The door hadn’t opened because of his presence. It seemed the woman had been about to leave. But the moment their eyes met, she panicked and quickly tried to shut the door again.
Eunwoo didn’t miss his chance. He swiftly reached out and caught the door before it could close.
The woman struggled to push it shut, but it was no use. It was nearly impossible for her to overpower a grown man.
As the standoff dragged on, Eunwoo finally forced the door open. The woman stumbled back, and he instinctively grabbed her shoulder to steady her. Her eyes darted wildly.
“Let’s talk for a second.”
“W-what is there to talk about?”
The woman took a step back, raising her guard.
“Why do you blow up and make judgments without even listening to what I have to say?”
“Isn’t that exactly what you did to me?”
She had a point. For a moment, Eunwoo was at a loss for words. He sighed lightly, staring into her bloodshot eyes.
Judging by her swollen, tear-stained eyelids, she had clearly been crying for a while. Eunwoo watched her quietly, recalling the words she had thrown at him earlier.
“Those rice cakes—my mom made them this morning, sweating over a hot steamer. They weren’t just ‘rice cakes’, you know!”
He couldn’t fully understand that kind of emotion, having been separated from his parents at an early age. But even so, it was easy to see why she’d be upset. Watching something your parents made with love get thrown away like trash would anger anyone.
“I’m sorry for throwing them out.”
“…….”
“But those rice cakes were from the first day we met. They’d gone hard and stale because I forgot about them. They weren’t the ones you brought today.”
At his apology, tears welled up again in the woman’s large eyes.
“I may be upset, but I’m not heartless. I wouldn’t just toss out something someone gave me out of spite.”
“…….”
“And I never even hated you.”
At that, the tears she’d been holding back finally spilled over and trickled down her cheeks.
So sensitive. So quick to cry.
Eunwoo had always been terrible with women who cried. He didn’t know how to comfort them, and empathizing was even harder. Trying to avoid looking directly at her tear-streaked face, he ended up sounding more forceful than he intended.
“So apologize! For calling me trash, and a jerk. All of it.”
The woman wiped her face with the back of her hand, her puffy eyes meeting his.
“…Are you being serious?”
“You think I’m lying? Should I dig the rice cake out of the freezer to prove it?”
“Did you try it? It’s good, right? My mom’s rice cake?”
“…I guess.”
He wasn’t sure why the conversation had taken that turn, but her expression softened slightly.
“Aren’t you going to apologize?”
“…Sorry for the misunderstanding.”
“Keep going.”
“For calling you a jerk… and trash, too…”
She lowered her eyes and offered her apology quickly. Her unexpected sincerity left him slightly flustered.
“So why didn’t you ask for compensation for the broken plant?”
He was clearly just saying things at that point.
“Oh, that… just count it against the console. You seemed to like settling things that way.”
She actually meant to let it slide.
In truth, that morning—while returning from a short trip out—he had witnessed something near the entrance of their building. The real package thief hadn’t been her. It was a teenage boy from the downstairs unit.
When he first saw her outside his door, he’d assumed she was some obsessive teenage fan. She was small and young-looking, which didn’t help. Not exactly round-faced, but kind of dumpling-shaped. He had this absurd thought that if he touched her cheek, he’d feel soft fuzz under his fingertips.
Not the time for that kind of thought…
Anyway, she had spent hours loitering outside his place. Somehow, she had even managed to move into the apartment next door. The situation kept escalating.
So yes—he’d acted harshly toward her. He cut her off mid-explanation, misjudged her, and accused her without giving her a chance to explain.
That alone would’ve been bad enough. But he also mistook her for a package thief—and on top of that, accused her of trespassing.
Now that he replayed the whole situation in his mind, he couldn’t believe what a jerk he had been.
“You said you didn’t steal it.”
“…….”
She no longer shouted or strained her voice to explain. She didn’t even try to defend herself anymore.
“Just return the game console. That’s all I ask. If you do, I’ll pretend none of this happened. I’ll keep it a secret, okay?”
“…….”
“And promise you won’t touch anyone else’s packages again.”
He almost burst out laughing at her earnest insistence about the game console. She had been that serious even back then.
He remembered agonizing over whether to tell her the truth.
“Who did this?”
“If you stay silent, no one will know. You have to ‘say’ something for people to understand.”
He had only caught a fragment of her words, but it was enough to get the gist of the situation.
He couldn’t fully grasp everything she was going through, but for now, following her lead didn’t seem like such a bad idea.
“Damn this old building. I really should move out.”
So he had started giving her signs—letting her notice him passing by.
He was curious how she’d handle this situation from here on out.
“How much was that console, anyway? You’re seriously trading it for a broken plant?”
“That plant meant a lot to me, okay?”
“…….”
“Fine, I’ll pay you back. Happy now? Are we done? Can I close the door? Mosquitoes are getting in.”
Sensing the conversation had turned against her, she hurried to shut the door.
This time, Eunwoo didn’t stop it. The door closed quietly, and he heard the beep of the lock engaging—followed by the sharp click-clack of two additional locks.
“Mosquitoes… in spring?”
He pictured her flustered face and let out a quiet laugh.
__________⋆ 𖤓 ⊹₊˚࿔ ❄︎ᝰ.________
<Epilogue>
People holding signs had gathered in front of the broadcasting station. They were fans who had come since dawn to see Eunwoo.
Soon, a black van arrived, and Eunwoo stepped out in jeans and a sky-blue sweater.
Camera shutters fired like starlight, and Eunwoo smiled and greeted his fans one by one.
“Eunwoo! Heart pose, please!”
“Look this way, Eunwoo!”
He fulfilled each request from the press with patient grace. Then, after waving to the crowd, he headed toward the venue for the interview.
The event took place in a movie theater. Even after all the seats were filled, many fans stood in the aisles, unwilling to miss a moment.
“Introducing the actor who pioneered a new bromance genre with his dual roles in TBN’s ‘Between Day and Night ‘, please welcome Seon Eunwoo!”
As Eunwoo appeared, the room erupted in cheers. He bowed deeply, multiple times, before sitting next to the host and accepting the mic.
“Hello, I’m Seon Eunwoo from ‘Midnight Blue’.”
“Yes, while you’re currently active as an actor, you’re also the main vocalist of ‘Midnight Blue’. You even sang the OST for ‘Between Day and Night’, which became a big hit. Can we expect something similar this time?”
“I’m currently working with the producer on the new track. Please look forward to it.”
“We will! You’re also the youngest member in the group, right? Anything you’d like to say to your bandmates?”
“I want to thank them for always understanding me. And I really hope we can return this year with a new album.”
“We’re all looking forward to seeing the four of you back on stage. Now, I heard you’ve confirmed your next project?”
“Yes, I’ll be starring in writer Park Nayeon’s new series ‘Married to a Vampire’.”
“Even the title is intriguing! It’s said that the writer crafted the role specifically for you. Can you tell us more about the story?”
“It’s a romance about a vampire, Moon Seokju—who has lived for centuries without desire or purpose—and a woman, Woo Rim, who’s received a terminal diagnosis. They enter into a contract marriage, each offering something the other desperately needs. I play Seokju.”
“And what kind of character is Moon Seokju?”
“After 600 years, he’s lost all will to live. He’s tried all kinds of blood, but none spark any desire… until Woo Rim appears. She awakens in him not just hunger, but emotions he thought he’d never feel again.”
“Sounds fascinating!”
“Being a vampire, he was never really living. He just existed, detached from emotion—until Woo Rim teaches him something new.”
“Love, I presume?”
“How did you guess?”
Laughter rippled through the theater at Eunwoo’s playful tone.
“A romance drama without love? Impossible. A love that takes 600 years to arrive—how could we not be excited? Speaking of which, Eunwoo, if your destined partner appeared before you, do you think you’d recognize them?”
“Hmm…”
He toyed with the mic for a moment, hesitating.
Finally, he spoke.
“I’m not sure… I don’t really believe in fate.”
