𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐃𝐄; boysnextdoor

bad day; sungho

Sungho sighed as he looked at the mess on his bed, coffee soaking through his sheets. This day couldn't get any worse. It was supposed to be productive. He'd promised himself he'd get some work done, maybe even read a bit, but instead, he'd fought with his mom, spent hours glued to Netflix, and now this.

Grabbing the drenched sheets, he headed downstairs to toss them into the washing machine. As he loaded the sheets, a thought struck him—maybe a little fresh air would help. Staying cooped up in his room was only making him feel worse.

After putting the sheets to dry, he grabbed his jacket and headed to the park nearby. The quiet of the place calmed him a little. He sat on an empty bench, watching as kids played, couples strolled hand in hand, and people walked their dogs. Despite the peace surrounding him, his mind was still tangled in the day's frustrations. He just couldn't shake off the feeling of being stuck.

Lost in thought, he didn't notice the footsteps until he heard someone call his name. His head snapped up, and his heart did a little leap when he saw who it was—Y/N, his neighbor and closest friend. She was the kind of person whose presence alone could brighten a room, and seeing her now felt like a ray of light cutting through the fog of his bad day.

"Sungho!" she called out, jogging over to him, her smile lighting up her face. He felt a familiar, fluttery warmth at the sight of her, one he'd tried to ignore but never quite succeeded.

"Hey, Y/N," he managed, suddenly feeling a bit shy. Somehow, he could talk to anyone else without missing a beat, but around her, words seemed harder to find.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked, her tone casual, but her gaze warm.

He nodded, patting the empty spot beside him. "Of course."

They fell into an easy rhythm of conversation, her laughter lifting his spirits without her even trying. She talked about her day—how she'd tried a new recipe that had gone terribly wrong, how she'd gotten drenched in the rain earlier because she'd forgotten her umbrella, little snippets that made him laugh. And for the first time that day, he felt like maybe everything would be okay.

"So, still having a bad day?" she asked, tilting her head slightly, a playful smile in her eyes.

Sungho felt his cheeks warm as he shook his head. "Not so much anymore," he said, his voice softer. In his mind, he wanted to say, "How could my day be bad when I'm with you?" But he kept that thought to himself.

Y/N didn't need to hear it, though. She just smiled knowingly, a glint of understanding in her gaze. She didn't ask him why he'd been down, didn't press for details, and somehow, that felt like everything he needed. She just knew, as she always did.

After a while, the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting a golden glow over the park. They sat in silence for a moment, both watching the sky change colors. He felt a strange comfort in the quiet, as if they didn't need to fill the space with words.

As they sat there, a comfortable silence between them, she leaned her head on his shoulder. Sungho felt his heartbeat quicken, his breath catching at the unexpected closeness. He wanted to freeze this moment, capture it forever, and hold onto it as a reminder that, even on the worst days, there were small moments of happiness.

"Thanks for sitting with me," he said quietly, feeling the words barely capture what he meant.

She lifted her head, looking at him with that familiar warmth in her eyes. "Anytime, Sungho," she replied. "Sometimes, that's all we need—a friend to sit with us."

He smiled, feeling lighter than he had all day. It wasn't just the fresh air or the distraction. It was her—the way she understood him, even when he couldn't find the words to explain himself.

As they walked back home together, he felt a gentle sense of peace settle over him, one that he knew would linger long after she'd said goodnight. Because somehow, even on the hardest days, Y/N made everything feel just a little bit easier.