The Neighbor’s Puppy

Yeji lives on her own in a rundown old villa, where the walls are thin and the days feel long. Lately, though, her mind keeps wandering toward the man in the unit next door—jobless, quiet, yet oddly kind. He shares warm bowls of instant ramen. They laugh over late-night Netflix binges. But no matter how close they seem to get, he always keeps a part of himself locked away. Still, Yeji can’t help the way her feelings deepen. “…You were staring at this the whole time,” she murmurs softly, eyes meeting his. “And you even touched it… didn’t you?”