Seorin organized the contents of her suitcase with meticulous movements—less because she cared about keeping things neat and more because she needed something to focus on. She did her best not to engage in any conversation happening inside the room.
"Honestly… I never imagined I'd end up rooming with the debate queen herself."
Kim Minji's voice sounded light, almost teasing.
Seorin didn't look up.
"We should just mind our own business," she replied without pause. "And tomorrow morning… I'll find another room."
She knew she sounded cold.
That was intentional.
"Come on, don't be so stubborn. We're literally just sleeping here," Kang Ara cut in casually.
Seorin didn't respond.
As if that voice had never spoken at all.
***
The first night went… nothing like she expected.
Minji moved constantly in her sleep.
Seorin woke up over and over again—not because of noise, but because of unwanted contact. Minji's leg suddenly thrown across hers. A body shifting too close. Breathing that felt too near.
Half-asleep, Seorin repeatedly pushed her back into place.
None of it lasted.
Eventually, holding back a frustrated sigh, she dragged her own mattress farther away—closer to the wall. Creating enough distance to breathe.
Then she closed her eyes again.
Trying to sleep.
But morning came too quickly anyway—slipping in before she ever truly managed to rest.
Seorin opened her eyes with a dull heaviness in her head. Sunlight was already slipping through the cracks in the walls.
She turned her head.
Empty.
Kang Ara and Minji's bedding had already been folded neatly—as if they had never slept there at all.
Seorin let out a quiet breath. She quickly straightened her own bedding despite the lingering exhaustion in her body.
The moment she stepped outside, sunlight hit her eyes sharply.
Outside—
noise.
People were already awake. Eating breakfast. Talking. Laughing.
"Good morning, princess."
That voice.
Seorin didn't even need to look.
Something inside her immediately hardened.
Kang Ara stood nearby, biting into a rice cake with an expression far too cheerful for this early in the morning.
Seorin turned her face away.
Then headed in the opposite direction.
Better to take a shower.
***
The bathroom was empty.
At least one thing had gone according to plan.
She stepped inside, slightly relieved—until her hand touched the water.
Cold.
Not just cold—like touching ice that hadn't finished melting yet.
Seorin jerked her hand back instinctively. She glanced around, searching for something familiar.
A water heater.
Nothing.
Of course there wasn't one.
Her jaw tightened. She tried again.
"Ah—"
The water touched her face, and her body reacted instantly.
She stopped, staring at the sink.
"I'll just wash my face and brush my teeth," she muttered quietly, sounding more decisive than frustrated.
Her body was still shivering by the time she finished. The cold clung to her longer than she wanted it to.
She missed something that had always felt ordinary before—
hot water that was always available.
Now it felt… luxurious.
***
She returned to the room, wrapping herself tightly in a thick blanket.
Still cold.
The door opened.
"You actually used the cold water?"
Seorin turned her head.
Kang Ara stood in the doorway holding a change of clothes.
"Don't joke with me," Seorin shot back. "Does this place seriously not have a water heater?"
Ara raised an eyebrow.
"Why would it? There's a hot spring bath out back." She paused, staring at Seorin a little longer. "Wait… don't tell me—"
"I prefer cold showers," Seorin cut in quickly.
Too quickly.
And she realized it immediately.
Ara smiled faintly.
"You're weird."
Seorin shot her a glare.
But Ara had already turned away, leaving the room while holding back laughter.
The door shut.
And Seorin finally let out her irritation—yanking clothes out of her suitcase before throwing them back in roughly.
***
After breakfast, all the students gathered together.
Village chief Choi stood at the front giving a welcoming speech. Seorin stood among the crowd, listening quietly.
"We hope we can help each other during your stay here."
The sentence itself was simple.
But the atmosphere around her felt different from anything she was used to.
The first day was spent touring the village. Open landscapes. Mountains. Air cleaner than the city. People busily taking pictures.
Seorin did too.
For the first time since arriving, she found herself doing something she genuinely enjoyed.
Capturing moments.
Her phone camera moved slowly—
then stopped.
Someone stood at the edge of a cliff beneath a red maple tree.
Kang Ara.
Through her screen, Seorin could see Ara quietly taking in the scenery.
Silent. Calm.
Nothing like usual.
Seorin stared at her phone screen a little longer than she should have.
Then—
the screen froze.
***
On the second day, they split into groups.
Five teams.
Seorin let out a quiet sigh of relief after learning she wasn't assigned to the same group as Kang Ara.
But—
she was still with Minji.
Their team was assigned to the local school. Working with children.
And that… wasn't easy.
At first, Seorin stood awkwardly off to the side, unsure how to begin. The children ran around laughing, naturally gravitating toward everyone else instead of her.
She could feel the glances from the other group members.
And the quiet whispers.
Her gaze shifted toward Minji.
The girl was surrounded by children.
Effortless. Natural.
As if she belonged there.
Suddenly, a little boy ran toward her.
"Noona, help me."
Seorin looked down. The workbook in his hands was filled with basic math problems.
She hesitated.
But still took it from him.
"Okay… let's try this."
Slowly.
Awkward at first.
But as time passed, she gradually grew used to it.
And before she realized it—
the children started approaching her more often.
"Kids like smiling faces."
Minji's voice appeared beside her.
Seorin glanced at her briefly.
Then—tried.
Just a little.
And somehow…
it worked.
***
By the fourth day, Seorin still hadn't found another room.
She had tried.
But every time people learned she was rooming with Minji, the answer was always the same.
No.
She sat alone during break.
"We've been getting along pretty well lately, haven't we? Why are you still trying to move out?"
Seorin looked up.
Kang Ara.
"How are you even able to sleep next to Minji?" she shot back. "She sleeps like an overheated caterpillar."
Ara chewed on an apple.
"That's it?"
Seorin nodded.
Ara smiled.
"Easy."
The answer came shortly, as if it were nothing.
***
That night—
Minji was no longer sleeping in the middle.
Ara took that spot instead.
Between them.
"That's not a solution at all," Seorin muttered, turning her back toward Ara.
But—
she actually slept.
Without interruptions.
***
For the first time the next morning, she woke up feeling rested.
"Hey, Han Seorin."
Seorin turned her head. A female student approached her.
"You've been rooming with them for days now… have you seen anything that proves they're actually dating?"
Seorin frowned.
The question bothered her.
"They sleep normally," she answered calmly, though there was an edge to her voice. "What exactly were you expecting?"
The girl stepped back awkwardly.
Seorin looked away.
"None of my business," she muttered quietly. "And not something other people should gossip about either."
***
A week passed.
Today, all the groups were working together cleaning the school.
Seorin worked with Dongchul in the storage room filled with old books.
For the first time—
she felt comfortable again.
But it didn't last long.
Kang Ara appeared.
Once.
Twice.
Then… constantly.
When Seorin and Dongchul walked together to throw out trash—
Ara came along to throw out trash too.
When Seorin and Dongchul carried broken chairs outside—
Ara carried chairs too.
She kept appearing.
As if deliberately.
At lunch, she even sat with them.
Enough.
"Kang Ara. We need to talk."
Ara looked over casually.
"Go ahead."
"Not here."
Seorin stood and walked away so no one else could hear them.
They stopped beneath a maple tree.
"What do you want?" Seorin asked directly.
Ara frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
"You're not that stupid," Seorin continued. "You keep showing up every time I'm with Dongchul."
She stared sharply at Ara.
"Do you like him too?"
Silence.
Then—
laughter.
Loud.
Unrestrained.
"Are you serious?" Ara was still laughing.
"Kang Ara—"
"I do like Dongchul," Ara cut in suddenly—without smiling.
Seorin froze.
For a second, her heartbeat stopped.
"I like bothering him," Ara continued.
The laughter returned.
"I can't even imagine me and him—"
"Kang Ara!"
Seorin stomped her foot before turning away.
Leaving.
"So annoying," she muttered under her breath, more to calm herself down than because she was actually angry.