chapter one

Soojung understands that look very well. The look of contempt. Of resistance. Of refusal.

She leans back against her seat and stares into his eyes while maintaining a calm composure. She has been doing this for years; there should be no problem for her to see where he is coming from.

“We’ll split the rent,” she finally says to break the silence. She doesn’t like it when he fiddles with his fingers. It shows that he’s thinking too much and she hates it. “It’s an apartment with three rooms. We can commute by bus and reach uni in less than fifteen minutes. There’s also a big shopping mall nearby so it’s gonna be really easy--”

“I’m not up for it,” he interferes. He tousles his hair and sighs. “I don’t want us to live together.”

Soojung ducks her head. It still hurts.

She raises her head and gives him an easy smile, her eyes crinkle into what she hopes is something genuine. She leans forward and places her elbow on the table, eyeing the small distance between them. Her fingers loop through the handle and she takes a sip of her espresso before she puts it bac gently on the glass table. She doesn't like how her flats look down there. “There’s an extra bedroom. It doesn’t have to be only the two of us.” The bitter taste of her espresso lingers on her tongue. “I can ask one of my friends to fill in the spot - or maybe you have somebody in mind?”

Kyungsoo firmly presses his lips, and Soojung tries to distract herself by looking at his beanie. It's the birthday gift that she has given him last year--she poured blood, sweat and tears to knit it while working on her assignment.

She counts. One. Two. Three.

He always takes too long to make his decision.

It has been more than five minutes and Kyungsoo is still staring blankly on the table and she begins to feel insecure about her flats. She should've gone with sneakers. 

She doesn’t know why she’s still doing this. Honestly, it’s been too long. A normal and functional person would have stopped doing this a long time ago--especially when Kyungsoo has made it clear (for more than once) that he’s not interested.

It all starts with being stood up once. Then the second one has come shortly after. The third one, Soojung has seen it coming. The fourth one never came, because she’s too tired of having to sit alone for hours, thinking why she’s even trying it with him. He’s not worth it. He’s not her ideal man.

But the idea of having something so secure is so tempting.

Soulmates.

Kyungsoo and her are soulmates, but Kyungsoo could care less about that.

“I’ve found someone,” Kyungsoo says. “A friend, from high school.”

Soojung has never seen this day coming.

She grins and puts down her sketches. A long cream dress that hugs the body at all the right places with a deep cleavage that goes just a few inches above the navel. “Really?” She twirls her pen around, the chair creaks as she swivels it from left to right.

The single cubicle suddenly feels a lot larger and it is as if she could breathe deeper.

He actually remembers that she’s always in the library to do her sketches after she finishes her morning class. And if she doesn't misinterpret what he has said just now, he's also actually agreeing to renting an apartment together with her--well not together as in being the only two under the same roof, but that actually makes her heart feel much lighter.

“I’m not sure if you still remember,” Kyungsoo speaks slowly, his fingers rubbing the edge of her paper that causes them to be stained with ink. “But we went together for prom once during our senior year.”

Soojung gives herself some credit for not dropping the pen albeit loosening her grip on it upon hearing his words.

Carefully, she takes off her glasses and sets it on the table. “Bae Joohyun?”

“Yeah. She’s transferring to our uni soon. She asked me for recommendation and that’s when I remembered that we have an empty room to fill in.”

“I see,” she murmurs. “What’s her major?”

Kyungsoo smiles. “Geography.”

Soo