“Minhyuk ah!”

Minhyuk looks up from the greens and pinks and reds of the apples at the call of his name and finds a girl in a slender navy blue dress that falls just below her knees with an earth brown jacket as the outer layer, a beige scarf hanging loosely around her neck. Her golden hair gleams even under the fluorescent lights, making her appear as if she emancipates sunshine from her hair. There’s a smile on her face that reaches her eyes, and although his mind doesn’t recognize it, a sense of familiarity tugs his heartstring.

“It’s Joohee. I live next door,” she adds when he only blinks at her without saying anything.

“I know,” he replies. “I saw your picture in my notebook.”

“I see,” she nods, and for a moment he thinks he saw a fleeting look of disappointment over her expression. Joohee makes her way over and just watches as he picks a few apples before shoving them into a plastic bag. “So you like Fuji apples,” she comments, picking up a piece and runs her fingers on its surface.

“They’re sweet and somewhat, soft?” He flicks his eyes up as he searches for the right word in the dictionary in his mind. “I don’t know how to explain it, but there’s this delicate taste in them.”

“So you like sweet and soft and delicate girls,” she says cheekily, looking over at him with her childish grin.

He frowns. “I was talking about apples.”

“Sure, sure.”

She continues to trail behind him as he makes his way to the weighing counter, to the breads, and later to the cashiers. He gives her a look and raises his brows. “Are you going to keep following me?”

“Yup,” Joohee nods before placing her own basket on the counter. “You know, the fried rice you made for me the other day was good,” she begins once they step out from the supermarket.

“I did?”

“You did.”

“Oh. Well, thanks.” He offers to help her carry her groceries, but she shakes her head in a no and mumbles something about building some muscles in her thin arms.

“Aren’t you going to make it some more?”

Minhyuk stares at her and narrows his eyes. “Are you trying to imply something there?”

She grins at him again. “It’s past three and I haven’t had my lunch actually.”

“Isn’t that your fault?”

“I bought some pasta if you feel like eating something else.” She fishes out a packet of raw spaghetti from her plastic bag and waves it at him.

“What am I, your personal chef?”

“Something like that,” she returns, and nudges his arm. “Come on, be nice to your neighbour once in a while.”

He scoffs. “I might not remember, but I don’t think your interpretation of once in a while is the same as the normal once in a while.”

She says nothing and simply continues grinning, and when they’ve reached their block, she casually tails behind and enters his apartment once he unlocks the door while he only shakes his head and laughs in amazement.

--

When Eunkwang gives him a questioning look upon catching the sight of the blonde girl trailing closely behind him, Minhyuk only shrugs in return. “Sorry, I got a shadow stuck with me all day today.”

“All day?”

“Not really all day, but for some reason I can’t comprehend she’s been sticking to me like a gum since this evening,” he explains as he takes a seat on one of the empty stools at the counter while Joohee settles next to him, her cheeks slightly flushed since he had been walking a bit too fast for her to catch on purposely. “Joohee, by the way. My neighbour.” He glances at Joohee. “This is Eunkwang, my long-tim friend and also the big boss here.”

“Except that I’m not really that big,” Eunkwang chuckles and turns his attention at the girl who greets him with a slight bow. “So you’re that famous Joohee. I finally get to meet you at last.”

“Famous?” she blinks.

“Well, Minhyuk told me about you quite a few times.”

“Really?” she asks, then pokes Minhyuk’s shoulder. “What did you say?”

“Sorry to disappoint but I don’t remember talking about you.”

“Do you always use that excuse to get away?”

“Only with you.”

She makes a face and prods his arm, this time harder, causing him to wince in pain. She then turns to Eunkwang who has been watching them amusingly and asked, “Is he always this cheeky?”

“Only with you,” Eunkwang replies with a coy smile playing on his lips. Hearing his answer, Minhyuk bursts into a fit of laughter while Joohee can only rolls her eyes and mutters something about being bullied under her breath. “Can I get you something to drink, by the way?” Eunkwang asks her later.

“I’m not really a good drinker actually. Do you have something else?”

He looks around the counter. “Well, there’s soda and plain water. And if you want it I can make some juice from the limes.”

“I’ll have that. Thanks,” she smiles.

“And as always Seo Eunkwang is only nice to girls. Why aren’t you offering me anything?” Minhyuk interrupts.

“That’s because you’re my employee and you’re supposed to be working right now, not hanging around here,” Eunkwang shots back.

“Right,” he nods, scratching the back of his head. “I’ll go change now.”

Joohee lets her eyes roam around the bar after Minhyuk leaves and examines the space while Eunkwang attends to other customers. The place is almost quiet with the hushed conversations that are barely audible and the soft music that serves as the background. She takes a sip of her drink, her head to the side and smiles. “This is a nice place,” she tells Eunkwang once he’s returned.

“Thank you,” he smiles back. “How long have you been staying in the apartment?”

“Nearly a month ― around three weeks I think.”

“When did you find out about Minhyuk’s condition?”

“Just recently,” she returns. “He always looked so puzzled the first few times we met, so I asked why his memory is so bad.”

“Turns out it is bad,” he wraps it up for her.

She crinkles her nose, rests her elbows on the bar top and cups her chin. “Yeah,” she agrees before darting her eyes away. About ten metres away, Minhyuk emerges from a door. His previous outfit has been replaced by a crisp black shirt, matching slacks and an apron tied around his waist. She quietly observes his movements as he dutifully does his job, welcoming customers and taking orders and cleaning tables, and when he finally makes his way over, she offers him a smile.

“Bored?” he asks.

She shakes her head in a no. “So is this what you do every night?”

“Yup.”

“But he lazes around too, especially when he thinks I’m not looking,” Eunkwang cuts in.

“No, I don’t!”

Joohee chuckled. “Of course.” Her eyes roam around the place, and a grand piano sitting at one corner of the room catches her sight. “Does that work?” she probes, pointing at the subject.

“It does,” Eunkwang nods.

“Can I play?”

“You can play?” he asks back, and when she nods in return, he smiles. “Go ahead.”

Minhyuk’s forehead creases. “You’re not going to do anything weird, are you?”

She laughs and pats his shoulder. “Just watch,” she tells him before heading off to where the piano is at. He half-covers his face when he notices some people turning their attention at her as she settles on the bench and uncovers the keys, praying that she won’t embarrass herself. But the melody that flows out from the tip of her fingers turns out fine ― lovely, in fact, and her delicate voice adds to that beauty.

He leans against the counter and lightly chuckles under his breath, a smile tugging on his lips. He wonders how a girl can be so full of surprises, and if she will keep surprising him even when he forgets later.

Joohee receives a round of applause after she ends her little performance. She stands up and bows curtly at her audience, before returning to her seat where Minhyuk is waiting. “Did I surprise you?” she asks, beaming.

“Well…” he fakes a serious expression and pretends to be thinking. “Very, I should say.”

Her grin grows wider and with a knowing look on her face, she announces, “Well I’ve decided.”

“What?”

“When I debut later I will use Alice as my stage name.”

Minhyuk bursts into laughter while Eunkwang just chuckles and hands her another glass of juice. “In that case I’m honoured to have you sang at my place before your debut, Miss Alice,” he says before going back to do his job.

“Are you gonna stay? Because I’ll finish late,” Minhyuk asks.

She returns her gaze at him and nods. “It’s Sunday tomorrow and I don’t really have anything to do after all. Plus…” she trails off and gives him a smug smirk. “Do you think there’ll be people asking for my autographs?”

He laughs again and shakes his head. “Whatever is going on in your head, Alice.”