Youngjae closed the door to his apartment before leaning against it and sighing heavily. He closed his eyes, relishing the relaxing silence. His body started protesting though so he straightened and kicked his shoes off. After flipping on the lights, he shuffled over to the couch and collapsed on it. Finally he felt some relief against the soreness in his body.
At that moment, his stomach growled, but it seemed like too much effort to get himself some dinner. Lying on the couch was a much better idea. Except for maybe a hot bath... Or eating dinner while taking a hot bath...
Youngjae sat up and started to climb off the couch when his phone went off. He dug it out of his pocket and saw a text notification on the screen. Clicking on it, he furrowed his eyebrows at the unknown phone number. Then he read through the message.
'I finally did it. I confronted him about the lies and the late nights. He started yelling at me. Stuff about not trusting him like usual.'
He gaped at his phone, not sure of what to make of the message. It was definitely sent to him by accident. Hitting the reply button, he began to type back that the person had the wrong number. Before he could finish though, another message came through.
'I did start crying, but I didn't back down this time. Then he started screaming at me that it was my fault that he cheated on me. He said it was over, packed a bag, and left.'
Youngjae frowned at that. Sounded like this guy was a real piece of work.
'Now I feel like . Maybe I should have just kept my mouth shut.'
That was all he could take. He hastily typed out a message and sent it. 'You shouldn't. It sounds like you did the right thing, and that guy is a complete .' Then he waited and after a moment, received another text.
'Thanks. I still feel bad though.'
This was going to take a lot more intervention Youngjae realized. 'You're only feeling heartbroken right now cause the relationship ended. Once you finish dealing with that, you'll realize how much better off you are.' After hitting send, he mentally smacked himself. What was he doing? 'And actually, you have the wrong number. But I meant what I said. That obviously doesn't care about you or respects you as a person at all. There's never a reason to cheat and you shouldn't have to put up with it.'
Waiting once more, Youngjae sat there staring at his phone. A minute went by before he let out a sigh. He tossed his phone on to the coffee table and leaned back against the couch. Glancing around, he once more noted the quietness of his apartment. It wasn't quite as relaxing anymore though, and it somehow made his heart feel heavy. Perhaps he should just take a quick shower and go to bed. Prepare for another long day at work.
Suddenly the cell phone went off, causing him to jump a little. Then he hurriedly grabbed it.
'OMG! I'm so sorry! This is so embarrassing, I could just die. Sorry again. I won't bother you anymore.'
A grin formed on his face and he chuckled. 'No, it's fine. Promise. You're not bothering me and it seems like you needed someone to talk to. And you really did the right thing. Don't even think about taking him back!' Then as an afterthought, he messaged, 'My name is Youngjae by the way.'
He held his breath, ignoring the growling from his stomach. Then he received a text and he was grinning again. He read her name over and over, committing it to memory.
'Ugh I'm still so embarrassed though! Talking to a complete stranger about my breakup.'
Youngjae chewed on his lip as an idea came to him. 'My back and my legs hurt. I haven't even eaten dinner. My boss made me stay late, again. He's such an . Wait... WERE YOU DATING MY BOSS?? That jerk! I'll superglue his seat!'
'Omg bwhahahahahaha!!' she replied back.
Laughing as well, he quickly typed out, 'There. Now I ranted to you about my day. We're even. And now I'm not a stranger, we're friends.'
'Friends? Hmmm.... that means I can yell at you... GO GET SOMETHING TO EAT! Seriously, what are you thinking? Do you know what time it is? GO!'
Youngjae's face fell and he blinked at those words in surprise. Then he busted out laughing and stood up. 'Wow! Ok, ok I'm going!' He went to the kitchen and opened one of the cupboards to grab a bag of ramen, just as his phone beeped.
'And it better be something good! Not ramen!'
His mouth dropped open. That was one hell of a coincidence. 'Wait... How did... DID YOU PUT CAMERAS IN MY APARTMENT???'
'OMG LOL!!!'
Shaking his head and chuckling, Youngjae put the ramen back and searched through the cupboard for something else. When he got the next text message though, he was surprised once again.
'Ok, confession.' she wrote, followed by a picture of a bowl of ramen.
"Oh that little..." Youngjae's fingers flew across the phone's keyboard. 'You rascal! That's it, I'm eating ramen!' Then he promptly grabbed the package of ramen, and then a pot to cook it in. He filled the pot with water and set it on the stove.
'Now you have to wait for the water to boil... And then for then for the noodles to cook... And ohhhh this is soooo goooood. So yummy.'
'Is this what it means to be friends with you? Torturing me?'
'Yes.' she instantly replied, along with a smiling emoji.
Laughing again, he leaned against the counter with a huge smile on his face. While waiting for the water to boil, he continued texting back and forth with his new friend.

A loud thump made Youngjae jump and he quickly looked at the stack of folders on his desk.
"These accounts need to be done before tomorrow."
He looked up at his boss. "Uh... Yes sir." Then watched as the man dismissively walked away.
Biting his tongue to stop himself from swearing, Youngjae grabbed the folder off the the top. He slapped it down on his desk and opened it before glancing around for a pen. When he didn't find one, he opened the desk's drawer. His gaze zeroed in on a small bottle of super glue, nestled in a pile of paper clips and rubber bands.
Memories of last night came to him and a small smile came to his face. He hesitated for a few moments, then grabbed his phone. He pulled up the newest contact in his phone, reading her name a few times. 'My boss is making me stay late again and there's superglue in my desk.'
'Omg, no! Don't. You'll get in so much trouble. Do you really want to lose your job? It but it's a paycheck. Don't do anything you'll regret.'
Youngjae quietly chuckled and set his phone aside. He began to look over the paperwork when his phone signaled a new message. Curious, he picked up his phone to see another text from her.
'Doooooo iiiittttttttttt!!!!!' followed by a devil emoji.
He hurriedly slapped a hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing, letting out an odd, muffled sound instead.
When he finally felt in control, he took his hand off of his mouth and went back to work. Though he wasn't laughing, he couldn't stop smiling.

Youngjae closed the front door behind him and kicked off his shoes. Out of habit, he checked his phone for any messages. There were none.
Weeks had passed by since he had started talking to her. It had gotten to the point that they would text each other every day. But then she had said would be going for the weekend to the mountains with a couple of friends for the weekend. There wouldn't be much reception so she would text him when she got back.
He set his phone down on the coffee table with a sigh. Glancing around his quiet apartment, he decided he might as well fix himself dinner. She hated when he skipped meals.
Making his way to the kitchen, he thought about what he could eat. Something quick, he wasn't in the mood to cook. Then a small, mischievous smile graced his face. He opened one of the cupboards and grabbed a package of ramen. If he told her that he ate nothing but ramen for the weekend, she would yell at him.
After cooking the ramen, he sat on the couch to eat. He the television and scrolled through the channels until he decided on a movie that was playing. As he watched it though, he found himself not really paying attention. Instead, he kept glancing at his phone. What was she doing now?
Pressing his lips together, he reached for the remote and turned the tv off. Silence instantly descended on the room. Youngjae closed his eyes, willing for the one noise he wanted to hear to break the quietness. But it never came.
He grabbed his phone and opened his messages. He looked back through all the messages they had exchanged. Teasing each other and joking around, mixed with words of encouragement when one confesses to having a bad day. Going to the most recent text, he re-read her message about her weekend plans. He wished her a safe trip and said he hoped she'd have fun.
An idea came to him, causing his heartbeat to speed up. No it was stupid. He couldn't do that. Yet, he couldn't stop thinking about it.
Swallowing thickly, he began to type out a message. 'This may be weird, but we tell each other everything so I feel like I can tell you this. I miss you. I keep checking my phone, expecting to hear from you, and I'm sad when there's nothing. I hate it. Talking to you is the thing I look forward to the most everyday.'
His finger hovered over the send button as he hesitated. This wouldn't be too awkward, right? It was normal to miss a close friend. Of course they hadn't really discussed their relationship, but that's who she was to him. A close friend at the very least, but... possibly more.
Making a rash decision, he sent the message. Then he dropped his phone on to the table and leaned back against the couch. He looked around his empty apartment, wondering how he was going to get through this weekend. He had friends of his own he could call. Maybe they could do something together. It wasn't the same, yet it might help make the time pass by faster.
Grabbing his phone once more, he sent her one last message. 'Talking to you, I don't feel so lonely.'
After sending the text, he tossed his phone to the other side of the couch. Then he turned the television back on. Not because he wanted to finish watching the movie, but so he didn't have to sit there listening to the silence.

It wasn't until Sunday night, while Youngjae was eating ramen again for dinner, that his phone finally signaled a new text message. He froze, with his chopsticks halfway to his mouth, and stared at his phone. Then he dropped everything and hurriedly grabbed his phone. He didn't even need to see the screen to know it was her.
Instead of a message though, there was a picture. A mountain road lined with pine trees. It looked like it was taken from the passenger seat of a car. It had to be from the day she had left.
At that moment, another picture came through. It was of the small cabin they had rented. He smiled seeing it. She must have had fun. He started typing out a reply when yet another picture was received. A hiking trail. Then another of a flower.
Youngjae gaped at his phone as picture after picture showed up. "What the..." He scrolled through them, seeing images of trees and distant views from the top of the mountain. A squirrel, a campfire, a bowl of food that must have been her breakfast. By the time they stopped coming, there must have been over thirty pictures.
He waited to see if there were anymore pictures when a text message appeared on the screen.
'All weekend long I kept wanting to tell you about my day, but my phone wouldn't get any reception. I wanted to tell you about the hiking trail that was way too long, but worth it to see the view at the end. About the birds that sang every morning, and the one bastard squirrel that threw an acorn at me. So I took pictures instead, just for you.'
His heart skipped a beat. He read the words several times, and while he was doing that, another text came through.
'You make me feel less lonely too.'
Cold numbness spread throughout his body. His throat seized up and he swallowed a couple of times. With his hands beginning to shake, he set his phone down. Then he closed his eyes and let out a breath of relief. He wasn't sure if he was reading more in to her word than what was actually there, but he knew one thing for sure. He really could tell her anything. And that knowledge alone was very precious to him.
Picking up his phone, he typed out, 'I ate nothing but ramen all weekend.'
She replied instantly. 'WHAT??? What the hell?! Eat a freaking vegetable for crying out loud!!'
He busted out laughing as he received several more text, all of which was her yelling at him. A huge grin spread on his face and he eagerly read each one.

"Thank you." Youngjae told the barista as he took his cup of coffee.
He went over to a vacant table and sat down. Several people moved around the shop, getting their own coffee and he watched them all with mild curiosity. Then he noticed a woman sitting a few tables away. Her hair was pulled back, but a few strands had come loose to frame her face. The yellow dress she wore reminded him of sunflowers and he could easily picture her walking through a field of them. She took a small drink from her own cup before picking up her phone and typing on it.
Youngjae turned away. He had stared long enough. He dug his own phone out of his pocket to play on it when it suddenly went off. Looking at the text notification, he clicked on it.
'It's a beautiful day, and not just cause I'm off from work hehe.'
He chuckled quietly at that. 'Must be because I have the day off from work then.'
A second after he pushed the send button, a little jingle rang out. He looked over at the woman he had been staring at earlier and saw her pick up her phone. She smiled and started pressing on her screen as if she was typing.
Youngjae glanced at his phone, then at her, and then back at his phone. That was one hell of a coincidence. Out of the corner of his eye, he continued watching her until she set her phone down. A moment later, his phone beeped. He checked the new message apprehensively.
'Haha! Very funny. You're probably cooped up inside playing video games.'
His gaze went back to the female. There was no way, right? Out of every place in the entire city? It couldn't be. Yet his racing heartbeat wasn't easy to ignore. 'Okay this is random but... are you in a coffee shop wearing a yellow dress?'
As soon as he sent the message, he stared at the woman again. Her phone went off and as she looked at the screen, dropped open. Then her head whipped up and she frantically looked around the building.
Youngjae immediately looked down as a little smile formed on his face. He waited a bit, steeling himself, before standing up. He stuffed his phone back into his pocket, grabbed his coffee, and headed over to her.
She stopped looking around as she noticed him, and Youngjae saw her eyes widen. He stopped at her table and smiled down at her. "Hey. I'm.."
"Youngjae." she blurted out loud, interrupting him.
He laughed slightly and nodded his head. "Yeah."
She blinked at him shock for a few moments and then suddenly stood up so fast, her chair scooted a few inches backwards. She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight hug. Unprepared, he stumbled a little and let out a small yelp. Then just as quickly, she released him and took a step back.
"Oh I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed while giving him a mortified look. "I don't know why I just did that."
He laughed and shook his head dismissively. "It's fine."
"It's just that I feel like I've known you forever." she continued, laughing as well.
"Really, it's fine." he assured her. He indicated for her to sit and sat down in the chair across from her.
"I can't believe this." She sat back down and fidgeted in her seat a bit. "It's nice to finally meet you."
"It's nice to meet you too." He set his coffee aside and leaned forward on to the table. "What are the odds?"
She laughed and nodded in agreement. Then her face fell as she furrowed her eyebrows. "Why have we never done this before?"
Taken aback, he gaped at in surprise. "I... I have no idea."
They sat there in silence until they both busted out laughing together.
As the laughter died down, Youngjae continued staring at her. A sudden urge to reach over touch her overtook him. He wanted to feel her hair with his fingertips, or to grab her hand so he could feel her skin against his. Without even thinking, he uttered, "Are you doing anything today?"
She pressed her lips and tilted her head curiously. "No."
He his lips. "Do you want to spend the day together?" Youngjae asked her, expecting her to say no.
"Yeah, sure."
Maybe he was seeing things, or maybe not, but he could have sworn she was blushing.

Youngjae opened the front door and came to a stop. He listened to the noises coming from the kitchen, including the sound of someone singing along to music that was playing. Entering his apartment, he closed the door quietly behind him and kicked off his shoes. He made his way to the kitchen and stared at the scene before him.
She was standing by the stove, stirring something in a pot while her hips swayed back and forth in time with the music. Her voice filled the room as she sang along to the lyrics.
He smiled as he watched her for a bit, then his smile faded as a feeling of melancholy weighed down his heart.
Suddenly she turned around and saw him, making her jump a bit. She laughed at herself while smiling at him. "Hey. I didn't hear you come in."
He tried to force himself to smile back at her, but it was a futile effort. "What are you doing here?"
She shrugged her shoulders and glanced away as she blushed. "Well, I know you had to work today but I wanted to do something special anyways. It being our one year anniversary and all." She pressed her lips together and indicated towards the stove. "So I'm making us dinner."
There was that heavy-hearted feeling again. Youngjae couldn't shake it off. And it wasn't just from having to skip their anniversary. It was more than that.
"Let's move in together."
Her head jerked back. "What??"
"Let's move in together." he repeated, hearing how desperate he sounded in his voice. "I want this. I don't want to come home to a quiet apartment anymore. I don't want lie awake at night in an empty bed, wondering when I could see you again. I want to come home to you, and to hold you in my arms while you're sleeping." He moved forward and cupped her face with his hands. "I want you."
Her eyes watered and she swallowed before her lips. "I want you too."
Four simple words, but it was enough. Enough to replace the sorrow in his heart with happiness. He hurriedly hugged her, holding on to her tightly and never wanting to let go. Especially when she hugged him in return and held on to him just as tight.