The sun's warm rays streamed through the window, illuminating Yeorin's dorm room with a soft, golden light. His alarm beeped, piercing the silence, and he stretched, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated after a good night's sleep. It was Saturday, and he had no classes, so he planned to spend the day indulging in his favorite activity - drawing. He was going to design some shoes for his company's upcoming shoe launch event.
As he swung his legs over the side of the bed, his feet landed on the soft, plush carpet, and he felt a sense of comfort wash over him. He loved Saturdays, loved the feeling of having a whole day to himself, with no lectures to attend, and no assignments to worry about. Just him, his thoughts, and his designs.
Yeorin's dorm room was a reflection of his personality - neat, organized, and clutter-free. His books were stacked neatly on the bookshelf, his bed was made, and his desk was clear of any clutter. He had a place for everything, and everything was in its place. He liked it that way, liked the sense of control and order it gave him.
As he began his daily routine, his movements were fluid and graceful, like a well-choreographed dance. He did his push-ups, his stretches, and his calisthenics with precision and control, his muscles flexing and relaxing in a rhythmic motion. Then, he headed to the bathroom to take a shower, the warm water washing away all the sweat and any lingering sleepiness.
As he dressed in his favorite black shorts and a purple baggy T-shirt, he felt a sense of satisfaction wash over him. Today was going to be a good day, a day to focus on his designs, to let his creativity shine. He had no plans to leave his room, no plans to see anyone, he didn't have any friends either, so no one would be seeing him and that was just the way he liked it. "Just me, myself and I." He said smugly.
Just as he was about to settle in for the day, he heard a knock on the door. His heart skipped a beat, and he felt a flutter in his chest. Who could it be? He wasn't expecting anyone, and he hadn't planned on seeing anyone today. He hesitated for a moment, then made his way to the door, his hand reaching out to open it.
And that's when everything changed. As he twisted the door knob and drew it back, he saw the most uncanny thing - Han Ri Ta, dressed in a plush pink gown and her signature chin-high boots, was standing in front of his door. His hazel eyes widened, his countenance altered and immediately his voice started to break, "W-what are you d-doing h-h-he-re?" He asked her.
"He's avoiding my eyes again." Ri Ta thought to herself, smiling, "I was right, he's attracted, but he's proving tough."
She evaded the question, trying her best to gain closure. Even with the small amount of time she had talked to him and watched him, she could tell that he was a person who valued personal space, and she was going to intrude on it.
"Wouldn't you let me in?" She asked, pushing the door in, and making her way into his room. Yeorin was starstruck, she dared to act like it was her room and just walked in as she liked, but he kept calm, his question still the same, "I asked what you were doing here." He said, this time his voice clear as glass.
"Bogo sip-eoyo (I missed you), so I decided to come to see you." Ri Ta said, shrugging her shoulders, flaunting her aura of supremacy.
Yeorin smiled slightly, "You missed me? You don't even know my name."
Han Ri Ta was trying her best to shadow her nervousness, her hands were steadily shaking, but she tried to make her voice sound firm. "Well, truly I don't. What kind of friends are we?"
"We? Friends?" Yeorin chuckled, "Seriously Ri Ta, what do you want?"
"Well...." She strained and sat on his bed. Yeorin was keeping his cool, "I can handle this." He continued to repeat to himself. He was also quite nervous. Ri Ta was the second person to come into his room unannounced. He pocketed his hands so as for Ri Ta not see him nervous as his fingers continually took turns tapping on his thighs inside his pocket.
"So you do know my name. Did you go around asking about me?" Ri Ta said. It was the first time she saw him full, he was always covered up like a mattress - always had his glasses and nose mask on, and he always wore a long sleeve sweatshirt or anything that didn't show his forearms. The only evident places were - his neck and fingers. Today was different. She had planned to catch him unawares and it worked. It was a civilized era, so she knew he'd not just walk her out of his room just like that. They'd talked to each other before, it was not like she was a total stranger to him.
"Everyone at Jukheon knows your name and face, isn't that a given?" Yeorin replied.
"Well, that's true. So what do you think of me?" Ri Ta asked him, eager to know his answer. She noticed he was constantly looking down at his feet or around the environment, something away from her eyes. He was scared of making eye contact. She smiled.
"Why would you care what I think of you, and besides, I don't even think of you," Yeorin said and walked away towards his reading table. "Feel free to stay, just shut up and don't make noise. I'm kinda busy with something."
Ri Ta was shattered. Why did she like him? What was so different about him that she loved? She asked herself these questions over and over again.
Ri Ta stood up from his bed and went to meet him where he was seated, "what are you doing?"
Yeorin sighed heavily, not knowing what to make of the whole situation at hand. "I'm just busy with something, that's all. Can you just leave me be? I tried my best not to send you out of my room and yet you're not satisfied."
Ri Ta didn't mind anything he said, she went closer to the table and sat on it, facing him squarely. She picked up one of his drawing books, "Wow! You draw?" She said, rather astonished, "I never took you for an art person, these are beautiful." She commented.
Yeorin was tired of replying to her. To him, it was a waste of time talking too much about frivolities. He looked at Ri Ta, his eyes shot lasers of frustration right into that of Ri Ta before he dragged the drawing book from her hand.
".... Why are you so cold? I'm just trying to be friendly to you. You should appreciate that fact, many people crave my attention." Ri Ta said, looking him straight in the eye.
Yeorin smiled a little bit before replying, "Crave your attention?" He said, avoiding her eyes again, "Do I look like I fall under that category?" He asked her, chuckling.
"Why do you hate me? Did I offend you in your past life?" Ri Ta said angrily, tears slowly making their way into her eyes.
"Ha-ha," Yeorin laughed, "why would I hate you? I don't hate you, I just want to be left alone."
Ri Ta's face suddenly changed and Yeorin noticed it immediately. "What's wrong with you?" He asked her, quite nervous.
It was the first time she saw his full face. She hadn't noticed it earlier on due to the talking and banter. His jawline was sharp and astounding, his foxy eyes gave him that hot, condescending, bad boy vibe and his lips formed a total cupid bow, pink, plush and moisturized.
"Wow!" She said subconsciously, scanning every inch of his face.
Yeorin rolled his eyes and walked towards the door, "I think it's time you left." Just as he was about I open it, Ri Ta appeared behind him and shut it, pushing him into a corner, the smell of her rosy perfume soothing the scene as the sun rested on the side of her face, making her eyes sparkle like a diamond in the sunlight.
Now she had him boxed into a corner and was looking him straight in the eyes, getting drawn into it slowly. "You don't hate me, right? Then that means you like me." Yeorin's heartbeat became faster. He tried to break out of the corner, but she restrained him, putting both her hands on each side of the wall, "Don't ever cover up your face with those accessories again, jeoldae (never)!" She commanded. Yeorin nodded, cringing slightly.
"Why do you keep avoiding my eyes?" Ri Ta said, holding his face straight up from his jaw, "Look at me." She stared into his hazel eyes, slowly leaning in.
Yeorin couldn't get outside the boundaries she had made with her hands and that made his heart throb loudly. Now Ri Ta was the one with the ball in her court and she was using it to her advantage. She caressed his face, her index finger slowly running down from his hairline to his jaw, before she lifted it to his eyebrows. "Yeopoda (you're cute)." Ri Ta said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Yeorin knew from her voice that it was more of a confession rather than a compliment, and he was familiar with situations like that.
"You have nice eyes, nice skin, nice hair texture and nice lips," Ri Ta said, slinging her thumb through his lower lip. She looked at him in his eyes, feeling a certain jolt of electricity rush through her veins. Her lips touched his and the gentle warmth of her closure drew her into stealing a perfect kiss.
He pushed her away, "Ya! Han Ri Ta (Hey! Han Ri Ta!) Yeorin shouted, trying to break away from where she confined him, but it was to no avail. She was already in another realm, careless of what was surrounding her, she just wanted more of him. She held both his hands up against the wall and kissed him again.
Yeorin's mind ran back and forth. The other person besides Ri Ta who entered his dorm room unannounced was also someone who was obsessed with him back in New York - Arika Mashimoto. She was just like the worst Japanese version of Han Ri Ta. This was also the outcome of his and Arika's scenario.
Ri Ta pulled back after a while, even though Yeorin was unresponsive to her kisses, satisfaction was displayed on every inch of her face. "Annyeong (goodbye)," she said, smiling widely. She pecked him on his lips once more and went out of his room.
Yeorin just stood there, drenched in confusion and awe, "Shibal! (F!ck), I ran away from Arika just to meet the Korean version of her here in Jukheon. Speak of bad karma."