MIRA
That night, I bid goodnight to Aunt Shu-Zhen after unsuccessfully trying to help her with the dishes.
As expected, she refused to let me do any work.
Her name, Shu-Zhen, meant gentle and precious in Chinese—
and honestly, it suited her perfectly.
During dinner, we had finally introduced ourselves properly, mostly to ease the awkward silence lingering around the table.
I had repeated my full name once again, but my surname, Neog, seemed difficult for them to pronounce. In the end, I simply told them to call me Mira.
And Grumpy Goggles—
or rather, Chun Yuze—
was two years older than me and currently pursuing his Master's in Architecture.
I hated to admit it, but…
getting into Tsinghua University for architecture was no ordinary achievement.
Managing a bakery while handling studies at that level—
it explained a lot about him.
No wonder the Home had been so quiet throughout the afternoon.
He had probably been buried in assignments or designs the entire time.
I finally understood why he carried that constant expression of someone who had no time to waste on unnecessary things… or unnecessary people.
As for me, I had come here to pursue my Master's in International Finance.
Tsinghua wasn't easy for my field either.
Perhaps desperation for independence could push a person farther than they ever imagined.
Or maybe loneliness did.
I stared at the unfamiliar ceiling above me while lying on my new bed, still unable to adjust to the strange environment around me.
Everything felt unfamiliar.
The silence.
The room.
Even the air itself.
No matter how hard I tried, sleep refused to come.
"Just sleep, Mira," I muttered to myself quietly. "Tomorrow is your first official day at the university. You cannot show up with dark circles under your eyes."
I closed my eyes again.
But somehow…
the night felt far too awake for me to sleep peacefully.
Water.
Yes… maybe water would help.
Since I had only moved in today, I still didn't own a refrigerator. I had planned to buy one later after saving as much money as possible, but Aunt Shu-Zhen had kindly told me to use theirs until then.
Which meant…
I had to go downstairs.
I stared at the ceiling dramatically, feeling far too exhausted to even leave the comfort of my bed after spending the entire day unpacking and shifting my belongings.
What a pain in the ass.
With a tired groan, I slowly dragged myself off the bed and stood up lazily.
But then another problem hit me.
Wait.
How was I even supposed to enter their house at this hour?
The main entrance was outside, and it was probably locked by now because it was ridiculously late at night.
I should have brought the water bottle upstairs earlier like Aunt Shu-Zhen suggested.
But no—
I had been too busy trying to escape the house as quickly as possible to avoid any further interaction with that human disaster downstairs.
It's always that fucking piece of concrete who somehow ruins my peace.
Now how exactly was I supposed to survive the rest of the night thirsty?
Without giving it much thought, I flopped back onto the bed and forced my eyes shut, desperately trying to sleep.
Unfortunately, the only thing I managed to do for the next thirty minutes was continuously turn from one side to another like a restless fish.
Sleep simply refused to come.
Ridiculous.
Everything about being in China suddenly felt ridiculous.
With an exhausted sigh, I reached for my phone.
1:30 AM.
Great.
At this point, I genuinely felt like I would die of thirst before morning arrived.
Then suddenly—
an idea clicked in my head.
The convenience store nearby.
Perfect.
That was my only option now.
I couldn't exactly knock on their door in the middle of the night after moving in just a few hours ago.
Deciding quickly, I changed into fully covered clothes, grabbed my phone, and quietly locked the door behind me before heading downstairs.
But the moment I reached the ground floor—
I stopped.
The lights inside the bakery were still on.
Who stays awake this late?
Is it Aunt Shu-Zhen?
I wasn't sure why, but somehow the thought worried me a little.
Should I go inside?
…No.
I should focus on where I was originally going.
Maybe that would be the sensible thing to do.
Determined, I turned and started walking toward the convenience store—
only to stop midway before slowly walking back again because of my painfully curious personality.
Fantastic.
Quietly, I stepped inside the bakery, the small bell above the entrance ringing softly.
The shop was empty.
Everything looked unusually clean and peaceful under the dim warm lights.
No one stood behind the counter.
Then, after a few seconds of silence, a voice came from the kitchen.
"We're closed."
Him.
Grumpy Goggles.
What was he even doing awake at this hour?
Should I ask?
…No. Never mind.
Why did I always end up arguing with myself?
Deciding it was safer to leave before another disaster happened between us, I quietly turned toward the door.
"So you do part-time theft now?"
I froze.
Slowly—
painfully slowly—
I turned my head toward the kitchen entrance.
And there he was.
Sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
Flour lightly dusted across one side of his black shirt.
His glasses slightly lowered as he looked at me with that same unreadable expression.
Somehow…
he looked even more annoying at 1:30 in the morning.
"Excuse me?" I looked at him with complete disbelief. "What exactly do you think is valuable enough in here for me to steal?"
He crossed his arms against the kitchen entrance, completely unfazed.
"Peace."
I stared at him.
Wow.
At this point, even ghosts would avoid arguing with this man.
"You know what?" I pointed at him dramatically. "Your personality is the reason people develop anger issues."
"And your lack of awareness is the reason coffee stains exist."
"That happened ONCE."
"Once was enough."
I gasped softly in offense.
"Do you always speak like this to innocent people?"
"Innocent?"
His eyes slowly moved toward me from head to toe before returning to my face again.
"You entered a closed bakery at one thirty in the morning."
…Okay.
Technically that sounded a little suspicious.
But STILL.
"I came for water!" I defended myself immediately. "Not everyone stays awake at night making psychological attacks on people."
"Water?"
He looked at me silently for a second.
Then toward the empty bottle in my hand.
"…You left your room at midnight because you forgot to store water upstairs?"
I hated how stupid that sounded out loud. But the reason was him anyways.
"I was tired," I muttered.
"Clearly."
"Can you stop saying 'clearly' like some disappointed grandfather?"
For the first time—
very, very slightly—
the corner of his mouth moved.
Wait.
Was that man trying not to laugh?
"WHAT'S SO—"
I stopped midway after realizing how loudly I had shouted in the middle of the night.
Lowering my voice immediately, I glared at him again.
"What's so funny?" I whispered aggressively. "Just give me my water and I'll leave."
He looked at me for a moment before silently turning around and walking back into the kitchen.
…Did he just ignore me?
Was asking for water also considered a problem in his world?
Maybe I should have simply gone to the convenience store in the first place.
After whatever tiny amount of generosity he had shown during dinner tonight, I had almost started believing he wasn't as terrible as I thought he was.
Almost.
Then suddenly—
he placed a bottle of water on the counter in front of me.
He didn't say anything.
Just looked at me briefly, silently signaling with his eyes for me to take it.
…What?
No sarcasm?
No insult?
No attack on my existence?
Without wasting another second, I grabbed the bottle like it was my lifeline.
I twisted the cap open and immediately drank nearly half of it like someone rescued from a desert after days.
The cold water finally hitting my throat felt so relieving that a soft moan almost escaped my lips involuntarily.
Silence.
Then—
"You really were dying of thirst."
I froze.
Slowly lowering the bottle, I looked up at him.
"I never lied, you know," I muttered quietly. "You just always assume the worst about me."
He crossed his arms loosely against the counter.
"You spilled coffee on me within minutes of meeting me."
"That was an accident."
" You were pervertedly looking at me at the evening."
" Is sparing a glance crime?"
"You walked into a closed bakery at one-thirty in the morning."
"Because I was thirsty."
"And forgot water upstairs."
I let out an annoyed sigh.
"You really enjoy making me sound stupid.", I said
"You make it easy."
"Wow." I stared at him in disbelief. "Do they teach emotional damage with architecture in Tsinghua?"
For the first time, the corner of his lips shifted slightly again.
Barely noticeable.
But there.
And somehow…
that tiny expression made the atmosphere feel lighter.
Strange.
Usually conversations exhausted me.
Especially with new people.
Yet somehow, despite how irritating he was, talking to him distracted my mind from everything else swirling inside it.
Maybe because he spoke normally.
Not carefully.
Not with fake sympathy.
Just… normally.
He noticed me staring for too long.
"What?"
"Nothing." I looked away immediately before speaking again. "It's just…"
I hesitated.
"…people usually become awkward around me after talking for some time."
The words escaped before I could stop them.
I instantly regretted it.
Why was I even saying things like this to him?
The kitchen fell quiet for a moment.
But unlike others—
he didn't immediately ask uncomfortable questions.
Didn't give fake pity either.
He simply said,
"You talk too much to make things awkward."
I blinked.
"…Was that supposed to comfort me or insult me?"
"You decide."
I stared at him for a few seconds before unexpectedly laughing softly under my breath.
And weirdly enough…
for the first time since arriving in China,
the loneliness inside my chest felt a little quieter.
"You surely are a crazy person.", I said looking at him.
He looked at me with something that almost resembled pity before turning around and heading back into the kitchen.
From the sweet smell drifting outside, I was pretty sure he was preparing desserts for tomorrow.
Honestly…
didn't he have classes tomorrow too?
Whatever.
None of my business.
But at the very least, thanking him felt appropriate.
"Thank you for the water," I said loudly enough for him to hear from the kitchen.
After a brief pause, his voice came from inside again.
"Try remembering water tomorrow. I'm not running a midnight rescue service."
Rude as always.
Then he added,
"And remember the rule. Don't disturb me any further."
I rolled my eyes immediately.
"You say that like I enjoy seeing your face."
"Yet you keep appearing everywhere."
I opened my mouth to argue again—
then stopped.
…Because annoyingly enough, that was also true.
Ugh.
I hated when this man made sense.
Clutching the water bottle against my chest, I slowly walked toward the bakery entrance before stopping midway.
Somehow…
the silence of the night didn't feel as lonely anymore.
But still…
I wanted to remain alone here for as long as possible.
Freedom and peace—
that was all I had truly wanted when I came to China.
That night, even after drinking the water, sleep still didn't come easily to me.
But somehow…
it helped a little.
Maybe not the water itself.
Maybe the conversation.
Morning arrived far too quickly after that.
My eyes were slightly puffed from the lack of proper sleep, but I still forced myself to get ready despite the exhaustion weighing on my body.
I had already created enough chaos inside my own head.
Today, I at least wanted to appear composed on the outside.
After taking a long shower, I carefully dried my hair and got dressed for the day.
Then came my favorite part—
perfume.
One of the few little things in life that genuinely comforted me.
The soft fragrance settled around me gently, instantly making me feel a little more confident.
Looking at myself in the mirror, I tilted my head slightly.
In my opinion…
I looked presentable enough.
Maybe even pretty.
At least not bad enough to embarrass myself on the first official day at Tsinghua University.
Taking one final look at myself in the mirror, I nodded confidently.
Perfect.
Today, Mira Neog would survive her first official day at Tsinghua University with dignity.
Feeling strangely motivated, I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs.
The bakery was already open for the morning rush, the smell of fresh bread filling the air warmly.
Aunt Shu-Zhen smiled brightly the moment she saw me.
"Good morning, dear! You look beautiful today."
"Thank you, Aunty," I replied shyly.
Then my eyes landed on Chun Yuze behind the counter.
Of course.
The devil starts mornings early too.
He glanced at me once while arranging pastries.
Then again.
"…What?" I asked suspiciously.
"Nothing."
Silence.
Then he spoke again without even looking at me.
"There's bird stool on your hair."
…
WHAT?
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