𝐢. 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫

The elevator was slowly going up to 14th floor with a young girl standing inside. She was wearing a black and white apron with a small bow tie on her neck. In her hands she held a medium size box and a shopping bag hanged on her arm.

You could see how tired she was just by looking at her face. Under her, half open and half closed, eyes appeared dark circles.

Finally, the elevator stopped at the 14th floor. The girl walked out, looking in her pockets for keys of her apartment, holding the box under the armpit. As she stood in front of the doors of apartment 1406, she noticed a young boy with a suitcase next to him, a few steps away. He was obviously just moving in, as she has never seen him before.

"Hello" she said, walking to him. The boy looked at her surprised, "You are new here?", she asked him the obvious

He had longish hair, that covered most of his face. When he turned his head to the girl, and she could see his face, the red lamp in her head turned on.

The girl was looking at him, thinking that his face is very similar to someone she knew. Even tho, she tried everything to remember this boy, she just couldn't do that. But she knew, that she must recognise him from somewhere. The boy didn't give off the same impression.

He murmured something quietly, that the girl couldn't hear him.

"I'm sorry, can you repeat?" she asked

"Yes... I moved here..." he was talking very quiet

The girl didn't want to push him to talk with her if he didn't like to, but she was a very curious person, and tried to give him an impression of a good neighbor.

"I'm Mae Soojin, I live in 1406. If you gonna need anything, don't be shy, I don't bite" she smirked, „I think"

„Thanks" murmured the boy, his leg already crossed the thresholds to the apartment

Soojin wasn't stupid, it was very clear that the boy doesn't want to talk with her. But who cares.

„Sorry" she stopped the boy „But I didn't catch your name"

The boy said something again, but Soojin didn't hear him.

"Pardon?"

"It's Hyunsoo" he repeated louder, "Cha Hyunsoo"

"Nice to meet you Cha Hyunsoo," the girl nodded squinting her eyes, because this name reminded her of someone, "And one more thing," the boy stopped, "Have we met before? I have a feeling like we did...."

"I don't think so"

Hyunsoo disappeared behind the doors, leaving the girl alone on the corridor.

She stood up in the corridor for a few seconds, thinking about the name of the boy.

The muffled sound of guitar, traveled on the building. Soojin raised her head up, and soon later she walked to her apartment. She was looking in her pockets to find keys and put them in the lock, only to find out that the doors are opened a little. She sighed irritated.

Her tight shoes landed on the floor, and she felt relieving feeling in her feet. The tiles were cold, so she was stomping on her tiptoes.

Soojin put the box and shopping bag in the kitchen, where she left her slippers this morning, because she was already late for work, and walked to the living room.

"I told you close the doors if you are leaving, and after you're heading back," she murmured to the laying on the couch man

He was half asleep, half not. Many empty bottles were scattered around the couch.

"Don't tell me what to do, brat" growled man in the answer as he twisted to the other side

Soojin didn't say anything. She bent to pick up a few bottles and throw them to the thrash. She started to cleaning up around the table.

"What is for dinner?"

The girl walked back to the kitchen, taking the box that she brought with her. The man slowly sat on the couch, taking a box from her, as she walked back to the kitchen. He opened it and grimaced.

"Again? Gosh..." she heard in kitchen

Her father took tteokbokki in his hands, without using chopsticks or anything else. Soojin came back to clean up the bottles. She squatted on the tiles, throwing them in a plastic bag.

It didn't take a long time to hear an angry growl. The box with tteobokki landed next to the girl, all the food ended on the floor. She flinched surprised, and closed her eyes for a second.

"It's cold!" he yelled

"I'm sorry," Soojin said quietly, mentally hitting herself for forgetting, "I didn't think that...."

The man stood up from the couch.

"Stand up," the girl said what she was told, holding her head down

"That's your problem," father hissed in her face, "You never think. Do you even can do that? How can you be so stupid, huh?" he slapped her head, making her hear the ringing in the left ear, "I asked you a question! Jesus, you are just like your mother. Useless and dumb"

The man turned around and went on the couch. He took and half full bottle of beer and sipped from it, like he didn't drink for the last few months. Soojin was still standing in the same place, with her head down.

"What are you waiting for? Clean it up!" he yelled at her

She nodded her head and went for a scoop to clean up the food from the floor. She pulled the sleeves of the blouse up to not get dirty. She got the food on the scoop and as she walked to the kitchen, wanting to throw it to the thrash, her father stopped her.

"What do you think you're doing with this?" he yelled from the living room

"What?"

"You are gonna throw this in the garbage?" the man stood up, walking to her

"Yes," she didn't look at him, but took a step back, "What am I supposed to do with it?"

„Eat it"

The girl looked at him surprised, and laughed loudly, almost hysterically. The man didn't change his face expression, beside looking more mad, meaning he's dead serious. Soojin stopped laughing.

"I'm not gonna eat that, are you crazy?" she scoffed

The thing was, that the man was crazy. The vain on his forehead pulsed, that you could see it without any problem, as he put hands in fists. Soojin noticed it right away, knowing that she should keep her mouth shut, and now she got big troubles.

She tried to run away, however the floor was too slippery, so she fell for a second, but quickly got up again. She rushed to the other room, and the man went after her.

"You fucking brat!" growled the man, taking a swing with his arm

The girl avoided it, by running to her room, locking the doors behind her. She sat down on the floor, leaning on them, "Shit"

Her father was banging on the doors with all his strength that he had, screaming all the insults he could think of. The girl was sitting there for a while, with her eyes closed, listening to all the things he said.

She took out her phone from the pocket, and picked one of not many numbers in it. She put the phone to her ear, waiting for the answer.

"Yes?" said a strained voice

"Nayeon? Are you home?" whispered the girl, putting the other hand on the cellphone

"What do you think?" Nayeon yawn loudly, "I'm ending my shift in two hours. What? Is daddy gone crazy again?"

Soojin rolled her eyes, "Stop saying daddy, it creeps me out. And yes, I said the same thing, so now I'm hiding"

"Damn, you are a crazy girl for calling him crazy," Nayeon yawned again, "I can be quicker, if you want"

"That would be great, thank you"

"Everything for you asshole," the girl clicked her tongue

Soojin smiled to herself, and hang up.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

Nayeon opened the window in her apartment. The sun was so bright, that she had to put dark sunglasses to see the view. The girl lean out to catch the thick lace, which she wrapped around her hand. The other end of it, was attached to fire stairs. Nayeon stood on the windowsill in her room, and then jumped on the stairs. It was very easy after many times she did that.
And when she was already on the stairs, the way to apartment 1406 was much quicker. Nayeon walked on the balustrade, sat on it, and with her leg knocked on the window next to the stairs.

Soojin got up from the floor, and opened a window. Her head appeared, as she leaned forward. Nayeon waved to her.

Soojin stood up in the window, holding tightly to the wall, fingers pushed between the cracks. Her friend jumped of the balustrade on the stairs, and threw to her another lace. Nayeon held out her hand, and Soojin took it gratefully. With her help, the girl jumped on the stairs.

"Finally," murmured sarcastically Soojin

"You, asshole," Nayeon punched her arm, "I had to say that my grandma health got worse again, and they called from hospital. And it's the same excuse fifth time in two weeks. Soon, I'm gonna have to say that she died. You could thank me"

"Thank you very much," Soojin pinched her cheek, "Come on"

Two girls started walking up, to the roof of Green Home.

There wasn't any clouds in the air, so sun was almost burning on their necks as they sat down, backwards to it. Nayeon took out from pocket of her jacket a pack of cigarettes, taking out one, and passing the box to her friend. Then she lighten up the lighter. Soojin bended a little to the small fire, with cigarette in her mouth.

She held it between two fingers, from time to time exhaling the white smoke. The girls sat in silence before Soojin spoke up:

"You know that new boy moved to 1410?" she put cigarette to mouth

"Yeah? Is he cute?"

Soojin shrugged, "He's very shy. But I have a feeling like I know him from somewhere"

"Do you know his name?"

"Cha Hyunsoo"

Nayeon put a cigarette to her mouth, thinking about this name very concerned. Soojin started to play with some rock on the ground.

"From school?" suggested the girl

"Maybe," Soojin shrugged

Nayeon took out her phone, and started to typing something, murmuring to herself. Soojin put her chin on the girl's arm, looking at the screen. She was scrolling through many articles, before she stopped on one of them.

"There are information about a car accident," murmured Nayeon, "Parents and daughter died, leaving the son alone. You think it's about him?"

Soojin sat down on the ground, "Maybe"

Nayeon squinted her eyes and covered the top of the phone, reading the article, while her friend was laying behind her. She closed her eyes, feeling how sun warms her face. She was breathing deeply, feeling a peace inside her body.

Her thoughts focused on the boy from apartment 1410. She have to find out why she recognises him.