NETIZEN

ZeRo-DaY I

Seoul, Gangnam

It was December 17th, Hye Mi's 18th birthday. Soo Yeon never imagined her eighteenth birthday, but she always thought she would celebrate it with her family. Like her 16th, which was anything but sweet, and the 17th birthday, it was a lonely moment where she didn't celebrate.

Soo Yeon sat in front of her window, watching Gangnam when her doorbell rang. She hadn't ordered food, and her neighbors didn't ask for anything. She looked at the face on the interphone.

"Ah, tchin-aish, this man, what have I done to deserve this?" Soo Yeon cursed as he kept on ringing, and he wouldn't stop.

"What do you want?"

"I have something to say to you."

"Say it there."

"I can't. It's important; I can only say it face to face."

Soo Yeon pondered as she paced a minute in her corridor.

"It's cold, Soo Yeon. Please let me in."

"Ah, this man, I'm going to kill him, I swear," Soo Yeon muttered.

A few minutes later, Jun Ho was in front of the door that Soo Yeon barely left a crack open.

"What is it you want to say?"

"Let me in; come on, it's not like you're scared of me. Don't you trust me?"

"No, I don't."

Jun Ho was embarrassed, thinking he hadn't done anything to gain her trust, yet he persisted, "okay, that was a dumb question. I have something for you," he said, showing her a white bag. Soo Yeon opened to see. Jun Ho dodged her and entered.

Jun Ho stepped into Soo Yeon's apartment for the second time. The first time had left a bitter sensation on Soo Yeon's cheek.

Soo Yeon remembered how she pushed Jun Ho to his limits, the ounce of guilt the moment left made Soo Yeon allow Jun Ho to enter this time. They stood in almost the same position as the last time.

Soo Yeon broke the silence first, "now you are inside. What is it you wanted to say so bad?" She crossed her arms, which portrayed her defensive mode.

Jun Ho stretched out his hand with the bag, "Happy birthday, Hye Mi."

Soo Yeon didn't move an inch as if the bag was booby-trapped.,

"Aren't you going to open it? Okay, then I'll open it" Jun Ho went to her table where he posed the bag and took out the box.

The trap was a cake.

"It's gluten-free, it was no peanuts, it has been made especially for you. Do you have plates and forks? " Jun Ho said as if their reunion was routine.

Soo Yeon remained silent.

"Okay, I'll take care of it, it's your special day, so I guess you can sit back, relax. Let Oppa take care of things," Jun Ho walked to her kitchen, where he opened all the drawers to find what he needed and came back to sit down.

Jun Ho frowned, "aren't you going to sit down?"

So many emotions queued up in Soo Yeon's mind, she didn't know how to react. The turn of events could almost compete with Su Jung's kiss in the shock wave category.

"Is this funny? Are you having fun playing pretend? What kind of sick joke is this? Get out, Jun Ho."

The man's expression changed. He got up and went to face her, "aren't you exhausted, Hye Mi, of putting on your hard girl act? Who is playing pretend? Which one of us isn't how he should be. I know you, Hye Mi. Even now, as you stare at me with your scorching eyes, I know you are there—a shy fragile girl whose brother treasured more than anything else.