THE BOY NEXT DOOR NEVER SMILES. (Kdrama Series)

The moving truck finally came to a stop in front of a small cream-colored house. Lee YN stepped out of the passenger seat and immediately stretched her arms toward the sky. "Freedom!" The driver looked at her through the open window. "You make it sound like you escaped prison." YN laughed as she grabbed her backpack. "Not prison. My parents." The house wasn't huge. It wasn't luxurious either. But it was hers. After years of living under her family's roof, constantly surrounded by relatives and endless questions about where she was going and what she was doing, she was finally living alone. A grin spread across her face. This was her independent woman era. Then she looked at the mountain of boxes sitting outside. The grin vanished. "Maybe independence is overrated." Nearly an hour later, the moving truck was gone, leaving YN alone with what looked like her entire life packed into cardboard boxes. Taking a deep breath, she pulled out her new house key. "Okay, Lee YN," she muttered. "New house. New life." She inserted the key into the lock and turned. Nothing. She frowned and tried again. Still nothing. Five minutes later, she was crouched in front of the door, twisting the key with both hands. "Come on." Nothing. "Don't do this to me." The lock remained stubbornly silent. YN narrowed her eyes. "If you don't open right now, I swear we're starting this relationship on very bad terms." "You're turning it the wrong way." A low voice came from behind. YN nearly threw the key across the street. Spinning around, she found herself staring at a tall man dressed entirely in black. Dark hair fell slightly over his forehead and his expression remained completely unreadable. He stood there holding a paper bag as if he hadn't just scared ten years off her life. She pressed a hand to her chest. "Oh my God." The man blinked. "You scared me." Yn said "Sorry." He said His voice was calm. Quiet. YN stared at him for a moment. Handsome. Very handsome. Annoyingly handsome. The kind of handsome that should honestly come with a warning sign. The stranger pointed toward the lock. "Turn it left." Still staring at him suspiciously, YN slowly turned the key in the opposite direction. Click. The door opened immediately. Silence. She looked at the door. Then at him. Then back at the door. The betrayal hurt. The stranger seemed completely unbothered. For a second, YN thought she caught the smallest hint of amusement in his eyes. "Was that a laugh?" she asked. "No." "That was definitely a laugh." "No." "It was." The man didn't argue further. Instead, his gaze shifted toward the dozens of boxes scattered around the front yard. "You moved in today?" "That obvious?" He looked at the boxes. "...Right." YN laughed before extending her hand. "I'm Lee YN." The stranger glanced at her hand before shaking it. "Min jiwon." For some reason, the name suited him perfectly. Quiet. Simple. Mysterious. Before YN could think of something else to say, Yoongi looked back at the boxes. "Need help?" She blinked. "What?" "With the boxes." YN stared at him. From what she'd seen so far, he didn't exactly look like someone who enjoyed talking to people. Yet here he was offering to help a complete stranger. "Are you sure?" Jiwon shrugged. "You're my neighbor." As if that explained everything. Before she could refuse, he bent down and picked up two of the heaviest boxes without any visible effort. YN's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?" He looked over his shoulder. "What?" "Those are my book boxes." "...Okay." "They're heavy." Jiwon glanced down at them. "They're not." The audacity. Following behind him, YN narrowed her eyes. This man had officially been her neighbor for less than ten minutes and he was already annoying. Unfortunately, he was also being helpful. Which made it very difficult to stay annoyed. YN followed him to the door. "Thank you," she said sincerely. Jiwon paused for a second before nodding. "It's nothing." With that, he stepped outside. YN watched him walk toward the neighboring house. The afternoon sunlight filtered through the trees, casting long shadows across the quiet street. Just as she was about to close the door, Jiwon suddenly stopped. Then he turned around. YN blinked. Had he forgotten something? Jiwon glanced at the boxes still scattered around the living room. Most of them remained unopened. Then his gaze shifted back to her. "You haven't eaten, have you?" The question caught her off guard. "What?" "You've been moving all day." YN opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. Now that she thought about it... She hadn't eaten. At all. Not even breakfast. Her stomach immediately betrayed her. Growl. Silence .Absolute silence. YN wanted the floor to open and swallow her whole. Jiwon looked at her. Then at her stomach. Then back at her. "...Right." YN covered her face. "Oh my God." A tiny sigh escaped him. Not annoyed. Almost amused. Almost. "I figured." YN peeked through her fingers. "That's embarrassing." "You should eat." "I know." Another moment of silence passed. Then Jiwon spoke again. "I'll bring something over." YN blinked. "Huh?" "Dinner." His answer was simple. As if it were the most normal thing in the world. "No, no. That's okay. You've already helped me all afternoon." "It's fine." "I can order food." "You don't even know which places deliver here." "...That's actually a good point." Jiwon nodded once. Decision made. "I'll bring something." Before YN could argue again, he turned and started walking away. "Wait." Jiwon looked back. YN smiled softly. "Thank you." For the first time, she noticed something different in his expression. It wasn't a smile. Not quite. But the corners of his eyes softened. Then he nodded. And disappeared through the gate of the house next door. YN stood in the doorway for several seconds. A complete stranger had carried her boxes. A complete stranger was making her dinner. And somehow... The quiet boy next door didn't seem quite as distant as he first appeared. After Jiwon left, YN stood in the doorway for a few more seconds before finally stepping back inside. The moment the door closed behind her, she looked around at the chaos surrounding her. Boxes. Boxes everywhere. The living room looked like a cardboard kingdom. YN let out a dramatic sigh. "Independent woman era," she mocked herself. "What a scam." Rolling up her sleeves, she got back to work. The next few hours passed surprisingly fast. She assembled a small bookshelf after watching a fifteen-minute tutorial twice._ She arranged cushions on the couch._ She unpacked kitchen supplies._ She somehow managed to set up her dining table without losing any screws._ Well... Almost. One screw was definitely missing. But she decided not to think about it. As the afternoon slowly turned into evening, the house began to feel less like an empty building and more like a home. Her home. For the first time all day, YN paused to admire her work. The couch was in place. The coffee table stood where she wanted it. The curtains were hanging. The lamps worked. Even the small plants she had brought from her old room were arranged neatly near the windows. Not bad. Not bad at all. A proud smile spread across her face. Then she looked at the dozens of unopened boxes still sitting against the walls. The smile disappeared. "...We'll deal with that tomorrow." YN slowly walked toward the couch. Every muscle in her body ached. Her shoulders hurt. Her legs hurt. Even her fingers hurt. How was that possible? With absolutely no grace, she threw herself onto the couch. The cushions bounced slightly beneath her. YN stared at the ceiling. For a long moment, she said nothing. Then— "It's hard being an independent woman." The empty room offered no sympathy. YN groaned dramatically. "If my mother calls right now, I'm moving back." Her stomach growled. Loudly. YN closed her eyes. "Traitor." She had completely forgotten about food. Again. The thought of standing up and cooking felt impossible. Ordering something sounded easier. Unfortunately, she had no idea what restaurants existed in the area. Maybe she could survive on snacks. For one day. Probably. Hopefully. To be continued................................💕