On That Day We | sakook

chapter 6.

Sana's POV

　
　
I woke up to the sound of the doorbell, letting out a weary sigh as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and rose from the bed.

The landlady's visits were becoming more frequent.

How would I manage to pay the rent when I couldn't even find a job? It seemed like no one wanted to hire me.

I opened the door, expecting to receive a morning scolding from the landlady, but instead, I was met with a unfamiliar face.

The girl's smile froze when she saw me, her expression shifting to confusion. "W-who are you?" she stammered, her smile fading gradually.

"I'm Janna... why, who are you?" I replied, puzzled by her question since she was the one who knocked on my door.

"Janna?" Her voice faltered for a moment before she reluctantly asked, "I'm Nayeon, is Seokjin in there?"

"Seokjin?" I furrowed my brow, wondering why she was looking for Seokjin in my apartment.

"You're at the wrong address, he lives over there..." I gestured toward the unit across from mine.

She followed my gaze, her eyes widening in surprise as she realized her mistake. "Really??? Oh, I'm so sorry. I thought he lives here..." She turned back to me, her eyes filled with genuine apology.

"It's okay," I mumbled, shaking my head in understanding.

"Perhaps... did you see the food package I asked to be delivered here at your door the other night?" Nayeon inquired.

My eyes widened in surprise as I recalled the large paper bag at my doorstep the other night.

"It's from you?" I asked, and she nodded with a sheepish smile.

"But, it's okay if you decided to eat it yourself. It's my fault. I hope you liked it!" She gave me a smile, scratching her head in embarrassment.

Heat crept up my cheeks as I remembered feasting on the food with Seokjin that night in his apartment. That's how he found out it was my birthday.

I just disregarded the fact that it was a random misplaced food package and that it was for me, so I enjoyed eating it. But now that I knew who it was really from, I felt embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I'll replace them for you. I'm really sorry."

She held her palms out, shaking her head vigorously. "No, no! It's okay! Just think of it as my gift for a new friendship." With a warm smile, she extended her hand to me. Her smile was so captivating that I found myself drawn to it, and without a second thought, I reached out and shook her hand. She giggled softly.

Suddenly, we heard the door from the apartment across open. We both turned to see Seokjin stepping out of his unit. His eyes immediately locked onto us, recognizing the girl I was shaking hands with.

The shock on his face was almost comical. It was as if he wanted to flee but was rooted in place, like a deer caught in headlights.

　
　
　
　
　

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Author's POV
　
　
　
"Yah! You put the wrong address in the employee information!"

"You're not even supposed to check that. I could report you to HR right now,"

"I am HR. What are you talking about?"

"You—"

"I'm just worried about you. You suddenly took a leave because you're not feeling well..." Nayeon reached out to touch his forehead, but he quickly recoiled.

"I'm okay, don't worry too much. I'm not dying," Seokjin reassured as he opened his apartment door to lead her inside. "Why are you here? You didn't even tell me you were coming. My unit is a mess right now."

Nayeon disregarded his concerns, her only priority being his well-being. "You're not sick anymore? You're okay now?"

"I didn't get sick. I'll get back to work tomorrow," Seokjin replied.

Nayeon eyed him with concern etched across her features. She settled onto the floor, crossing her legs as she glance around his space, taking in the surroundings.

His apartment was surprisingly tidier than most guys' apartments. While there were a few gaming items scattered around, it was nowhere near as chaotic as others.

"I just played my new game for hours, that's the real reason why I took a two-day leave from work," he explained as he rummaged through his fridge. "Do you drink beer?" he asked, offering her a can.

"Eh??? You took time off just to play a game??" Nayeon exclaimed, disregarding his question.

"Why not? I need to destress, too," he replied nonchalantly, grabbing two cans of beer and setting them on the table. He opened one for her and one for himself.

　
　
　
"That girl who lives across from you, does she live alone? Are you friends with her?" Nayeon suddenly brought up as Seokjin resumed playing his game. She sat there, watching him yell and shout at the game, but he still managed to reply to her questions.

Nayeon was very talkative, but Seokjin matched her energy well. There was no sign of annoyance from him, even though she interrupted his alone time with his games.

"I guess I can say that we're already friends, but we're not that close. She's very shy..." Seokjin replied in between shouts. "...I heard from the landlady that her husband died just a few weeks ago, so she basically lives alone right now."

"Really? That must be so hard for her..." Nayeon frowned. Then, a sudden thought popped into her head, causing her to sit up straight. "What if..."

Seokjin glanced at her, "what?"

"What if I ask her if we can be roommates?"

"WHAT?" His expression surprised her.

"Yah! What's with the reaction? Don't you want me near you? We can go to work together."

"You're crazy," he muttered under his breath as he continued pressing the buttons on his controller, getting back to minding his own business.

Nayeon and Seokjin were college friends. Back then, they used to hate each other, always bickering and arguing, even over the most trivial things.

They never imagined they'd end up working together. However, being in the same workplace brought them closer. Or perhaps Nayeon just became clingier to him, leaving Seokjin with no choice but to be patient with her.

"I'll be friends with her. I'm sure she needs one right now, right?" Nayeon said, her chin resting on her palm as she leaned her elbow on the table, watching the screen in front of them, even though she couldn't understand a thing on what he's doing.