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Chapter 14 - Shared Apartments and Shared Intentions

Kim Seo-ah stepped off the heavy steps of the public transit bus and began walking down the dark pavement toward her apartment complex. Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks under a flickering streetlamp. The strange, comforting feeling she had experienced on the bus rushed back into her chest with absolute force, entirely consuming her thoughts."Huh... what is happening to me tonight?" Seo-ah muttered to herself, rubbing her arms against the chill. "Why did I feel like Dr. Hyun-woo was on that bus? But how could he even be here? Huh... this is all just because I keep thinking about him too much lately. Let it be. Let's just go home."[Scene: INT. Kim Seo's Apartment – Night Continuous]With a heavy, exhausted heart, Kim Seo-ah unlocked her front door, turned the key with a sharp click, and pushed it open. The moment the door swung wide, her jaw dropped completely. She froze in absolute shock at the chaotic sight before her eyes, and her anger flared up instantly.The entire living room was a complete disaster zone. The coffee table in front of the sofa was cluttered with a massive mess, and several empty cup-noodle containers were strewn carelessly across the floor, rolling around loose. Sitting comfortably right on the sofa with their legs stretched out, completely absorbed in a dramatic K-drama playing on the TV, were Ma Ha-rin and Kim Jun-u. Both were happily slurping noodles from their cups, totally oblivious and indifferent to the trash-heap state of the house."Oh! You're home!" Jun-u and Ma Ha-rin announced in perfect, cheerful unison. They turned their heads toward the door with wide grins, yet neither of them took their eyes off the TV screen for even a single fraction of a second.Seo-ah storms into the middle of the room, stomping her foot firmly against the carpet in sheer frustration. She pointed aggressively at the absolute chaos around them, her voice cracking with a mixture of anger and disbelief as she yelled at the top of her lungs."What on earth is going on here?!" Seo-ah screamed, her face turning red. "Look at this absolute mess! Jun-u, you literally just got discharged from the hospital today! And the moment you come home, you are eating this garbage cup-noodle food? And Ma Ha-rin, you too? Why are you enabling him?!"Junu quickly waved his chopsticks defensively through the air, looking over at Ha-rin with a completely carefree, lazy grin as he gave an excuse. "What is all this fuss about? Ma Ha-rin will clean it all up anyway!"Ha-rin stopped chewing her noodles mid-bite and snapped her head toward Junu. She glared straight into his face with wide, furious eyes, shocked that he was putting all the blame on her.Seeing Ha-rin's terrifying expression, Junu immediately got nervous and quickly corrected himself. "Uh... I mean, both of us! We will clean it up together! And honestly, after eating that bland hospital food, my taste buds were completely dead. We were both starving, so we just grabbed a quick bite. What's the big deal in that!""Exactly! Let it go, Kim," Ha-rin jumped into the conversation to diffuse the tension and change the subject. "Why don't you join us? Suddenly noticing Kim's hands Oh! Oho! What is this? Did you bring this huge bouquet back with you? I thought you wouldn't bring it past the office."Hearing this, Kim Seo-ah's face instantly turned from pale to tomato red. She awkwardly and hurriedly hid the massive bouquet behind her back, speaking in a strict, defensive tone."Shut up, you!" Seo-ah snapped, glaring at her roommate. "And yes, I am going to freshen up. By the time I come out, this entire mess better be cleaned up, or else!"Seo-ah turned on her heel, stomping away toward her room. Junu sat up slightly on the sofa, cutting her off and shouting loudly. "Wait! Who gave you this bouquet?!"Seo-ah halted near her door, turning back with a sharp, angry glare. "Why do you care who gave it to me! Mind your own business, take care of yourself, and look at your own leg!"With that, she slammed her bedroom door shut. The living room fell into a tense silence. Junu's expression turned completely serious as his over-protective brotherly instincts flared up. He turned sharply toward Ma Ha-rin."Huh! Don't look at me," Ha-rin said, raising her hands in mock surrender to lie to Junu. "I have absolutely no idea who gave it to her. Huh! I am going to get the cleaning supplies right now, otherwise, Kim is going to rip my ears off when she comes out."Ma Ha-rin left from there quickly so that Junu wouldn't ask anything further. Junu could not get up from the sofa quickly because of his legs. "Hey, wait Ma Rin! Tell me, who gave Kim the bouquet? Even with these legs, I will deal with both of you."[Scene: INT. Kim Seo's Bedroom – Night Continuous]Kim Seo-ah finished freshening up, changed into comfortable clothes, and stepped into her quiet room. The lights were dimly lit. Her eyes fell directly upon the beautiful, fragrant bouquet resting on her study table. She walked over, standing right in front of it, and stared at it deeply, lost in thought."Seriously..." Seo-ah muttered to herself with a slight pout, her voice dropping into a soft whisper. "Dr. Hyun couldn't just come up to me and say a proper 'sorry' face-to-face? Instead, he had to send this huge bouquet and turn my entire office into a dramatic public spectacle? Huh..."She gently touched a soft petal with her fingertip. The moment she felt its softness, her irritation slowly melted away into a small, warm smile."But honestly... what is the fault of these innocent flowers? They are way too beautiful to just throw away. Huh, let's do one thing..."Moving very gently, she carefully plucked a few vibrant, beautiful petals. She opened her drawer and pulled out her personal diary. She placed the petals neatly between the pages, pressing the diary shut with deep affection and care, as if safely locking his apology away in her heart."Kim!" Ha-rin shouted loudly from the living room.Seo-ah quickly hid the diary back in its place, calling back loudly. "Yeah, I'm coming!"She turned off her bedroom light and walked out.[Scene: INT. Dr. Hyun's Luxury Apartment – Night Continuous]The front door of Dr. Hyun's luxury flat opened. Dr. Hyun-woo walked in, practically glowing with a massive wave of happiness and energy that hadn't been seen in days. He was smiling to himself. But as he stepped into the living room, he noticed Sun-woo was already there, occupying his couch and staring intensely at the TV screen with a video game controller in hand.Seeing Hyun walk in, Sun-woo paused the game, jumped off the couch, and walks straight up to him. He stopped, completely stunned by the huge, lovestruck smile plastered across Hyun's face."Hey! I called you so many times!" Sun-woo demanded. "Why didn't you pick up your phone? And why are you smiling like an idiot? What happened to make you this happy?"Dr. Hyun took off his coat and hung it up, taking a deep, relaxed breath and smiling widely. "Oh, I met Kim."Sun-woo's eyes widened in pure shock, snapping back. "What did you say?! Seriously? Did you talk to her?"Dr. Hyun sat down on the sofa, shaking his head with a grin. "No, she just happened to be on the same bus."Dr. Hyun excitedly detailed the entire bus sequence to Sun-woo like a happy teenager—how Kim held his bouquet tightly even in her deep sleep, and how she unconsciously rested her forehead against his hand to stay warm.Sun-woo, after listening to the entire story, stared at Hyun with a completely blank, deadpan expression. "Huh... so let me get this straight. There was absolutely no conversation between you two? You just sat next to her while she was completely unconscious, and that's it? Wow, you are officially losing your mind!"Dr. Hyun laughed softly, changing the subject. "By the way, what are you doing here?""Oh, I came over because I wanted to play video games with you," Sun-woo explained. "And I also wanted to fill you in on all the crazy drama that went down at the office today regarding your grand flower delivery."Dr. Hyun walked toward the kitchen to pour a glass of water, smiling calmly. "It's okay, you don't need to tell me because you are way too late. Ma Ha-rin already told me everything when she came to the hospital to pick up Jun-u for his discharge."Sun-woo pouted, throwing his hands up in mock anger. "So my presence isn't even required anymore, since Ma Ha-rin tells you everything first! Fine. Well, luck is definitely on your side tonight, which is why you ran into Kim. But what's next, Dr. Hyun?"

Dr. Hyun-woo held his glass of water, pausing to think for a brief second as a slightly serious, thoughtful expression crossed his handsome features. "I don't know... let's figure all of that out tomorrow morning. For now, let's just sit down and play a game. It will make the remaining bit of my exhaustion disappear completely."Sun-woo smirked confidently, leaning down to pick up both wireless controllers from the rug and tossing one directly at his younger brother's chest. "Yeah, let's do it! And just so you know, you are going down hard tonight. I am absolutely, mandatory going to destroy your score!"Dr. Hyun-woo caught the controller cleanly in mid-air, a bright smile of absolute confidence breaking across his face as he settled back into the sofa cushions. "Yeah? We'll see about that, bro."The twin brothers sat side-by-side, the colorful, shifting light of the massive TV screen reflecting beautifully across their faces. With the upbeat, energetic sound effects of the game filling the room, the frame slowly began to pan back, and the screen smoothly faded to complete, silent black.

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