Since Youngsoon had no sofa in her studio flat, they had to go out and buy a blow-up mattress last minute. Mark had told Youngsoon to not trouble herself and that he was fine sleeping on the bean bag for the first evening, but needless to say, Youngsoon was adamant in making sure that he could get a proper rest and was willing to even let him have the bed instead.

This exchange had happened within the walls of Youngsoon’s flat, however since she had her balcony door open, Jinyoung had unintentionally heard everything. It was a weird feeling being able to hear the sound of other people living within reach of him. Thinking back, Jinyoung had barely crossed paths with his previous neighbour and neither cared to reach out to one other. They were by all means just two strangers living on two sides of a wall.

Jinyoung recalled how he used to come back from work to an empty and silent flat that he could barely call home. It was a lonely feeling that he had gotten used to and only once Youngsoon moved in did Jinyoung realise how comforting it was to know there was someone else living and breathing next door that he could talk to. Even when Youngsoon was off at work and Jinyoung stood on the balcony by himself, he could still relish the melody produced by Youngsoon’s wind chime and it made his day just a tiny bit less lonesome. Whether intentional or not, Younsoon had a knack for adding hints of herself wherever she went. Even though her studio flat had minimal furniture and decoration, there were distinct splashes of vitality and gentleness that unmistakably belonged to her. Youngsoon of course was unaware of the comfort that she had brought Jinyoung but that did not matter.

Although not exactly a regular routine, Jinyoung would occasionally accompany the girl to work as his own way to thank her, shielding her from pushy passengers on the overcrowded bus and overall giving her his time and company. Jinyoung did worry whether he might come off as overbearing, however Youngsoon had said nothing in regards to his actions and as time passed, she would open her flat door with a look of anticipation, expecting Jinyoung to be standing there waiting for her.

Mark meanwhile had naturally picked up a habit for himself on the very second day of his stay: draping his body over the balcony railings with his hair poking out in all directions while waving at Youngsoon and Jinyoung’s retreating figures before returning to sleep. The rest of his day would then be going out house hunting and occasionally visiting Gureum.

When this happened, Jinyoung was most likely there as well and thus Mark wasted no time to join the male regardless of whether he had been invited over or not.

“You seem to really like it here,” Mark commented while resting his chin in his hand. “Why?”

Blinking slowly, Jinyoung purposefully took a large gulp of his tea to buy himself some time because he was not sure how exactly to tackle the question. Seeing him struggle, Mark leaned closer towards him while waving his hands in the air.

“Let me rephrase,” Mark said thoughtfully. “What is it about Gureum that makes you want to return constantly and willingly spend hours sitting here sipping tea? After all coffee is the more popular choice amongst the youth nowadays and location-wise, this place is more of a tourist spot and not exactly ideal for passing by on a whim or when in dire need of tea.”

Indeed, from the nearest bus stop to Gureum it was a fifteen minute walk uphill, so on a rainy day or during a scorching summer day, it could become a torturous journey. At the same time though, the fact that Gureum was located at the end of this journey somehow made it more than alright and worth the effort.

“When I sit here, it feels like I’m on top of the world,” Jinyoung mumbled more to himself than at Mark. “The journey is worth it. It shows that hard work pays off.”

“If I may interpret your words in a more… concrete manner, you mean that the sense of satisfaction you feel upon drinking this tea after a long journey is greater and more significant than that of instant gratification you get from a coffee shop that is located in a random street in the city centre,” Mark stated slowly. “And since this place is so far up and detached from the city, it provides a proper escape and thus you feel safe here, maybe even empowered.”

Jinyoung felt his jaws drop at Mark’s detailed and fleshed out interpretation of his rather abstract answer. It dawned upon him that Mark was serious when he told Youngsoon he was here for research purposes. Since he was in charge of the Korean branch of the family business, it meant he had to lead the team in terms of what theme to go with that will be most attractive to their target demographic in the competitive field of coffee shops.

“What is the name of your family business?”

“Youngsoon never mentioned?” Mark asked though was not surprised. “Figures. The company’s called TF Group and we work with locals to open themed coffee shops. No two locations are the same though there is a shared menu of the more popular and common items. Even then though, we add variations by taking advantage of the popular local flavours and styles.”

“So you are researching into Gureum because it has its own distinct aesthetic and style that is hard to replicate,” Jinyoung summarised.

“Bingo.” Mark winked at Jinyoung.

“Sounds tough, what you are doing,” Jinyoung commented offhandedly. “A lot of responsibilities to bear.”

“Yeah and if I mess it up that’s the South Korean market gone,” Mark sighed though his tone was still light-hearted. “Still coffee culture in South Korea is quite something, and despite how competitive it is, if we succeed it will be a goldmine.”

Jinyoung felt his breath hitch in his throat. He understood why Mark could not afford making a mistake. If the opening of the first local coffee shop failed then it would taint the reputation of the brand. Opening new locations and revamping would be not be fruitful because people will still remember the initial failure and associate the new location with that. The idea that one mistake could lead to such a snowball effect increased Jinyoung admiration and jealousy towards the male who seemed to be dealing with it all with ease and confidence. Looking down at his clenched fists, Jinyoung wore a bitter smile.

“What about you?” Mark grinned at Jinyoung.

“What about me?” Jinyoung echoed the words.

“Anything,” Mark said nonchalantly. “You quit your job at a company you’d been working in for a while right? How come? Do you plan to set up your own company? Or join a competitor’s? Or are you looking for something new completely? If so would you be interested working for me perhaps? You’d have to go through an interview process of course for fairness purposes.”

Mark’s overwhelming curiosity was too much for Jinyoung to handle and actually made him weary of the male. At the same time, it made Jinyoung further appreciate Youngsoon’s demure behaviour and quiet presence. Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, Jinyoung tightened his grip on his teacup as he searched for a way to answer Mark’s questions in the most ambiguous way possible without offending the male.

“By the way, I heard you’re good with electronics,” Mark quipped, completely changing topic. “You got any recommendation