Kyungsoo  changed the channel for the umpteenth time. That was symptom number 1. Symptoms 2 and 3, his foot tapped restlessly as he brought his fingertips to his teeth. The skin around his ankle bracelet was itchy, symptom number 4.

Kyungsoo was currently experiencing severe symptoms of withdrawal, but no matter how much he wanted to leave his apartment, he couldn't...He wasn't legally allowed to.

Being under house arrest wasn't the most fun thing in the world. It made a typical 7 day week seem like one extremely long Monday. He adopted a routine of waking up, eating, watching tv, and sleeping again. Kyungsoo wasn't picky with his channels, rather, he chose to watch whatever marathon was on that day. 

"Ugh Vanessa, why did you choose that dress? The other one was obviously way better."
Today it was "Bridal Sunday" and Kyungsoo wasn't that impressed with the on-screen bride's dress choices. 

Being in the house all day, however, made Kyungsoo highly aware of his neighbor's habits. And frankly, it made for better entertainment. 

Her weekdays ran like clockwork. She would set her alarm for 6:00 am, but wouldn't actually wake up until 7 am. Kyungsoo knew that because he could always faintly hear her alarm blaring periodically, most likely as a result of her hitting the snooze button multiple times. She would leave the house at 7:30 and return at 5pm. He knew because of her extremely loud and squeaky door. 

Sometimes her mom would call and she would take those calls on the fire escape. Other times he could hear her blasting loud dance music. At first it annoyed him, but after being alone for so long, it was a welcome reminder of the world outside the bubble of his apartment.

Weekends were relatively quieter. Kyungsoo imagined that it was likely that she was asleep most of the day. But yesterday night was rather unusual. 

The blackout left Kyungsoo completely in the dark, but he could hear the screaming and howling from Mercie's room just fine. That was enough to get him to double check on her that morning. Mercie seemed fine, but right before she left for work that morning, it sounded like she was talking to a dog. 

Kyungsoo abruptly stood up and paced around the living room. 

Mercie having a dog isn't a big deal, Kyungsoo thought to himself. Who cares if she has one? 

He was trying to ease the withdrawal edge off. But no matter how much he tried to fight off the urge to leave his apartment, his imagination took off and ran.

But what kind of dog did she have? Was it a big or small dog? What is cute? How did she get it in the building? What did it look like? What breed was it? 

He just had to know. All these questions swam through his head as he found himself approaching his door. He slowly curled his fingers around the doorknob before opening it quickly with a yank.

He'd never tested stepping out of his apartment before. All his groceries, and mail was delivered right to his door. As special privilege that only he was afforded. Sure he was neighbors with Mercie, but that didn't mean their apartments were particularly close. 

Kyungsoo took a small step out of his apartment with his untethered foot. Good so far. He stepped out with his other ankle-cuffed leg. The bracelet showed no signal of alarm. 

He flattened himself against the wall and crept towards Mercie's door. Kyungsoo decided that he would only listen for any dog-like sounds to satisfy his curiosity and immediately return to his tv marathon.

Kyungsoo brought his ear to the door.

Crrreeaakk.

The door opened slightly. 

Did she forget to lock it? Kyungsoo his teeth. She should really be more careful...someone could break in...

Kyungsoo found himself entering the apartment. It looked a lot like his, only more...girly and less clean. There was an overturned trashcan in the kitchen, and clothes and blankets strewn on the couch. Whoever said girls were cleaner than boys was sorely mistaken.

Kyungsoo checked his ankle bracelet. He was still safe.

If I were a dog, where would I be? Kyungsoo scanned the room. His eyes landed on a sign that read "DO NOT ENTER" taped to the door. 

Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow. 

Bingo.

Kyungsoo opened the door to what looked like Mercie's bedroom. Besides the clothes that were scattered all around the room, he'd noticed that the room was rather plain. Almost empty in fact. It looked more like a hotel room than a bedroom, a graduation photo of Mercie and her mother was the lone personal touch of the room.

The phone rang. Kyungsoo froze. On the caller id it said 'Mom' after a few persistent rings, the voicemail began to record.

Hi sweetie. I'm just calling to see how you're doing?...

Kyungsoo had become familiar with that voice over the course of his house arrest. Whenever Mercie took her mother's calls, she would always be on the fire escape outside. If Kyungsoo strained his ears he could faintly hear her on the phone. Her calls were always at the same time on Sunday.  It gave him something to look forward to.

You didn't pick up the phone yesterday. I know you must be busy...

Kyungsoo picked up the phone.

"Hello? Ciecie? Are you there?"

Kyungsoo paused before speaking. He raised his voice up an octave"...Mom?"

"Oh honey! Are you ok?"

"...yea...I'm ok..." Kyungsoo's heart was pounding.

"Are you sure? Are you getting sick? Does your throat hurt?"

His hands were getting sweaty on the receiver. 

"Hello? Ciecie--"

Feeling his throat go dry, Kyungsoo hung up the phone.