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Her mother’s at work and Cheol’s in school when the newcomer arrives.
Saebyeok only catches a glimpse of them, a flash of thin bleached streaks against brown hair before they shut the door behind them. She resumes going through her list of chores right after, sweeping up the dead leaves into a neat pile in the corner of their little front garden, though not without wondering about their new neighbour.
Her family has been in Jeju-do for nearly a year now, having moved to the island from a small town on the outskirts of Seoul, and an even smaller town across the border before that. Today would be the first time Saebyeok has seen someone occupy the small house beside their’s. So while she tells herself to not be like the busybody auntie her mother’s befriended, she still finds herself lingering near their garden to catch yet another glimpse of the neighbour.
She gives up after an hour.
It’s only when the afternoon sun begins to lower, tinting the clouds with pink, does she hear the tell-tale click and creak of the neighbouring house’s front door. Cheol is in the living room, their mother in the kitchen, and coincidentally, Saebyeok’s in the garden with a pair of scissors in one hand and some spring onion stems in the other when a face peers through their gate.
“Hey neighbour,” the newcomer greets with a smile, shrouded by the amber glow.
Saebyeok blinks at her, then stands up at her full height and offers the newcomer a short wave. Her feet carry her closer towards the gate, which seems to cause the newcomer’s smile to widen into a grin.
“Hey,” Saebyeok says, finding that the newcomer’s brown hair must’ve been dyed too, with darker roots beginning to show. “Are you moving in next door?”
“Nah, I’m only here for a few days. Next door’s just my very own Four Seasons.”
“You’re on vacation? Alone?”
The newcomer’s grin shifts into a playful pout. “Don’t get all judgmental! It’s all about self-care, y’know?”
Saebyeok doesn’t, so she opts to not reply, but the newcomer’s quick to deflect the incoming silence with another question.
“Anyways, I wanted to ask if you’ve got any bug spray I could use? There are way too many roaches for comfort in the house. It’s like no one’s been in there for years—”
“A year,” Saebyeok corrects. “Don’t even know what the owner looks like.”
“Huh, me neither.” The newcomer doesn’t look as bothered as she should be at the new piece of information. “So about that bug spray…”
“Oh, we don’t have any,” Saebyeok says. “But there’s a local mart nearby that should have some.”
“Wanna come with me?”
Saebyeok stares at her.
The newcomer simply laughs, softer than Saebyeok would’ve guessed. “C’mon! You wouldn’t want your new neighbour to get lost on her first day here, would you?”
“You’re technically not my neighbour.”
“I am, for a few days,” she grins.
A beat passes before Saebyeok caves with a defeated sigh.
“Alright, just give me a minute.”
She heads back into the house, leaving the spring onions and the scissors on the kitchen counter for her mother to cook dinner with. Throwing on a light jacket, she makes sure to wash the dirt off her hands as well and ruffles Cheol’s hair on her way out, pointedly ignoring the disbelief in his voice when she tells him that she’s going out with a friend.
✸
“I’m Jiyeong, by the way.”
“Saebyeok. Kang Saebyeok.”
“That’s a pretty sick name.”
✸
The next time she sees Jiyeong, the stars are out and she’s walking home from her job at an old DVD rental shop. She doesn’t earn as much as she used to back in Seoul, but it’s good enough and isn’t nearly as dangerous as what she used to do. With the lack of foot traffic around the area, she’s also free to watch anything from the shop on the little television atop the mini refrigerator. It’s calmer, something Saebyeok didn’t think she’d be privy to this early on.
Of course, the ageing owner’s dog is an added bonus.
She spots Jiyeong as she rounds the corner for the street that leads to her house, but Jiyeong’s headphones are on and she seems occupied with something on her phone. Saebyeok looks at the ground before she can tell if Jiyeong’s spotted her or not.
As it turns out, Jiyeong does, because she steps into Saebyeok’s path and stops right in front of her, another smile painting her features again.
“Hey neighbour,” she says, less like a broken record and more like a tailored greeting for Saebyeok. But that might just be wishful thinking.
“Wanna grab a drink with me?” Jiyeong asks, adjusting the bag on her shoulder. “I’ll let you pick the place. Mainly ‘cos I don’t know where to go, but also ‘cos I’m generous like that.”
“Now?”
Jiyeong nods. “Look, you might think vacationing alone is sad, but to me, drinking alone is sadder.”
Saebyeok doesn’t, considering she’s guilty of drinking alone on the few occasions where she does drink. She looks at Jiyeong with what she hopes is an impassive expression, then glances at the entrance to her home, then back at Jiyeong, whose smile doesn’t waver one bit.
She caves in just a smidge longer than yesterday.
“Give me a few minutes.”
They end up at a beach bar a bus ride from where they started, closer towards the main tourist areas but far enough that the bar isn’t completely filled to the brim. It's not exactly tacky, but Saebyeok wouldn't rule out that choice of word to describe it either. Sitting outside on the wooden deck hovering above the sand, she can listen to the waves rolling in now that the music from the inside is slightly more muted.
When she looks away from the dark sea, Jiyeong is watching her with an amused, curious look in her eyes.
“I can’t believe you’ve never had a mojito before,” she finally says.
Saebyeok stirs the drink in front of her. “I don’t drink often. The default is usually soju or beer if I do.”
After eyeing the drink for a few seconds, she takes a sip from the straw, then cringes when she’s hit with a wave of sweetness. Jiyeong laughs before sliding her own drink across the table, something pale and blended with a maraschino cherry on top.
“I’ve always been more partial to piña coladas anyway,” Jiyeong says, then takes a sip from the mojito, all while holding her stare with Saebyeok. “We can share.”
Saebyeok’s gaze drops down to the offered cocktail and she takes a tentative sip from the same straw Jiyeong had been using moments earlier, something that shouldn’t bother her but does anyway.
“What? You don’t like that either?” Jiyeong asks when Saebyeok’s brows furrow after drinking a bit of the piña colada.
“No, I was just thinking that we might as well order another one of these,” Saebyeok replies and takes a longer sip. “It’s better than the mojito.”
Jiyeong grins, leaning back in her chair, silver nose stud glinting momentarily in the light. “See? I’ve got good taste.”
Saebyeok snorts and allows herself a small smile.
✸
It’s the morning of her day off and she’s sitting in their garden with Cheol, both of them busy with their own frozen popsicles that Cheol had persuaded Saebyeok into buying as motivation to finish his homework, when Jiyeong appears outside their gate again.
“Hey neighbours,” Jiyeong greets with a wave. “Saebyeok, wanna join me today? I’m thinking of hitting up that love land place, like the one with the giant—”
Saebyeok glares at her without much malice, but it’s enough to stop her from finishing that sentence.
“I’ve gotta look after Cheol today,” Saebyeok says, careful not to let the melting popsicle drip onto her outstretched legs. “Sorry.”
“Ah, it’s okay,” Jiyeong replies, though her smile falters ever so slightly. “Tomorrow cool with you?”
Saebyeok nods before she can pay it much thought. It works out, because Jiyeong’s smile looks more genuine this time.
“Sweet. I guess I’ll check out that lava cave then,” she says, then waves at them again. “See you tomorrow, Saebyeok.”
Once she’s out of sight, Saebyeok lets out a breath she didn’t realise she was holding, only to look at Cheol, who is ignoring his popsicle in favour of staring at her with furrowed brows.
“Don’t you have work tomorrow?” he points out.
“I’ll call in a sick day,” Saebyeok mutters, taking a bite out of her popsicle.
“She’s kinda weird,” Cheol says not even a beat later.
Saebyeok laughs softly. “I mean, I guess—”
“Must be weird if she wants to be friends with you.”
They stare at each other for a few seconds before she ruffles his hair and swipes the unfinished popsicle from his grasp.
“Alright, time to finish up your homework.”
“But I wasn’t even done with that!”
“Rude kids don’t get popsicle privileges.”
✸
Though she’s grateful for the opportunity to spend more time with Jiyeong, Saebyeok is beginning to regret taking a day off work. It’s her own fault really, considering she was fully aware of where Jiyeong wanted to drag her off to, yet didn’t raise any objections to the plan. A moment of weakness, that was. She should probably work on that before it gets out of hand.
“This feels inappropriate,” she mutters as they both stand before one of the sculptures in the infamous Love Land. The early morning rain must’ve scared off the larger crowd today, considering the attraction feels eerily empty.
Jiyeong hums as if there’s something to contemplate about a sculpture of someone literally sitting on a giant dick.
“I’d say it’s more inaccurate if anything.”
Saebyeok looks at her with a blank expression. “Yeah, no shit.”
“Not that I would know,” Jiyeong continues, tilting her head at the sculpture before glancing up at Saebyeok with a ghost of a smirk on her lips, as opposed to her nonchalant gaze. “Got different preferences, y’know?”
And just when Saebyeok’s ears grow warm, that look is gone and Jiyeong’s striding towards another sculpture, letting out a loud “Oh, good for them!” that draws the attention of the couple a few metres away from them.
Stuffing her hands into her pockets, Saebyeok bids goodbye to the sculpture with a glare before trailing after Jiyeong.
✸
“You came at a good time,” Saebyeok notes, a step ahead of Jiyeong as they walk across the stones in Gwangchigi Beach.
Just two days past the beginning of September, the changing of the seasons is evident in the cooler sea breeze. It’s calmer today, though it does cause Jiyeong to occasionally sputter out her hair when a particularly strong gust catches them off guard. She latches on to Saebyeok’s wrist a few times throughout their walk, though the touch never lingers because Saebyeok immediately tenses and Jiyeong lets her hand fall back to her side.
Only for them to go through the same motions five minutes later.
“I was actually thinking of coming here in winter,” Jiyeong says, hopping over a small tide pool from one stone to another. “There was a change of plans though. Obviously.”
She’s two stones ahead of Saebyeok when she turns around, lips curled into a small smile.
“I think it all worked out pretty well.”
Saebyeok can’t help but return it with one of her own, as fleeting as it may be.
“Winter’s nice too,” she replies, extending an unsaid invitation she hopes Jiyeong will pick up because she doesn't know any other way to say it. “Why the change of plans?”
Jiyeong winks at her. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”
Saebyeok offers her a deadpan stare in return and promptly strides over a shallow tide pool, though she does wonder if there is any truth to Jiyeong’s words. It seems like they both aren't strangers to unsavoury things, but that's nothing to fawn over sharing. However, she knows a deflection when she sees one, too familiar to ignore, so she doesn’t bother to pursue it any further.
It’d be no fun bringing down the mood the day before Jiyeong’s no longer her neighbour.
“Will you take me around if I come back?” Jiyeong asks, arms behind her back as she falls into step with Saebyeok, apparently tired of jumping over the tide pools.
Saebyeok shrugs, but the corners of her lips quirk up ever so slightly when she nudges Jiyeong's shoulder.
“Only if you pay for the drinks again.”
In other words, of course.
Jiyeong peers up at her with a smirk. “Using me for my money, are you?”
“Hey, I skipped work for you,” Saebyeok mutters, about to roll her eyes only for them to widen when it occurs to her what had just slipped out. There’s a falter to her step and she almost stops walking, but that would only make it more obvious that it hadn’t been intentional.
So she moves on, ears burning and gaze trained solely on the path in front of her to avoid Jiyeong’s lingering stare.
“That’s fair then,” Jiyeong says a moment later and she sounds an awful lot like someone grinning, all too delighted but not insultingly smug.
The embarrassment dissipates then, as quick to leave as it had been to arrive. Saebyeok slows down until they’re evenly matched and spares Jiyeong a quick glance.
She’d been right. Jiyeong is smiling at her, opening her mouth to say something but a startled yelp slips out instead when she missteps, sliding on a green patch of algae. Saebyeok reaches out to grab her, one hand finding Jiyeong’s waist and the other curled around her bicep.
Holding onto Saebyeok’s arm, Jiyeong blinks at her before letting out a relieved laugh.
“Look at you with your spidey senses. Saving my life and all.”
“Spidey senses?” Saebyeok raises a brow at her, surprised her voice comes out sounding as level as it does.
“Oh my god—okay, after this, we’re gonna watch some Spiderman movies at mine. Actually, we can just watch one. There’s a sick animated one now, y’know?”
The grip around her arm tightens a little as Jiyeong sorts herself out, the breeze lifting the ends of her dyed hair around her. Hands falling back down to her sides, Saebyeok wonders if she’s just imagining the sudden warm tint on Jiyeong’s cheeks. Any thought she has in her head is quickly purged out because the hand on her arm lowers down to meet her own, the touch tentative when their fingers intertwine.
Not once does Saebyeok flinch.
“Do you think we can get piña coladas to go?” she asks as they walk closer to the beach grass.
“I like the way you think, neighbour.”
This time, neither of them let go.
✸
“So, winter?”
“The camellias will be in full bloom.”
“Piña coladas aren’t very fun to drink in the cold.”
“I’ll keep you warm then.”