Day Eight. 11:07 AM.
Soo-Min was aggressively vacuuming the floor, headphones in, blasting girl group power anthems like she was preparing for war.
Min-Jae, bleary-eyed and holding a bowl of cereal, dodged the vacuum like it was a deadly snake.
"You vacuumed my toes again! That's assault!"
She popped out one earbud. "Your toes shouldn't be in enemy territory."
"Enemy territory? I was eating my cereal in peace!"
"Cereal that you left soaking in the sink for two days."
They glared. Bokki scratched his scratching post dramatically.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Min-Jae opened the door—then immediately slammed it shut.
"WHAT THE HECK?!"
"Who was it? Jehovah's Witness? Free samples?"
"No. Worse. My ex."
"...The tall one who wore blazers to class and said things like 'synergy'?"
"Exactly. And she's holding banana bread. I smell emotional manipulation."
---
Scene 1: The Ex Files
Despite every fiber of his being telling him not to, Min-Jae opened the door again.
"Hi, Ji-Yoon," he said flatly.
"Min-Jae! Long time! I was in the area, and I thought… why not drop by?"
Soo-Min peeked from behind the door with a facial expression that screamed: she's up to something.
"You live in Busan," Soo-Min muttered.
Ji-Yoon smiled sweetly. "Yes, but love… I mean, life brings us around."
Min-Jae coughed. Soo-Min's eyebrow did a full Olympic gymnastics routine.
"Come in," Min-Jae said, clearly against his better judgment.
---
Scene 2: Awkward Banana Bread & Passive-Aggressive Tea
They sat around the coffee table.
Ji-Yoon: "So, how's life? You look… surprisingly stable."
Soo-Min handed her a cup of tea with a fake smile. "He's thriving, somehow. Even without your spreadsheet love letters."
Min-Jae tried to disappear into his chair.
Ji-Yoon chuckled. "Still charming, aren't you, Soo-Min?"
"Only around people who don't leave banana bread at breakups."
Ji-Yoon's smile twitched.
"So, are you two…?"
"NO," they both barked in unison.
Ji-Yoon blinked. "Well, good. Because if you were, I might've… regretted some things."
Soo-Min: "You should regret that banana bread. It tastes like emotional damage."
---
Scene 3: The Diary Disaster
After Ji-Yoon left (finally), Soo-Min returned to her room and froze.
Her diary.
Was on the floor.
Open.
Min-Jae walked by, casually sipping juice.
"Did you… touch my diary?!"
"No! I knocked it off the shelf while chasing Bokki! Honest!"
She ran forward, snatched it, flipped through, then turned bright red.
"YOU SAW PAGE 42, DIDN'T YOU?!"
"I SAW NOTHING! What's on page 42?!"
"THAT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"
He tackled a pillow to the floor. "Now I HAVE to know."
"If you value your life, forget the number 42 forever."
He backed away slowly. "Deleting the number from my brain as we speak."
---
Scene 4: The Hug That Lasted Too Long
Later that evening, they found themselves sitting on the balcony, both still rattled by the day's chaos.
"Your ex was scary," Soo-Min said, sipping juice.
"You were scarier."
"Thank you. I try."
They sat in silence, watching the city lights.
Min-Jae sighed. "I didn't know how to say it before… but I'm glad you were here. When Ji-Yoon came. You made it easier."
She looked surprised. "Oh. Well… thanks for not reading all my diary."
"Still deeply curious about page 42."
"Say it again, and I'll replace your shampoo with glue."
He turned to her.
"I'm serious, Soo-Min. I… I think I'm actually starting to enjoy this weird, messed-up roommate life."
"You mean screaming about socks and fighting over laundry detergent?"
"Exactly."
She smiled.
Then he leaned in. So did she.
Not for a kiss.
Just a hug.
But it lasted longer than expected.
A bit too long.
Neither pulled away first.
When they finally did, both looked anywhere but at each other.
"Okay," she said, standing quickly. "That never happened."
"Absolutely not."
"And if anyone asks, it was… a back stretch."
"Emergency spine alignment."
"Exactly."
Bokki blinked from the railing. He had seen it all.
---
End of Chapter 9