For days, Do Hwan has seen the same scene: SoMi gets out of the director's car after a brief two-minute stop in front of the building. She waves goodbye happily and smiles sweetly. This has been happening every evening for two weeks. Each time, he becomes angrier and angrier, as if the universe itself has decided to mock him.
His mood drops from bad to unbearable at that moment: the tea in his cup suddenly tastes disgusting, and he desperately wants to go to bed and wrap himself in a blanket.
Books no longer interest him either. His evenings have become monotonous — endlessly flipping through TV channels, clicking the table lamp on and off, and pacing around the apartment, hoping to find something in the refrigerator. And in the morning, it's filming again. Now, they take place in Seoul, which is even worse because, if he were to go on a business trip, he would at least be distracted.
One hot summer morning, Do Hwan was getting ready for work and was surprised to meet SoMi in the hallway so early. She was wearing a beautiful, pale pink dress and looked stunning, as always. But that didn't make him happy at all 'cause she had dressed up for the director. It annoyed him to no end.
"Good morning, Do Hwan. I'm so glad I ran into you. I wanted to invite you to dinner at my place tomorrow."
"I have a shoot..." he hastily found an excuse not to go.
"For my birthday," SoMi finished her sentence.
"I'll try to make time and come for a little while," he agreed so as not to upset his neighbor. He didn't want to go, though, knowing that her friends MinJi and Lee Hyun would be there. They were masters at extracting the truth and revealing other people's secrets. The very thought that the director might be there, too, made everything inside him protest.
"Great. No gifts are necessary. I just want the people who are dearest to me to be with me on this day."
"Yes, of course," he said, putting on a fake smile.
"I'll be going now. They're waiting for me."
SoMi hurried to the elevator, almost jumping with joy.
"Have a nice day," Do Hwan said as the elevator doors were about to close. "Oh, why did I agree to this?" he muttered to himself. "And why does that director annoy me so much? He's such a moron. A tasty morsel? SoMi? That incredible girl? She deserves better than you, arrogant Director Kim!
He continued his monologue in the hallway until his neighbors came out of their apartment. Their presence made him fall silent and blush with embarrassment.
"Good morning," he said, bowing as the woman and her husband walked by, casting surprised glances.
When the elevator doors closed, Do Hwan punched the air as if it were an imaginary punching bag to get himself in the mood for work.
"Okay, fine. Time to work," he muttered, stepping into the elevator.
The new day was just as pleasant, with real summer heat. The temperature did not drop below thirty degrees, both in the morning and in the evening. One could only dream of rain. The only relief from the heat was air conditioning and cold drinks with ice everywhere in Seoul.
SoMi returned from the supermarket with large bags. She immediately put some things in the refrigerator and left others out to prepare something fresh and delicious. After tying her hair in a ponytail and putting on an apron, she got to work. As always, she danced and sang along to her favorite songs. Song after song, dish after dish — everything was almost ready.
Among all the fiery tracks, ATEEZ's "Fantasy," the top song on the fresh summer hits playlist, began to play. SoMi immediately started swaying her hips to her favorite music. The sauce was boiling on the stove, the meat and vegetables were frying, and the rice was cooking. With almost an hour left before the guests arrived, SoMi was in high spirits. Holding the spoon she had just used to stir the sauce, she felt like a dancer. She arched her back like a cat and moved her hips smoothly, like waves rolling onto the shore one after another. She closed her eyes and surrendered to the music, every cell of her body moving to the rhythm. She didn't even notice that she was being watched...
Do Hwan had just returned from filming. He had just gotten out of the shower when he heard loud music through the wall. Smiling to himself as he imagined her dancing by the stove, he continued to prepare for dinner. Without thinking long about what to wear, he chose the simplest thing in his wardrobe: a snow-white T-shirt and loose shorts. He combed his hair, applied moisturizer to his face, sprayed on his favorite cologne, and took a gift for SoMi and a small bouquet to her apartment.
The music was playing very loudly in her apartment — almost three times louder than he had heard through the wall. The hallway and living room were dark. The only light came from the kitchen, where SoMi's singing and the delicious smell of meat could be heard. Do Hwan slowly entered the living room and, seeing how many bouquets SoMi had received that day, felt awkward about the small bouquet he was going to give her. He left it on the hallway table to pick it up on his way home.
Do Hwan stopped at the bar counter and silently watched what was happening in the kitchen. SoMi, wearing shorts and a T-shirt under an apron, danced to ATEEZ as if possessed. She arched her back, shook her head, and moved smoothly like a snake, twisting to the rhythm. Do Hwan was surprised to see a girl dancing so provocatively, but he enjoyed watching her. At that moment, she was a tempting morsel that not everyone could have. Unfortunately, that morsel already belonged to someone else.
The music faded, and SoMi, catching her breath, seemed to sense someone nearby. She glanced at the quiet giggling near the bar and saw Do Hwan. He was smiling slightly, as if he wanted to laugh but didn't. There was no mockery in his eyes. SoMi couldn't read his emotions, whether he was happy or preparing another round of mockery. All she could see was how his eyes were shining. For some reason, though, they were full of sadness and pain, as if he were smiling through gritted teeth.
"Hey, why are you standing there?" the girl asked. "How long have you been here?"
"I saw almost your entire dance. To be honest, I had no idea you could do that," he chuckled, rubbing his chin.
"Come on, say something witty like you usually do."
"I won't. I have nothing to say. I'm thrilled," he said, surprising SoMi because it wasn't like him. Something was wrong with him. He always jokes at times like this, but today he had nothing to say.
"Hmm, strange..." She turned back to the stove. As it happens in dramas, SoMi accidentally touches the pan of hot sauce with her hand, spilling it onto the floor.
As befits the main character of this drama, Do Hwan reacts quickly. Grabbing the girl by the hand, he pulls her away from the epicenter so that the hot sauce will not burn her feet. He pulls her to his chest and holds her tightly for about ten seconds, even though the sauce has long been on the floor and the danger has passed.
At that moment, a song from the drama plays in SoMi's head: "Love, Maybe" . It probably plays for a whole minute. Or maybe less. No one counted those seconds...
너와 함께 하고 싶은 일들을 상상하는 게
요즘 내 일상이 되고
너의 즐거워하는 모습을 보고 있으면
자연스레 따라 웃고 있는 걸
너의 행동에 설레어하고 뒤척이다가
지새운 밤이 많아지는데
이건 누가 봐도 사랑일 텐데
종일 함께면 질릴 텐데
나 돌아서도 온통 너인 건
아무래도 사랑인가 봐
Just a few seconds. Their eyes meet, and time seems to stand still. Everything around them slows down. Do Hwan holds SoMi in his strong arms, embracing her gently. He is afraid to move, lest he interrupt this pleasant moment that may never happen again. The sweet, delicate scent of her perfume intoxicates him, as if he is smelling it for the first time, even though he is already familiar with it. His eyes shine, and SoMi studies every detail of his face up close. She had never noticed the mole on his nose or the fact that his eyes were as black and deep as the bottom of the ocean.
The perfume he only wears on special days is so fresh, penetrating every cell of her consciousness and giving her a feeling of euphoria. His heart beats strongly and loudly. SoMi feels every beat in her body, and her heart picks up the rhythm, beating in unison with his. His skin is clean, smooth, and evenly toned. His lips are plump and bright red, as if he had just tasted strawberries. Why hadn't SoMi noticed this before?
This magical moment would have lasted indefinitely if Do Hwan hadn't come to his senses first and brought them both back to reality.
"Phone," he said in his low voice. SoMi looked at his Adam's apple, which protruded from his neck and moved up and down.
"What?" SoMi asked, realizing it wasn't a song in her head but her phone ringing. "Oh, right," she said, finally freeing herself from her neighbor's embrace. "Hello! Yes, Lee Hyun. Okay. Call me back. Bye." She put the phone on the table. Again, an awkward silence hung in the air.
Do Hwan began fixing his hair and T-shirt. He tried to distract himself in every way possible when he suddenly noticed something red on SoMi's finger.
"Oh, blood? Did you hurt yourself?" he asked, pointing to her hand.
"Oh, yes. I must have cut myself while cutting radishes. It's okay..."
But before she could finish, Do Hwan quickly found a first aid kit on a shelf and rushed over to treat the wound. He carefully washed the cut and gently applied a band-aid to her finger.
While Do Hwan was busy treating her wound, SoMi carefully examined his facial features, which she had not noticed before. His mole, lips, skin, eyes, and long eyelashes... She noticed how he frowned while treating the cut, which was hardly a cut — just a small scratch. There was so much care and warmth in his actions that SoMi had not felt before. He was not at all like Mr. Plankton, whom she had met during her first week after moving. Back then, he was first grumpy and then worried. He went dancing with her, but now he was too quiet and calm. Caring. Gentle. Handsome. He didn't make dirty jokes or tease her. Different.
"That's it," said the boy as he stuck on the band-aid. He caught the girl's surprised gaze, which she quickly averted to distract herself.
"Thank you," she said, almost in a whisper. "Oh, your T-shirt..." She noticed a sauce stain on Do Hwan's favorite snow-white T-shirt.
He grimaced at the sight and took off his T-shirt in one swift motion, baring his torso, on which someone had drawn perfect abs with a pencil. To make matters worse, the sauce had also soaked through the fabric onto his skin.
SoMi froze for a second when Do Hwan stood before her, bare to the waist. Swallowing hard, she quickly blinked — it seemed as if the wind had picked up. She turned away to find a napkin or towel, tore off a piece of paper, and began to wipe his abs, tracing every curve of his torso with her eyes.
As Do Hwan fussed with the stain on his shirt, he suddenly felt SoMi's warm hands touch his skin. He looked down at where her palms had been, then looked up at her. Once again, they shared that awkward moment when their eyes met for the umpteenth time that day. But there was something more here. Microparticles of estrogen and testosterone swirled in the air. The spacious apartment became hot and stuffy. Now, at this very moment, something else was happening. A spark flew between them, stirring previously unknown feelings inside both of them. Whether it was butterflies in SoMi's stomach, hormones during ovulation, or both, the chemistry between them was incredible.
But, once again, everything was interrupted at an inopportune moment. The doorbell extinguished the spark between them. SoMi exhaled and Do Hwan grabbed his T-shirt, hurrying to the bathroom.
"Happy birthday, SoMi!" her friends shouted as soon as she opened the door. "Aren't you ready yet?" Lee Hyun said, looking disappointed at her friend's appearance in her home clothes and apron.
"I haven't had time to get ready yet," the birthday girl smiled, biting her lip.
"What happened here?" MinJi asked when they entered the living room and saw the mess in SoMi's kitchen.
"I accidentally knocked over a frying pan, and that's it..."
"How awful. Are you okay?" Lee Hyun asked anxiously as her half-naked neighbor came out of the bathroom with a T-shirt. "And what is Mr. Plankton doing in your bathroom, naked?" she added, sounding suspicious and excited at the same time.
MinJi looked at Do Hwan excitedly. Lee Hyun was already beginning to suspect something. SoMi wanted to sink through the floor at that moment, so she wouldn't have to explain what had happened a few minutes ago. Do Hwan slowly put on his stained T-shirt...