Yours

prologue: your girlfriend

A new place, a new start.

That was the only thing Chaeyoung wanted when she chose to move into Crista Haven Apartments located in the heart of Seoul.

She had prayed for her day one to be smooth, but her best friend, Lisa, had to cancel helping her move out at the eleventh hour, leaving her to deal with the process alone. She was shocked when Lisa informed her about it, but luckily, Lisa knew how to make up for her sudden cancellation. With repeated apologies, she then told Chaeyoung that she had booked for movers to help her out with her wrapped boxes and packed stuff.

With the movers' presence, Chaeyoung reached her new apartment just before lunchtime to put her things. After half an hour of going up and down the eighteenth floor, she and the two movers' staff emptied the lorry at the lobby. All of her things have been put in her new apartment unit, and there was only one box left when they all went back to the lorry.

Finally, it was the last box.

"Oh, it's okay. I can take this upstairs by myself.", Chaeyoung said to them. "Thank you for your hardwork. Here, some tips for you two.", she handed them some cash before she took the last box from one of them.

They bowed down at her as they looked at her carrying the big box by herself.

"Are you sure you don't need our help?", one of them asked.

She turned a little to see them, "Yeah, I'm good. Thank you once again for your work."

After that, she carefully made her way into the lobby and walked to the elevator to go up to her apartment unit. When she reached it, she was having a little trouble clicking the button on the panel beside the elevator. Luckily, there was someone else who just came to click on the 'up' button for her.

"Thank you.", she said despite not getting a clear view of the person beside her.

When the elevator opened, she got inside together with the person who helped her before they both were interrupted by someone's yelling outside the elevator.

"Hold on! Wait for us!"

Chaeyoung tried to see the person beside her before she quickly clicked on the 'open' button on the panel. She managed to keep the elevator open, but in the process, her box slipped a little from her right hand and hit the person beside her.

"I'm sorry.", she said quietly, realizing that she might have made a bad impression on her first day there.

As she was taking the box and putting it on the empty space on her left, two elder couple walked in with smiles on their faces.

"Thank you, young lady.", the old man said to her.

"You're welcome, uncle, aunty.", she replied warmly.

"What's your floor, young lady?", he asked her after he clicked the 'number twenty' button.

She looked at the button panel and saw that the number eighteen was already clicked, "It's okay, uncle."

The older man nodded before holding his wife's hand tightly as they stood in front of her. When the elevator reached the eighteenth floor, Chaeyoung picked up her box with both hands while the person beside her was already stepping out. At that time, the wife of the old man suddenly pulled the hoodie of the person, causing him to turn around.

"How could you let your girlfriend carry the box by herself?", the old woman said.

Both the younger ones were shocked by her words. Chaeyoung gulped as her eyes met the icy gazes of the man in front of her for the first time. The husband of the old woman faked a small laugh before responding, seemingly understood of the young people's shock.

"I'm sorry for my wife.."

"It's okay, actually-"

"Let me help you.", the man staring at Chaeyoung cut her off before offering his hands to assist her.

Confused at the situation, Chaeyoung slowly let go of her box before she walked out with the man leaving her a few steps behind. As the elevator closed, the man stopped walking and turned to look at her. His cold stare under the messy long fringe hair made her legs froze.

"Where's your place?", he asked directly.

"Ju- just straight ahead.", Chaeyoung walked past him.

She couldn't let him intimidate her more so she chose to go ahead, letting him stare at her from behind. At least, she wouldn't have to be scared with his eyes on her. As she walked to her unit, she looked at each unit number carefully to avoid going to the wrong unit on that floor.

"Is this really-"

Chaeyoung was putting in her door code when the man behind her said something.

"You were saying?"

His eyes focused on the door that just opened, "Never mind. Where should I put this box at?"

Chaeyoung nodded before allowing him to enter her house.

"I'm sorry for the mess. I just moved in and haven't started unpacking yet.", she pushed aside some of the boxes that lay on the hallway that were interrupting in their way.

When they got to the living room, Chaeyoung looked around before thinking back to what was in the last box in the stranger's hands.

"Oh, that box should be in the kitchen.", she said before leading him to her kitchen beside the hallway. "You can put it here.", she said as she pointed to the kitchen island at the centre of the kitchen.

"Here.", he put it carefully there.

"Thank you...", she paused, hoping that he would tell his name but he remained silent. "Oh, um, I almost forgot. I'm sorry for what the old lady said earlier.", she added.

"It's okay.", he replied as he pulled his hoodie up to cover his head.

"Okay, um, I'm Chaeyoung. Park Chaeyoung, I just moved in today.", she extended her hand, trying to be friendly and probably change his impression on her clumsiness earlier in the elevator.

The man, however, just looked at her hand without saying anything or shaking it.

"I'm sorry for troubling you and didn't have anything to give in return-"

"It's okay.", he said. "I'll be on my way out if there's nothing else you need help with.", he added as he started to walk out of the kitchen.

"Yeah, let me walk you out.."

"No need. I know my way out.", he did it again, cutting her off and making her froze.

"Okay, then. Thank you again.", she managed to say before he was gone from her sight.

"Gosh, what a dark vibe he brought in...", she whispered to herself, hugging herself as if shivering with the presence of the hoodied man earlier.

♡♡♡

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