Finally, she's here. Jessica Jung took a deep breath once she stepped out of the station. Her childhood dream of being able to live by herself in the city has come true. The sound of a thousand footsteps on the cement floor embraced by the lively buzz of the traffic on the streets filled her tremendously but this time, she was exhilarated. She remembered when she was first introduced to city life when she was seven. Having been living by the border, the trip sparked her curiosity and cheerfulness. The huge and tall buildings that seemed to pierce the sky enthralled her innocence while the mass of people that bustled in a complex pattern intrigued her deeply. From that moment on, she vowed that she will live in this lively place.

With a childish grin on her face, she took her case and walked along the sidewalks, looking with wide and excited eyes the sights the city was offering her. She marveled at the architecture, the minimalism, the exactness and uniqueness of the environment. This was wonderland, she thought.

"Now, where were we?" she muttered to herself as she sat on a bench and took out a slip of paper from her pocket. On her transfer to this city, she has pre-arranged her lodging to lessen the issues she might encounter on the transition. She was so happy that even her neighbors were offering their help.

She read the address carefully so as not to make a mistake. She got up and hailed a taxi where she directed the driver to the said address. It wasn't a long drive and she took note of the signs and landmarks that they have passed on. It was already four in the afternoon and she thought of how she had planned on taking a walk around but decided to let it rest until tomorrow. She was a bit tired from the journey and she still had to meet up with the owner of the café she would be working on. The taxi stopped in front of a five-floored bricked building. True enough, it was a good spot since there was a nearby bus stop and the main intersection was a few meters away. She was practically in the center of the city.

"Jessica?" an old man's voice called her from behind when she was about to knock on the front door. She spun and smiled at the friendly little man whose back was slightly arching from old age. "Yes?" she said after exchanging greetings. "I've been expecting your arrival. I am Jin hoo, the caretaker. Mrs. Lee, the owner, is out of town at the moment so I'll be the one in charge for the while." He introduced himself. Jessica bowed at him once again and expressed her gratitude. "Come, let us get inside so you can sign the papers and get your key. It's getting a bit dark now." He said warmly, which reminded her of her grandfather back home. A small tug of loneliness struck her heart at the thought of her family. She would definitely miss their company.

The man led her to the first door upon entering. It was a small office with a neat desk. There were a couple of cabinets behind where the man took out some forms. "Have a seat." The man smiled at the chair in front of the desk. She did so and looked about while the man went to another drawer for some keys. "Mrs. Lee was glad to have you here. I heard that she and your neighbor were good friends so she asked me to take care of you while she's out of town." The man said, returning to sit on his chair. He took a pen and began to write on some of the boxes. "Ah, yes. Taemin told me about his friend in the city. I was really happy and lucky with all the help I got." She replied. "Yes, very lucky, indeed. We only have one room left and it's a good one too." The man said as he handed the pen and paper to Jessica to fill up the remaining blank spaces. "There are a lot of people seeking new opportunities in the city today so apartments are quick to be full." He added and Jessica signed her name. "Now, here's your key." The man said and handed the object to her. "To your room, then." The man led the way to the third floor.

The sign on her door read Room 722. Ji soo said that there wasn't really significant with the room number but the owner just liked the numbers to sound like they were from some hotel. It was a pretty huge building with an annexed side if you walked farther on the corridor. There were about twenty rooms per floor and it was awfully quiet in this specific floor. The old man must have seen this through her expression. "This floor is usually like this. Most of the people who reside in here are either very busy or often out of town. It's a nice quiet place." He said and opened the door with his master key. He pushed open the mahogany door and let the girl step in first.

Jessica was taken in blissful shock. The inside was filled with warm colors of the wallpaper and the wood paneled flooring. The two windows faced the streets and when you look out, you could get a pretty view of the bustling life of the city. The receiving area was also spacious enough to hold a sofa and two couches. An LCD TV was pinned on the west wall and on its flanks were two doors. "Door on left is bedroom. Door on right is bath. All are furnished already." He said. He then led the girl to the kitchen at the other side, connected to the receiving area by a door. It also had been furnished with the stoves and a sink. A small circular table was near the counter where two foldable chairs were arranged on it. A door was on the far side that led to a fire exit ladder.

"Well, that's about it. Not much of a grand unit but it's fitting for a sole person with nothing much to do." The man said as he was about to leave. "If you have any more questions, you can find me on the office at the first floor." He added and left Jessica to herself. She rushed to the windows and looked below where the heads of people that walked looked like dots and she giggled like a child. She noticed that the sun was already setting. The blazing colors of orange and yellow danced on the blue and dimming sky above. A few stars were also beginning to mount on their positions. "Alright, time to get things fixed!" she said and hurried to get most of her luggage done.

Luckily for her, she was quite a swift worker so she got her stuff placed on their respective new places in about an hour. She then took her key and headed out to see the café where she would work. The moment she stepped out of the building, she immediately saw the sign of the café and quickly did her business. The owner was happy to hear of her safe journey. She was about to start her work tomorrow and as a gift, Jessica was given a few pastries that the store offered to her. Now, she told herself, she wouldn't have a hard time thinking about dinner for tonight. She stopped by a convenience store and bought a few bottles of water. Maybe a good shopping would suit her tomorrow after work.

For the first time, Jessica was eating dinner alone. And even breakfast and lunch as well. She suddenly felt like crying from this loneliness that she felt. She fought back a sob as she finished her second sandwich and gulped it all down with some tea. "Maybe I'll just call them tonight. It might help me sleep properly." She said as she was washing the cups and plates. "I'm sure they're worried and thinking what I could be doing now. I wonder if grandpa has taken his medicine now. And grandma's back, I hope it's not aching too much." She mused along as she went to get her towel. The bed and bath, though are in a separate room, still had that connecting door between them.

After rewarding herself with a good bath, she called her parents and relatives back home. She was right about them worrying about her. She apologized for the lateness of her calls and told them the things that had happened. She was almost tearful when she heard the somehow sad tone of their voices when she was talking to them. "I miss you all. I hope you are here with me." She said and a tear fell from her eye.

"It's all going to be alright, Jessica." Her mother assured her. Even though they were so far from each other, her comforting and soothing voice still had effect on Kahoko. "Yes mother." She said.

When the time had come, Jessica went to bed and closed her eyes. Although the unit was meant for a single person, the space was still considerably huge. Or maybe, she thought, she was just adjusting with the new environment. But even the bed was enough to hold two people!

"I should just sleep. I have a big day waiting for me tomorrow." She said and allowed the waves of slumber engulf her. Soon, the sound of the occasional passing cars and even the train lulled her into a deeper sleep.

She was starting to feel comfortable on the bed when she heard a soft clicking sound. She opened her eyes a bit but seeing that nothing seemed to change and that it might have been just a noise from the streets, she resumed sleeping.

The clicking sound came again, this time, louder. But she was just too sleepy to even comprehend what might be happening. She rolled to the farther side of the bed and curled. She even began to mumble a few things on her sleep.

Suddenly, a weight dragged down the other half of the bed and a loud and tired sigh escaped. Jessica's eyes shot wide open and immediately turned. There lay a man with doe eyes on the other side. The man also opened his eyes and turned to her as well. Both stared at each other for a moment before a duet of their scream of surprise resounded.