Mira's new apartment was bigger than her last one. Brighter too.
The living room had wide windows that welcomed the sunlight in waves. The walls were still bare, but already the place felt more alive more like a home.
The terrace was her favourite part. Small but full of life.
Rows of lavender bloomed softly in neat little pots, their scent drifting gently into the apartment with every breeze. She had planted them herself.
The kitchen had its own touch of colour too, beautiful sunflowers painted along the backsplash tiles and tiny ones on the curtains. She had always loved sunflowers something about how they always turned to the light.
Boxes filled in every corner. Stacked, taped tightly, or half-opened with things spilling out. Moving day had turned into a whirlwind of laughter and chaos. Mira, in her oversized grey shirt and black trouser, had tied her hair in a messy ponytail, strands sticking to her cheeks as she wiped sweat away with the back of her hand.
"Where's the box with the plates?" So Ri called from the other room.
"The one labelled fragile but not that fragile,'" Mira replied, dragging another box into the hallway.
"That's helpful," So Ri mumbled sarcastically as Jae Min passed her a bottle of water.
In the middle of it all, Ares stood near the bookshelves Mira had yet to assemble. He was quiet, rolling up the sleeves of his black button down as he sorted through books and photo frames. The apartment, despite all the movement and voices, seemed to settle comfortably around the four of them like it knew they belonged there, if only for today.
Mira moved to the kitchen next, opening cabinets, stacking dishes, and placing spice jars along the shelves. The cheerful sunflower pattern looked back at her from the tiled walls, making her smile without meaning to.
She reached up to slide a container of coffee into the top shelf but her fingers barely grazed it.
"Come on," she muttered, standing on tiptoe. She tried again.
Still out of reach.
Then, without a word someone stepped up behind her. A hand brushed past her shoulder, effortlessly grabbing the container and placing it neatly on the shelf.
Mira turned to find Jae Min standing there, a smug smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Short people shouldn't attempt tall missions," he teased.
Mira replied: "I could've reached it."
"Oh sure," he said solemnly. "If you were ten inches taller. Or had ladder. "
She laughed, hitting him lightly with the kitchen towel. "You're insufferable."
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
Their banter was light, easy, but Jae Min didn't walk away just yet. Mira turned back toward the open cabinet, brushing her hair from her cheek as she reached for another item and that's when Jae Min really saw her.
Her smile. Soft, unguarded, radiant.
Her dark brown eyes, wide and thoughtful like deep pools of something unspoken, something that pulled people in without even trying.
Her lips, a natural soft pink, curved gently in amusement.
The sunlight poured through the window and framed her face like a painting.
And in that exact moment something shifted in Jae Min.
Something.… quiet.
But irreversible,,,,
He blinked, his teasing reply caught in his throat.
She was laughing at something he said, unaware of how that laugh had just sunk its way into his chest.
He had always liked Mira.
Admired her, maybe. Respected her, for sure.
But this…. this was....
Something in his heart slipped. Fell, Landed somewhere unfamiliar.
And she didn't notice.
She turned to the next box, still chuckling, oblivious.
"Honestly, you're worse than So Ri," she said, shaking her head.
Jae Min smiled faintly, but this one was different. Slower. Sadder, maybe. Because while she was unpacking boxes and arranging her life, she had no idea she had just rearranged something in him too.
Across the room, Ares paused in the middle of organizing her bookshelf. He had seen it the way Jae Min looked at Mira. The way he froze. The way his teasing stopped, replaced by something softer.
Something deeper.
Ares didn't say a word.
But the line of his jaw tightened.
And quietly, he picked up the next book....