OUTSIDE

Grace had reached her limit at the party and felt completely drained. She was no longer interested in talking and her mind was blank. The previous night's party had left her feeling lifeless. As she stepped into her home, her faithful dog greeted her with a warm smile, his eyes gleaming with happiness. Grace's exhaustion began to dissipate as she looked into her dog's eyes, and she tentatively reached out a shaky hand to stroke his head. Finally, she collapsed into her bed, exhausted, and fell asleep almost immediately.

The next morning, Grace woke up early, despite the dark circles under her eyes. She took one look in the mirror and quickly applied under-eye cream to reduce the puffiness. She ate ramen quickly, feeling grumpy due to the dark circles. Then she took her dog for a walk, lost in thought about what to name him, determined to find the perfect moniker for her faithful companion. Should it be Sleepie or Hungry Boy because that's all he does all day? While in her deep thoughts, She encountered a strange suspicious-looking man with a mustache calling her. Grace was walking towards her apartment when she saw a man approaching her. The man spoke to her in a broken English accent, saying, "Hello, I live nearby." Grace was having trouble understanding him, so she responded in Korean, "I can speak Korean, though I am not a native speaker."

The man introduced himself as Dong-Yuan and offered his help if she needed anything. Grace noticed that he was carrying a basket of fruits and vegetables, probably from the market nearby. She also noticed that he had a friendly smile on his face, which made her feel more comfortable.

While they were talking, a woman started shouting at Dong-Yuan. The woman accused him of disturbing the new neighbor and demanded that he leave Grace alone. Dong-Yuan tried to explain that he was just trying to be friendly and that he wanted to protect Grace from potential harm. However, the woman didn't seem convinced.

The woman apologized for her husband's behavior and introduced herself as Sis Yu-ri. She explained that her husband was overprotective of their neighborhood and that he didn't trust strangers easily. Grace nodded, trying to understand the situation.

She assured Sis Yu-ri that it was okay and that she didn't feel disturbed by Dong-Yuan's presence. She also introduced herself and asked Sis Yu-ri about the neighborhood and the nearby places. Sis Yu-ri seemed to relax a bit and started talking about the local market, the park, and the community center.

After a while, Sis Yu-ri thanked Grace for her patience and left with Dong-Yuan. Grace felt relieved that she had met her neighbors and learned more about her new home. She smiled to herself, thinking that it was always good to have friendly neighbors. As Grace returned home from her refreshing jog, she noticed how delicately her friends had treated her. Their gentle nature had put a smile on her face. She made her way inside and got started on her math homework. Grace was determined to complete it, and after some time and effort, she finally succeeded. With a sense of accomplishment, she treated herself to some delicious fried rice with a fried egg on top. As she ate, she decided to indulge in her favorite pastime - watching anime. She grabbed a bowl of popcorn and binge-watched an entire season. As the night went on, Grace's thoughts turned to her new dog. She tried calling out different names, but her furry friend seemed uninterested. Feeling a bit discouraged, she eventually drifted off to sleep, exhausted from her busy day.