very cranky in the morning.

 

After washing up and getting ready, I prepared myself for another hard day of unpacking.

 

I prepared myself a simple sandwich, seeing as I couldn't really cook anything, with the kitchen still bare. I unconsciously went to the balcony, holding my plate.

 

I set up a small table and some stools at my side of the balcony before settling down to take up a bite of my sandwich.

 

Suddenly, there was a sound of the next door's sliding door opening and closing. A fresh Jongin was revealed, clad in comfortable clothes, like what my friends majoring in dance would wear during practice.

 

“Oh?” he looked surprised. “Why are you up so early?”

 

“Can't I?” Oh no. The cranky side of me was showing and I couldn't control it. I didn't want Jongin to have a bad impression of me. (although he seemed to have a bad impression on everyone)

 

He raised a brow. “Someone's cranky.”

 

“Sorry. I just didn't sleep well.” I sighed. “I'm not used to the environment.”

 

“Well, you could always talk to me or something... I mean, if it helps you sleep better at night.” he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. I almost giggled at the sight.

 

“Kay. Thanks, Jongin-ssi.”

 

“Well, okay. I'm just gonna go.”

 

With an odd repeat of yesterday, he left into his apartment again without looking back. Didn't he just come out?

 

I bit into my sandwhich, thinking deeply. I honestly had no clue of what just happened. He just came in, offered help and left. All of which were quite confusing.

 

A sound of Jongin's door opening and closing was heard, and I concluded that he had left his apartment. Where could he have gone?

 

I contemplated for a moment, taking turns to stare at my bare living room and Jongin's place on the balcony.

 

Looks like unpacking would have to wait.

 

 

I didn't know if he took his car, but with the morning sun and nice weather, who wouldn't walk? I took this 'spying session' as another opportunity to stroll around the place. I had never really gotten the time to do so, with all my practising in university.

 

After some time, I realised that I wasn't really cut out to be a spy. I had no idea where he could've gone. The streets weren't that full, seeing as it was early in the morning, but I couldn't see him anywhere.

 

I decided to drop by a small cafe situated near my apartment. It was warm and smelt strongly of coffee and cakes. The aura was really sweet.

 

“Hi, how may I help you?” a nice-looking boy (but seriously though, were all Seoul boys handsome?) asked me. His name tag read 'Junmyeon'.

 

“Sure, I'll have a warm chamomile tea, please.”

 

“Okay, one coming right up. It's a weird choice, though. Most customers prefer to order the coffee.”

 

“Well,” I changed my glint to a dark one. “I'm not like most people.”

 

He froze for a moment before the both of us started laughing.

 

“Let me guess, acting major?” he chuckled good-naturedly while pressing the buttons on the machines.

 

“You could say that. I'm fresh out of K-Arts.”

 

“Oh?” he raised an eyebrow. “That's interesting. I'm from there too.”

 

I squinted my eyes, trying to see who he really was. Then, it hit me.

 

“Kim Junmyeon?” I voiced unsurely. The grin on his face confirmed my words. “What are you doing here, working? Aren't you supposed to be in London? The drama department keeps talking about you and your success!”

 

“Oh, it's nothing, really.” he sheepishly ruffled his hair. “I came back after wrapping up the most recent play with my team. I came back to Korea for a breather before I take on my next role. My dad owns the place, so I'm helping out.”

 

“That's so awesome! I wish I could be as successful as you.”

 

“Ah, it's not about the success, but the happiness that comes along with it.”

 

I nodded along, agreeing with his words. Soon, a freshly brewed cup of chamomile tea was set in front of me. Thanking him, I settled into one of the booths.

 

Suddenly, the little bell of the cafe dinged, signalling the arrival of another customer.

 

It was Jongin!

 

He was wearing the same clothes as before, but this time he was all sweaty. His hair was a little damp, and he was carrying a bag with him.

 

Before I could stop myself, I yelled out, “Jongin-ssi!”

 

He immediately whipped around in shock and his eyes widened when he spotted me. He nodded briefly at me and turned back to the counter.

 

Just when I thought he was going to just leave after getting his drink, he surprised me by sliding into the seat opposite mine.

 

“Fancy seeing you here, Gahye-ssi.”

 

I chuckled. “I could say the same thing, Jongin-ssi. You know what? Let's just drop the formalities. We're the same age and we're going to be living next to each other so it should be easier this way, right?”

 

He was surprised, but definitely pleased. “Okay, Gahye. What are you doing here? I thought you were eating breakfast like an hour ago.”

 

“You know,” I shrugged, trying to act natural. “Just getting a breather before I continue unpacking. What about you?”

 

His eyes flickered, as if contemplating whether to tell me or not. This made me even more curious, naturally, but I couldn't force the answer out of him.

 

In the end, he sighed. “I was, you know, at the dance studio nearby.”

 

“Oh, you're a dancer? That's nice!”

 

“I'm not,” he looked away. “I'm an intern at the Park Law Firm.”

 

“So you dance for fun?”

 

“You could say that.”

 

I realised that he didn't really like talking about the subject, and I already got my answer to where he went. However, I still felt like I had to do something.

 

“So Jongin...”

 

“Yes?” he looked at me warily.

 

“We should hang out sometime! We could dance or watch movies or whatever.”

 

“You dance?”

 

“Are you doubting my abilities?” I raised a teasing brow. “But yes, my dancing skills are not exemplary. I'm more to acting and singing, you see. I have a close friend who dances really well, so I join him and have fun sometimes.”

 

“Mmm.” he nodded, mildly interested.

 

“Okay, so-”

 

“Gahye. I have to go now,” he suddenly stood up, and I noticed that he already finished his drink. “See you later.”

 

I watched his back as he left the cafe. Something about him just made him look really sad, and I took it to myself, as his new neighbour, to change that around.

 

 

It had been a little over a week into the new apartment, and everything was finally unpacked and set aside. I was settling in quite comfortably, with a few auditions on the side. I had yet to be accepted into an entertainment company but I knew this was coming, auditions were difficult to pass.

 

I spent my days auditioning, training, cleaning the apartment, and watching Jongin.

 

Watching Jongin?

 

I wasn't being a stalker, I just so happened to be at the right place and at the right time whenever he was on the balcony. From his vision, he probably couldn't see me, but I could see him. He was nothing like I expected.

 

All of his broodiness, his moodiness was thrown out the window when he danced. I finally knew what he wanted to do when he went onto the balcony that fateful morning in dance clothes. He danced almost every morning, regardless of having work or not (he woke up really early) and I had the pleasure of watching him do so.

 

His movements were sharp yet fluid, with every turn and kick, with his story-telling expressions, with his passion. He was close to perfection.

 

It was difficult to act nonchalant around him, like wishing him good morning or just brushing past him, but I had to keep it up so he wouldn't know I was watching him.

 

One thing I wanted to know was, what he was doing in a law firm instead of dancing his heart out every single day. His love for dancing was incredible, and I figured that his law work was causing his bad mood. I didn't know what to do; I wasn't anyone significant, I couldn't tell him to go quit his job, could I?

 

Because of that, I unconsciously pushed myself harder. I spent longer hours in the vocal studio and did more practice on song writing. It was tiring, but I loved what I did.

 

The tiredness was only physical.

 

 

Time passed, and soon it was already almost a month since I moved in. Eyebags were starting to form, no scratch that, they were already etched on my face. I constantly reminded myself that it would pay off, that I wouldn't regret it at all.

 

It was a Sunday morning, and