One thing Hansol Chwe was certain of, was that living in such an exquisite apartment complex was not easy. Coming from a rich family, he lives most comfortably in his one-bedroom flat. Unlike his father, businesses were not his interests nor were his strong-suits. And, technically, as the oldest and only son, he should be the next heir to the Chwe Company (as ridiculous as it sounded.) However, his father was quite the saint of a person, allowing him to savor the years of his youth. So, he tries to live as comfortably as he can get. As long as he's still a college student, he has the freedom not to attend to his duties as the eldest son.
Hansol hums to the tune of Rocket, a song that was currently in the making with the help of his friend, Joshua, and the music equipment he bought the other day that he so desperately wanted to try out. He sat down onto a chair, the soft cushion of the old furniture creaked in his actions.
That cozy little space of his consisted of a tall turquoise armchair and a fairly large wooden study table, squished into the corner of the bedroom beside a big window. "Ooh, build a rocket with me." He sings.
After editing his ongoing piece, he pulled out the plug of his earphones from the laptop and glanced out the window. A large truck was parked by the side of the building, and squinting closer he realized it to be one of the familiar moving trucks. He watched the workers unpack boxes and furniture, but his eyes darted to the side and spotted another man, smiling at the men moving his things and bowing to each one.
He must be new, Hansol thought. Although, he didn't seem or look like the people who typically live at the apartment complex— judging by the flip-flops, trousers, and an oversized t-shirt. Yet, Hansol could say the same thing for himself as he only wore an extremely oversized white shirt with sweatpants and a bright yellow beanie that covered his ruffled hazel-colored hair. Ok, maybe he shouldn't just judge people so blatantly. He shrugged and tore his gaze away from out of the window and back to what he was previously doing.
I wonder where the new tenant will be living at.
Hansol stretched his arms and yawned, looking back out the same window to see that the sun had hidden behind the clouds and the sky had become even more dull. As he took a peek out once more of curiosity, he found that the moving truck had finally left off. The boy he saw earlier had gone inside the building and soon a big ruckus took place outside his apartment. Perhaps it was the new tenant? Could he be living on the same floor?
As much as Hansol's curiosity nearly killed him in anticipation, he took no interest in making friends and later decided to continue listening to his music, ignoring the loud crashes and thuds from outside. He wasn't enthused about being social and he wasn't big on being extroverted or an expert in conversations. He may seem a bit rude for not helping him, but he figured it was better not bothering to start up a conversation at all than having to risk an anomaly of extremely awkward silences.
Not surprising for becoming the reason why his dad had always trained him for meetings - how could he be able to hold important negotiations for the company in the future when he has not a single ounce of courage or care to speak up?
Only a few minutes had passed when the boy heard his doorbell ring, thankfully without his earphones being on full volume. He rushed to see who it was and saw the same face from hours ago on the display screen, smiling and waiting for him to answer.
"Is anyone home?" he heard him speak, muffled and static from the monitor's speaker. Hansol's eyes widened, it was truly unexpected for the boy to visit so soon. Heck, he didn't expect him to visit at all.
He was hesitant to answer, looking back and forth from the door's monitor to the metal handle. The unknown man's smile started to fade, turning into an unsure look. "Uhm," he laughed awkwardly, "I guess no one's home." he began to turn around and walk away.
Hansol started panicking, not knowing what to do in this situation and opened the door on impulse, not wanting to ruin someone's day. Fuck.
"Oh, hello!" the boy greeted with a smile. "So there is someone at home!" he grinned.
"Um, hi, yeah sorry about that." Hansol replied with a crooked grin, scratching the back of his head, cursing himself for not fixing his appearance and for making things feel uncomfortable. Or, perhaps, that's just him. The latter started before introducing himself. "My name is Boo Seungkwan. I'm your new neighbor, just right next door." Hansol nodded in response.
The stranger was at least shorter than Hansol, wearing different clothes than what the man had seen that morning. And, he definitely looked cleaner after all those hours of—what Hansol would think— moving a ton of boxes and furniture. He sported a pink buttoned-down short-sleeved polo, black trousers, and cream sneakers. He looked more presentable other than the ruffled and tired appearance he saw previously. His smile had made him glow, accompanied by the decorated and white-patterned box he held in his hands. It kind of reminded him of all those Girl Scouts who sell cookies.
"I'm Hansol Vernon Chwe but, call me Hansol." he stuttered. He's so embarrassed that he wanted to throw himself off a cliff. This is why he wasn't much of a talker. Why did he answer the door again? However, this 'Seungkwan' character chuckled at his behavior.
"Well, it was nice meeting you! Oh, and please accept this!" the boy bowed and held out a small box.
Hansol took the box and said thank you to Seungkwan. The latter chuckled, smiling as he spoke. Others could've mistook this for a confession, not that he wanted it to be one.
No, eh? Hansol, what? He pushed his thought back into the regret portion of his brain-files. Never think about that again, he swore to himself whilst internally adding up to his lists of reasons why digging his own grave sounded tempting right about then. "It's cookies. My mom pestered me to give these to my new neighbors. Well, my sisters kind of did as well- they all like baking." Seungkwan added.
"Thank you so much for this." Hansol bowed and wore a grin, his cheeks were getting a tad tired.
"I'll be off now. It was nice meeting you, Hansol."
"You too."
The boy sighed as he closed the door. His eyes traveled to the small mint and white-colored box in his hands. Lifting the lid in curiosity, he checked inside; the cookies smelled sweet as the scent wafted into his nose and almost possessing him as he grabbed a piece and ate it.
The flavors swirled in his mouth, he closed his eyes from tasting something so delicious. It was definitely fortunate to treat his lack of sugar that day. He did not remember the last time he ate something as sweet and tasty as that.
He walked back to his study area, setting the box of cookies right beside his laptop and continuing to work. He guessed that he now has a reason to talk with him, the treats were amazing even. He'd love to ask for more. He's not exploiting him for food, definitely not.
"His sisters like baking right? I wonder if he bakes as well," he mumbled in thought.
Hansol recalled his mother who had taught him to create good relationships with others. It was all about building bridges and not burning them— unless it really mattered. What he needs to do is to step up his social game. He remembered his childhood when he watched her give gifts in return after a neighbor would pass buy to send presents to the family. Maybe he should do the same. He'll think of something eventually.
YOU ARE READING
neighbor ; verkwan
Fanfiction"By the way, my name is Boo Seungkwan." Two youngsters who eventually got entangled in each other's lives. Being next door neighbors were like living in two different worlds that the two of them had yet to explore. There was so much more behind the...
