Girl Next Door

The sound of the rain against his umbrella is depressing; clouded sky and clouded heart full of insecurities and regrets. His mind, like drops falling, can't stay still, picturing his obscure future that will embrace him soon, mentally checking what he did wrong, ways to find a solution to a problem he knows he can't solve.

One thing is to renounce to your position as a Deputy at YG Corporation, and another totally different is to get fired only for speaking the truth. After spending years working there - 4, to be precise –, giving up his youth and his talent; after inevitable, long hours sitting in his office, planning strategies, calculating gains and benefits, he has been fired only for asking for an increment on his scarce salary – it was enough to pay the exorbitant rent and some other stuff, but he was nearly living there; working until exhaustion, from early in the morning until late at night and only coming home to feed his pet; if it wasn't for that he might have moved to YG's building and turn his office into his own bedroom –, he thought it was more than deserved; he has gained it with sweat, tears and blood from that time he collapsed on his desk and broken his precious brown. His boss, on the other hand, thought otherwise; more accurately, he thought he wasn’t needed anymore.

He has to think about a way to solve his life. He can't afford his flat anymore, too expensive but back then it was his best option; close to work and animals were allowed. And he has neither time nor friends to look for a roommate or to ask to become one; living to work with no end. Surely he has different fellas at YG, which he talks and works, there is Lee Seungri, who is about to write his recommending letter and whose love affairs are the gossip of the century – but Seunghoon knows he is all over Jiyong and girls, also some others boys, are just jealous –, there is also Dara noona, who is his boss after the big boss and who always smiles and brings the sun to the office; then there are also the Kang Trinity, who pray together and that stick like glue and that always work hard and avoid socializing in benefit of extra bonus hours, just like him. But they are from another department, so apart of sharing the same building for the same crazy amount of time; they have nothing else in common.

Young Bae's words linger in his mind and reverberate through his empty room. He should feel proud of it, of what he has achieved, but he has also managed to lose it, the chance of his life and no wise talking would change it, bring his job and career back. He appreciates it, the "with your curriculum you won't have any trouble finding a new job" reassuring him, but he knows better. He has been fired, from YG, the most exigent and demanding enterprise; he has seen so many other employees giving up, trying to get a change... He was one of them, but with hard work and resolution he made it, he was accepted and, for four years he was the envy of all his classmates; but not anymore. He is unemployed because he got fired and no one would hire him after what he has done; he has ruined his life, his career and his bank account forever, irremediably.

It's nearly dawn and he is still up, thinking about it, about how to pay the rent next month and buy food and to do a living when he knows he can't afford to live anymore. Of course he could try and apply to SM or JYP, or any of the other big companies, but it will be useless. He has to change his field, maybe his name even to get it. Been fired is usually bad, but been fired by YG himself it is the worse; it closes all doors and windows; nobody wants the leftover from the biggest magnate in Korea after all.

Another sleepless night drives to the start of another starless day and he sighs in defeat even when the morning has barely begin, but just staring at these walls that he won’t be able to pay makes his heart tremble in worries that has settle in his chore, rooting with anxiety and a fear he can’t explain but that dizzies his mind and paints in red his sight.

Haute barks happily, tail waving from left to right, running after him, as if chasing him was the main reason of his sole existence. He pets him joyfully and lets the puppy jumps to his tights and all his face and, suddenly, he feels at ease, money doesn’t clouding his brain. It’s just a moment of pure delight and, after years, he is happy, purely happy playing with his dog, which runs around him in circles, turning his serious, monochromatic face into an explosion of giggles and colours and little excited yells.

He must have been too loud, because he hears someone knocking at the door of his place and he freezes, standing there, lying on the floor, not able to move because Haute is on his way.

“Seunghoon-ssi?” a lovely voice comes, snickering through the crack of the door and he can’t recognise it. It has to be one of his neighbours, hopefully not the pretty one that lives in front of him but, when he finally manages to open it, his eyes widen and that’s it; losing his job? Screw that, his lovely neighbour is looking at him absolutely upset and that makes him feel worse than his in red bank account. He might has been having a crush on this pretty person who lives across the hall and which he has barely shared a few polite words. He has seen him little, having such a crazy shelude, but the few times he has been able to spot him he was awestruck of how wonderful a human can be and how calming a voice could sound, lightening long nights like exploding fireworks. 

“I am sorry, so very much sorry” he rushes to apologize and, with him, Haute comes along, trotting to greet this beautiful person, who smiles at him adoringly and pets him as an old friend.

“Haute-ah! You must be so happy to have your owner at home today!” he says cheerfully, as if content for the dog and for himself.

The fact that his Haute is barking joyfully to an unknown person is weird. Sure, his dog is very sociable, but he has never acted like this before, running in between this man legs and jumping and his hands as if he was his own owner - and Seunghoon is not jealous, just surprised and wondering how it would feel to be touched by his hands. 

“Do you know my dog by any chance?” he queries out loud, looking pierced to the scene that is developing in front of his puzzled eyes. 

“We do!” exclaims the man delighted, all cheerful and who is now kneeling on his door frame, playing with Haute, amazing Seunghoon who doesn't recall when he and his neighbor had exanged a shared moment with his dog.  “Oh!” he then realizes, and Seunghoon notices that there is something regretful coming after it, something this pretty person wasn’t supposed to do “he barks all the time, so I went to check if he was injured or anything. Do you know that you never locked the door of the terrace we share?”

“Do we share a terrace? There is a terrace in this building?” he asks in disbelieve. He has never seen such a thing, he hasn't any knowledge about it but, again, he didn’t visit the place before renting; it was nice enough on the pictures displayed on the page and coming home late at night, he wasn’t up to go somewhere else that wasn’t his bed.

“Yes… You – You didn’t know?”

“No, first time I hear about it. So I assume you came into my house and played with my lonely puppy?” he states, and the young man nods shyly, embarrassed to confess his little crime.

“I broug