The sound of the alarm clock interrupted SoMi's sweet dreams. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to recreate the last few seconds of her dream. She remembered yesterday evening, when she and Do Hwan had stood in the rain and kissed. Lightly touching her lips with her fingers, she smiled at the tender memory. Then she suddenly opened her eyes, remembering how she had left Do Hwan standing alone in the pouring rain while she ran away, not knowing what to do or say.
She threw the blanket off her and the smile turned into a grimace, as if she had just tasted a sour lemon. She was angry with herself for acting like a child and not telling Do Hwan how she felt yesterday. After all, he never apologised — he just kissed her, and she was waiting for an explanation.
"SoMi, you idiot!" she said in the silence of the bedroom. "Ugh!" she cried, covering herself with a blanket so that Do Hwan wouldn't hear her whining through the wall.
While getting ready for work, she tried to focus on her usual routine: making coffee, choosing clothes, shoes and a handbag. But her thoughts kept returning to last night. Memories of Do Hwan's kisses made her skin tingle and her cheeks flushed so red that she felt hot.
The publishing house was noisy today. Everyone was busy with work. Even the director Kim was bustling about in his office, sorting through folders and calling his subordinates for signatures or information clarification. Next it was SoMi's turn: this morning, the director had come to her personally to ask her to stop by when she had a few free minutes.
"Director Kim," said SoMi, entering the office.
"Oh, yes, Editor Jeong, come in," he said, gesturing for her to sit down while he stood by the window, watching the hustle and bustle of people on the street below.
"Your manuscript is ready. Take a final look at it before it goes to print next week."
"Wow, so fast," said SoMi, unable to hide her joy.
"You know, our editors work fast," he said, raising an eyebrow. "It would be best to review the manuscript by the end of the day and bring it to me for signing this evening."
"Yes, I understand."
"Editor Jeong, it seems like something good has happened to you," said the director, either asking a question or stating a fact.
"What do you mean?" SoMi sincerely did not understand.
"You've been smiling all day, despite the gloomy weather."
"Oh... yes." She smiled, imagining how silly she must have looked to others.
"It must be Ms. Min's party, right?" the director guessed. SoMi suddenly remembered that she had told him about it once. "I think it was yesterday, wasn't it?"
"Yes, yesterday... Everything went wonderfully. Ms. Min was extremely happy all evening," she said, smiling shyly.
"I'm glad to hear that you did a great job there, too," he said, praising her, and then suddenly added, "Editor Jeong... May I ask you out on a date?"
"What?" SoMi was taken aback by his words because she didn't know how to respond at that moment. Their first date had gone very well, but something was still not quite right. The director was an attractive man with good taste who knew how to please a woman. But that wasn't what SoMi was looking for in a man. Of course, every girl dreams of the triple combo of flowers, dates and expensive gifts. However, there was something preventing her from accepting the director's offer of a second date. She felt out of place with him, as if she were shackled and unable to open up completely and be herself around him.
"I enjoyed our first date, and I think you did too. So why don't we do it again?"
"Director Kim," she mustered the courage to tell the truth, "although it might not be entirely pleasant for you, I also enjoyed our previous date, but... I won't give you false hope about us continuing to see each other. At this stage, I prefer to keep our relationship strictly professional."
"Huh," he chuckled in response. "Well, thank you for your honest answer. I appreciate your sincerity, and that you're not leading me on but telling me the truth. You can be sure that this will not affect your work in any way."
"Thank you, Director Kim. I appreciate your professionalism," said SoMi, exhaling with relief. She got up from her chair and left the office, feeling as if she had broken free from a cage. She had been thinking for a long time about how to tell the director. After closing the door to his office behind her, she paused for a moment to catch her breath, clutching her manuscript to her chest. She was about to reread it.
On the way to her office, she smiled involuntarily as she hurried to sit down at her desk and start working. But as soon as she opened the door, she realised that she would definitely not be able to keep to her schedule that day.
Do Hwan was standing by her desk, looking at her workspace. He had his hands in his pockets and was wearing a plain brown jacket, a black jumper and black trousers. He looked up at her, but almost immediately hid his gaze under his fringe, like a guilty boy.
SoMi froze in the doorway. Holding onto the door handle, she stood motionless for about ten seconds, looking at Do Hwan. Her heart was beating so loudly that she thought the whole office could hear it. Her legs gave way and the ground seemed to shake beneath her feet when, at that moment, a voice rang out nearby.
"Ms. SoMi," said Director Kang Seok Yeol, getting up from the sofa.
"Director Kang? What are you doing here?" she asked, sounding genuinely surprised.
"Oh, Ms. SoMi, I came to ask you to return to the project. I really want to work with you and can't continue without your permission. You told me that the shoot had been cancelled and I felt like I had fallen through the ground," he said. Then he fell to his knees, grabbed SoMi's hand and begged her to come back. "Ms. SoMi, I beg you, come back. We need your ideas. We need you. You have no idea how difficult it is to find good scripts these days. I beg you, I beg you on my knees..." He continued, not letting go of her hand.
The noise attracted the attention of all the employees, who began to come out. Even Director Kim appeared.
SoMi stood in the middle of her office, holding the manuscript in one hand while the director held the other tightly, as if it were his last hope.
"Director Kang," she said calmly, placing the manuscript on the sofa and sitting down next to him. "Please calm down. I will work with you and I give you permission to film."
"Really?!" he almost cried. "Thank you! This time, you will supervise the entire process to ensure that no incidents occur."
"Please stand up, Director Kang. I feel uncomfortable with you kneeling."
"Oh, I'm sorry... Thank you!" Director Kang stood up, bowed and thanked her profusely. Do Hwan stood silently by the table and watched. When he noticed the director Kim at the door, he looked away towards the window.
"What's going on here?" director Kim asked.
"Oh, Director Kim!" Seok Yeol greeted him. "I came to ask your editor, Jeong, to return to work. She agreed."
"That's great news. Mr. Kang, why don't we go to my office and discuss some details?" the director suggested, realising how awkward SoMi felt and deciding that it would be best to leave her alone for now.
"Yes, of course," the director Kang agreed, following director Kim and leaving SoMi and Do Hwan alone in the office.
SoMi finally exhaled when fewer people remained in the room and silence once again filled her comfortable office. She looked at Do Hwan, but he didn't linger. He hurried to the exit so quickly that he left a gust of wind behind him. SoMi was alone again, with no conversation or explanation. Thankfully, she was able to lose herself in her work until the end of the day.
The evening passed in calm surroundings at home. After showering and enjoying a delicious dinner, SoMi settled comfortably on the sofa with a bowl of crisps and a can of beer, ready to watch the next episode of her favourite new drama. She had decided to reward herself for a job well done. But something was bothering her.
Was it Do Hwan's silence earlier that day, or his pale face and coughing as he left the office? As she watched the drama, she listened out for sounds from the neighbouring apartment, but it was quiet as if no one was home. Sometimes it seemed as if a phone was vibrating behind the wall, and she could hear a slight cough. However, the sounds were too muffled and barely audible.
During the break between episodes, SoMi glanced at her phone, expecting a call from Do Hwan, but the screen was blank. There weren't even any notifications. She wanted to text him. She even typed into the text field: "We need to talk." But didn't send it — she deleted the message. Finally, she decided to go to bed. However, her anxiety was stronger than her desire to sleep, so she decided to go to Do Hwan's place to make sure he was okay.
She rang the doorbell three times, but her neighbour didn't answer. Her anxiety increased. What if he had a fever? What if he didn't have any medicine and was feeling unwell, just like SoMi had been when she was writhing in pain on the floor? Deciding to put aside all their arguments and misunderstandings, she went to the security guard to ask for the key to his apartment. The security guard gladly gave the girl the key because he knew SoMi well and was already worried about her neighbour.
SoMi unlocked the door to his apartment without hesitation; she didn't care if she found him naked in the shower or simply interrupted his lonely evening. He could take responsibility for not opening the door when he had the chance.
The apartment was dark and quiet. The curtains were tightly closed over the window, preventing even the light from the street lamps from penetrating them. There was no one in the living room; only the power indicator on the TV flickered. Further down the corridor, she saw the light from a table lamp shining through the slightly open bedroom door. Hurrying over, she saw Do Hwan lying in bed, covered with a blanket and shivering with fever.
Putting her hand on his forehead, SoMi could feel how high his temperature was. She noticed some pills on the bedside table, but they did not seem to be helping. She quickly ran back to her apartment to get a first aid kit and some pills to lower his fever.
Do Hwan politely took the pills but said nothing, seemingly unable to comprehend what was happening. Meanwhile, SoMi was in his house, close by, saving him from his fever. He didn't even realise that he was delirious and repeating her name over and over again.
SoMi was there the whole time. She put a cold towel on his forehead to bring down his fever more quickly. When he finally fell asleep and his temperature had dropped slightly, she went to the kitchen to make soup because there was nothing else to eat in his fridge except water.
At around two in the morning, Do Hwan woke up. The first things he noticed were SoMi's first aid kit and a glass of water on the table next to his bed. He closed his eyes again and remembered how he had been delirious in his sleep, calling SoMi's name and seeing her excited face as if through a haze. He remembered how she had given him pills and applied a cold compress to his forehead.
Leaving the bedroom, Do Hwan immediately smelled the aroma of freshly cooked soup coming from the kitchen. There was a bowl of hot soup on the table and SoMi, unable to resist, had fallen asleep on the sofa. The boy tasted the soup and tears welled up in his eyes. He felt ashamed. Ashamed of everything he had done and everything he had not said or explained.
"It's delicious..." he whispered, taking another spoonful. He savoured it and sobbed, trying to hold back his tears. Despite everything that had happened, SoMi had come and helped him. And he had behaved like a fool, worse than a small child. How ashamed he felt!
Meanwhile, SoMi slept sweetly on Do Hwan's couch, curled up in a ball. She was awakened by the feeling of someone touching her face. She saw her neighbour's tired face, his eyes red from crying. He gently brushed a strand of hair from her forehead.
"Do Hwan? Are you feeling better?" She almost jumped up onto the sofa when she saw him sitting next to her. "How are you feeling? Is the fever gone?" She bombarded him with questions while touching his face to check his temperature.
"SoMi..." He took her hands in his. "I'm sorry," he finally said. Unable to hold back his tears, he hugged her, burying his face in her neck and quietly sobbing.
SoMi remained silent, even though she had a lot to say. But it was better to just be quiet and take in the moment. Hugging Do Hwan's broad shoulders, she pulled him closer, letting him cry on her shoulder. It seemed that the words he had just spoken had hurt him for a long time and he had not dared to say them.
"It's okay. It's okay..." SoMi whispered, patting his shoulder, but he couldn't calm down. Today, he had shown her his vulnerable side, something he had never done before. Perhaps today he would finally sleep peacefully because he would no longer be in pain. SoMi would be there, hugging him and holding his hand.