A new workday began for SoMi in her new office.
Light flooded the spacious room, which had a large panoramic window offering a magazine-worthy view of the city. The office was cozy and well designed with numerous shelves and cabinets that neatly held all her folders, notebooks, and mountains of manuscripts. The perfect desk was in the center: smooth, spacious, and so comfortable that her elbows didn't even hang over the edge.
Most importantly, there was a small sofa against the wall. It was the very one she had dreamed of. Above it hung a painting of delicate cherry blossoms and the Namsan Tower bathed in the spring sun's rays. Her dream had come true.
SoMi sat at the desk editing the next chapter, and in her mind, she jumped for joy.
Her own office. Her own place.
When something like this happens, you want to laugh, dance, and embrace the world. It's like being a child again who has been given an entire amusement park.
But by evening, the euphoria had dissolved into a wave of pain.
Her period. Sudden and merciless.
Her stomach cramped as if a blade were cutting through it from the inside. Of course, there were no painkillers in her purse — she had forgotten to restock them last month.
SoMi hurried to the elevator, putting on her coat. Only one thought spun in her head: Get home. Take her medicine. Wrap herself in a blanket. Die beautifully.
But fate decided to add a little suspense.
"Ms. SoMi, how do you like your new office?" A voice behind her stopped her.
Seong Joon held the elevator door open, smiling like a hero in a romantic movie.
"Yes, it's very nice and comfortable," she replied with a forced smile, gritting her teeth in pain. Her gaze begged him to let go of the door and be human.
"Are you going home already?"
"Yes, I'm in a bit of a hurry."
"Maybe we should celebrate somehow?"
"Of course, I'd love to. But not today. I have plans."
"That's a shame. How about this weekend?"
"Good idea. We'll see."
She could barely keep a straight face. Her smile had already turned into a grimace of pain.
"See you tomorrow."
Finally, he took his hand away. The elevator started moving down. With it went SoMi's last ounce of strength.
The road home was merciless.
The city seemed to mock her with endless traffic jams, late buses, and interminable time. Every bump and movement cut into her stomach like a knife. The pain grew and pulsed as if some dark, evil force had awakened inside her and was squeezing her mercilessly from within.
When the apartment door finally clicked shut behind her, SoMi didn't remove her shoes; she rushed to the medicine cabinet, but her hope instantly faded. Empty. Her eyes froze on the empty shelf where the life-saving pills had been just a month ago. She had to buy more. She knew it. But she didn't have time. And now—payback.
SoMi tried to pull herself together and rush to the pharmacy, but her body couldn't take it. A sharp, knife-like spasm pierced her stomach, and her legs gave out. She fell face down on the parquet floor with a dull thud, as if life itself had knocked her down.
Lying on the cold wooden floor, curled up in a ball, she couldn't cry; her tears were caught between pain and helplessness. Her fingers cramped from clenching her fists so tightly. Her eyes were tightly closed and her lips were trembling. She seemed to have shut herself off from the world. Her entire being was narrowed down to a single thought: survival. She just wanted to survive, to ease the pain erasing everything around her—her home, her time, her dreams, and herself—even if only for a moment...
Do Hwan had just returned home. It was nine in the evening, his favorite time, when blessed silence reigned around him.
A shower refreshed his body, a delicious dinner warmed his stomach, and a few pages of his favorite book calmed his thoughts. He glanced at the clock. It was 9:55 p.m., the hour of peace was coming to an end, and the usual evening program was about to begin. K-pop would be blasting through the walls. It was always like this. Like clockwork.
Scrolling through the news feed on his phone, he glanced at the wall from time to time.
10:30 p.m.
Silence. It was unbearable and cold, like before a storm.
No music. No familiar bass beats.
Something stirred uneasily in his chest. But Do Hwan dismissed the intrusive thoughts—she was probably tired or had gone out.
10:45 p.m.
The silence continued to suffocate him. It was as if someone's cold hand had wrapped itself around his heart.
The man was about to go to bed. He had put on a T-shirt and shorts, and he had even pulled up the blanket.
Suddenly, he heard a phone ringing through the wall. Long. Continuous. There was no answer.
He jumped up as if scalded and rushed to the door.
Do Hwan knocked on his neighbor's door.
Once.
Twice.
No one answered. His heart began to beat rapidly. He started pounding on the door with his fists.
"Yah, open up! Are you there?!" His voice broke into a shout.
He rattled the door handle, growing more and more panicked. Then he remembered the standard lock code he had used to help with the move.
With trembling fingers, he dialed the numbers.
The click of the lock sounded like a thunderclap in the silence.
"SoMi?" His voice lowered and became more cautious. He entered the dark hallway.
The phone was still ringing somewhere ahead.
The light from the screen flickered on the table, creating a small island of light in the darkness.
Then he saw her: SoMi. On the floor. She was curled up like a wounded kitten, pale as paper.
The boy rushed to her.
"Yah! SoMi!" He shook her shoulders. "Can you hear me? What happened?"
She moaned softly and barely opened her eyes. The pain burned her from the inside.
"I'll call an ambulance!" He frantically pulled his phone out of his pocket but suddenly felt her cold hand grip his forearm tightly.
"Painkillers," she whispered through clenched teeth.
"What? Painkillers?" Do Hwan looked around in confusion.
A first aid kit lay on the floor, its blister packs of pills scattered about. Empty.
His gaze caught a familiar name on one of the packs. A flash of insight struck him—he had the same ones!
He rushed back to his room and scattered everything in search of medicine. His heart beat so hard it felt like it would burst. Finally, he found it!
He rushed back.
"Here! Take this!" Do Hwan handed her a pill and a glass of water, held her hand, and helped her swallow.
"Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital?" His voice softened, almost pleading.
"No... It'll pass..." she whispered, curling up on the floor again, her whole body trembling.
His chest tightened with pain for her. Without thinking twice, Do Hwan carefully picked her up. She was surprisingly light, like a porcelain doll.
He gently laid her on the sofa, covered her with a blanket, knelt down beside her, and gazed at her pale face.
After about twenty minutes, the pain began to recede like a predator that had lost interest in its prey. SoMi's body relaxed, and she fell asleep deeply and exhausted, with a barely perceptible tremor in her fingers. Do Hwan did not move. He didn't want to go home, especially after seeing her curled up in pain on the floor. That would be idiotic, to say the least.
Acting cautiously, as if in a "caring hero" scene from a film, he put the pills back in the first aid kit and hung the coat and purse in the closet. He opened the refrigerator and was surprised to find an almost perfect supply of vegetables, meat, eggs, and milk, rather than a lonely bottle of water and three eggs. "This woman lives, she doesn't just exist," he thought with hidden surprise.
Then there was her sleeping area. It was modest and not yet fully furnished. Next to the bed was a cardboard box. "Interesting," he thought, looking inside. Photos. Wedding photos. SoMi was smiling and looked happy. Next to the box was an album. From it, photographs and a sheet of paper spilled out like stars from the night sky. The sheet of paper had the words: "Certificate of Divorce." His fingers froze as if they had touched someone else's pain. Shame and guilt washed over him as if he had crossed a line he shouldn't have. He carefully put everything back in place, as if apologizing, and quietly returned to the living room.
Do Hwan sat on the floor near the sofa and stared at the ceiling. The apartment was filled with a ringing silence. Through her sleep, she felt him next to her, but she didn't have the strength to whisper for him to leave. Silence enveloped her again.
The sun, like an old friend, peered through the windows. The smell of fried egg rolls pleasantly but hauntingly pulled her out of Morpheus's embrace. SoMi slowly opened her eyes. She stared into space. The sounds from the kitchen were strangely familiar.
"Good morning, nuna," a voice rang out. Do Hwan stood at the stove frying egg rolls while simultaneously twirling a juicer and pouring coffee, like an actor in a home appliance commercial.
"I didn't know what you liked for breakfast, so I made it all. Juice, coffee, rolls—take whatever your heart desires," he said, smiling too broadly for seven in the morning.
"Coffee...please," the girl muttered, looking at him with an expression that said, "What the hell? Is this my neighbor, or am I still unconscious from the pain?"
He handed her a cup of coffee with foam on top as if it were the key to paradise. He sat down opposite her with his own breakfast.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Better... Thank you." She took a sip. The coffee was so delicious that "Hallelujah" began to play in her head.
"What are you still doing here?" she asked suspiciously, nibbling on a roll as though it were Parmesan cheese.
"Have you forgotten? I literally picked you up piece by piece yesterday. So... I didn't want to leave you alone."
"But why? I could have..."
"What? Woken up in pain in the middle of the night again? What would you have done then—asked the refrigerator for help?"
"No." She fell silent. "Actually, it's not that serious. It's just my period," said SoMi. Do Hwan coughed suddenly.
"Your period?" he asked, as if he had just learned that the female body does not run on solar batteries. "And is it always like this for you?"
"Well, usually. Sometimes I can handle it, but there are days, like yesterday, when I want to crawl out of my body and let it suffer alone."
"You scared me to death," he sighed, savoring the juice.
"For me, it's just another day." Mmm, the rolls are perfect, by the way." She waved her fork as if awarding him a Michelin star. "How did you even get into the apartment?" she asked with sudden insight.
"The old password was still there. You promised to change it, but you didn't. I entered it and went in. By the way, I've already changed it. Now it's yesterday's date. So you'll remember."
"Thank you. If it weren't you, I'd still be lying on the floor." She glanced at her watch, and her heart nearly jumped out of her chest. "Oh my God! I'm late!"
She jumped up as if she had been electrocuted.
"Wait!" he shouted.
"What else?"
"You were half dead yesterday. And now you're rushing off to work?"
"Yes, I have no choice. Work means money. Money means rent. Rent means having a roof over my head. It's all logical. Thank you for everything, Do Hwan. Breakfast was great."
She disappeared into the bathroom. The guy sighed, like a hero who had just been left by a princess.
As she got dressed, SoMi noticed that the kitchen was sparkling clean and the dishes had been washed. On the table next to her purse, she saw a bag of medicine, a bottle of water, and a sticker that read, "Don't forget to take your medicine."
She smiled.
"You're not as Plankton as I thought," she muttered. She went on to face another day, which was unlikely to pass without adventure.
******
For a long time after the incident, Do Hwan listened carefully to every sound from the neighboring apartment. He was like a soldier on duty, ready for anything. Fortunately or unfortunately, nothing happened. Everything was according to schedule: coming home from work, evenings with friends once a week, music. No worries.
One spring evening, however, when the streets of Seoul were quiet and the sky was dotted with stars, Do Hwan heard SoMi's apartment door open. Before that, she made a short call to the taxi service.
"Good evening, nuna. Where are you going?" The guy looked out the door of his apartment.
"Um... I have plans for the evening," she replied, surprised.
"Maybe you need help? Is everything okay? Are you hurt?"
"Yes, everything's fine. I have to go," she said, nodding briefly as she headed for the elevator.
"Wait! I'm coming with you," he exclaimed. He quickly threw on his jacket, cap, mask, and sneakers and tied them in the elevator. "So, where are you going?"
"I don't need a bodyguard, if that's what you're suggesting."
"No, but what if something happens to you again?"
"Do Hwan, you're acting like a child," she said with a smile.
"I'm just worried. I don't want anything to happen to you again."
"That was a long time ago. The pain only lasted two days."
"Are you sure everything is okay now?"
"Yes, my period doesn't last for weeks."
"But I read that it can last up to seven days! During that time, you need rest, a heating pad, and treats. Here, take this," he said, pulling a kimbap out of his jacket pocket and handing it to her.
SoMi laughed.
"Do Hwan, let's do this. You won't read or make anything up, and I'll explain it to you. My pain lasts two days at most. No, I don't lie under a blanket with a heating pad. I take a pill and go to work. The pain usually lasts three or four days, and then I go back to my normal life. So, you don't have to follow me around like I'm a time bomb. Thanks for your help back then, but listening to every sound from my apartment is too much. It was just an exception. I forgot to buy medicine. That's all."
"Okay," he muttered, looking away and biting his lip. He blushed when she mentioned his "eavesdropping." "I won't do it again."
The elevator doors opened. SoMi stepped out, and he followed her.
"Are you really going to follow me everywhere?"
"Let me at least make sure you're okay today. Just this once. I promise."
The taxi had just pulled up.
"Okay. Get in," she sighed.
They were silent on the way there. When the taxi stopped, Do Hwan quickly handed over his card to pay.
"So where are we?" he asked, looking around.
"Let's go," she replied briefly.
They approached the building from which music was coming.
"Ballroom dancing?!" he exclaimed when he saw the sign at the entrance.
"Ms. Min's Ballroom Dance Studio" — the name glowed brightly in the darkness, attracting attention. SoMi didn't even turn around; she went straight inside.
"Hey, wait!" He rushed after her up the stairs. "You really go to dance classes? Wow, that's so cool!" he said enthusiastically. But he fell silent as soon as he stepped into the studio.
All around were women of a respectable age, including old ladies, who were kept going by enthusiasm and joint ointments. They were already lined up in a semicircle, shifting from foot to foot as if this were a casting call for the new season of "Dancing with the Stars: Retirement Edition." In the far corner, several elderly men gathered, carefully eyeing their "potential partners." It was immediately clear who had come with a partner and who had come looking for one.
Ms. Min, a teacher with a smile as wide as three apartment buildings, greeted everyone and joked around while waiting for the rest of her students. Meanwhile, SoMi, dressed in a delicate mint dress, changes her shoes. She doesn't look like she does at home, where she dances to lively music in sweatpants, nor like an office lady in a strict suit. She looks like she stepped out of a romantic comedy, a bit confused and charming.
"Well..." Ms. Min begins, clapping her hands. "Congratulations to those who have been conquering the dance floor for the third year in a row. And to those who only today decided that their knees have not yet had their last word. I see there are also those who came here not just for dancing, but for adventure," she said, glancing slyly at two old men who were winking so much at ladies that their glasses fogged up.
She continued: "And I see that the young people are not far behind!" Her gaze stopped on SoMi and then on the door. "There are also those who are not sure if they are here of their own free will. Do Hwan stood in the doorway, looking confused, like a student who hadn't prepared for an exam. "You! Come here!"
The boy shuffled forward as if he were going to his execution, not class.
"Take off your cap and mask. Don't hide that beauty," Mrs. Min ordered. He did as he was told, and everyone gasped. Sure enough, he had a dreamlike face. Mrs. Min dramatically took him by the chin.
"Handsome! You're dancing with me tonight. Take off your jacket, and let's go." She slapped his butt so hard that everyone burst out laughing. SoMi turned green with surprise.
"Get into pairs. Let's begin!" Mrs. Min announced, turning on the music. "Come here, handsome," she added, grabbing Do Hwan by the hand.
At first, he resisted like a cat before a bath. But when he realized escape was impossible, he gave up. Surprisingly, he was even good at it. Everything was going well until Ms. Min gave a new command:
"Now find yourself a partner, boys."
Do Hwan gathered his courage and moved toward SoMi. On the way, however, he was intercepted by old woman YeonSuk. She seemed to have been practicing hugging since the Joseon era—she clung to him so tightly that his legs began to buckle.
"Mrs. YeonSuk! Let that boy go! Young people belong with young people! There's a young man on the left who's been signaling to you with his eyes for half an hour!" Mrs. Min intervened and freed Do Hwan from her embrace as if she were a special forces unit freeing hostages.
Do Hwan seized the moment and rushed to SoMi before Mrs. YeonSuk could organize a second round.
"I see you enjoyed the dancing?" SoMi smiled at Do Hwan, thanking her retired partner.
"Of course! I'm the star of the evening here," Do Hwan replied proudly, pulling up his pants as if he were wearing a tuxedo.
"May I?" He offered her his hand.
"Yes, of course," she replied, placing her palm in his. At that moment, something clicked between them, like a switch on a music player.
The lesson lasted almost two hours. They were tired, and even though they were the youngest in the room, they were sweating the most. However, the fatigue was sweet, like after watching a favorite drama.
On the way home, they ate mango ice cream and laughed about how lady YeonSuk had almost stolen Do Hwan away forever.
For the first time, SoMi wasn't returning home alone. Do Hwan was not rushing back to his closed world either. The evening ended with laughter, mango traces on their lips, and a warmth remaining somewhere under the chest — in the place where something new begins.