1. I Just Don’t Have a Light Right Now
"Ah, f*ck."
Yoon-gi swore under his breath.
Seung-ah turned her head instinctively.
It wasn’t every day you heard someone curse so openly and confidently.
The place was quiet and mostly empty—
which made it hit harder.
What the…
Seung-ah, who had always stayed away from things like cursing, smoking, or drinking, let out a quiet grumble without realizing.
Did he hear that?
She tried to brush it off. No big deal, right? Just move on.
But just as she was about to forget and walk away—
she flinched.
“Excuse me.”
Oh sht, that scared me!*
When did he get this close?!
Wait… did I just curse in my head?
Seung-ah was stunned again.
She rarely, if ever, swore—even mentally.
It felt so unfamiliar that guilt crept up, and she furrowed her brows slightly.
Yoon-gi looked at her, confused.
Seung-ah quickly pulled herself together and made eye contact.
“Ah, sorry. I was just lost in thought… Can I help you?”
“Do you have a light?”
“…What?”
“A lighter. Do you have one?”
Her mind went blank.
Is this guy serious?
Did he just ask a total stranger if she has a lighter?
Do I look like I smoke??
Sure, judging by looks is shallow,
but still, she thought,
I definitely don’t look like someone who smokes… right?
While she was lost in this chaotic train of thought,
Yoon-gi waited patiently, then narrowed his eyes a little.
“Sorry. I won’t bother you anymore.”
“Wait, no! It’s not that I don’t want to talk to you…”
“It just seemed like you didn’t like me—after hearing you earlier.”
“…You heard that?”
“I did. And I still asked. Because I don’t have a light right now.”
What the hell…
Yoon-gi was the most unpredictable, unfiltered, and straight-up “street” person Seung-ah had ever encountered in her neat, quiet life.
He looked like he didn’t care about a thing in the world—
and yet he had heard everything.
And he even thought I hated him…
Seung-ah started to defend herself,
but something about his “I knew and still asked” rubbed her the wrong way,
so she stopped.
“I don’t have a lighter. I don’t smoke.”
“Me neither. I don’t smoke.”