Liu Xin'an slept for a full four hours.
It wasn't until around two o'clock in the afternoon that he groggily woke up.
He didn't know why he slept so comfortably after returning to bed, maybe it was because he felt so constrained sleeping on the couch the night before?
After comfortably getting up from bed, Liu Xin'an first walked into the bathroom to take a shower to fully wake himself up.
Only then did he change his clothes, pondering what to have for lunch.
However, before that, a flash of memory crossed his mind. He suddenly remembered that Bae Juhyun seemed to have looked for him earlier in the morning, saying something... But at the time, his brain was completely foggy, and he couldn't remember anything except his sleepiness.
Liu Xin'an thought about it, but couldn't recall anything, so he got up from the sofa and headed straight to Bae Juhyun's door.
"Ding dong~"
After the doorbell rang, Liu Xin'an patiently waited.
Moments later, Bae Juhyun opened the door, wearing jeans, a sky-blue blouse, with her long hair tied into a ponytail, and round glasses on her face.
The girl's outfit was perfect, and coupled with her naturally captivating face, Liu Xin'an couldn't help but compliment her internally before curiously asking, "Uh... did you look for me this morning?"
After saying this, he seemed to see Bae Juhyun's delicate face twitch slightly, but he thought it must have been an illusion. How could such a beautiful girl make such an unappealing expression!
But as it turned out, he wasn't mistaken.
Not only did Bae Juhyun's mouth twitch slightly, but this was the first time in nearly 30 years that someone had slammed the door in her face.
Slammed the door!
This is something no girl could possibly accept, right?
A boyfriend giving the passenger seat to another girl, helping another girl zip up her dress, and slamming the door on her—
These were the three things Bae Juhyun found most unacceptable in life.
Of course, Liu Xin'an wasn't her boyfriend, but that didn't matter.
What mattered was that he'd slammed the door in her face.
"I was planning to invite you for a meal to apologize. After all, I caused you quite a bit of trouble yesterday."
Bae Juhyun suppressed her frustration and smiled warmly as she spoke.
Liu Xin'an suddenly seemed to understand and generously waved his hand.
"It's nothing, it's nothing, but don't drink so much at another guy's place next time. Fortunately, it was me you encountered."
"Well, thank you very much."
Bae Juhyun's unusual response made Liu Xin'an pause. He looked at the smiling girl, not knowing what was wrong, but sensing an odd atmosphere.
"Uh... what's wrong? You don't seem happy."
Bae Juhyun couldn't hold it in any longer. The beautiful smile on her face gradually disappeared, replaced with an expressionless look that matched the "disdainful face" reputation given by the media. Even just coldly staring at Liu Xin'an made him feel uneasy.
"You nearly hit me with the door when you slammed it."
Bae Juhyun's cold words cut the air.
Liu Xin'an seemed to remember what Bae Juhyun was referring to. He hit his palm in surprise and then laughed out loud.
"So I did slam the door? Sorry, I don't remember at all."
Seeing this guy laugh made Bae Juhyun even more agitated.
She frowned and glared at Liu Xin'an. Only when she made him feel completely uncomfortable did she speak in an icy tone.
"Anything else?"
"Uh... nothing..."
"Bam!"
The door that was still slightly open slammed shut instantly.
Liu Xin'an pursed his lips awkwardly, becoming somewhat irritated as well.
Indeed, being slammed with a door was infuriating, and he was no exception.
No choice, since he'd unconsciously done something so impolite, Liu Xin'an pressed the doorbell once more.
Since the interval was short, he didn't think Bae Juhyun would leave immediately after closing the door.
But after a few seconds, there was no sign of the tightly shut door opening, and Liu Xin'an seemed to understand Bae Juhyun's attitude.
He gave a sheepish smile towards the peephole, "Sorry for doing something so rude unintentionally. If you can, please accept my apology."
After saying that, he turned and walked back to his own place without looking back.
It wasn't until his door closed that Bae Juhyun's door opened slightly.
However, the girl's figure didn't appear, and after a few seconds, the crack was quietly closed again.
———
"Oh, Juhyun unnie, what time did you get up?"
After finishing her activity, Kim Yerin took advantage of the early time to stop by the practice room before heading back to the dorm.
She didn't expect that Bae Juhyun was still there at this hour.
Glancing at the time, she walked over to the panting Bae Juhyun and sat down beside her, curiously asking.
Bae Juhyun pursed her lips, wiped the sweat from her forehead with her hand, and slowly said, "Around ten o'clock."
"That late? Unnie, have you been having trouble sleeping lately? Do you need to see a doctor?"
Bae Juhyun's mental state was something all the members were very concerned about.
Her sister's concern brought a rare smile to the usually gloomy Bae Juhyun.
Actually, since the afternoon when she slammed the door back, her mood had been quite strange.
The satisfaction of "getting her revenge" didn't come. Instead, Liu Xin'an's carefree figure after apologizing kept replaying in her mind.
Maybe she had been blinded by anger at that time... She had indeed troubled Liu Xin'an all night, causing him to not sleep well, and then found him at the wrong time...
Being slammed with the door did make her unhappy, but looking back, Liu Xin'an seemed very groggy at the time, probably annoyed from being woken up by the doorbell.
He had taken care of her all night, but what had she done?
Childishly slammed the door back?
And then stubbornly refused to open the door?
Would he hold a grudge against her because of this...
Wait, no. From what she had gathered during this time, she knew Liu Xin'an was a laid-back and generous person.
But... what if?
The more she thought about it, the more annoyed Bae Juhyun became, so she simply lay down, spreading herself out like a starfish, sprawled out on the floor of the practice room without any grace.
Her sudden movement left Kim Yerin bewildered.
"What happened?"
"Nothing, Yerin... I won't be going back to the dorm tonight."
"Huh? What's up all of a sudden?"
This time, Kim Yerin noticed Bae Juhyun's less-than-cheerful mood.
She started to get anxious, wondering if her unnie had been stubborn enough to look at online comments again.
Although some time had passed, discussions about Bae Juhyun hadn't stopped.
They just weren't showing up on the headlines or trending as frequently. But if you searched for Bae Juhyun, you could still find loads of fabricated gossip aimed at her.
Perhaps it was what people called "kicking someone when they're down"?
The world never lacked those who took pleasure in others' misfortunes.
"Really, it's nothing. Don't worry about it."
Bae Juhyun wasn't someone who could easily be forced forward.
Having worked and lived together for many years, Kim Yerin knew her unnie's temperament well.
So she didn't dare to offer too much advice, only reaching out to hug the leader who had taken such good care of her since she joined the group.
"If something's bothering you, be sure to tell me."
"Yes, let me lie down for a bit. I'll go back soon."
"Okay, don't put too much pressure on yourself."
Bae Juhyun lay down and rested for a while. Only when the sweat on her body had dried and her breathing steadied did she put on her mask and hat and leave the company.
She was very familiar with the drive home, so it didn't take long for her to return to the familiar parking garage and walk into the familiar elevator.
Successfully arriving on her familiar floor, she glanced down the corridor at the end where Liu Xin'an's place was before stepping out.
Standing silently at the elevator entrance for a long moment, she then slapped her cheeks and walked home.
Trying to vent her pent-up frustrations, she forcefully slammed her door shut and stormed into the bathroom.
Still in her clothes, she knew she needed a shower first.
Washing away the fatigue, she dressed in pajamas, turned on the floor heating, and while still toweling her slightly damp hair, she sat cross-legged in the living room.
She placed her phone in front of her. The screen showed her chat with her neighbor, Liu Xin'an.
The conversation was still on yesterday's messages, meaning they hadn't talked online from today up to now.
Sometimes, it takes less than a week to form a habit.
She seemed to have grown accustomed to chatting with the guy on her phone or balcony for a bit.
Even if it was just mindless chatter, it always lifted her spirits.
That empty feeling inside her continued to turn into reality.
The girl paused from drying her hair and then, irritated, messed up her hair.
"What am I doing..."
She murmured, hugging her knees and curling up.
"Ding~"
The phone's notification sound pulled her out of her spiraling thoughts.
She looked at the phone. The notification sound told her it wasn't from the familiar chat app.
But on her phone, apart from the chat app, the only other app with notifications...
Sure enough, it was the software Liu Xin'an had shown her how to download yesterday.
Because the name was in a sequence of letters, she recognized it.
The image of a small TV hovered in the middle of the screen, with all the content in Chinese, which she couldn't read.
However... she recognized Liu Xin'an's name.
More accurately, it was Liu Xin'an's personal account.
Compelled by curiosity, Bae Juhyun clicked on the notification.
Soon, Liu Xin'an's familiar voice filled the quiet living room.