The evening unfolded calmly at Sang-in’s house.
The terrace was steeped in the amber glow of string lights swaying in a breeze so faint it felt imagined.
Sang-in and Seon-woo were busy preparing for watching a football match.
Chairs were arranged with precision and snacks were already placed.
Sang-in adjusted the projector with an air of relaxed efficiency, speaking as though to himself.
‘Four pizzas, fried chicken, maybe something else?
We have enough beer.’ Seon-woo, who had been arranging snacks with a practiced indifference, raised an eyebrow.
‘You’re really hungry tonight.’ ‘Nari and a friend of hers will join us,’ Sang-in said nonchalantly, his words laden with an ambiguity that seemed to slow time.
Seon-woo straightened, his curiosity piqued.
‘What?
Why?’ Sang-in leaned closer, his voice adopting the hushed tones of a conspirator.
‘She wanted me here to introduce you to her boyfriend…
just in case you reacted badly.’ ‘What?’ The word fell from Seon-woo’s lips with the weight of incredulity.
Sang-in burst into laughter, his mirth echoed the terrace walls.
‘It’s a joke!
Actually she asked if I was sharing the apartment because a friend of hers is looking for a place.
I figured the match would be a good opportunity to meet him…
see what kind of person he is, and whether he knows any football.’ ‘He must be the ugly researcher.
Knowing Nari, she wouldn’t get you into this if she didn’t like him.’ Sang-in shrugged.
‘He just got back from abroad.’ Seon-woo scoffed.
‘It’s him, then.
My sister’s too good at helping people.’ Before Sang-in could reply, the doorbell rang interrupting their banter.
They exchanged a glance, Sang-in’s expression amused, Seon-woo’s resigned.
‘Looks like they’re here,’ Sang-in said, standing to answer the door.
… Nari and Eu-jin arrived at the doorway, bringing the cool night air with them.
Sang-in greeted them, his voice echoing slightly in the hallway.
Nari stepped inside, exuding her usual mix of elegance and fairness.
‘Hello.
How are you?
This is Choi Eu-jin,’ she said, gesturing to the tall man beside her, ‘and this is Jang Sang-in.’ Eu-jin bowed slightly.
‘Nice to meet you.’ His eyes scanning the room with quiet appreciation.
‘Nice to meet you,’ Sang-in replied.
Nari turned to the younger man lounging nearby.
‘And this is my little brother, Seon-woo.’ Seon-woo raised an eyebrow.
‘Little brother?
You’re barely a year older than me.’ ‘And for that ‘barely,’ you owe me respect,’ Nari quipped, her words landing with playful authority.
Eu-jin bowed again.
‘Nice to meet you,’ he said to Seon-woo.
Seon-woo studied him with quiet intensity.
‘You just got back from America?’ ‘Yes,’ Eu-jin replied, a trace of weariness softening his smile.
‘I’m practically just landing…
still battling jet lag.’ His gaze wandered to the room, lingering on a sleek guitar propped against the wall.
‘This apartment is very nice,’ he said, before nodding at the guitar.
‘Do you play?’ Sang-in nodded modestly.
Nari chimed in, her voice carrying the pride of a curator unveiling a masterpiece.
‘Sang-in plays several instruments.
He’s a composer and music producer.
Music is his life…
and football, too.’ ‘Not as much as music.’ Sang-in demurred.
‘I play the piano a little,’ Eu-jin said.
‘So, I understand music better than football.’ Seon-woo seized the moment, leaning forward.
‘What’s your favorite team?’ ‘Korea, of course,’ Eu-jin replied with confidence, then added, ‘And…
Manchester United?’ as if asking for consent.
Sang-in and Seon-woo exchanged a look of approval, a silent pact of acceptance.
‘I already like you!’ Sang-in declared with a grin.
‘When do you plan to move in?’ The room erupted in laughter.
The embarrassment of the first moment had already dissolved.
… The terrace turned into a stage for the night’s meeting.
Plates of food and bottles of beer circled the group, and the projector painted fleeting images of football players on the wall.
Enthusiastic cries punctuated moments of near goals, their comments and voices following with the rhythm of the game.
Finishing chewing a piece of pizza, Seon-woo mused aloud.
‘The quarterfinals of the Champions League are in two weeks.
What did Barcelona do yesterday?’ A silence fell, broken only by the distant murmur of the city.
Then Nari, amused recollecting a conversation she’d had earlier with her friend, ‘They tied 0-0.
The game was weak.’ Sang-in turned to her, surprise flickering across his face.
‘Nari…
I didn’t know you were so interested in football.’ Nari grinned triumphantly, savoring the rare moment of recognition.
Eu-jin leaned closer to her, whispering, ‘You did study, didn’t you?’ ‘No,’ she whispered back, her eyes alight with mischief.
‘I have my sources.’ When the match ended, the group lingered for a moment, reluctant to part ways despite the late hour.
Goodbyes were exchanged with a surprising ease, as though they were old friends rather than people who had only just met.
There was no awkwardness, no need for forced pleasantries.
‘I’ll see you Wednesday,’ Sang-in said to Eu-jin.
‘Thank you for everything,’ Eu-jin replied sincerely.
‘I don’t have many things—I decided to get rid of a lot when I came back.’ ‘Well done,’ Sang-in said with a smile that hinted at understanding.
‘I should do the same.’ Nari turned to her brother.
‘See you on Saturday at Min-hye’s exhibition.’ ‘I’ll go too,’ Sang-in added.
Almost without thinking about it, Nari chimed in to Eu-jin.
‘You should come too!
My cousin is hosting a photo exhibition.
She’s an excellent photographer, and her events are always fun.’ Her invitation, casual but sincere, left little room for refusal.
Eu-jin nodded.
‘I’d be happy to.’ As they stepped into the cool night air, Seon-woo’s voice lingered behind them.
‘Do you want me to pick you up Saturday?’ Nari smirked.
‘No, thank you.
I already have a partner for Saturday.’ Eu-jin glanced at her, caught off guard by her quiet confidence.
For someone who apparently seems so introverted, she carried a spark of unpredictability that left him intrigued.
He appreciated there was far more to this shy girl than her reserved demeanor suggested, and he found himself curious about what else might lie beneath the surface.
… BCN The morning sunlight bathed the hills of uptown Barcelona, offering stunning views of the city.
The sea sparkled in the distance, its silver surface reflecting the sunlight so brightly it was almost blinding.
Sara and Kil ran side by side along the winding earthy path, their footsteps punctuating in unison.
The trail twisted through the hills, occasionally revealing views of the city below, the shimmering sea, and the pointed spires of the Sagrada Familia rising against the sky.
Kil, breathing steadily, glanced at Sara.
‘Shall we go to the end?’ he asked, his tone more a challenge than an invitation.
‘Yes,’ she replied simply, her voice as steady as her stride, though a shadow of fatigue flickered in her expression.
They continued upward, their silence punctuated only by the crunch of gravel beneath their shoes and the occasional rustling of the trees.
But as the path steepened and the sun climbed higher, Sara slowed, her breaths becoming shallower.
Finally, she stopped and began to walk, her hands resting lightly on her hips.
Kil slowed to match her pace, concern etched into his features.
‘Is everything okay?’ Sara waved him off with a faint smile, her cheeks tinged with the warmth of exertion.
‘Yes,’ she said, glancing up at the sky.
‘It’s starting to get hot.’ They arrived at a quiet spot, a place where the city lay sprawled out before them, its chaos rendered beautiful by distance.
They sat on a low stone wall, letting the breeze cool their skin.
Kil reached into his backpack, handing Sara a small bottle of water, keeping another for himself.
His eyes lingered on her, his usual calm demeanor shadowed by worry.
Handing her the water, he asked gently, ‘Last time the same happened to you, and it wasn’t hot.’ His voice was gentle, but it carried an undertone of insistence.
‘It’s not just the weather, is it?
Is there something wrong?’ Sara twisted open the bottle and took a small sip.
‘It’s nothing.
I have a little anemia.
Nothing serious.’ Kil frowned, leaning forward slightly.
‘Did you start taking iron?’ ‘Yes, don’t worry,’ Sara replied quickly, avoiding his gaze.
Kil leaned back slightly, as if to give her the space she insisted upon.
‘Take it with orange juice.
It’ll be more effective.’ She nodded.
‘Yes, the doctor already told me.’ Kil sighed, his gaze shifting to the city below before returning to her.
‘Sara, you have to take care of yourself.
Don’t always try to be strong…
You already are.
You don’t have to prove anything.’ Sara gazed out at the city below, the symmetrical layout of the city’s streets carried a soothing sense of order.
For a moment, she was silent, as if weighing the truth of his words.
‘Mmhhh.
Seriously, I’m okay,’ she murmured.
The conversation ebbed, replaced by a silence that felt fuller than words.
The city continued its slow, indifferent awakening beneath them.
Sara’s gaze drifted to the horizon, where the line between the sky and the sea blurred.
Sara broke the silence, her tone reflective.
‘I’ll go to Korea in September…
alone.
In the end, no one wanted to go with me.’ Kil hesitated, his voice tinged with regret.
‘I can’t, but I wanted to go.’ ‘It doesn’t matter,’ Sara replied practically.
‘I’ll be there with a friend.’ She pulled out her phone, the light from the screen illuminating her face as she began typing a message to Nari.
Kil watched her for a moment before turning his attention back to the view.
… SEOUL In the meantime, in a different part of the world, people strolled through the photo exposition like moths circling light, sipping wine and admiring the vibrant photographs displayed on walls and pedestals, their faces reflected faintly in the polished glass of the frames.
Yoo entered the gallery alongside Nari, his gait slow, deliberate, as if claiming the space as his own.
His well-tailored suit gleamed under the lights, and he carried himself with the practiced ease of someone who understood the power of a grand entrance.
‘We look very good together,’ he declared scanning the room with a glimmer of satisfaction.
Nari rolled her eyes.
‘We look arriving late.’ ‘That’s exactly the point.’ Yoo’s grin widened.
‘Who notices the first person at a party?
Now everyone will see you…
and my designs.’ ‘You’re insufferable,’ she muttered.
As if to escape his theatrics, her eyes flitted across the crowd, landing on a familiar figure.
‘There’s my brother!’ she said.
Sang-in turned at the sound of her voice, his face lighting up seeing them.
Beside him stood Seon-woo, and slightly behind them, Eu-jin.
They great each other and Seon-woo couldn’t resist teasing.
‘You’re a little late, aren’t you?’ ‘Yes,’ Nari admitted with a sheepish smile.
‘We had a… setback.
Where’s Min-hye?’ ‘She’s in the other room,’ Seon-woo said, gesturing.
Nari and Yoo went to say hello to Min-hye.
As they walked, Yoo leaned closer and whispered her, ‘Was that the man you were supposed to help… reintegrate?’ ‘Yes,’ Nari said simply.
‘Interesting.’ Yoo murmured, his eyes narrowing slightly.
She gave him a sidelong glance.
‘He is.
We always have the same taste in men.’ Yoo’s eyebrow arched in amusement as they approached Min-Hye, who was surrounded by guests admiring her work.
… Meanwhile in the main hall, the crowd thickened.
Yoo had found his way to Seon-woo.
Nari, however, stood alone, her attention caught by a photograph of a solitary boat floating on a still lake.
The image was movingly serene.
‘I’ve already settled in Sang-in’s house,’ a familiar voice said behind her.
She turned to see Eu-jin standing there, hands tucked into his pockets, his expression with a hint of gratitude.
‘I didn’t think it would happen so quickly.
All thanks to you.’ ‘So I’ve really earned that meal at the beach,’ Nari teased.
His eyes drifted momentarily to Yoo and Seon-woo, who were now deep in animated conversation.
‘It seems that Your ‘partner’,’ he remarked, ‘likes more your brother than you.’ Nari laughed, a warm, unguarded sound.
‘It’s an unrequited love triangle that’s lasted since our school days,’ she confessed.
‘I liked Yoo, Yoo liked my brother, and my brother liked… books.’ They shared a laugh.
Eu-jin shaking his head.
‘That’s quite the story.’ At that moment, Nari’s phone vibrated in her hand.
She glanced down to see a message from Sara: ‘I bought the tickets to Korea.
We’ll see each other soon.
Today is a special day—summer begins, my favorite season.
Enjoy the summer nights… they alter your being by bringing news.’ A warm smile spread across Nari’s face as she read the words, her gaze lifting to Eu-jin.
After a while, Min-Hye reappeared, her smile as luminous as her photographs.
‘Now that I have you all,’ she announced, holding a glass of champagne, ‘shall we make a toast?’ ‘We were waiting for you,’ Yoo said, handing glasses to the others.
Nari took a deep breath, her eyes sweeping across the room full of faces of friends and strangers, she gathered her courage.
Raising her glass, she spoke with quiet conviction.
Nari’s acquaintances astonished by this unexpected initiative.
‘I’d like to congratulate my cousin.
Min-Hye, your talent is extraordinary.
These photographs are a testament to your passion.
Congratulations.’ A round of applause rippled through their group as glasses clinked.
‘And one more thing,’ Nari added, her voice carrying a note of mystery.
‘Today marks the beginning of summer.
Someone told me that summer nights alter our being by bringing news.
So, I’d like to toast to a good start to summer.’ The room seemed to pause, as if everybody were holding its breath.
Then, as the group raised their glasses high, the air filled with a sense of possibilities, of unseen futures waiting to happen.
‘To a good start to summer,’ they echoed.
Perhaps it was the scent carried on the summer evening breeze, or the constellations that, in their quiet way, grow so luminous at this time of year that they seem like little chatterboxes sharing secrets.
Summer nights gently invite to pause, to listen, and to dream of new paths waiting to be explored.