The birds were chirping gleefully on that Tuesday morning. The sun was shining so brightly that it could have blinded someone. Passerby’s chattered as they went on their own ways. Yet Jihyun’s curtains were still firmly shut, her hair still appeared to be a messy bird’s nest despite her tying it in a ponytail, and her things were all over the place inside her tiny apartment. She was seated in front of her study table, her laptop’s light was glaring back at her. She ruffled her hair in frustration as she knew that she was not getting anywhere. She let out a groan which echoed throughout the tiny apartment.

As if on cue, her phone rang which indicated that someone was calling. Seeing that it was just her cousin—not like someone else would try to reach her other than her parents (yet again, they probably did not want to hear about how much of a failure their daughter had been), Jihyun picked up the phone.

“I can’t do this,” Jihyun complained over the phone with no polite greetings or whatsoever. She did not even bother hearing out her cousin’s polite ‘hello’ over the phone. “I can’t finish the freaking novel because everything is so darn confusing. Of all things, why did it have to be a romance novel?”

“You can choose another genre if you wish but I’m telling you, people like novels—even with a tiny bit of romance more,” said the voice on the other line. “They like making ships.”

“Well, maybe, I can manage to finish it if you actually try to help me out by editing these things. You’re an editor for a reason, Kang Seulgi! We’re even cousins!” Jihyun exclaimed.

Even without seeing it, Jihyun could feel that Seulgi was rolling her eyes. “Oh, come on, that won’t be fair. If I edit your story without you passing it yet, it’s like giving you a better opportunity. I can’t really do that. Also, if I were to edit your story, it would feel like I was the one who wrote that because the characters are not alive at all! Forget the romance, even the friends are not believable.”

“Yeah?” Jihyun sighed. “They’re as real as I made them!”

“Yeah, ‘real as you made them’ my . They are all so fake,” Seulgi was grimacing. “It’s like you don’t even know people. Why don’t you hang out with friends or something?”

Do I look like I have friends? Jihyun wanted to bark yet she bit her tongue. “Never mind, Seulgi, you’re not helping at all. I’m tired of trying to be a freaking novelist for…forever! It landed me nowhere, I don’t have a job so I am just a fresh-from-college jobless woman. Studying at Yonsei did me no good! My mother is so going to end my life if I still don’t have a job within six months.”

“That’s a pretty long time to get yourself together then,” Seulgi pointed out. “But I can see where you are coming from. Life gets frustrating from time to time. Why not hang around the neighborhood first? I’m pretty sure you’ll sort something out after a long walk. Appreciate the Mapo district more, will you? Don’t let things get into your head.”

Jihyun groaned. “Sure, bye!” Without waiting for a response, she hang up. To say that she was frustrated was an understatement. She was lost, she was damned, and soon, she would be broke and homeless. Glaring at her laptop, she stood up from her seat almost abruptly (hitting the innocent study table with both of her palms in the process). “I have to find alternatives.”

Grabbing her black jacket and her almost empty baby blue wallet, she headed to the door. She did not even bother changing her mismatching worn-out indigo shirt and green sweatpants. Oh no, she was well aware of her pathetic being yet she could barely care, not when she had more problems to deal with such as landing herself to a good publishing company and keeping herself alive with the unhealthiest foods around her. All she wanted to do that morning was to grab a breakfast—which mainly included a pack of honey bread and/or a cup of instant spicy rice cake along with a bottle of water. Having no ability to cook, she did not dare to complain about what she was eating. Not to mention the fact that she did not have the money to buy herself a decent meal either.

She walked towards the nearest convenient store, frowning as she forced her worn out red flip flops to walk along. Maybe she should have worn a better pair of slippers but then again, she was saving those for something more special other in comparison to the usual trip to the nearest convenience store—for applying for a job per se.

As usual, Jihyun was welcomed by the friendly cashier whose name was Park Sandara—at least that was according to her nametag. The former could only force a friendly smile before scurrying to the shelves where she could find her beloved foods for breakfast. In a swift, she was able to grab a cup of instant spicy rice cake, a honey bread, and a bottled water. She headed to the cashier and paid for those before going to the area where the dispenser for the hot water was placed—which was at the right corner of the convenience store and she would have a perfect view of anyone entering the door.

The moment the hot water hit her instant spicy rice cake, Jihyun could no longer stop herself from letting out a sigh of contentment. It was an okay life after all. She could barely ask for more. But then again, this lifestyle would lead her to the streets homeless and penniless soon so she shrugged the thoughts off.

While she was waiting for the spicy rice cake to be cooked, she started munching on the honey bread with so much ease—momentarily forgetting about the never completed stories she had back in her apartment. Just then, the bell on the door rang, indicating that there was a customer. Out of reflex rather than curiosity, Jihyun looked up and saw a handsome young man entering the shop. Sharp jaw line, cherry red lips, a pair of twinkling eyes, and a tall nose—no woman would ignore such a sight, not even Jihyun if she had not known who that was already. His baby pink hair unexpectedly highlighted his visuals even more.

“Can you please show me where the salt is?” The man’s voice echoed throughout the convenience store.

Jihyun watched with full interest as the man disappeared with the cashier, to look for the salt most probably. “Lee Taeyong is still so handsome,” she sighed, not a dreamy one but a disappointed sigh.

Lee Taeyong was an epitome of handsome back in high school (they went to the same renowned Science high school). Although she was two years younger, the female had heard a lot about Taeyong simply because his beauty was out of this world—so was his cooking skills, they said. She had heard rumors and news about his family being a rich family in Gangnam wherein his father was an owner of three five-star restaurants and Taeyong was the only heir except Taeyong had another plan and decided to open a family restaurant along Mapo District right after he graduated from culinary school. Jihyun had been there once with her cousin when it just opened and truly, she did not regret it.

Albeit confused as to why he had decided to start from scratch, the female did not look into it because at least the man was getting somewhere unlike her who was stuck inside her shabby apartment since college.

Shrugging her thoughts off, she turned her focus back to her spicy rice cake which was already waiting to be devoured by her. She started eating only to stop once again when she found Taeyong walking around in her peripheral vision. Indeed, handsome creatures were fun to watch no matter what they were doing, even if they were suspiciously lurking around. Without a word, the man turned back to the cashier once again, proceeding to pay for the salt. He was about to leave before stopping his tracks and turning to the cashier.

“Excuse me, Miss,” Taeyong once again grabbed the attention of the said worker. “Can you please get the Jjapageti for me? It’s out of reach,”

Despite being busy stuffing with the spicy rice cake, Jihyun could hear the door’s bell ringing as an indicator that someone entered yet she paid no heed to the newcomer because one, she was darn confused as to why Taeyong even needed help in grabbing the piece of instant noodles from a girl shorter than he was. Another thing was he could just whisk a real proper meal inside his kitchen. Then again, who was Jihyun to judge? Shamelessly, she just watched Taeyong who was standing beside the cash register and the worker who was struggling to reach the damned pack of noodles. She did not even bother to hide.

Things escalated on their own as another guy—attractive yet not as attractive as Taeyong yet definitely taller—rushed to the female worker and helped her up like a dramatic scene from a cliché Korean drama. Albeit tempting, Jihyun did not find herself choking at that. Instead, she choked on her food when she accidentally locked eyes with Taeyong and the latter had the audacity to wink at her before leaving.

Yes.

The Lee freaking Taeyong ing winked at Jihyun as if he knew that something was up.

After spending the whole day coped up inside her tiny apartment, Jihyun did not manage to get anything done because of three reasons: one, she had been very affected of how a handsome man randomly winked at her; two, the said handsome man was so suspicious that the female was intrigued; and lastly, she just had nothing in her already-blank mind. She just wanted to cry as she buried her head under her pillow that evening. Letting out a yelp, she sat up. An idea just hit her—a perfect idea for her story.

Without wasting another second, she scrambled towards her study table and her laptop. As fast as the idea came, it disappeared like a bubble when the female her laptop, making her groan out loud. “Forget it!” Her voice rang throughout the tiny apartment. She let out a sigh as she leaned back on her chair. “I’ll just look for a in’ job and quit writing!”

She made it sound easy yet she knew that her passion was for writing. As cheesy as it might sound, she actually declared that she would not care about where she was as long as she could still write. With another heavy sigh, she stood up but not before shutting down her laptop. She looked at her tiny window and frowned. Maybe it was because she could barely see people that was why she was struggling? Maybe she really needed to hang out with some friends like Seulgi had suggested.

She took her phone which was left alone on her messy bed. She picked it up and immediately scrolled through her contacts. No, of course she had tons of people in her contacts yet did she ever hang out with them? Nope, never. Those were just mere acquaintances and former classmates she used to greet good morning and goodbye; they were people who worked on some projects with her without establishing a deeper relationship. They might have even forgotten about her very existence.

The thought made her huff. Without further ado, she took her laptop and placed it inside her black laptop bag along with her phone. She also grabbed her wallet before she headed outside, wearing her embarrassing gray tracksuit and that dreaded red flip flops. If she could not hang out with people, she could at least watch people who were having fun outside. Maybe then, she would get an idea out of it.

Hence, that was the reason why the female was even outside at nine in the evening, trying to get a glimpse of the couples and friends hanging out at the Han River. It was a cliché but hey, she was writing a love story! Everyone loved cliché love stories.

The infamous Han River was, indeed, filled with people. As much as Jihyun detested people, she forced herself to walk around and to watch them as if she were enjoying the sight of the teenagers running and laughing around or the couples who looked like they were trying to film their own sappy dramas. Jihyun could only grimace at the sight as she tried to look for a perfect spot to sit on so that she could write her story while watching the people around her. If the story’s characters could still not be as real as true people, Jihyun would really throw her laptop at Kang Seulgi’s face—okay, fine, not really because Seulgi was such a pretty girl (and that pretty girl would be more than willing to sue Jihyun for assault).

She quietly walked, letting her ponytailed hair to swing with the wind. Everything was doing okay until she halted when she noticed a certain awkward couple, walking beside each other.

“I have always liked you,” she heard the male mutter—Jihyun just had to watch the two’s interaction. “You’re not just pretty or cute, you’re hardworking. You’re an innocent soul I wish to protect.”

No kissy faces, no holding hands, no hugging—just plain blushing and big genuine smiles. Jihyun’s insides would have swirled and she would have started thinking that they were the cutest couple she had ever seen if not for one thing she had realized. She squinted her eyes, trying to get a better view of the couple.

Finally, she realized who the couple were. The female was a bit short and was indeed petite yet she looked so pretty. She had a pair of twinkling eyes, cute button nose, and a thin heart-shaped lips; all of those were adorning her small face. The man with her was definitely very tall although not muscular. His ears were his best feature as they resembled that of an elf. He also had a set of pearly white teeth that he showcased when he smiled. A power couple, indeed and Jihyun just happened to see them in the convenience store earlier that day—that convenience store worker and the prince charming who helped in grabbing a pack of noodles.

Sensing another person’s presence near them, Jihyun looked around. Indeed, she spotted a familiar pink-haired boy, just a few meters away from them. He was smiling as he watched the couple. Jihyun’s eyebrows were furrowed at the sight. To say that she was confused was an understatement.

“What is happening? Is he actually a stalker?” The female could not help but to mutter to herself. The last thing she would think of was Lee Taeyong turning out to be a psychopath—which would totally make a good story if you ask her.

As if he felt her unwavering stares, Taeyong’s eyes darted to her, making her gulp in the process. To her surprise, Taeyong simply smiled at her before shrugging innocently as if he was not caught doing anything weird or extremely suspicious.

Jihyun gulped for the second time. She had imagine scenes like this—the psychopath was following his latest obsession then he found a new one so he would follow the new one or something like that. In short, it would be a hit story (if she ever made it alive that was). With a forced smile, she quickly turned away and started running for her life (and for her newborn story).

“Then, what will happen next?” Jihyun let out a groan as she pounded her laptop’s keyboard, typing away some intense scene while she was sprawled on her bed, laying on her stomach lazily.

Two days since the incident with Taeyong, Jihyun was still coped inside her tiny apartment with her newly written story about a handsome psychopath and how he killed his victims. It was easier to write maybe because she was only on the third chapter and she actually had an image of a psychopath—namely Taeyong—inside her mind. In order to save her story and herself, she decided to somehow stir away from Taeyong’s path although it was fairly easy since they never really bump into each other that frequent.

Pulling her away from her thoughts, her phone rang which indicated that she had a call. Because it was her mother, she picked up the phone without second thoughts.

“How are you? Have you eaten yet?” Her mother’s voice sounded cheerful on the other line.

“Yes, I’m fine, and yes, I have eaten. Why did you call? Is something up? You seem more cheerful than usual,” Jihyun went straight to the point. While she really did miss her family and they did miss her, they were not exactly in the kind of relationship wherein they would regularly call each other—a text message would suffice. Phone calls would happen if something important should be said such as if there was an emergency, a bad news, or a really good news. With her situation at the moment, the female could not be sure if it were an emergency, a bad news, or a really good news—although she would like to believe that it was the third one.

“Your youngest sibling finally received a letter for early admission to University of Cambridge. She will be leaving the country as soon as possible so that she can adjust to the climate and the surroundings,” her mother cheerfully announced. “Chemical Engineering in such a prestigious university won’t be easy but I know she’ll do just fine. You know Yeri, she finds ways.”

Jihyun frowned, utterly confused despite being happy for her sister’s achievement. “Congratulate her for me, please. I’ll call her after this. But didn’t she plan on taking Veterinary Science in University of California? Did she not get accepted? I swear, she has what it takes to pass.”

“Oh, that, she did not submit the requirements. I and your father decided that Veterinary Science is not a smart choice. With that brain of hers, she should go for something bigger,” her mother replied.

“You decided?” Jihyun could not help but to sneer. “And Yeri agreed? Look, mom, Seungkwan already sacrificed himself by flying to Toronto to take up Biochemistry that he dreaded,” she spoke through gritted teeth. She wanted her mother to understand what she was talking about. “They’re not kids anymore. You should have let them decided.”

There was a pause and her mother heaved a sigh. “Look, Jihyun, look at yourself. You should have listened to me because right now, things are not too bright for you. I and your father are not saying that you should stop aiming for your dreams; we’re just saying that you should not try to grab it now because it isn’t the right time. You should have applied for a better course like Journalism—although that may be just as bad or better yet, Psychology. You can write later after you get a proper job. Life is not about rushing. You can do what you like later and be practical now. I am telling you this because I made the same mistake. I could have been a pharmacist like your dad or an engineer like our neighbor but I insisted on being a designer, look where it got me.”

Jihyun was quiet. She hated arguing with her mom. Although the older woman had a point, she was not entirely correct—that or Jihyun was too prideful to accept where she went wrong.

“Let’s drop that subject and talk about our main concern, okay?” her mother spoke in a calmer and more soothing way. “You do know that your father is not earning so much, yes? Although I try to help, my money is never enough. Our loans start to double. As the eldest child, we depend on you too much. I am not pressuring you to get a job anymore… just come back here.”

There was a pause. Jihyun was weighing her option as she nimble on her lower lip. Would she be willing to show her pathetic jobless self to their neighborhood in Jeju wherein almost everyone knew each other? Humiliation after humiliation would welcome her and it would greatly affect her family who cared so much about how people viewed them. Since the neighborhood was pretty noisy and people actually knew each other, it would only be a matter of hours before the fact that she was broke and jobless would be heard by each and every citizen. “Why do I have to come back?”

“We pay for your apartment, your allowance which includes your food, electricity and water bill. I won’t say anything about the phone bill since that cannot be helped but the other expenses can be cut off if you will just come back here. Your father and I are not angry with you. In fact, we really miss you. You can get your life back together here,” her mother stated. “Come back, okay? I’m going to buy you plane tickets so you can come back in a week. Will that be fine?”

Despite knowing that her mom would not be able to see, Jihyun shook her head—a determined look was on her face. “No,” she paused. “I can’t go back to that place being like… like this. Mom, it will be embarrassing for you.” There was another pause before she continued. She was not coming back to embarrass herself.

“You can get married,” her mother suggested.

Jihyun frown deepened. She knew her mother would bring it up like that. “I am still young. There is still plenty of time for me to chase my dreams. Why would I just settle down with the son of one of your friends? Mom, that’s…that’s not fair.”

“Well, it will be less embarrassing for you that way,” her mother tried to pursue her.

Jihyun paused. “For me? Or for you?” She mumbled. “I’ll find a job and after this month, I’ll take care of my living expenses so you don’t have to worry. I’ll be fine.” She honestly did not know how she’s going to do that but she was not going to give up like that. She would not fail without putting up a fight.

“All right, you have until Monday to find a job,” her mother heaved a sigh. “If you will not be able to find one, get back here as soon as I get you a plane ticket.”

“Deal,” Jihyun muttered, her confidence failed her as her voice came out shaky. She cleared to mask the uneasiness that she was feeling. “Congratulate Yeri for me, please.” Not waiting for her mother’s reply any longer, she hang up the phone. The moment she did, the whole apartment fell into silence until a groan left that was.

She should seriously start job-hunting.

Story Fact #1:

How did you come up with this story?

- I have always wanted to write a story about matchmaking and stuff. I tried it before but I failed so I wanted to try it again but this time, I want it to be a bit different. Then, I somehow came up with this plot.