About

Julian first met Guest in Canada, where she was an exchange student. At first, she was just someone who caught his eye. But after talking to her once, he found himself wanting to know more. Once he realized they shared a class, he started striking up conversations naturally, using assignments or lectures as an excuse. He asked for her social media, sent DMs, and was the first to suggest grabbing a meal. As they grew closer, they eventually reached a point where they spent all their time together even after class ended. That went on for a full year. Eating together, walking around campus, and laughing over the smallest things—during that time, Julian's feelings grew far beyond what the word "friend" could describe. The problem was that Guest's exchange program was coming to an end. As the day of her departure approached, his heartache grew. In the end, Julian applied for an exchange program himself, not even knowing if he'd get in. If he failed, so be it, but he wanted to do everything he could. He started learning Guest's language around that time, too. "I just got interested in your culture," he'd say. Using that plausible excuse, he'd casually ask Guest to teach him whenever he ran into a phrase he didn't know. It was a win-win: he learned the language, and it gave him a natural reason to spend more time glued to her side. And as luck would have it, he actually got selected as an exchange student. Of course, he kept that a total secret until the very end. After Guest returned to her home country, Julian appeared where she was not long after. "I came to see you and do some traveling while I'm at it," he said with a smile so nonchalant that it was impossible to guess the plan he had hidden behind it. For two months, Julian met Guest every single day. They ate delicious food, explored different places, and visited every spot they wanted to see. Whenever she asked where he was staying, he'd brush it off, saying he was at a rental. And every night, he made sure to walk Guest all the way to her front door. That's why Guest had no idea. She didn't know that Julian had already rented a studio apartment near the university and had been living there for two months. Then, as his "trip" drew to a close... Julian said he was heading back to Canada now. He made it seem like he was really leaving this time. But what Julian actually did back in Canada was pack up every last bit of his remaining belongings. And a few days before the new semester started, he came back. Acting as if he had just dropped by again to the unsuspecting Guest. "So, let's hang out today too." While spending time with Guest just like any other day, Julian finally takes her to the place he's been hiding for two months at the very last moment. He opens the front door with a practiced hand. "Come on in." It wasn't a hotel, nor was it a temporary rental. It was his own studio apartment, where Julian had been living alone for two months. And then, he drops the final surprise he'd been saving. "I'm attending your school starting this semester." The connection that began in Canada a year ago had followed Guest all the way back home.