Jihae closed the refrigerator door for the fifth time that night, letting out a loose sigh of disappointment when she saw that there was still no food to eat. Her parents had left for their business trip only hours ago and it was still hard to settle the fact that she had the entire house to herself for the next few months. At first, she had rejoiced at the idea of being completely 'free' of any chores and the like but as she looked around her now barren, empty house, she couldn't help but feel tiny pangs of loneliness. 

    She reached over the counter and grabbed her phone before sending a quick text to her mom.

Jihae: Where's all the good food? T_T

     A few minutes later, her phone vibrated on her lap.

Mom: 'Good' food will only fatten you up, young lady. Water and vegetables are all you need. 

Mom: But if you really need anything, don't feel hesitant to ask your aunt for some money. And of course, the money we gave you before we left was given for a reason. 

Mom: P.S. Don't sleep so late. It's not good for your health!! :-(

     Jihae chuckled lightly at the replies and placed her phone down before taking a quick look at the time. It was nearly 4 in the morning which wasn't surprising seeing how she slept through most of the day. Her stomach was growling and she knew a half slice of pizza from the night before wouldn't appease it. Grumbling to herself, she headed back to her room to change into a slightly tattered t-shirt and sweat pants.

      Jihae was pretty sure there were some 24 hour deli's and supermarkets nearby. She was pretty lucky after all, to have all these near her at her convenience. Forcing a crumpled fifty dollar bill into her pocket, she left her house and wandered off aimlessly, not sure where to go next. She eventually decided to settle with the supermarket barely a block away and filled her shopping cart with chips, ice cream, all that good stuff.

"All this at 4 in the morning?" The cashier raised a brow at all the food before handing back the change. 

"Girls gotta eat," Jihae answered meekly, thanking him before taking the bags to leave. 

"Oh by the way miss," The cashier called out as she was leaving. 

"Yeah?"

"Stay safe." He said, almost a little embarrassed that her attention was fully on him now.

"Oh," Jihae smiled. "You too."

      By the time Jihae stepped out of the supermarket, she stole a quick glance at the time. It was approaching 5 already, which meant the sun would rise soon. She placed her bags down to stretch her arms a bit but stopped the moment she heard something peculiar. Some choked, muffled, incoherent sobbing that seemed to be coming not so far away. Curious, she decided to follow that noise.

          By the time Jihae found the source of the noise, the crying had long ceased. She looked at the boy, not sure whether or not she should talk to him. But it was an odd sight for her; after all, it was usually girls who shed unnecessary tears.

       Kai seemed to have noticed her presence that very moment and looked up with cautious eyes. What a sight, wasn’t it? A girl that looked no older than him holding grocery bags and a guy who had spent the last hour or so in tears and pain. Dusting off his jeans, he slowly stood from where he was and looked away, ashamed. How could he not have noticed the girl sooner? How embarrassing was it to see a man of all people, crying?

      “You alright?” Jihae finally asked, putting the groceries down. She walked towards Kai with a bit of precaution, unsure whether or not it was something she should do. He looked vulnerable in a way, so easily bruised and hurt if you laid even a single finger on him.

        Jihae saw that he tensed even when she stood several feet away from him.

       “I’ll be okay.” Kai answered calmly, or at least he tried to. His voice quivered and shook towards the end; he still wasn’t used to hearing his voice after crying for so long. “Thanks.”

        His eyes fell on her grocery bags, and his grumbling stomach told him that he was beyond hungry for food but of course he wouldn’t admit it so openly. Jihae took silent note of this and held in the urge to giggle. She picked up one of the bags and handed him a small tub of green tea ice cream.

         “I don’t have a spoon with me, but you can always use your hands.” Jihae said, breaking into a tiny smile once she saw his surprised reaction. “I’m kidding, I’m not sure if you even like ice cream. But I do like having it whenever I feel ty.” She added.

         Kai winced at the end but took the tub reluctantly before fully taking a look at the girl himself. She looked like a high school junior – senior at most – with a clear face, and light blonde hair that barely touched her waist. Her eyes were crescent shaped and a bit dreamy like, but nonetheless, held only good intentions.

         “Do you trust me?” Kai asked suddenly. The question seemed to throw the girl a bit off guard for a moment but she quickly retaliated with a small smile.

          “I just met you so the answer should be obvious.” Jihae shrugged and lifted the remaining bags off the floor. However, she turned to stare at Kai for a few more moments before adding. “But I do believe that if someone’s been crying for the past hour or so, they aren’t okay. And I wanted to change that, so enjoy the ice cream. If you really want a spoon though, I can give you one at home but it’s up to you really –“ she insisted.

          Kai swallowed the saliva that had been collecting in his throat and replied. “Yeah, that would be nice.”

           Jihae nodded understandingly and handed him a few bags which he took in surprise.

          “What is this?” He eyed the bag suspiciously.

     “If you’re gonna come to my house, at least help out a bit.” Jihae answered before heading off towards the direction she had came from.

          Despite his innate ambivalence, something in Kai told him to trust the girl. That even though their meeting had taken place in duration of less than ten minutes; he might as well take the chance and see where this all could lead to. Because as of now, what other choice did he have?

         Jihae fumbled with the key to her house for a bit and blew the fringe out of her face in frustration. She turned sheepishly to Kai, as if asking him to wait a little longer. “Usually it doesn’t take this long…” she grumbled.

          “I think you’re using the wrong key. The one you’re using now is way too big to fit,” Kai pointed out, raising a brow when Jihae blushed towards the end. “Did I say something wrong?”

          “Haha no,” Jihae cleared as she found the right key embarrassedly. With a few twists and turns, the door locked open to which she pushed through in complacency. Kai had to squint as he wasn’t expecting to be hit by such colorful and bright shades of pastel. Even though the sun was now rising, it was pretty uncommon to see someone’s house so adorned like this.

           Kai didn’t even realize that Jihae was far ahead of him. seeing how she was now on top of the staircase, looking down at him in expectance. “Oh if you’re wondering about the walls, my parents agreed to get them done a few months ago.” She grinned.

            Within seconds, Jihae slipped out of her shoes and dashed into her house somewhere just as fast. Kai could hear slight rustling in the house as she began searching fervently for something and just as he was about to ask if she needed assistance, Jihae popped her head through the door frame with a small smile. “Here’s your spoon,” she waved the silver eating utensil in the air teasingly before ushering him to come in.

             The moment Kai stepped into the house he couldn’t help but take in the nice, lingering scent of fresh strawberries. The walled interiors had been painted in a similar manner, mirroring the girl’s apparent taste. Which was also then, the moment he realized he didn’t even know the girl’s name.

            “So who are you?” Kai asked through mouthfuls of ice cream. He looked up waiting for a response, and saw that the girl was still on her first scoop. After swallowing her spoonful, she replied thoughtfully, “Jung Jihae, and I go to the high school not that far from here, so yeah.”

             “The one next to the huge movie theater?” Kai cut in suddenly, not even swallowing his spoonful completely.

             “Yeah!” Jihae blinked in surprise before asking. “Do you happen to go there too um…” she stopped when she realized she didn’t even know the latter's name either.

              “Kai.” He answered with a small laugh, it was the first time he laughed in a while. “And yeah, I do go there.” He added softly.      

                    The next twenty minutes was spent discussing school classes, gossip and the like. Turns out they were indeed in the same grade but never really noticed each other. In a grade of over a thousand students, it was hard to branch out from your circle of friends anyways. It was when Jihae etched out a yawn however, when things changed.

           “Hey, you’re feeling better now right?” Jihae suddenly asked, covering with a hand. She winced at the melting ice cream that laid in front of them and decided it would be best to close it and put it in the fridge.

             “Huh?” Kai blinked, almost forgetting his despondent state from not that long ago. “Yeah, I guess.”

            “Well that’s good,” Jihae heaved a sigh of relief. “Shouldn’t you go back home? Your parents must be worried about you. Sorry for holding you back for so long, I – “ she stopped when she saw the sudden pained expression that seemed to take over the latter’s face.

       

    “Is everything alright?”

            Kai didn’t hear anything. He suddenly couldn’t think or breathe properly. Cause It was then he remembered, he didn’t have anyone anymore. He didn’t have anyone he could call family, he didn’t have a place to stay nor anything to live off really. His eyes stung bitterly as he held the heavy urge to cry again. This must have startled Jihae as she rose from her seat suddenly, making a dash to the kitchen to grab some tissues.

           “I’m sorry, I didn’t…” Jihae trailed off, watching in despair as Kai bit his lips and let out a choked sigh.

           After a while Kai finally lifted his head to say, “My mom left my family around three weeks ago without any notice. Earlier this morning, my dad kicked me out of the house, telling me to never come back.” He smiled wistfully as he said this, biting at his lower lip. He then rose from his seat and headed towards the door, pausing at the end to turn and look at Jihae once. “It’s just so much someone can take you know?”

             Jihae could only watch, stunned at the how easily the mood had shifted. One minute they were laughing over ice cream, the next everything became tense again, and she knew she had to do something about it – quick. Growing up, she was warned profusely by her parents not to get to know strangers because you’d never know their true intentions were. To reject candy people offer you, because once again, you’d never know if it was just a lure. But at this very moment, she knew.

             Kai was already slipping on his shoes when she rose her voice for the first time in a while. Normally it’d be at school whenever her friends or when she felt genuinely threatened. Other than that, she was known as the quiet girl, the girl who never spoke until she had to. And this time, she knew she had to.

             “Wait Kai,” She called out fervently, hoping he’d turn around and look at her. When he finally did with a raised brow, she finished what she had wanted to say. “Don’t go. I know things aren’t exactly in the best shape for you for right now, but… my home can be yours. A temporary one that Is, just don’t think everything ends here. Just stay until you feel like you can return back, to whatever home you claim you once had. Please just stay.” Her cheeks were tinted a rosy red by the time she had finished, but she had said all she wanted to say. Now all she needed was an answer.

            Kai stared at this peculiar girl, wondering if she really understood the situation he was in. It wasn’t easy of course, nothing was ever just ‘easy.’ Just agreeing to stay at someone’s house all of a sudden, someone else’s niche that was already long established, wasn’t that just plain intrusive and selfish? Plus, he had only met the girl today. What made her so certain she was willing to follow up on an offer like this?

          “Do you trust me?” He asked, repeating the same question he had asked earlier the day.

           Jihae blinked once before answering. “Yeah, I guess I do.”   

           "Then consider me your new roommate."