Try-Hard, Sin Harder

1. Convenience Store Inconvenience

Click.

"Hey Keira, it's me, Alex. You're probably working right now, but I just wanted to call and ask if you're still available to watch Lukas over his summer break. Call me whenever you can, I'll have my phone on me." 

 Click. 

 Making a mental note to return my brother's call after dinner, I placed my phone on the table and lifted the final box to the space beside it. Absent mindedly, I ran the silver blade of the box cutter along the tape, and accedentally into the side of my hand. I let out a low his, and brought the crimson slit between my thumb and index finger to my lips. "Where the hell did I put the med-kit?" I mumbled to no one in particular. 

 Sidling out of my narrow kitchen, I danced around the furniture dispersed randomly throughout my apartment. An overstuffed sofa protruded at the end of the hallway, and I lurched towards the opposite wall to keep myself from smacking into it. Men should be thankful they don't have hips that turn walking around a room into a game of bumper cars with all of the furniture in it. In short, us ladies never win. 

 After a few minutes of searching through drawers, cupboarbs, and what could have been a thousand empty boxes piled on top of my bed, a flash of red caught the corner of my eye as I entered the kitchen once more. With a low moan, I reached inside the only packed box on the table, and pulled out a travel-size red container. "Of course," I muttered bitterly, and opened the med-kit.

 After applying some antiseptic cream and winding a thin bandage around my hand, I glanced up at the clock hung above the doorway. The time read 6:27 pm. "Damn, it's that late already?" I asked myself. Closing the container, I turned and opened the fridge door. Barren shelves and a flickering light reminded me that I had forgotten to purchase some groceries when I had the chance. "I guess I'll have to go out and buy something." 

 Brushing my hand along the top of the lightwood dresser in my bedroom, I grabbed my wallet and flipped it over to empty its contents. A few coins, drained cards, and a gift receipt fell into the palm of my hand. With a sigh, I said, "Convenience store instant noodles it is." 

 "Ah, you must be the new neighbor," said a voice as I pulled my house key out of the lock. 

 I turned to see a man standing in the open doorway of the apartment next to mine. He smiled. "I'm Jong Jihun, I live next door." 

 Jihun was quite tall, and practically towered over me. On top of that, he had a large build. Wide shoulders accompanied by toned arms and legs, it wouldn't have been a surprise if he regularly went to the gym. His eyes however, were contrary to his immense frame. They were soft, a warm charcoal colour, and framed with a pair of black glasses that rested along the bridge of his slightly hooked nose. His dark hair was strewn across his head, and sticking up in angles that made it seem like he had just awoken from a nap. Considering his attire (A black V-Neck T-Shirt and casual tan coloured shorts) I assumed that was most likely the case. Jihun was definitely older than me, though probably not by more than a few years at best. 

 Slipping the key into my jean pocket, I returned his smile. "Moon Keira." 

 Jihun's smile grew wider as I spoke my name in an English accent. "Oh, a foreigner! Are you American?" 

 I shook my head, an uneasy feeling settling in my stomach. "Korean, mostly. Though, my father was born in a small village in Québec, Canada." 

  "So, you speak English?" he asked in a broken English accent. 

 I nodded my head. I was used to these kinds of responses. "Yes, though it's been a while since I've spoken it, even longer for French," I said in Korean.