The days slipped back into their usual rhythm.

No late-night messages.

No quiet knocks outside her door.

No excuses to stand too close until their shoulders brushed by accident.

Whenever they crossed paths around the neighborhood, Kang Ara only passed by in brief glimpses—close enough for Seorin to recognize her by the sound of her footsteps, too far to stop.

As if those nights at camp had never happened.

As if there had never been shared warmth beneath a thin blanket. Never breath lingering too close in the dark.

The days passed without seeing each other.

Sometimes, through her bedroom window, Seorin could catch sight of the Kang family’s yard. Ara would appear for a moment—watering the plants, carrying boxes, standing with her head lowered over her phone—before disappearing back inside again.

Close enough to see.

Too far to call out to.

And Seorin never really tried.

That afternoon, she sat in the living room sorting through the mail and packages that had just arrived.

The television murmured quietly in the corner. The faint scent of fabric softener still lingered from the morning laundry.

Her hand paused over a medium-sized package.

It wasn’t for her family.

Seorin frowned slightly as she read the label again.

Then the corner of her mouth lifted before she could stop it.

“Kang Ara…”

Her fingers lingered over the name for a few seconds longer.

And before she could think too much about it, her body had already risen from the sofa.

She carried the package out of the living room.

Her steps were quick.

Until they slowed in front of the mirror beside the shoe rack.

Seorin stopped.

Her gaze held on her reflection for several seconds.

Her fingers rose to smooth down hair that had already been perfectly neat to begin with.

Her hand drifted toward the lip tint on the table beside the mirro.

The cap twisted halfway open.

Seorin stared at it for a moment before quietly closing it again and setting it back where it belonged.

The house was silent.

Her parents weren’t home. No one would ask where she was going.

No one would notice how slightly too fast her steps were as she left the house.

She kept walking until she finally stopped in front of the Kang family home.

The yard looked the same as always.

White fence. Flower pots tucked into the corner of the porch. A garden hose carelessly coiled near the wall.

But Seorin’s steps slowed right before she reached the door.

She drew in a quiet breath.

The afternoon air felt warm against her skin, yet her fingers only grew colder around the package.

Her hand lifted.

Pressed the doorbell.

Once.

No answer.

She waited a few seconds before pressing it again.

Still nothing.

Seorin shifted her weight slowly from one foot to the other.

Then pressed it one more time.

And the door opened.

Seorin didn’t move right away.

For a moment, she only stared.

Kang Ara stood in front of her wearing an oversized black T-shirt, her hair still slightly damp, as though she had just showered or washed her face. A faint scent of soap drifted out with the cool air from inside the house.

Closer than Seorin had allowed herself to imagine these past few days.

“Seorin…?”

Ara’s voice came out quieter than usual .

“What are you doing here?”

Ara stepped outside, then quickly pulled the door shut behind her.

The movement was too instinctive to miss.

Seorin’s gaze flickered briefly toward the door.

Then back to Ara’s face.

“One of your packages got delivered to my house.”

She held it out.

Ara accepted it slowly.

“Thanks.”

Short.

Seorin’s fingers drifted to the cuff of her own sleeve.

The package had already changed hands.

But neither of them moved first.

The evening breeze slipped quietly between them, carrying the scent of damp grass from the backyard.

“Was there something you wanted to say?”

The question left her before she could stop it.

Seorin’s eyes dropped briefly to the package in Ara’s hands.

Ara’s fingers pressed unconsciously into the corner of the box.

Seorin’s breath caught for half a second.

But what came out instead was—

“Next time, write the address more clearly.”

She looked away first.

“So it doesn’t get delivered to the wrong house again.”

Her fingertips tightened lightly against the fabric around her wrist.

Suddenly, the door behind Ara opened.

“Who is it? Oh—hi, Seorin.”

Mrs. Lee appeared with a warm smile.

Seorin immediately dipped into a small bow.

“I was returning Kang Ara’s package, Auntie.”

“Oh, for Kang Ara? Later, Hyun Tae—”

“Mom.”

Ara cut in immediately.

“Something smells burnt. What are you cooking?”

Mrs. Lee’s eyes widened.

“My eggs!”

Without another word, she hurried back into the house.

The door closed again.

Seorin stared at it for a few seconds.

The air on the porch felt unchanged, yet her breath caught strangely in her chest.

Ara stood only a few steps away.

But the distance between them felt different from that night at camp, when their knees had touched on the bedroom floor.

“I should go home now.”

Seorin spoke first in the end.

Ara only gave a small nod.

She didn’t stop her.

Didn’t say anything else.

Seorin turned away.

Barely two steps—

“Seorin.”

Her footsteps halted.

She gave herself one second before finally turning back.

Ara jogged toward her. Her breathing came slightly uneven by the time she stopped in front of Seorin.

“This weekend… do you want to watch a movie?”

Seorin stayed silent.

Ara quickly continued, a little too fast.

“Minji and Dongchul are going on a date, so I have to tag along with them.”

Ara rubbed the back of her neck for a moment.

“I’ll get bored if I’m alone, so…”

Her voice trailed off on its own.

One excuse.

Then another.

“Yeah. I know.”

Seorin’s answer came lightly.

Her gaze dipped briefly to the tips of Ara’s shoes, still just a little too close to hers.

“I’ll come this weekend.”

Ara’s shoulders eased slightly.

“See you at the theater.”

Her smile slowly returned.

Familiar.

But this time, it lingered more carefully than usual.

Seorin gave a small nod.

Then turned away again.

But several steps later, she looked back one more time.

Ara was still standing there.

Still not back inside the house.

Their eyes met for half a second before Ara finally lifted one small hand toward her.

Seorin resumed walking.

Only a few seconds later, the soft sound of the Kang family’s front door closing echoed behind her.

When she glanced back again, the porch was already empty.

Seorin’s steps slowed slightly near the end of the street.

Her fingers rose to touch the ends of her hair near her ear before falling again.

The evening air still carried the faint scent of soap from the Kang family house.

And for some reason, the name Mrs. Lee had almost said earlier kept lingering in her mind.

Hyun Tae.