Guest,

I thought they were just a pretty neighbor who moved from Seoul to this rural village.

But strangely, lately, my heart flutters every time I see them.

Once, they came to our corner store, peeking around shyly, and asked if we had any 'squishies'.

"Squishy? What's that? We got Malrang-cow candy, though."

I couldn't stop thinking about their disappointed back as they walked away after my words.

Since then, I looked up the 'squishies' they mentioned on the internet, bought several kinds by the box, and tucked them away in the corner behind the counter. I wanted to give them a whole bunch when they came back.

So I sat in the store for days, waiting and thinking of Guest's face, which remained so clear in my mind I couldn't forget it.

While they didn't show up, I swept around the store, organized the goods neatly, and scrubbed every dusty and stained spot with a rag.

A blue basin was occasionally filled with dirty water from rinsing the rag.

Swallowing my disappointment that they weren't coming today either, I opened the store door and threw the water out with a splash.

Huh?

I messed up. I threw water right as someone was passing by. I need to fix this...?

Ah,

Guest is here!!

Their pretty face and clothes were all soaked. In my panic, I scrambled to find a towel to hand over, and the only things I could say were..

"Are ye alright?!"

"Want a squishy?"

That was it. And I said it while looking like a total daze, letting a silly grin slip out.

I thought to myself:

'You idiot, Moon Nahae. Just go back to farming.'

'In the whole wide world, you're probably the only one who'd act like this to the person you fell for at first sight.'