Terrible Liar

Da-Eun could feel her cheeks heat up, embarrassed by her spontaneous outburst of Do-yun's name, especially when he didn't even remember hers, adding a blow to her ego.

"Sorry for the sudden overreaction. It's just so random that you're my new neighbor," Da-Eun awkwardly mentioned. She closed her door with a distinct locking sound, then moved a bit closer and asked, "Do you need help?"

"I just moved, actually. No need for help, I'm waiting for the movers," Do-yun said, successfully inserting the pin into his lock, before turning his attention back to Da-Eun. His eyes were inquiring 'What do you want?'

Da-Eun offered a small awkward smile. "Alright. I'll leave you be. See you around," she said, quickly exiting, berating herself for acting out of character. She couldn't believe she was living next to him; it was quite a surprise.

While shopping for drinks and snacks, her gaze kept wandering to the mountainous rolls of tissue paper. It was customary to send tissue paper as a housewarming gift to new neighbors to welcome them. She considered using this as an opportunity to get closer to him, but gifting such an unusual item might be embarrassing. Although it was normal she couldn't help but find it embarrassing.

"Ugh, no way," she muttered, cringing at the thought. She averted her gaze from the tissue rolls and headed to the cashier to pay for her items.

The hallway leading back to her unit was congested with furniture and employees from the moving company Do-yun had hired. There were only two apartments on this floor, as it had been designed to accommodate only two residences on the higher floors. This feature appealed to the wealthy and those who disliked excessive noise. Da-Eun found it quite coincidental that Do-yun turned out to be her neighbor, considering the numerous available floors. It was indeed an intriguing twist of fate, though Da-Eun couldn't help but cringe at her own fanciful thoughts.

Da-Eun carefully made her way through the bustling hallway, her ears perking up to eavesdrop on the movers' conversation.

"These are expensive. Make sure not to scratch anything."

"We'll have to come back tomorrow. There are still many items to transport."

"A king-size bed for someone living alone? Does he have a harem that requires such a large bed?"

Da-Eun couldn't help but silently agree with the last comment. She's sure with that handsome face, Do-yun has a big appetite. Did she need to invest in a pair of noise-canceling earphones in case she started hearing provocative sounds through the walls? With that thought in mind, Da-Eun quickly retreated into her unit, opened her laptop, browsed high-quality noise-canceling earphones, and placed an order. She hoped the delivery wouldn't take months to arrive.

She was in a dilemma, wondering whether she should share this with Min-ji. That girl had a huge mouth, a real chatterbox whose words could reach every corner of the university. It might be best to keep this secret to herself until Min-ji discovers it on her own.

That night, Da-Eun couldn't sleep properly. She was thrilled that Do-yun was her neighbor, offering the chance to see him more often. Her heart rejoiced, making it difficult for her to sleep. Despite being 22 years old, she felt like a teenager in love.

The next morning, Da-Eun prepared herself meticulously. She ensured her makeup looked natural and flawless, with no odd white or gray casts. Her lips appeared luscious and juicy, her eyebrows neatly trimmed and innocent-looking. Finally, her curled long eyelashes had to make her appear fresh and awake, despite getting only four hours of sleep.

She chose to wear a baby blue cotton sweater paired with beige pants, styling her hair in a lazy ponytail that didn't give her a haggard appearance. She carried her white tote bag featuring a cat design on the front. Her schedule for the morning consisted of just one class, as she was not a morning person and preferred to avoid early or back-to-back classes.

Feeling satisfied with her appearance, she left her apartment, hoping she might run into Do-yun while her makeup still looked fresh. Lucky her, he was waiting for the elevator to descend to the parking lot. He was dressed in a suit, his hair slicked cleanly to the back

Do-yun noticed another presence and realized that his neighbor was also up at this hour. Unexpectedly, he was the one who initiated the conversation.

"Good morning. Are you heading to work?" Do-yun inquired.

Da-Eun flinched at the sudden question but then smiled, "Good morning. No, I have a morning lecture."

"Lecture? I thought you had already graduated," Do-yun stated, looking a bit confused. They were in the same batch and had graduated together.

"Yes, I did. But now I need to study for another four years in med school," Da-Eun quickly clarified.

"Oh," Do-yun quickly realized and remembered that it was a long journey for medical students to enter the workforce. "That sounds like quite a commitment."

Da-Eun could only laugh at his comment. "So, are you going to work? You look quite formal today."

"Yeah, I have meetings with a lot of people, so I need to look presentable," Do-yun sighed. He was starting his own company but hadn't anticipated needing to meet so many investors for it to flourish. He had assumed that creating software would be enough.

"Right, good luck," Da-Eun offered her positive encouragement.

The elevator finally arrived, and both were silent as they entered. Da-Eun focused on the module in her hand, while Do-yun checked his phone from time to time. When they reached the ground floor, Da-Eun bid farewell. Do-yun had a car parked in the underground parking lot, so he had a few more floors to go.

Once Da-Eun exited the area, she couldn't help but walk with a goofy smile, looking like a complete lunatic. Her smile was so out of place that it continued even when she entered her classroom.

Min-ji eyed her suspiciously. "Are you okay in the head?"

Da-Eun shrugged, her grin refusing to budge. "What's wrong with smiling?"

"You look like a girl in love," Min-ji teased, her tone full of mischief. "Dazed and all. Tell me, who's the lucky bastard?"

"I told you before there's no one I like. Can I just laugh at my own jokes?"

"Well, look at you being a terrible liar."

"Haha," Da-Eun chuckled, not knowing how to dodge her persistent friend's questions. She turned her attention to the professor, hoping to divert the conversation.

But Min-ji wasn't about to give up that easily. "Do I know this person?"

Da-Eun remained silent, focusing on her notes.

Min-ji continued her interrogation. "Obviously, this is someone who's quite handsome. I think you are not the type of person to like a normie."

Da-Eun resisted the urge to roll her eyes and gave no response.

"What kind of man do you like?" Min-ji prodded.

Da-Eun took a moment to reply, "No one."

Min-ji raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. "So stingy."

Da-Eun simply smiled, knowing better than to reveal her secret crush to the ever-curious Min-ji. Some things were better kept to oneself.