“He’s impossible, Georgia!” you exclaimed to your best friend over the phone the following week as you arrived outside the studio building. “No matter how much I’ve tried to communicate with him over the last several days, Park Jinyoung is like an immovable ox. He’s the most stubborn creature to walk on this Earth!”

“And a good morning to you too, Y/N,” a bitter greeting injected your call, and you stopped walking, watching Jinyoung move into the building ahead of you with a single hand raised. You grumbled incoherently.

“Did you hear that?!”

“At least he said good morning, Y/N,” Georgia commented before sighing. “You also told me that the deposit was at the top end of the budget if you solely took this studio. Halving the cost is a good thing for your first studio. Think of your business goals, not the insufferable Jinyoung.”

“I’d rather pay double than deal with him in my space.”

“I don’t even get why you hate the man. He’s gorgeous.”

“Having good looks doesn’t change a vile personality,” you announced loudly as you walked in, noting the way Jinyoung’s jaw tensed. You smirked. “We’ll never agree on anything.”

“To be fair, we both agree that neither of us wants this,” Jinyoung mentioned, and you shot him an imploring look. He shrugged, unphased. “At least that’s a start. Also, morning Georgie!”

“Don’t greet my friend!” you breathed exasperatedly, groaning when your best friend giggled happily in response. Hanging up the call with a muttered agreement to call back later, you stared at the numbers descending on the elevator panel, tapping your hand on the top of your wheeled luggage bag.

When the doors open, Jinyoung gestured for you to enter the space first before climbing in too, whistling jovially to himself as the doors closed.

For a moment, you wondered if you were being overly dramatic towards Jinyoung. It wasn’t in your nature to openly dislike someone or wish them misfortune. More often than not, you were a people pleaser, aiming to keep your reputation unmarred. But there was something about your neighbour that made you forget all about your high standards of personal etiquette.

Over the past three years of knowing the man, you could easily count the altercations you had endured with him on both hands twice over. From simple noise complaints to more in-depth unfortunate incidents, you had faced it all. He was a nightmare in every aspect of the word, and knowing you were here to decide on how to divide your dream studio space in half today was gutting.

You didn’t want to accept that a mere partition was all there would be between you both.

The doors finally dinged open, and Jinyoung strode out, spinning around to stop your exit. “Oh, that’s right. Didn’t you have two luggage bags with you at your car?” he asked sweetly, and you glanced down, noting only the one. Gasping loudly, Jinyoung waved brightly at you after tapping the G button on the panel.

“He waited that long to tell me?!” you exclaimed when the doors shut, clamping your eyes shut as you let out an infuriated cry. “I’ll never give him the benefit of the doubt again!”

Hurriedly, you fetched your second suitcase, grateful no one had noticed it in the parking lot before dashing back into the building. And then you took the elevator up to the eighth floor again, panting out of breath by the time you reached the studio.

Mr Morris nodded sternly. “Now that we’re all here, how about we get this underway, hm?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t want to waste any more of your precious time,” Jinyoung responded, shooting you a triumphant smile and moving into the room behind Mr Morris. You continued in after them, trying to control the wheels on one of your luggage bags. You didn’t realise the pair had stopped, and you banged into Jinyoung’s back, gripping onto his waist and yanking on his shirt to balance yourself.

Once you were upright, you noticed how dishevelled you had made Jinyoung look, and the hiss that left him when he hastily tucked his shirt back into his jeans was only audible for you. It was when you watched this action that you realised the small tear in the seam on his shirt.

Should I tell him? you wondered inwardly, chewing on your bottom lip. As a fashion designer, you could easily repair the damage. But with the way he had intentionally made you late for your walkthrough, you decided it wasn’t worth mentioning it to him.

You suppressed an elated grin and turned your focus back to the discussion at hand.

“As you both know, there’s a loft and a storage room. I think it would be fair if it’s one each. What do you think?”

“As a photographer, I could do with the enclosed space to create a dark room,” Jinyoung suggested, glancing over at you to ensure you had nothing to dispute over it.

Of course, you did. “The storage space is almost double the loft area! I have a lot of fabric to store here.”

“So, invest in shelving and make use of the high ceilings.”

“I want extra floor space so I can set up my sewing area away from my other work areas then,” you compromised, and Jinyoung eyed you as if you had sprouted an extra head.

Before he could argue, Mr Morris nodded. “I think that sounds fair. So, we’ll run the partitions across from this beam here to the far wall. That way, the loft and storage rooms are allocated on your individual sides. The only things you’ll have to share are the bathroom, kitchenette, and the front door. How does that sound?”

“I’m sure Y/N will agree since she gets the better end of the floor plan, but as a gentleman, I’ll concede for the next three months,” Jinyoung announced graciously, though you knew the underlying tone was anything but accommodating.

Still, you smiled as fondly as you could muster at Jinyoung and patted his shoulder. “How kind. Thank you.”

“See, you’re both off to a good start already,” Mr Morris observed, grinning at his statement. “I’m sure you won’t even notice the other is there in no time.”

“Could you turn down your music?!” you yelled out, heaving in a deep breath after slapping your hand down on your desk in annoyance.

“I would if you weren’t so loud,” Jinyoung remarked, and you stood up, stalking around the partition and into his section of the studio.

Placing your hands on your hips, you glared at him. “I am a fashion designer. You knew this when you signed the co-lease. Sewing machines are a given, Jinyoung.”

“Is having you in my workspace a given too? This is the third time you’ve stormed in here today.”

“Well, you are so persistent in driving me insane. What am I meant to do?”

He smirked, not lifting his eyes away from the professional camera he was setting up for a photoshoot. “The feelings mutual, sugar.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Would you like to hear what I’d really love to call you then?” Jinyoung answered and finally lifted his dark gaze to meet yours. “I’m sure you’d prefer sugar.”

“I’d prefer to never see you ever again.”

“Look at us. We can agree on more than just one thing now, Y/N!” he said sarcastically before waving you off. “I’ll put some headphones on for now. I have a client in an hour, and you promised you wouldn’t sew during that time. So, if you need quiet, sugar, I best give it to you.”

“I’m about to go back on my word,” you replied through gritted teeth, shifting into your side of the studio and flopping down at your desk. You couldn’t even concentrate, but you knew you had a schedule to stick to. The launch of your first clothing line was in four months, and you had to impress the investors with your preliminary pieces in half that time to ensure you would receive the space in a local boutique store for the winter collection. It was too big of a deal for you to allow Jinyoung to deter you.

Swallowing down your annoyance, you got back to sewing.

By the end of the working day, you were more than exhausted. You hadn’t been in your new studio for more than three days already, and you felt as if you had worked two weeks straight. Rubbing at your neck to loosen a knot, you headed towards the elevator, not even caring that Jinyoung sped by you without so much as a farewell.

It irked you, however, when he didn’t hold the door for you to join him in the elevator. Bashing the button, you grinned when the doors sprang open again, and you stepped into the small space with the agitated man.

“Thanks for waiting for me,” you spoke, voice thick with sarcasm.

“You’re welcome. God forbid the world doesn’t revolve around you.”

“Excuse me?!”

“You heard me loud and clear,” he replied monotonously, glancing at his phone as if you bored him.

Gaping like a fish, you finally snapped your mouth shut when the doors opened to the bottom floor and stormed out towards the exit, looking at your car and then over the street at the twinkling lights outside Pandora.

Knowing you shouldn’t, as you had an early morning start, but equally acknowledging how wired you were, you stalked over the car park and the street in between, entering the bar Georgia owned and let out a breath in relief when you saw BamBam was working the front counter.

He grinned when he spotted you. “It’s a worknight, Y/N.”

“Desperate measures,” you muttered, waving to your friend who prepared your usual drink without asking for your order. You rejoiced when BamBam slid it across the counter to you. “Thank you!”

“Georgia not in tonight?” another voice asked, and you turned your head jarringly, rolling your eyes dramatically at the man beside you. “I have a business plan to discuss with her.”

BamBam laughed. “She’s out on a date, Jinyoung. The usual?”

“I don’t know. I had hoped to chat with her instead.”

“When will you learn to separate my friends from yours?” you asked, and Jinyoung didn’t even look in your direction, taking the glass BamBam had prepared for him anyway. You tapped Jinyoung on the shoulder, and he finally let out a loud groan.

“We’re adults, Y/N. You can’t keep Georgia to yourself as if she’s your favourite toy in the kindergarten toybox.”

“Did you just refer to me as— you arrogant !”

“Spill it all off your chest, sugar. I’ll take it tonight,” Jinyoung offered, raising his glass at you before leaving the counter and heading over to a booth.

You didn’t hesitate to follow him over, taking a seat across from him. “We clearly need to have a chat.”

“Why do you think I’d like to have a chat with you?”

“Because our arrangement is only going to drive us both insane.”

Jinyoung smirked, lifting the drink to his lips. “I’m glad you acknowledge your presence in my world.”

“Neither of us like the other. We never will.”

“Fair call.”

“And we both have the same goal of taking over the studio in full as our own.”

Jinyoung nodded. “Preferably sooner than later.”

“Alright then,” you said, and Jinyoung glanced up at you curiously. “I propose how we deal with this.”

“I give you the money for your deposit in cash tonight, and you move out by the weekend? I’d love that,” Jinyoung suggested, and you laughed heartily. He rolled his eyes. “It’s a good deal.”

“I have a better one.”

“I’m not leaving, Y/N.”

“I vote we each give the other a run for their money,” you announced, and Jinyoung placed down his glass, leaning back in his seat to fold his arms across his chest.

“I’m listening.”

“Bring it on. Try your best to remove me from the studio without breaking any law or my belongings.”

“What if I break you?” he challenged, his dark eyes alight with amusement.

“I’m stronger than I look.”

“Really? Because I already annoy you so much as it is. If I unleashed myself, you’d be begging me to pay out your share of the lease in a week’s time.”

You nodded along loosely, your lips curling up in a wicked smile. “Is that so?”

“Don’t underestimate me, Y/N. I’m not the kind of opponent you’ll like to have.”

“I guess I’ll just have to find that out for myself. I’m going to make you leave my studio, no matter what it takes,” you stated, holding out your hand to Jinyoung.

He didn’t hesitate to take your hand, firmly shaking it. “May the best person win.”