"One day at a time."

Ananya closed her apartment door, her mind still swirling with the revelation that Jung-wook had been living next door all this time. Was this sheer coincidence, the so-called fate, or perhaps a trap set by him!? It left her wondering if she had been unknowingly sharing her life with him in more ways than one – and if so, then how long he had been aware of it all!

The knocks on her door brought her back to reality. She opened the door and Jung-wook casually walked in, taking his sliders off at the entrance and heading straight in – all of this before she could even react. She scowled, closing the main door behind her and following him in. "Excuse me?"

"I have brought a gift for you." He held his hands out with a cheeky grin, revealing four bottles of soju. "Celebratory drinks for becoming new neighbours?"

"Are we new, really?" Ananya raised a brow, "You knew I was living next door all this while?"

Jung-wook shrugged with a playful grin. "Well, I found out eventually. Didn't think it was that necessary to mention."

She shook her head in disbelief, but she was unable to suppress a smile. "You're something else, really."

"And yet," He paused, leaning closer in and hovering his right arm around her waist, mere inches away from her skin, careful so as to not let his fingers truly brush past her. "You still let me walk you home, and then you let me walk into your home." 

She was momentarily left dazed by this sudden shift in his behaviour and his actions. Her mind went blank as she stayed limp in his near-grasp, eyes widened in surprise. Finally coming back to her senses moments later, she playfully pushed him back. "You practically invited yourself over. I had no say."

"Do you think that makes this situation any better, if I really was a bad guy?" He chuckled, walking back to the couch to open the bottles of soju. "Do we have anything to go with this? Damn, we should have picked some stuff from the store instead."

Ananya bit her lip, a smile appearing on her face as the tension of the day slowly kept melting away with Jung-kook's silly yet warm presence. "Would you like to try Indian instant ramen?"

Jung-wook looked over at her, eyes shining with curiosity. "Sounds good to me. Just FYI, I'm more of a soupy ramen person." "Trust me," Ananya smirked, strolling away to the kitchen, "This ramen is best enjoyed saucy." 

Jung-wook followed behind, leaning against the kitchen counter, watching her keenly as she began preparing the dish. "What's on your mind?" 

"Just trying to wrap my head around all that has been happening." Ananya replied, glancing at him. "It has been a lot to take lately."

"You will find out everything, gradually," Jung-wook replied with a soft smile. "But for today, let's just enjoy this unique ramen. Maybe I will like it, maybe I will hate it."

"That's literally how I feel about you." She rolled her eyes, "You're annoyingly secretive, you know that?"

"I prefer to call it 'maintaining an aura of mystery', you know." He grinned, taking a deep breath as the aroma of masala filled the air, "It does smell goood."

"It tastes even better, I promise." She chuckled, turning the stove off and serving the steaming, saucy concoction in a large bowl. "We will have to see that." He shrugged, grabbing two forks as they walked back to the living room.

"Moment of truth," she breathed out, setting the bowl down on the centre-table. Jung-wook sat next to her on the couch and leaned in, taking a cautious bite. "Whoa, this is really good!" He dug in for another bite, a lot bigger this time, "Different, but so yum."

"Told you," Ananya said triumphantly, patiently waiting for him to grab a good bite before digging in. They continued to eat, as Jung-wook held out a bottle to her for a toast, "To new neighbours and unexpected fate, I suppose?" 

"So be it. Cheers," Ananya clinked her bottle against his, taking a huge sip.

As the evening wore on and a couple more bottles of soju mysteriously went empty, the combination of it all lightened her sensitive heart that had simply refused to stay calm earlier that day.

"You know I have a lot of questions. About everything, really." She heaved a sigh, looking at him. "Not just about me, but about you too."

"You will know it all, I promise." He replied with a reassuring smile, leaning closer in to whisper in her ear, "We don't have to rush anything. One day at a time."

Ananya blushed crimson as she felt a sudden surge of warmth spread through her. Was it the alcohol, or was it Jung-wook? "I… I need to pee," She got up abruptly, dashing away to the washroom. 

As she washed her face to regain composure, the events of the day washed over her mind. She knew she could not let things end with Ji-yeon just like that. If nothing else worked, then she probably had to confront Ji-yeon and talk things through anyhow – no matter how difficult it might get. Their friendship was too important to let these misunderstandings fester and ruin it. 

However, at the same time, she wasn't sure if she was mentally prepared to do it the very next day. Maybe she could skip uni for once? After all, she could do things, one day at a time. Like Jung-wook had said, there was no need to rush things through.

As Ananya staggered back to the couch, Jung-wook leaned back with a soft chuckle, a certain look in his eyes that she couldn't quite figure out.

"What?" she asked, feeling a bit self-conscious under his gaze as she settled beside him again.

He shook his head, the soft smile still playing on his softer lips. "Nothing. Just... enjoying the moment, I guess. I don't remember when I felt this peaceful last."

Ananya giggled, the pleasant buzz speaking through. "I'm sure you have had several peaceful nights out here, creeping on your neighbours and prying into their lives."

"And yet, here's one such naïve neighbour, spending her evening just with me, completely defenseless." 

"Hey, I have a yellow belt in Taekwondo!" She pouted, beaming with pride as she balled her fists in position. Jung-wook laughed, hitting her arms away and pinning her down on the couch in one swift move. "That's literally the lowest rung, right above beginners. You shouldn't let the perpetrator know your weaknesses right away, and yet here you are."

Ananya gulped slowly, looking at him with utmost shock in her eyes. She tried verbalising, but no sound could escape her throat. As she managed to eventually push him away, he rolled to her side, breaking into peals of laughter, "You should have seen your face!"

"Not funny." She rolled her eyes but smiled, her cheeks hinting at a dark shade of red. She shook her head and got up, beginning midnight drunk-cleaning to distract herself. Jung-wook carefully observed her actions, his eyes not leaving her even for a moment, tenderness oozing from his gaze.

He did not intend on developing such strong feelings for her, when he decided to cross paths with her again – albeit for the first time in this world. However, at this point, he did not want to stop either. After all, he had claimed her as his purpose in this life already. Might as well add another reason as to why.