The evening air was thick and damp, the kind that promised rain any minute. Ahn Su-ho adjusted the delivery bag slung over his shoulder as he climbed the narrow stairs of an old apartment building. His phone screen glowed with the order details: Unit 101, kimchi fried rice and tteokbokki.

He stopped at the door and knocked twice, waiting as footsteps shuffled from inside.

The door opened halfway.

Yeon Si-eun stood there, pale and expressionless, hair slightly mussed from hours of studying. The light from his desk lamp spilled faintly into the hallway, catching the outline of his tired face. His uniform shirt was wrinkled, and there were papers scattered all over the small table behind him.

“What?” His voice was quiet, but there was a sharpness underneath it.

Su-ho blinked. “Delivery for 101. Kimchi fried rice and tteokbokki.”

“I didn’t order anything.” Sieun spoke

A short silence filled the air. Su-ho looked at his phone again, confused, then back at Si-eun. “Huh. Seriously? Oh, maybe it was 102.” He gave a small laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry, my bad.”

Si-eun didn’t reply, just stood there with that blank, almost weary look in his eyes. But as Su-ho shifted under the dim hallway light, something in Si-eun’s expression softened. barely noticeable, like a flicker. His eyes, dull moments ago, seemed to reflect something gentler, warmer.