oneshots • nctdream x aespa

new neighbour 🐶💙

Karina was having a leisurely morning when she suddenly noticed a moving truck outside of her house. The house next to hers had been on sale for a little over a year now, but it wasn't until recently that the sign said "sale pending".

Curious, she peaked out her window and tried to see if she could pick out anyone in particular, but alas, she couldn't pinpoint who the new owner or owners were.

Karina just hoped that they were nice. She didn't want to have to live next to someone who was insufferable. She'd had enough of dealing with shady neighbours in the past, and this time she just wanted someone nice. Someone who is decent and kind and who wouldn't blare music really loud late at night.

It wasn't until later that she actually got her first look at the man who was now living next to her. He has an undercut, black hair and a cute smile.

"Hi, I'm Jeno, your new neighbor." He offered Karina his hand, and she took it with a smile that seemed to take her breath away.

"Karina," she told him, matching his smile with one of her own. "Welcome to the neighborhood."

"Karina," he hummed, seemed to think, "that's quite a unique name for a Korean."

"Yeah, that's what my foreign friends call me; my real name is Jimin," she replied, laughing.

"Ahh, I see." Jeno chuckles. "I'm sorry if I disturbed you or anything. I just wanted to come by and introduce myself, seeing as how we're going to be neighbors. And if you need anything, just let me know."

"I will keep that in mind," she told him. "Have a nice evening, Jeno."

"You, too, Karina," Jeno said as he walked down her terrace and back to his own house.

Weeks passed and Karina and Jeno didn't see much of one another except briefly in the mornings when they were both on their way to work. She would wave and sometimes offer a polite good morning, but for the most part, she kept to herself. He was a good neighbor. He was never too loud and he wasn't coming and going at odd hours of the night, well at least from what she knew. If he was, then he was very good at sneaking in and out of his home.

It wasn't until Karina had a plumbing emergency that she had to actually talk to him for longer than a few seconds. She went over to his home and said, "Do you know anything about sinks?"

Jeno looked a little bewildered but said, "I know some stuff, but I'm not an expert.What's the problem?"

She launched into a story about how her sink in the kitchen was leaking and she couldn't figure out the problem or why it was happening. Jeno told Karina to head back over to her place and wait for him while he got his tools together. She did as she was told and waited by the door. A few moments later, Jeno came in.

They walked over to her kitchen, and he saw the mess of towels she had strewn about, trying to sop up the water. He began working and she helped with the flashlight so he could see. He tinkered for a few minutes before he declared that he knew what was wrong.

"Is it serious?" Karina asked nervously.

"No," he laughed. "Your pipe just came a little loose. It happens from time to time. All I had to do was tighten it some more and you should be good to go."

Karina released a thankful sigh as she had been hoping it wasn't something serious that she would have to pay hundreds of dollars to fix. "Thank you so much, Jeno. You're a lifesaver. " Her gaze met his and he smiled at her, making her heart feel some weird things in there. "Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

"I wouldn't say no to dinner," Jeno told her, smiling. "There's a new restaurant I've been wanting to try downtown. Would you like to go with me this Friday?"

A giddy feeling welled up inside her and she nodded her head enthusiastically, "I'd love to go."

"Great!" His smile grew wider. "I'll pick you up around six."

Karina walked him to the door and once again thanked him for his help. When Jeno was gone, she did a happy little dance and began planning what she was going to wear to dinner on Friday evening.