It was the day after Strawberry Sunday, and it sure felt like an ordinary, busy Monday - not just busy with work, but thoughts.

There was a knock on the door, stopping Gyeowool from pouring some water into her tea mug. She didn't think much of it, heading to open it without any thought of hers suspecting it could be one of her playboy neighbors.

Opening it, she was surprised to have a face leaning really close to her - to the point she couldn't even see the face clearly. She instantly backed out, even pushing the person away from her.

The guy realized based on her angry face he had chosen the wrong way to start their interaction. He chuckled shyly before straightening his posture back, leaning onto the frame of her door.

Gyeowool cocked a hip and placed her hand there. "Good morning."

"Hello. I'm Jungwoo." He winked, giving his best smile. Seeing his neighbor's face didn't budge one bit, he cleared his throat.

The two just stared at each other for a few seconds. Jungwoo felt his hands getting sweaty, rubbing them against each other. He couldn't get himself to maintain his cool posture.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" She had the same look she had given them during their first interaction. To say the least, she didn't seem approachable.

"We were thinking of inviting you over for some breakfast." He invited.

"I've already eaten." She cut him off. All enthusiasm faltered from Jungwoo's face.

"Then," He rubbed the nape of his neck, staring at the ground. As if an amazing alternative popped into his mind - one he thought she wouldn't refuse, his smile rose again. "Mrs. Han sent us about 4 kilograms of strawberries, and we really don't know what to do with them. We could use some help with those."

Gyeowool's face turned a little amused. She was finally getting why the box had been so heavy.

"Sorry, but I've been overdosing on strawberries ever since moving here. I've reached my strawberry capacity. But enjoy them. Mrs. Han has taken great care of them, I'm sure they'll taste very sweet."

She smiled politely and shut the door in Jungwoo's face. He sighed, his hand defeatedly sliding down the frame of the door.

"I'm sure it's because of that ordinary hello. I should've greeted her more cooly." Jungwoo pouted, running back to his house.

"So?" Jaehyun asked, arms crossed and in his pajamas. He already had a theory about how their interaction went, and Jungwoo's face was confirming it.

"Kind of?" Jungwoo tried to smile, but it fell just as fast as Jaehyun cocked an eyebrow. "Ok, no. We'll have to think of another way. The only thing I know for sure is that she's not a strawberry fan."

"I can help," A third male appeared - the early bird of the house, who had been present all throughout their neighbor discussions, just unnoticed."But if I don't succeed, we should let it go. Our re-opening is more important."

The other two nodded their heads.

---

Gyeowool was having a hard time dealing with an edit request. Bun looked as if barely holding on, glasses almost slipping off her nose and tongue stuck out, concentrating, she knew she was going to stay like that for at least 3 more hours.

For some reason, she couldn't concentrate enough to perform well. Her edits required all her focus, details being incredibly important, but all her focus was on her problematic neighbors and their unnecessary interactions.

Why talk? Why eat breakfast together? Why even look into each other's eyes?

She groaned and messed her bun further, making her elastic fly out of her hair. The girls' giggles replayed in her mind whenever she would look out the window - which was directed towards their annoyingly red house. Their faces reappeared whenever she'd try to concentrate, irritating her to the point where she'd press the tip of her pen onto the tablet and she'd break it, having to replace it.

"This won't work." She gritted her teeth, putting pause to the edit and standing up abruptly. Her chair fell due to her swift movement and she gave it a solid glare, as if the chair was of any fault.

"I need to calm down. I have to finish this by 8." Gyeowool reminded herself. Her cup had emptied, it was time to make another one and maybe sip it downstairs, while watching something.

She trudged downstairs and started the kettle, collapsing onto a chair next to it.

"Just ignore them," she suggested to herself, her mind still at her neighbors. "Unless they make noise, there's no need to interact with them."

The kettle went off; her tea was ready to be put together. The sweet chamomile taste was awaited, a smile spreading on her face.

Pouring water and seeing it change color to an earthy, yellowish tone, the steam coming out of it smelling divine, the wrinkles between her brows soothed out.

Muscles on her relaxed one by one as she gulped some of the steaming tea, feeling it invading her with nothing but wellness. The light sound of rain played in the background, rain which had just begun, as if welcoming her to a well-deserved break.

Gyeowool's mind filled with more positive and encouraging words, now feeling as if it wouldn't take her that long to finish the edit. She was ready to fully focus on work.

But she had to postpone that readiness; the doorbell rang. She groaned and placed her cup down, praying it wouldn't be any of the two guys - and forgetting there was a third.

His black hair was soaked and sticking to his pale complexion, his pointy lips quivering from the cold as he hugged his soaked self.

Gyeowool mindlessly made way, motioning him to come inside, concern visible on her face.

"Why did you come here when it's raining??" She interrogated as she grabbed the blanket from her couch, swirling it around him. Doyoung could only watch her movements with parted lips and wondering eyes. "Is it the strawberried again? I told your friend-"

"No," Doyoung spoke softly, his eyes still on her. "I came for a cup of tea."

Gyeowool groaned incredulously. She pushed him gently from behind to sit on the couch, rushing to warm up some water. The rain from earlier sounded no more like light pouring, but heavy.

"What kind of tea do you want?" She asked as she scanned the tea-filled drawer.

Doyoung paused for a few moments before replying: "Do you have Earl Grey?"

Gyeowool spotted the one, a small smile spreading on her face at her collection. "Yes."

She made the tea in silence, both listening to the sound of the rain. Bringing it to him, she sat down. "You came here to drink a cup of tea?" She questions, an unamused look on her face.

Doyoung hummed as he thoroughly inspected her room for her preferences. Colorful paintings, cozy decor, and an earthy scent. Not a combination he can conclude much from. He measured the distance between them, realizing he should have been able to smell if she wore any perfume.

"Well," She played with her fingers on her lap, staring down with pressed lips. "I guess you got what you wanted." She tried to enlighten the atmosphere as she realized she had to keep the guy here until the rain calmed down.

Doyoung gave her a gummy smile. "Yeah. Oh, I am Kim Doyoung by the way. The third... playboy?"

She couldn't believe he introduced himself like that.

"Figured. I am Kim Gyeowool. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Doyoung flashed a charming smile, which took some strain from her to not scoff at. "What tea are you drinking?" He asked, motioning towards her cup.

Gyeowool blinked at her cup. "Uh, chamomile." She remembered to take a sip. To her dislike, her tea had cooled.

"Did you sweeten it? Or do you like drinking it unsweetened?"

The sudden interrogation made her scoot further from him. "Sweetened- why does it matter?" She interrupted it, turning her torso to him.

Doyoung chuckled, scratching his nose. "Truthfully..." His voice was almost a whisper.

Gyeowool quirked a brow, finding him suspicious.

"I came here to get to know you a bit. You know, build an ordinary neighbor relationship."

Gyeowool didn't want any relationship with them. She gave him a forced smile and nodded. "We are neighbors regardless of whether we know each other's tea preference or not, so don't stress too much about making conversation. I have work to finish. Take your time drinking your tea." She stood up abruptly, making Doyoung's eyes widen. By instinct, he grabbed onto her wrist.

"Wait-" He pulled her a little too hard, making her swivel and stumble, falling over him.

Her hands were on each side of him, eyes now as wide as his. Doyoung found himself captivated by the moment, eyes dancing between her features. Their breathing mended with how close they were, outsounding the sound of the rain.

"S-sorry." An inaudible apology left his parted lips.

Gyeowool cleared her throat and leaned back, sitting on the couch again - this time even further from him.

"Did you have something to say? I didn't mean to be rude earlier, but I have a deadline approaching." She explained, avoiding looking at the equally flustered man beside her. Why was he so flustered, she wondered, since she was sure he was used to this kind of proximity.

"Ah, I understand. Then, I won't hold you any longer. I just wanted to thank you for your care." He spread his arms along the backrest, realizing he'd be staying there for a while since the rain was still pouring heavily.

"No problem." Gyeowool muttered, grabbing her cold mug and scurrying upstairs.

Doyoung smiled to himself, finding his plan to have succeeded. He made himself cozy on her couch, pulling the blanket to cover his shoulders too, and decided to inspect her space before leaving. This was it - the perfect moment to gather all the needed information on her. Her house was quite tidy, except for some jackets and coats scattered here and there.

There were no flowers in her house or outside, so he figured she wasn't a big fan of them. He also noticed there was no coffee machine or jars, and based on their interaction from earlier, Doyoung figured she was a tea fan. But was chamomile her favorite, or was there another she liked better?

As their clients were usually very open about their preferences, making a perfume suited for them was no challenge. But this was a first for Doyoung - having to study her in order to get to know her preferences. And, to his surprise, her personal space intrigued him.

After warming up, he strolled a bit around, not touching anything but just examining. He saw a few family pictures, and particularly many taken during Christmas. A few ideas of scents came into his mind at that. Gingerbread, or, a mix of apple and cinnamon. Sweet and spicy. He could imagine that on her.

With an idea of her and the rain pouring lighter than before, he headed out the door. But not before leaving a thank you note on the table, which Gyeowool stumbled upon in the evening.

Thank you for your sweetness. I will repay it with something just as sweet. Kim Doyoung. Gyeowool snorted.

"What a flirt." She tossed the note away, returning upstairs.