Main Casts:
NewJeans Minji...herself
IVE Wonyoung...herself
ENHYPEN Sunghoon...An Jun-seo (you)

***

Jun-seo yelled at the thief to stop as he chased him down an alleyway, careful not to slip on the stairs while also trying to keep up with the thief who kept glancing over his shoulder, as if to see if Jun-seo was still chasing after him.

After a few more minutes, the thief came to a stop in a quiet corner of the alleyway, breathing heavily while clutching onto the purse he just stole from the girl. He heaved a heavy sigh and leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down, resting.

"There you are..."

The thief jumped at the voice, immediately getting up while looking at Jun-seo. "Stay back," he warned the latter, slowly stepping away from him.

Jun-seo shook his head and wiped the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand, "you did something wrong, and you are expecting me to let you go just like that?" he retorted before looking around the ground, looking for something to use to hit the thief.

"It's not even your stuff that I stole!"

"And you think that makes it okay?" scolded Jun-seo before picking up an old flashlight. "Don't be stupid," he added and hurled it toward the thief, hitting him on the forehead.

He yelped and covered his forehead, dropping the purse in the process. Jun-seo took the chance to grab the purse and hit the thief on his stomach with his shoulder, sending him falling onto his butt on the ground.

"Listen, I'm not going to beat you up or anything," exclaimed Jun-seo, putting the purse in his pocket, although the purse barely fit in it. He sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair, "but I'm warning you—if you are up to no good again around the area, I will not hesitate to hit you."

And with that warning, Jun-seo walked away. He made his way back to the convenience store and when he got there, he saw the girl sitting outside the store while talking to one of Jun-seo's coworkers. It was Yi-zhuo, the one with red hair.

Yi-zhuo looked in Jun-seo's direction when she saw him, and a smile formed on her face while gesturing for him to come over. Not wasting a second, Jun-seo nodded and approached them, his face flushed from all the running he had to do to chase the thief. It would've been better if the walk back to the store wasn't uphill, but it was, and Jun-seo swore he had seen better days... he was only twenty-two.

"Right," Jun-seo raised his brows and fished out the girl's purse, handing it over to her. "Here's your purse," he said.

The girl looked at him, and then at the purse. Her eyes widened in surprise, probably not expecting Jun-seo to actually be able to catch up with the thief, but he did. "Thank you so much!" She thanked him and took the purse.

Jun-seo shook his head and smiled softly, "don't mention it," he replied and placed his hands on his hips, looking at the store where the counter was being manned by someone else. He cleared his throat and looked back at Yi-zhuo and the girl. "Well, I uh... I guess I will go back to my work now," he bowed to them and excused himself.

After excusing himself, Jun-seo returned to his spot and started to work as usual. But as he worked for the first thirty minutes, his eyes kept looking outside where Yi-zhuo and the girl were talking and laughing while whispering to each other. He didn't want to sound full of himself, but he swore he could see the girl looking at him every now and then.

The rest of the day progressed as usual. Of course, there were some customers that were harder to deal with every now and then, but in the end, Jun-seo's shift ended on a high note.

He was now outside the store, sitting while enjoying a cup of ramen with Yi-zhuo and another coworker of theirs. "With how fast you caught up with the thief, I wonder why you didn't give the track and field team a try," exclaimed Yi-zhuo, leaning against her seat while sipping on her can of soft drink.

"I know, right? Even back in high school, Jun-seo had always been a fast boy," teased his other coworker, a childhood friend of his named Minjae. He looked at Jun-seo and winked at the latter's playful glare before sipping on his drink as well.

Jun-seo scoffed and ate his ramen, "oh, please, it's not like the college wasn't flooded with students with better skills and potentials," he told them and sighed, looking at the broth in his cup of instant ramen. "Besides, being an athlete requires dedication, and I don't have that. I am too lazy to wake up so early in the morning just to train," he shrugged.

Yi-zhuo raised an eyebrow, "yet you chose to work at a convenience store where you have shifts in the morning, and in the night," she commented, shrugging.

"That's two, very, very different things," said Jun-seo, wagging his finger at their faces. "This one is a must, because I'm broke. So, I need the money to survive the next semester," he explained and shrugged, "Meanwhile, being an athlete will only hurt my body," he added.

Minjae huffed and pushed himself up, "I don't get your logic," he exclaimed and stretched his arms. "Both have their benefits, yet you chose one over the other," he added and looked at Jun-seo with a small smile, grabbing his empty can from the table.

"I'm going to write my report for the day. Want me to write for you guys' too?" offered Minjae, glancing over his shoulder while putting the can in the bin.

Jun-seo and Yi-zhuo nodded in unison, "if you are kind enough, then sure," said the latter with a huge grin.

Minjae didn't say anything as he entered the store again. He was used to helping his coworkers, especially Jun-seo, who was too lazy to write his own report in the logbook, and even if he did, he wrote three lines max.

After he had entered the store, the remaining two sat in silence as they enjoyed the wind blowing against them. The sun was setting, giving the sky a beautiful orange hue.

"Jun-seo, can I ask you something?" asked Yi-zhuo while twirling her hair around her finger, looking at Jun-seo while waiting for him to answer.

After a few seconds, Jun-seo nodded. "Ask away."

Yi-zhuo nodded and cleared her throat, "what do you think of the customer earlier? I mean, the one you helped retrieve her purse," she asked with a small smile.

Jun-seo drank some of the broth from the cup and hummed, "all of a sudden?" he mused, not expecting the question. "Why do you want to know?"

"Oh, you know, just... girls being girls," she said with a shrug before leaning against her seat. "Got to stock myself with some hot tea(s) for my next girls' night out," she added jokingly. Her answers earned herself a light chuckle from Jun-seo.

"I mean, she is... okay, I guess?" answered Jun-seo, his brows furrowed as he was unsure of his answer. "But you know what, it's weird that you asked me this when I don't even know her name," he quickly added.

"Minji," answered Yi-zhuo almost immediately.

Jun-seo raised his eyebrows, "what?"

"Her name is Minji. Well, Kim Minji if we are talking full names," shrugged Yi-zhuo before getting up. "Well, now that that's out of the way, I guess I'm going home now," she added, leaving Jun-seo alone while walking toward the bin with an empty can in hand.

—

Around thirty minutes after that, Jun-seo went home with a bag of snacks and soft drinks. He had received a call from Jake, asking for them as they were running out of stock, apparently.

Jun-seo decided to take the longer route home as he wanted to get some fresh air. The route took him through a park where kids were going home, and some elderly couples were walking along the jogging track while talking to each other. The sight reminded him of his hometown where there were kids playing around the village without having to worry about getting in trouble, and the friendly old folks who Jun-seo had a good time talking to every now and then.

As he walked through the park, he stopped when he saw a girl around his age, looking for something in the bushes. Despite the darkening sky, Jun-seo squinted his eyes and managed to identify her. It was Minji.

He quietly made his way toward her, "hey," he greeted, and Minji jumped from her spot. She straightened her back and turned around, her surprised face replaced by a smile when she recognized Jun-seo.

"Oh, it's you..." she said with a chuckle before clearing her throat. "I didn't know you lived around here."

Jun-seo shook his head, "I don't, but I decided to take the longer route home today. Just to uh... you know, enjoy the evening," he answered with a shrug.

Minji chuckled and nodded, "I see..."

After that, they were quiet for a few seconds before Jun-seo cleared his throat. "What were you looking for, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Oh, actually..." Minji looked away, her cheeks red from embarrassment. "I lost the key to my apartment around here," she admitted, although reluctantly.

"I see... any luck?"

Minji shook her head, sighing. "I guess I will have to sleep on the street tonight," she joked, trying to sound nonchalant about losing the key.

Jun-seo looked around and placed the bag he was carrying on a nearby bench before walking back to Minji. "Well, I will help you look for it," he told her and Minji's eyes widened before shaking her head.

"N-no, I don't want to be a bother again," she refused. "Besides, you already helped me earlier today, so..."

"It's fine," Jun-seo said, folding his shirt's sleeves and walking toward the bushes, "what kind of key is it that you lost?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder.

Minji stared at him for a few seconds, a pang of guilt forming, but she quickly dismissed it when she saw the sincerity in Jun-seo's eyes. "Well, it's an access card, actually," she said after a while and walked up to him as she started searching again beside him.

"That makes it easier, then," exclaimed Jun-seo as he started to look for the access card as well.

After almost half an hour of searching, Jun-seo finally found the card, slipped in between branches. "I got it!" he exclaimed, taking the card out and lifting it for Minji to see.

Minji's eyes lit up as she looked at Jun-seo, and then the card. A huge smile formed on her face as she jumped happily, "thank you, thank you so much!" she exclaimed happily before taking the card and hugging the taller guy.

Her action surprised Jun-seo, who stood awkwardly while processing what was happening, but before he could say anything, Minji broke the hug and chuckled, slipping a strand of her hair behind her ear, and putting the card in her pocket. "Sorry, I got carried away," she said shyly.

"No, it's fine," Jun-seo said after a few seconds. "I understand," he added before looking around them. The sky was completely dark now, and the park was almost empty. The streetlights started lighting up along the jogging track and Jun-seo looked at Minji.

"Want me to walk you home?" he offered.

Minji looked at him and raised her eyebrows, "are you sure? I mean, I live in that building," she answered, pointing at the white apartment building a hundred meters from the park. "It's not that far, so..."

Jun-seo shook his head, "nah, I heard that some delinquents are causing trouble around this area lately," he told her and walked toward the bench, grabbing his stuff. "Come on, I will walk you home. It's better safe than sorry, right?"

As Jun-seo offered to walk her home, Minji felt her cheeks heating up, and her heart beating faster at the thought of walking with such a good-looking guy. She wondered if she did something good in her past life to be rewarded with this chance.

"Um... Minji?"

Minji snapped out of her thoughts when Jun-seo called for her and snapped his fingers in front of her face. She blinked a few times before clearing her throat, "huh, oh, yeah, sure... let's go," she said, awkwardly walking past him before leading the way.

Jun-seo stared at her for a few seconds before chuckling softly, shaking his head. "Cute," he muttered before following her.