Chapter Text
“Hey! 302, right?” Seok-yoon’s voice echoed in the hallway as he took a step towards the stranger who had his back standing against him.
Frankly, he had hoped to see his other neighbour first so he could deliver the charger he had borrowed the previous night in an attempt to talk to him. He looked like he would bite Seok-yoon’s head off at the time, so the opportunity was wasted. College life must be hard these days.
Why did he even attempt to talk to him? To make friends. The last place he lived in was miserable, with high rent and grumpy neighbours who made fun of his attempts, but at least that one had air conditioning. This one had hot air seeping into the hallways constantly, the rooms were moist and gross, and the landlady said she could do nothing about it. You’d assume with a name like Eden it’d be a little more like paradise. At least the rent was cheap.
The man remained still for a moment before turning around to face Seok-yoon.
Seok-yoon hesitated at the sight of the stranger. His presence felt... intense like something more was lurking underneath. Maybe it was the claustrophobic feeling of the hallway? Either way, it wouldn’t hurt to try to befriend him, right? He was still new to the place, and his other neighbour seemed against the idea of talking, borderline hostile even.
Worst case scenario he would be dead by the end of the week.
The man smiled at him, but not with his eyes. “That would be me. You’re the new one.”
Seok-yoon returned his smile regardless. “Yessir, nice to meet you, I’m Kang Seok-yoon,” he said as he brushed his shirt down to straighten it and bowed. He looked up and down at the man. The guy seemed older than him, but not by much, and was taller by a few inches. He had neat hair and was dressed simply: in a black long-sleeved polo shirt. His fists were curled despite his body being relaxed. If Seok-yoon had to describe his clothing choices, he’d say absurdly normal.
As if something was pretending to be human.
“See something you like?”
Seok-yoon’s eyes shot back up at the man’s face in surprise. “Sorry I didn’t mean to-“
The man snickered at him. Seok-yoon scratched the back of his head. Fuck, was it that apparent?
“I’m Yoo Ki-hyuk.” His neighbour spoke, breaking through the embarrassment in Seok-yoon’s head while the man’s smile faltered. “Are you going somewhere? Studying?” Ki-hyuk was quick to move on, it gave Seok-yoon a sliver of relief, he was never truly good at tackling teasing.
“No, no, I’m not a student. Just an aspiring artist.” Seok-yoon kept his tone light and friendly. He knew there was no need to do so, but he liked to think it was how he convinced people to be his friends.
“You’re quite energetic. You look young as well, how old are you?” Seok-yoon took notice of the fact that Ki-hyuk seemed to stand still, not even shifting his weight or looking away. The spotlight was always on Seok-yoon.
“Yeah, even I think I’m pretty outgoing. I’m 25, and you?” Seok-yoon giggled softly, appreciative that Ki-hyuk took notice of his energetic behaviour. His attempt to reel in his neighbour was working.
“29.”
“Ah okay. Listen, would you like to join me downtown if you’re not too busy? To watch my performance. I’m a rapper, you see.” He patted the stereo system by his legs.
Honestly, he didn’t expect the man to say yes; it was a big request to ask of a guy he had just met. He wasn’t even sure of his vibes yet, maybe it was too-
“Of course, I’d love to.” Ki-hyuk replied, his smile coming back. This time, it crumbled the thoughts of doubts that were swirling in Seok-yoon’s head.
Seok-yoon let out a puff of air he didn’t know he was holding in. Ki-hyuk waved his hand towards the exit of this hellishly small corridor, letting Seok-yoon go first.
The sun bathed Seok-yoon in light as he stepped outside. “Isn’t it hot?” Seok-yoon asked as he looked back at Ki-hyuk. He thought the guy would at least change into something more comfortable.
His neighbour was right behind him; he swore he could feel Ki-hyuk’s breath on his shoulder at times. Was he this close to everyone he met?
“Lend me your hand, will you?” Ki-hyuk asked. Before Seok-yoon could question the man’s intentions, his curiosity betrayed his sensibility and he offered his hand.
Ki-hyuk took his hand in a firm grip and held it between his own. Seok-yoon startled at the bitter chill shooting through his skin. Seok-yoon looked back and forth at their hands and Ki-hyuk’s face. How the fuck was this man so ice-cold? His obvious surprise drew out a grin from his neighbour.
Ki-hyuk didn’t immediately let go of his hand, but it wasn’t like Seok-yoon was pulling away either. He found it interesting that his neighbour could be so cold and have such an intense aura. Maybe it was saying something about his personality. Maybe Seok-yoon was reading too much into it. Ki-hyuk seemed kind enough, so he wasn’t too bothered by his peculiarness. Not yet (at least).
Finally, Seok-yoon pulled away. At least the tenant was polite enough to ask for Seok-yoon’s hand. There was a joke about marriage in there somewhere, but he wasn’t willing to search for it right now.
“You’re so cold, Ki-hyuk ssi,” Seok-yoon muttered. Ki-hyuk only responded with a curious look.
It gave Seok-yoon a mixture of feelings.
-
The walk hadn’t been equally as ‘unique’ of an experience, thankfully. Ki-hyuk had been helpful in explaining directions to him, giving recommendations for cafes, restaurants and the likes. He answered any questions he would ask, even helping him carry his equipment down stairs. Seok-yoon had told him his wishes of becoming a rapper. He had to admit, it was the first time he had someone listen this intently to his dreams without making fun of them.
Seok-yoon was starting to find comfort in this newfound mystery that was Ki-hyuk.
Eventually, they arrived at the place where his performance would take place. Seokyoon couldn’t help but feel his hands become clammy and his heart grow noisy in his chest.
“Now that we’re finally here I can’t help but feel nervous. Please don’t laugh at my poor performance,” Seok-yoon nervously chuckled, a grin forming.
Before letting his neighbor even respond, he continued to ramble, “I wrote it in a hurry at the residence last night, please do understand even if it's a bit tacky.”
Seok-yoon blamed his queasy stomach on the jitters he was feeling before performing, rather than a growing wish to impress his newfound friend and neighbour.
“You can sit over there.” Seok-yoon pointed over to the rocks that seemed comfortable enough and pulled out his phone.
Once he raised gaze from it, Ki-hyuk was already sitting down and once more, his eyes were glued on him. Pressure was building underneath his skin.
But he started his performance, feeling confident.
[Insert rap about parental and money issues here]
A crowd had gathered around him as he sang; it felt good, great even. They cheered and clapped as he finished, making him break out in a big grin as he thanked the crowd.
He had not forgotten about his friend. He turned around to see Ki-hyuk standing up now, a small smile spreading on the man’s features, even clapping for him.
“You did well. I didn’t expect Eden to get a little star amongst its residents.”
“Aish, you’re too nice to me, Ki-hyuk ssi. Thank you for joining me.” Seok-yoon giggled. Although the song had taken a toll on him, he still felt energetic, and the approval had only boosted his happiness.
For a moment, Seok-yoon swore he saw conflict cross Ki-hyuk’s face.
“Would you like to go for a drink? You did mention there was a café or something like that, right?” Seok-yoon asked. A smudge of guilt was building up in Seok-yoon’s gut, a greedy feeling. He was stealing all of Ki-hyuk’s time, never even bothering to question if the man was an introvert, and would rather be somewhere else. “Unless you’d rather be left alone, of course, I didn’t mean to borrow you so much,” he quickly added.
Instead, a smile formed on his neighbour’s lips. Maybe he really did imagine the sour expression on his neighbour’s face.
“There’s one just around the corner here. There’s also food back at the residence.”
“Ah, the residence, the long corridors make me a bit nervous, let’s go to the café instead,” Seok-yoon confessed.
“The residence? It really makes you feel like you’re in a long tunnel and you’ll never escape, doesn’t it?”
Ki-hyuk’s choice of words made Seok-yoon stop and think for a second, staring into the distance. He hadn’t expected the question but... He’d only been there for a day or two so far, yet there was still familiarity to the way he described it.
“Yes, but I’m confident if people like you’re around, it’d be a tunnel I’d be satisfied staying in,” Seok-yoon replied.
“You’re funnier than you look.”
“Eh?” Seok-yoon turned and looked at Ki-hyuk, his smile had only widened to a toothy grin. “Did I say something wrong? I swear I’m being honest-“
“You’re fine. I think you’ll be quite the interesting little star.”
Seok-yoon flushed at his words before brushing them off and collecting his stereo equipment.
--
“Your lyrics were interesting. You have an intriguing relationship with money, don’t you?”
Seok-yoon wasn’t expecting Ki-hyuk to bring up his lyrics the instant they had settled down in the cafe with their drinks, but he supposed he couldn’t blame him for being curious.
He let out a small huff. “I’m a jobless aspiring rapper, I’m bound to have an interesting relationship with money.”
His neighbor hummed. “Your parents as well?”
Seok-yoon took a small swig of his drink. “My parents don't wish to see me anymore. I’m practically dead in their eyes.” He let out a pitiful chuckle while staring at his glass.
“I apologize, I didn’t mean to be so depressing, I’ve barely asked anything about you! Do you work?” Seok-yoon spoke again, lifting his eyes to look at Ki-hyuk while putting on a small smile.
“I do. As an artist. I like to destroy and reconstruct pieces.”
Seok-yoon wanted to mention how vague that was but nodded instead. “You’ll have to show me your work sometime.” After all, you got to see me rap and expose my parental issues, he bit back.
Ki-hyuk smiled before taking a sip from his drink. “You will. I started working on something today, I think you’ll like it once it’s done.” Again, Seok-yoon took notice of his peculiar friend’s ability to get under his skin with his gaze alone.
Despite the fact that he had spent almost his entire day with the man, he couldn’t shake off the weird feeling he got every time Ki-hyuk would look at him. It was like the guy was picking at his brains, looking at him like he was an animal in a zoo. The man had done nothing wrong to be judged like that, yet…
“We’re both artists in our own ways.” Seok-yoon grinned, attempting to once more shake it off. “Would you mind telling me a bit about our neighbours, by the way? I’ve only seen you and 303 so far.”
“303 is new, just like you. 306 and 307 are the twins' rooms, you may hear one of them laugh occasionally. 313 usually doesn’t go outside his room, I wouldn’t recommend looking into his room when his door is open. And 304…” Ki-hyuk paused, breaking off his glance to look down at his own glass.
That was new, Ki-hyuk not glaring at him. Was 304 someone special? Seok-yoon caught himself almost leaning over the table in curiosity.
“...Is someone you won’t have to worry about, yet. He’s not there often, a workaholic if you will.”
Seok-yoon frowned at his phrasing- Worry? 304 was definitely someone he’d have to be on the lookout for. He nodded gently.
“Do you think I have a shot at befriending them all?”
His question seemed to brighten Ki-hyuk’s mood rather quickly, the smallest hint of enthusiasm seemed to glint in his eyes.
“Of course. They’re all curious about you.” Despite the fact that his voice tended to be ominous, Seok-yoon could tell he was eager. Whether it was a blaring red flag or a friendly invitation is something his mind could not deter in its current state.
For now, he was happy to have someone to talk to.
-
Once they had returned to the residence, Seok-yoon had asked for Ki-hyuk’s phone number, in case he’d need to ask for directions again. That’s what he told Ki-hyuk anyway; in reality, he was working on his secret mission to become even better friends with his neighbor.
Despite the fact that Ki-hyuk was about 20 feet away from him in his own room, Seok-yoon decided to send the man a quick text.
‘Hey! I just wanted to thank you for the drink and for showing me around. ^_^’
After re-writing the text 2-3 times, he was finally content and pressed ‘send’. The temptation to throw his phone down on his bed was large, but he was sure it’d bounce onto the floor, if not, hit his face. Instead, he opted to sit down on his bed and place his phone on his desk. Why was he still feeling so giddy? It was already so late, he needed to sleep...
He glanced at his phone, holding his breath.
It buzzed and the screen lit up.
Seok-yoon could hear the blood flow in his ears as he saw the text was from his friend. Wait. His friend? He scoffed. He meant his neighbour, of course. Seok-yoon could not imagine Ki-hyuk calling him his friend yet.
The thought hurt him more than it should’ve.
‘Of course. We’ll certainly have to do that again. You should sleep, it’s getting late.’
He couldn’t help but crack a grin as he read the text. He got comfortable in his bed, ready for the night, before responding again. He couldn’t seem too excited to respond.
Again, he rewrote his text multiple times before deciding to send the man a gif of a rabbit going to sleep with the text ‘good night princess, sleep well!’ over it. He thought it was funny and cute. Hopefully, his neighbor did as well. Seok-yoon waited a couple of minutes before finally putting his phone away and closing his eyes, letting slumber consume him.
-
“How would you like me to kill you?” The man with the glasses stood in front of the new tenant’s door.
“Slow? Fast?” He kept muttering to himself. “All you have to do is ask, do you want to die?” He twitched, his breath hitting the wooden door. “How would you like to die?” He repeated himself, standing there in the long murky corridor, with a knife in his hand.
Before he could do anything else, a door behind him opened. A taller man appeared, staring at him.
He knew it was time to leave and he stumbled back to his room. Before he could close his door, he saw the man stand exactly where he had stood, staring intensely at the door.
-