Irina had enough of this.
She clenched her fist and punched him in the side.
"YOU JERK!!"
Park Dong's eyes nearly popped out. "ACKKK!!"
"Why'd you invite me if you're just going to ignore me?! Say something already!!"
Before he could react, Irina grabbed his head and pulled it down into a lock. "Hey, hey, hey!! Stop moving don't run!!"
Clank.
The elevator suddenly jolted.
They both froze.
Irina was still holding him. "…What's wrong?"
Park Dong blinked. "What the…?"
Her grip loosened, and he straightened up.
"…It's not going down," he said slowly. "Did it stop…?"
"I-I think it did…" Irina stammered. "Th-That's…!!"
Park Dong snapped back to his senses.
"That's why I told you not to mess around, idiot!!"
"I-I wasn't moving that much!!" she shot back.
Park Dong turned and frantically pressed every button on the panel. "No way… none of the buttons are working."
"Try the emergency button!"
He hit it.
A voice came through. "Yes, this is the management office. What is it?"
"Ahjussi, th-the elevator stopped!"
The voice replied flatly, "Were you two messing around or something? Those things stop easily if you jolt them."
"Uhh…" Park Dong glanced at Irina.
She looked away guiltily. "We might've… messed around a little?"
"Aigoo… just wait a bit, okay? We'll come open the door soon."
The line cut.
Irina's eyes widened. "H-He said he's coming to rescue us!?"
"Wouldn't go that far," Park Dong muttered. "He's probably just going to open the door."
Irina grabbed the handrail tightly. "W-We're not going to fall or anything, right!?"
Park Dong scoffed. "Ugh, can you not say stuff like that?! You think elevators crash that easily?!"
Irina started trembling. "I've seen it in movies… you know…"
Park Dong smirked. "HAHAHA."
He stepped back, grabbed the handrail, and looked at her. "Don't be scared, dumbass. Look just hold on tight like this."
"B-But it's still dangerous…"
"If we fall, just jump right before impact," he said, giving the rail a small shake.
Irina stared at him. "Are you serious, dumbass?"
He grinned. "HAHAHAHA. Don't worry, idiot we're only on the second floor. We're not going to die~"
Irina's face went pale. "H-Hey… there are two basement levels here…!!"
Park Dong's smirk froze.
His grip on the handrail tightened.
"T-They'll be here soon… right?" he muttered. "P-People…"
Five minutes later, Irina was gripping the handrail just as tightly.
"…Hey," she asked anxiously, "hasn't it been like ten minutes?"
Park Dong kept a calm facade. "It's only been five. It'll probably take longer they need to call a technician."
Fifteen minutes later
"When are they coming?! AHJUSSHI!!" Irina yelled at the top of her lungs.
Park Dong didn't even look at her. "We're going to crash thanks to your damn voice. Just wait quietly."
Twenty-five minutes later
His composure finally cracked.
"WHAT'S TAKING THEM SO LONG?! WE'RE GONNA DIE!!"
Irina started crying. "W-We've been abandoned…!! What do we doooo…?!"
Park Dong quickly pulled out his flip phone and tried to call. "…Damn it, no signal. It's probably because we're in the elevator. I can't even call 119…"
He clicked his tongue, frustration spilling over.
"I told you not to mess around!! You clumsy dumbass!!"
"W-What did you say!?" Irina snapped, glaring at him.
"Are you done yet?! I hit you because you were completely spaced out!!"
"And that makes it okay to hit me?!" he shot back.
"Whatever!!"
They stood there, glaring at each other in silence, the air thick with tension.
Confession, my ass… Park Dong thought bitterly.
What is this? What do I even like about this punk?!
Irina frowned to herself.
I was just trying to lighten the mood…
did he have to get that mad?
Then
The lights went out.
Everything went black.
"W-W-What now?!" Park Dong stammered, panic instantly setting in. "Why did the lights go out now?!"
Suddenly, he felt something grab his arm.
"Hey, did you move aga-"
He words stopped mid sentenced.
Irina was clinging to him tightly, her eyes wide, glistening with tears as she trembled.
"W-What do we do, Park Dooong…" she whispered shakily. "I think we're really going to fall… I'm scared…"
Park Dong froze.
It felt like something struck him straight in the chest.
His heart pounded.
Again…
It's happening again…
After a few minutes, they both calmed down.
They sat on the cold elevator floor.
Irina hugged her knees, one hand clutching tightly onto Park Dong's sleeve.
"…Tell me about the letter," she said decisively. "What did it say? Why did you write it?"
"…The letter."
"Yeah."
Park Dong hesitated.
He remembered it the letter he had already read, torn apart, and thrown away.
"…That thing… I didn't write it," he said slowly. "Your ex did."
Irina's eyes widened. "What?"
"It was Grasshopper who wrote it."
"…How do you wait, what?" she frowned. "Why would Kim Kwangwoon…?"
"He contacted me and asked me to deliver it," Park Dong said. "He said he felt bad for never apologizing properly."
"…Then why were you running away all this time?" Irina asked. "Were you afraid I'd get mad that you met him?"
"…Yeah."
Irina stared at him for a moment, then let out a quiet laugh. "Haha… so that's what it was."
She smiled bitterly.
Figures…
what the hell was I thinking? Like this idiot would ever like me…
As if that'd ever happen…
I'm such a fool.
"He said he hasn't stopped thinking about you since that day," Park Dong continued. "He regrets cheating on you. Said he wants to see you one last time… if you're okay with it. That's what it said."
Irina turned to him. "…You read it?"
"Yeah."
"…Why would you even read it?" she asked, her voice tightening. "Where's the letter now?"
"I threw it out."
"…Wait, what?" Her head snapped toward him. "Why would you throw it away without asking me?!"
"It was total bullshit," Park Dong snapped. "After everything he did, now he says that? It pissed me off, so I ripped it up."
"Wait… even if it was bullshit, throwing it away was over the line!!" Irina's voice rose. "Did you think I'd thank you for that?!"
"..."
"That's straight-up meddling!! If anyone's going to throw it out, it should be me!! What even made you that angry anyway?!"
She clenched her fists. "Ugh, you're so frustrating!! Just say something…!"
Park Dong's fists tightened.
Then his voice burst out before he could stop himself
"Damn it, because I was scared you two would get back together!!"
Irina froze.
"…What?"
"Because you're such an idiot, you might actually do it!" he shouted. "You'd forgive him and start smiling like everything's fine again!! Then he'd hurt you again, and you'd end up crying your eyes out again I hated that, alright?!"
He was panting by the end of it.
Irina stared at him, stunned, her face slowly turning red as his words echoed in the cramped elevator.
"…Why…" she whispered, her heart pounding. "Why do you hate that so much?"
A beat.
"…Because we're friends?"
Park Dong didn't answer right away.
He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath.
Then, slowly, he reached out and gently grabbed her hand.
Irina's eyes widened.
Her pulse raced as she felt the warmth of his hand.
She stared at their hands, her heart pounding out of control, then looked up at him.
Park Dong had turned his head to the side, clearly hiding his blush.
One hand came up to cover part of his face.
"…Hey," he said, his voice low but firm. "Go out with me."
A brief pause.
"I'll treat you better than that bastard ever did."
Irina's eyes trembled as she tried to process what was happening.
She felt Park Dong's grip tighten slightly around her handwarm, a little damp.
She glanced at him again and saw he was completely out of it, nervously waiting for her answer.
Her heart pounded louder.
She closed her eyes… then slowly opened them again.
"I…"