John Liu (Takeshi Kaneshiro) is a talented but struggling violinist who lives in a modest apartment building. His life is marked by constant movement from one freelance gig to another, performing at events to make ends meet. Despite his musical abilities, John’s personal life is uneventful, and he often finds solace in the quiet rhythm of his days. One evening, while finishing a performance, he meets June, a vivacious and overly flirtatious woman who insists on driving him home. Though John accepts her offer reluctantly, the ride becomes an uncomfortable experience as June’s aggressive advances unsettle him. When they reach his neighborhood, John hurriedly jumps out of her car and sprints into his apartment building, determined to avoid further contact with her. The next day, his resolve to steer clear of her is tested when he spots June waiting for him on the left corner of his building. Unwilling to confront her, John makes a conscious decision to avoid that side of the building altogether.
In the same building, separated only by a thin wall, lives Eve Choi (Gigi Leung), a translator for a publishing company. Eve spends her days meticulously translating foreign novels into Chinese. Recently, her employer has tasked her with translating a particularly chilling horror novel. Though she tries to approach the work professionally, the eerie content begins to take a toll on her nerves, especially during long nights alone in her apartment. One evening, after hearing strange creaks and noises, Eve becomes convinced that her home might be haunted. Her paranoia grows when she notices a gnarled, sinister-looking tree just outside the right corner of her building. From that day on, she avoids going to the right side of the building, too frightened to even glance at the tree.
Despite living in such close proximity, John and Eve remain oblivious to each other’s existence, their paths never crossing—until one fateful afternoon in a nearby park. Eve, carrying a stack of papers for work, accidentally drops them into the park’s fountain. John, who happens to be passing by, stops to help her retrieve the papers. In the process, the two strike up a conversation and discover a surprising connection: they had met once as children during a school trip to an amusement park. Eve recalls how she had asked John for his telephone number back then, but their budding friendship had been cut short when she lost his number along with her school bag on the train ride home. The shared memory brings laughter and nostalgia, and they feel an instant rapport. Before parting ways, they decide to exchange phone numbers once again, this time promising to stay in touch. However, in their haste to avoid an impending rainstorm, neither asks the other for their name.
That night, both John and Eve are elated by their unexpected reunion and eagerly look forward to contacting each other. However, their joy is short-lived. The rainstorm had soaked the scraps of paper on which they had written their phone numbers, smudging the ink beyond recognition. Desperate to reconnect, both John and Eve try dialing random combinations of the partially legible numbers, hoping to hear the other’s voice on the line. Their attempts prove futile, and frustration begins to set in.
Among the numbers John and Eve call, one belongs to a small restaurant where Ruby, a lively and cheerful waitress, works. Both John and Eve, confined to their apartments due to their worsening flu symptoms, decide to order food from Ruby’s restaurant. When Ruby delivers John’s order, she is immediately smitten with him. During her visit, she notices the smudged piece of paper on John’s table and becomes curious. Later, when she delivers to Eve, she notices a similar piece of paper. Ruby quickly deduces that the two are searching for each other. Despite her realization, Ruby is reluctant to help them reunite. Instead, she decides to pursue John for herself. To keep him from discovering that Eve lives just next door, Ruby lies, telling him that an old lady occupies the neighboring apartment.
Meanwhile, Eve’s health deteriorates to the point where she requires medical attention. An ambulance takes her to the hospital, where she is treated by Dr. Hu, a charismatic doctor who happens to be a former university classmate of hers. Dr. Hu has always admired Eve and sees her hospitalization as an opportunity to rekindle their connection. He assures her that it must be fate that they’ve met again and goes out of his way to provide her with the best care. At the same time, Ruby brings John to the same hospital when his flu symptoms worsen. When Dr. Hu realizes that John is vying for the attention of the woman he admires, he discharges John prematurely, claiming his condition isn’t severe. Ruby protests and persuades Dr. Hu to admit John for further treatment, creating a tense rivalry between them.
Both John and Eve eventually recover, and upon their discharge, they entrust their apartment keys to Ruby and Dr. Hu, respectively, asking them to set up voicemail systems at home in case the other person calls. Ruby and Dr. Hu, however, use the opportunity to insert themselves into John and Eve’s lives. Ruby moves into John’s apartment under the pretense of taking care of him, while Dr. Hu does the same with Eve. Though both John and Eve make it clear that their hearts belong to someone else, Ruby and Dr. Hu remain persistent, hoping to win them over.
Over time, Ruby and Dr. Hu realize that their efforts are futile, as neither John nor Eve is willing to move on from the person they are searching for. Feeling heartbroken and betrayed, the two find solace in each other’s company. During a drunken conversation, they bond over their mutual frustration and decide to start a relationship of their own. However, before moving on, they decide to exact a measure of revenge on John and Eve. They gather photographs and details of all the moments where John and Eve had narrowly missed crossing paths and mail them anonymously to their respective apartments. These photos reveal just how often the two had been close to finding each other, yet failed due to their circumstances.
Shocked by the photographs, both John and Eve confront Ruby and Dr. Hu separately. Ruby and Dr. Hu, in a final test, give John and Eve each other’s phone numbers but present them as their own, wanting to see if either will attempt to call. Neither John nor Eve makes the call, believing the gesture to be a cruel trick.
Disheartened by their inability to reconnect, John and Eve decide to take drastic steps to move on with their lives. Both accept job offers abroad and begin making preparations to leave Taiwan. As the day of their departure approaches, a powerful earthquake strikes the city, forever altering the lives of everyone involved.
Disheartened by their inability to reconnect, John and Eve decide to take drastic steps to move on with their lives. Both accept job offers abroad and begin making preparations to leave Taiwan, believing their chance at love has been lost. On the day of their departure, a powerful earthquake strikes the city, collapsing the wall that separates their apartments.
Amidst the chaos and rubble, John and Eve finally come face to face, realizing that they had been neighbors all along. Overwhelmed by the irony and serendipity of their circumstances, they embrace, vowing never to let each other go again. The missed opportunities and near encounters no longer matter—fate had brought them together in the most unexpected way, proving that their connection was meant to be.
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