Seunghyun is biting his lower lips, stopping his chin from quivering. He can’t stand the sight of his mother crying. Especially not in the middle of a crowded airport. His mother is occupying herself with straightening Seunghyun’s jacket, distracting herself from crying even more.

“Mom, everyone is looking at you,” Seunghyun hugs her mother once again. Something tugs his heart, telling him maybe he shouldn’t have decided to leave her now. But, if not now, then when.

His sister is just rolling her eyes next to them. She’s the only one excited about his little brother finally leaving, not because he’s annoying (well, he is annoying) but more because he’s finally going after his dream.

Seunghyun is 25 (and still single, much to his mother’s dismay), he just finished his medical internship in one of the prestigious hospitals in Los Angeles. He’s always dreamed about moving back to Korea one day and work there. And today is that day. He’s flying back to Korea to chase his dream. After a year of trying to get a position in Seoul’s National Hospital, he finally got it. He is starting next week as a resident paediatrician there.

“Just call or text or email once you get there. Your uncle said that Daesung is going to pick you up. I told him your flight number. He said it’s snowing heavily there so your flight might be delayed. He told me not to worry,” His mother rambles on as if she won’t see his son anymore. Well, technically, she won’t but she can still visit anytime she wants- more than welcome to. Seunghyun will definitely miss her cooking and well, someone doing his laundry but that’s another story.

“Exactly. Mom, don’t worry. He’s a big boy. Still a boy, but he can pee on his own now,” His older sister scuffles his hair.

“Ah, noona, I’m going to miss you. Hopefully, the next time I see you, you already have a steady boyfriend and ready to be married,” Seunghyun grins, his sister squints. Without warning, the girl punches Seunghyun’s arm, with all her might.

“You two, stop it. We’re in public,” His mother scoots in to hug Seunghyun one last time.

Seunghyun turns to hug his sister next, he sees that she’s starting to tear up too, “I thought you want me gone!”

“Shut up,” The girl circles her tiny arms tightly around his neck, hugging him tight. Seunghyun hugs her back just as tight; he’s definitely going to miss his big sister the most. He won’t have anyone to scare with his gruesome medical stories anymore. He won’t have his sister around to make him Choi’s Special Instant Noodles at 2AM anymore.

“Don’t work too hard okay. Go have some fun. You deserve it, Hyun,” She whispers.

“Thanks, noona. Love you.”

She responds back by giving him the noisiest kiss on the cheek, complete with the “MMMMWAH!” sound too – as if Seunghyun is not already blushing enough. Yes, just what he needs, more strangers looking at him weirdly on his last day in his hometown.

Seunghyun finally walks toward the gate with a heavy heart, waving one last time before disappearing behind the glass doors. The two greatest women in his life waving back at him, Seunghyun’s chest tightens but he has to do this. He’s been dreaming about going back to his motherland and catch up on what’s he’s been missing. Sounds like a silly idea to someone who’s lived most of his life somewhere else but he needs to come back. He wants to understand his roots; he wants to get reacquainted with the home he was forced to leave behind all those years ago.

Seoul used to be home until one day, his father got offered to be a Vice President of a well-known IT company in Los Angeles. His parents decided to move the family half way across the world at the offer- better income, better life, better future for the children. And that was the last time Seunghyun remembered his father as a father. An 8-year old boy living in a surrounding that was unfamiliar and his father was not there.

Seunghyun used to miss watching Sunday morning television with his dad. He used to miss having someone to go to when his toys were broken because his sister stomped on them. He only remembered a distant man who hugged him only on birthdays and Christmas mornings. When he was a little bit older, those hugs only came on birthdays, that’s only if his father was home during then. Maybe subconsciously he’d been trying to acquire his father’s attention with those straight-A grades throughout high school. Or maybe, when he decided to go into med school and his father beamed the brightest smile when Seunghyun told him his decision. He thought he’d gotten his father back then but unfortunately the distance was just too wide for him to close. No, Seunghyun didn’t hate his father- hate is such a strong word, he hates it- indifferent was more appropriate.

It all changed when his father was diagnosed with cancer. Seunghyun knew there and then he didn’t have that much time left, so did his father. And things slowly got better, his family were once again, a family. That’s when Seunghyun found the man who used to buy him ice cream secretly behind his mother’s back when he was 5-years old. People say that everything changes on death’s doorstep and his father was no exception. He smiled more, he asked Seunghyun how his day was if they hadn’t seen each other all day, and he hugged more.

It was unfair that Seunghyun met his real father again just when he was about to lose him forever. One specific memory was carved so vividly in his brain, it used to be the nightmare that haunted him for days. His father could barely breathe that night; his mother was pressing her lips tight- holding back tears. His sister was standing next to him, hugging his waist tight. Even tighter was how his chest felt; it was impossible to swallow- the clock was ticking in slow motion as he watched his father weakly gestured to him. Seunghyun was the last one to give him a kiss on the forehead and that was when his father breathed out his last request to his only son. Amongst the beeping sound of the heartbeat monitor, Seunghyun heard it loud and clearer than anything else his whole life, “Chase your dream, Seunghyun. You’re still very young. Don’t chase anyone else’s dream. Chase yours.”

Seunghyun saw his father beamed the same proud smile he once saw when he graduated with honours from med-school the year before, the same smile when a 7-year old Seunghyun showed him the school report filled with praises from his teachers. He was letting the words sink in his brain and etching them on his heart when his father drew in stuttered breath and exhaling it one last time.

***

Seunghyun is dragging his suitcase while adjusting the bag on his shoulder. He scans around the arrival hall, not a familiar face. Seunghyun walks towards the nearest bench and put the bag down. He’s about to grab his phone to call his cousin when a strong set of hands shaking his shoulder from behind.

“Seunghyun hyung!!”

Seunghyun is spun around and enveloped in a tight hug all of a sudden, the impact forces the air out from his lungs.

“Hyung! It’s me, Daesung!”

Seunghyun can feel Daesung’s tight grip, the strong hand pounding his back, the cheerful voice he’s always remembered from him.

The other man pulled away, smiling. Seunghyun has never seen Daesung like this before. Seunghyun remembered the skinny shy boy he met years ago, he was visiting Korea and Daesung had just turned 15 the week before. His voice was cracking so he didn’t speak much, had his head down most of the time. But one thing hasn’t changed; Daesung still has the brightest smile in the room.

“Daesung!” Seunghyun finally manages to blurt out.

“Aaah it’s been forever since I last saw you! You are tall!” Daesung is excited, clearly.

“And you are…” Seunghyun is trying to find the right word, “different. Very different.”

Daesung grins, “Yeah? I guess it’s my job. I have to work out a lot if I want to do my job well.”

“Really?” Seunghyun grabs his bag from the bench; Daesung is already hauling the suitcase, “So what do you do, Dae?”

“I’m a personal trainer,” Daesung grins again. Seunghyun just nods, thinking that that explains the lean muscles on his arms (and the tight grip earlier).

“Come on, hyung. I’ll take you to your apartment. Dad picked it out himself, you know? He said you’re going to love it.”

Seunghyun merely smirks. They walk leisurely towards the exit, making small talks about their family members. Daesung asks about Seunghyun’s mother and sister, and in turn, Seunghyun asks about Daesung’s parents and little sister.

“She’s graduating high school soon. She wants to be a dancer so naturally, dad is worried.”

Seunghyun lets out a chuckle when Daesung mentioned his uncle- definitely his father’s little brother indeed. Just before they go through the sliding doors, suddenly it dawns on Seunghyun that he’s about to start his new life in Seoul. His heart starts thumping, excited is an understatement.

The cold February breeze immediately greets Seunghyun the moment he steps out on the hard concrete. Daesung turns his head to him, “Welcome home, hyung.”

***

Seunghyun looks up. The building is not that high, it resembles a giant and perfectly carved square grey block of stone. It looks monochromatic and cold, almost too cold if it weren’t for the red door that Seunghyun is currently standing in front of. His apartment building is located in one of the smaller streets in the renowned Mapo district in Seoul. He’s done some research before agreeing to rent this space, the website said that it is perfectly located in the heartbeat of Seoul and only 5 minutes walking distance to the nearest train station. Daesung was already telling him about this neighbourhood on their way from the airport and apparently, there is one restaurant just one block away that is famous for their radish kimchi. Yes, they are definitely related- Daesung knows where the good kimchi is and Seunghyun cannot live without kimchi, because- well- Koreans eat kimchi.

Seunghyun is fiddling with the key on his hand. Daesung dropped him off at the entrance while he goes to park his car behind the building, leaving Seunghyun staring at what looks like the key into the building- it looks more like a puzzle piece, it has random jagged edges chained to a small plastic square and the door only has a tiny slit just underneath the handle. He tries to insert the ‘puzzle’ key and it beeps.

Seunghyun walks in to a small lobby- to his right are two elevator doors, and his left, the fire escape door. And in the middle of the room- right in front of him, a small round table with a vase on top, an empty vase that is. Seunghyun presses the button near the elevator, his own reflection staring back at him on the shiny metal sliding doors. Seunghyun can never sleep in airplanes, his face looks like it has aged 10 years overnight- he hates long flights. He’s even surprised that Daesung could recognize him straightaway at the airport earlier. He tries to shake his thoughts away as he walks into the elevator. He leans against the back of the elevator as soon as he presses the number 5. He closes his eyes; he feels the fatigue and jetlag start to clamber up him. When the elevator stops on his floor, Seunghyun- still with his eyes half closed- is dragging both his suitcase and his heavy duffel bag on the floor. His energy is depleting rapidly all of a sudden.

Seunghyun doesn’t know how it happened but he feels a sharp pain stabbing on his abdomen. Forcing him to jerk backward, forcing him back to his alert state. In front of him stands a man- blonde spiky hair, a bit shorter than himself, wearing a black trench coat- accentuating the small waist. And his scent filling the air around him- it’s sweet but not overwhelming, it’s musky but not that strong. It is quite comforting this scent, reminding Seunghyun of something from his past he can’t exactly point his finger at. But the still throbbing pain on his abdomen distracts him back to reality.

“My fault, completely my fault,” The stranger is holding a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a small overnight bag in the other, bowing profusely to Seunghyun.

“No, no, it was me. I was practically sleepwalking. I’m sorry,” Seunghyun automatically replies.

“No, I was fixing my bag and I elbowed you. My fault.” That explains the throbbing pain.

“It’s okay. People collide.” Seunghyun blurts out the sentence without thinking twice. The other man smirks back.

“Are you the new guy?” The blonde man puts his bag on the floor.

“I think I am?”

“Well, there are only 2 studios on this floor. One of them is mine so, yes you are,” The stranger extends his right hand, giving Seunghyun his widest smile.

“Oh. Right. Nice to meet you, neighbour,” Seunghyun shakes the hand, smiling back- it’s impossible not to reciprocate when you’re bestowed with such a sweet smile like the one being paraded in front of him.

“Call me Jiyong. And nice to meet you too….mister….?”

“Oh god, I am not that old. It’s the jetlag, trust me. I’m Seunghyun.”

Seunghyun hasn’t let go of the hand- he lets it linger a little bit longer than necessary. His new neighbour’s hand is warm, at least warmer than his. And it seems like Jiyong doesn’t mind the prolonged contact. They are now just smiling at each other, still holding hands.

“Hyung!” Daesung’s voice booms from behind them.

“Ah, Dae, meet my neighbour- Jiyong,” Seunghyun finally lets go of the hand.

“Yes, we’ve met once before. That’s how I know you’re the new guy,” Jiyong nods at Daesung.

“Ah yes, I asked Jiyong here to keep an eye on you since you haven’t lived in Korea since you were a kid,” Daesung teases.

“Don’t listen to him, Jiyong. I will be fine. Daesung here thinks I’m an alien who needs guidance on how to pee and someone to remind me to flush the toilet.”

A slightly awkward silence ensues. Seunghyun is not usually this spontaneous (or stupid) in making comments; he’s blaming it on the jetlag again.

“Which I do know how to,” Seunghyun continues straightaway, turning his head to Daesung, “Even in Korea.”

Jiyong giggles, “I would love to show you around but I’m going out of town for a couple of days. I will knock on your door when I’m back from my trip.”

Seunghyun nods enthusiastically- a little too much for a courteous reply, and it’s not because of the jetlag this time.

“I will see you guys around then. Take care!” Jiyong waves at them before entering the elevator- carrying his bag and flowers with him.

Daesung waits until the elevator door closes before he winks at Seunghyun, “You like Jiyong, don’t you!”

Seunghyun’s tired eyes go wide, he’s shaking his head, “What!? I just met him!” He grabs his bag and set it on his shoulder, “And how did you know I’m…”

“Gay?” Daesung grins back, “Hyeyoon noona told me.”

Seunghyun nods in agreement, “Of course it’s her.”

“She was just worried about you fitting in to a new culture and all. She was hoping you’d meet a nice guy soon. But I guess you already did?” Daesung doesn’t wait for his cousin to reply, he grabs the key from Seunghyun’s hand and proceeds to walk towards the apartment’s door.

“I refuse to make any further comment because my brain is still functioning on American time zone.”

“Just answer with your heart, hyung,” Daesung bats his eyelashes cheekily at him. Seunghyun drops his head, chuckling to himself. His chuckle shifts into a soft smile tugging on his lips, reminiscing on the warm hand that just touched his hand a few minutes ago. This smile lingers, seeping the memory under his skin and Seunghyun doesn’t mind. He doesn’t mind at all.

***

Jetlag is the most annoying thing. Well, at least for Seunghyun, it is. It’s his second night in his new apartment and his second night in a row sitting on the sofa, flicking through his television channels. Still nothing interests him. He slept throughout the day and is now still perfectly awake, at 2AM to be exact.

He walks around the apartment, looking for things to do but, of course, there is nothing to do. His apartment is barren- only filled with a sofa and a small table in front of it, and a television set. He cannot even begin to think how he’s ever going to fill the space in this apartment; it’s actually more appropriate to be called a luxurious loft, honestly. His uncle said over the phone that it’s ‘a simple one bedroom apartment with one bathroom, clean kitchen and a large living room’. Maybe his uncle’s understanding of the word of ‘simple’ is different from Seunghyun’s. For Seunghyun, ‘simple’ is definitely not a living room so spacious that it can easily fit 50 people in the middle of it, and definitely not a bedroom that can fit a king-sized bed and a walk-in wardrobe. He’s sure that his uncle means well, but Seunghyun can’t help but to feel a bit lonely here. He thought about getting a dog earlier but once he starts work next week, no one will take care of it. So instead, he got himself a huge plasma screen television set this morning (thank god Daesung is used to lifting heavy things) and subscribed to the local cable service. Just in case he misses American television shows. But even that is not doing him anything right now.

Seunghyun walks into his bedroom and grabs the thickest jacket he can find. Maybe it’s a stupid idea to walk around his neighbourhood at 2AM but he needs to kick this jetlag away- hopefully some fresh air will help. He glances at his window; at least it’s not raining or snowing. He tugs his woollen scarf underneath the thick jacket and heads for the door. He passes in front of Jiyong’s door and heard nothing- the owner must still be away. Suddenly a smile appears on his face, thinking about this morning when he was going out, he saw the vase in the lobby is no longer empty. It already has some beautifully blooming white flower, the exact ones Jiyong was carrying yesterday morning, giving out the scent that reminds him of his neighbour.

Seunghyun fixes his beanie and then digs his hands into his pockets while waiting for the elevator. When the door finally opens, someone is there- actually, two people are in the elevator. A red-haired man and a girl with the shortest skirt he’s ever seen. They are standing so close, they must be lovers- maybe the kissing that ensues confirms that they are indeed lovers. Seunghyun is about to let the elevator door closes again, he doesn’t mind waiting for the next one. But the red-haired man moves backwards- walking out from the elevator, still attaching his lips on the girl’s. Seunghyun is about to tell them that they might have the wrong floor when he sees the red-haired man, it wasn’t red when he saw him yesterday. It’s Jiyong.

“Oh, hi,” Seunghyun doesn’t want to be rude and not say anything, but as soon as the greeting slips from his mouth, he knows he should’ve just let Jiyong do his thing.

The couple stops, Jiyong tilts his head slightly and looks at Seunghyun- he looks a little bit annoyed but confused at the same time, “Hello.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to…” Seunghyun shrugs.

“It’s okay,” Jiyong runs his fingers through the flaming red hair, smiling. The girl looks more annoyed than Jiyong himself.

“I’m just going to…” Seunghyun hurriedly walks into the elevator, “See ya.”

As soon as the elevator door closes again, Seunghyun bumps his head against the metal door. He cannot blame the jetlag again this time. Great, it’s not even a week and he managed to make his neighbour feels uncomfortable. Seunghyun is mentally cursing himself with his head still leaning against the door.

Jiyong looks hot with red hair. And the way he softly brushed his lips against hers. His lips look so soft.

Seunghyun jerks back at the thought. And now he’s having inappropriate thoughts about his neighbour. He definitely needs this fresh air more than before. It’s hasn’t even been 72 hours since he arrived in Korea and he’s already getting into trouble. He's planning to stay in Korea for a while and having a crush on your neighbour (who is probably busy making out with a girl right now) is not a good start. Let's just hope this one ends well.

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