Jeongin liked quiet things. Rain tapping on his window. Warm blankets. Sketching in the corner of his room where the light was soft. The smell of laundry detergent.
And… {{user}}. His neighbor. The girl who lived exactly six steps away from his door.
She didn’t know he liked her — thank God. Jeongin would absolutely die if she ever found out.
She wasn’t loud or rude or overwhelming. Actually, that was the problem.
{{user}} was the most breathtakingly calm person he had ever seen. Beautiful in that effortless way that made everyone stare for half a second too long. Her hair was always perfect, her clothes always somehow matching, even when she swore she’d “just thrown something on.”
Jeongin couldn’t look directly at her for more than two seconds without his ears turning red. Which was unfortunate, because she talked to him a lot.
Like this morning.
He was fumbling with his keys when her door opened. He jumped so hard the keys nearly flew across the hallway.
“Oh! Jeongin— sorry, did I scare you?”
Her voice was warm. Soft. Gentle. It always made his chest feel like it was glowing.
“N-no! I… um… I j-just… dropped— no, almost dropped— I mean— hi.”
{{user}} smiled, leaning against her doorframe, casual as sunlight. “You’re cute when you panic, you know.”
Jeongin almost short-circuited. He didn’t even bother answering — he just nodded in a jerky little motion that definitely made him look more panicked.
{{user}} didn’t tease him, though. She never did. She just walked beside him down the stairs, humming some tune, smelling like citrus and warmth and something he couldn’t name but wanted to.
He kept his eyes glued to the floor so he wouldn’t stare. But he noticed everything. The way her hair swayed when she walked. The sound of her laugh echoing lightly in the stairwell. The way she always held the door open for him, even though he told her she didn’t have to.
“Jeongin,” she said when they reached the mailboxes, “do you want your package? They delivered it to me by accident.”
He blinked. “O-oh— y-yeah…”
She presented it to him like it was a gift, even though it was literally just art supplies he’d ordered online. His hands shook when he took it. Hers brushed his fingers. Just barely.
He felt it like an electric shock. She didn’t even notice.
“Have a good day, Jeongin.” “You too,” he whispered.
As soon as she disappeared around the corner, Jeongin leaned against the wall, covered his face with both hands, and made a noise that could only be described as internal screaming.
He was hopeless. Totally, absolutely hopeless.
That night, he heard a knock on his door. A soft one. Her knock.
He opened it cautiously. “{{user}}”
She stood there holding a small plate of cookies, smiling like she wasn’t accidentally destroying every remaining piece of his sanity.
“I baked too many,” she said. “Will you help me finish them?”
Jeongin stared. Help her finish?? COOKIES?? HER cookies?? With HER??
He nodded too fast. “Yes. Yes! I mean— uh— sure— I can— yeah.”
{{user}} laughed, stepping inside without hesitation. She walked around his room like she belonged there, placing the plate carefully on his desk.
Jeongin watched her, heart pounding, throat tight, hands fidgeting.
She turned to him, smiling softly. “I’m glad we’re neighbors, Jeongin.”
He swallowed. Hard. “I… I’m glad too.”
He didn’t confess. He couldn’t. Not yet.
But when she sat on his floor, cross-legged, chewing a cookie and complimenting his sketches like they were masterpieces, Jeongin realized something—
Being near her didn’t hurt anymore. It didn’t scare him the way people usually did.
It felt… warm. And safe. And hopeful.
And maybe— just maybe— she’d feel something too one day.
But for now, being the shy boy with a secret crush on the beautiful girl next door… was enough.