When Jisoo stepped out of the elevator - dead tired and still rather dirty even though he had tried to wash away the blood - he wasn't expecting to be greeted by a neon pink post-it stuck to the door of his apartment. Warily he approached it, looking around for the culprit, but the hallway was empty and every door was closed. Not surprising, given that it was already quite late on a workday. With a jittery feeling in the pit of his stomach, he reached for the note, inwardly praying that it wasn't bad news - his day had been stressful enough already and he really didn't need any more surprises.

The handwriting was neat but sort of old-timey; not one he recognized. His brows immediately furrowed when his eyes fell on the signature.

I got you a little something to help you sleep in peace.
Unfortunately, I don't have time to give it to you in person but your next-door neighbour is kind enough to keep it safe until you pick it up. (Pay me back once I return from my assignment.)
Love from your tutor,
Chen

"What the-," Jisoo mumbled. "What does he mean 'pay me back'? And I haven't even met my neighbours yet."

The monk's eyes flitted to the door a few meters down the corridor.

He wasn't exactly keen to meet whoever was living behind it. To be completely honest, he was sure he could lead a very content life without ever meeting them at all. He just really at forced interactions and neighbours could turn into an absolute pain after a bad first impression.

Grimacing, he read the note once again.

He didn't want to meet his neighbour but his curiosity was stronger than his aversion towards another awkward encounter. What could 'a little something to help you sleep in peace' possibly be?

"If he got me chamomile tea, I swear I'm going to kick his ," Jisoo grumbled while he trudged down the corridor until he came to a stop in front of the flat of his next-door neighbour. Eyeing the door, he hesitated.

It probably wouldn't leave a great first impression to introduce himself while he was wearing torn, bloodied clothes. He didn't look exactly presentable right now. Maybe he should come by tomorrow instead.

Jisoo took a step back but stopped when he remembered that everyone in the apartment complex was working for Aegis. It probably wasn't that unusual to walk around like fresh out of a war zone.

But then again, he had no idea who was living in that flat. What if it was a Being? Maybe the smell of blood would agitate them?

The monk took another step back, the note crinkling between his fingers.

But they were probably expecting him since Chen had told them that Jisoo would pick up whatever gift he had left there.

He glanced at his own front door. Maybe he should take a quick shower and change into fresh clothes? That seemed like the most sensible thing to do.

But it was already quite late and if he did that, it would be even later. Wouldn't it be rude to bother his neighbour after eleven pm?

Slowly, Jisoo stepped forward again and scanned the door. The nameplate - a fancy metal plate, not a shoddy paper like Jisoo's - below the doorbell read "Kim".

Wow.

What kind of person wouldn't add their first name when their last name was something as generic as Kim? There were probably twenty Kims in this building alone.

Jisoo glared at the offending plate, well aware that he was tired and hungry and that his poor neighbour had done absolutely nothing to deserve the unreasonable anger he felt towards them.

It probably really wasn't a good idea to meet them now. He would come back tomorrow and apologize for taking his time and he would somehow manage to fall asleep without Chen's remedy.

Breathing a quiet sigh, the monk had just turned towards his flat when his neighbour's door opened. Hastily he turned back, ready to explain why he was loitering in the hallway, but he froze when he was met with a familiar face.

Mingyu looked just as aloof as he had back in the meeting room. The only difference was that now his gold blond hair was damp and he was wearing light-grey sweatpants and a white shirt. "Yes?"

Had his voice been that deep yesterday as well? Jisoo swallowed dryly. "H-hi. Uh. Sorry, I just came home and I saw the note on my door - you know, the one Chen left - but then I decided that it's kinda late already so I wanted to go back and ask you about it tomorrow but then you opened the door and yeah."

He was making a fool out of himself in front of his teammate. Great.

For a few seconds, he contemplated to simply flee into his flat and hide there but his rational side won and he remained standing, trying hard to look not as nervous as he felt.

After he had processed the garbled mess Jisoo had spewed at him, Mingyu nodded slowly. "Yes, he left something for you; it's in my kitchen. Do you want to come in?" he offered and opened the door a bit wider.

Jisoo caught a glimpse of crème coloured walls and an ornamented mirror. Although his curiosity was once again piqued - he had never been in the flat of a Being before -, he had learned from his past mistakes. "Uh... my shoes are really muddy right now; it's probably better if I stay outside. But thanks!"

"Of course. One moment."

The Being left and Jisoo discreetly examined what little he could see of the flat. Based on his white and grey jackets, Mingyu seemed to like light colours. Also, everything looked quite expensive.

Somewhat disappointed that he couldn't make out anything out of the ordinary, the monk pouted, although he himself didn't know what he had expected to find. When Mingyu returned with an envelope in his hands, he straightened and forced a smile.

"Here." The Being offered the envelope to Jisoo who took it with a word of gratitude. They remained standing in front of each other, the monk waiting for Mingyu to return to his flat so he could leave as well. Like it was the polite thing to do. The normal thing to do.

After a long moment, he shuffled awkwardly. Mingyu seemed completely unfazed, still leaning against the door frame. "Uhm. I'll go then? Thanks again for-"

"He said I should wait and answer your questions," the Being cut him off and Jisoo frowned in response. Chen really was going too far with his meddling.

"Oh. Yeah, sure. Sorry about that," he apologized with a stiff little bow before he examined the envelope. It was slightly bigger than normal with nothing written on it.

"I usually stay up late."

Jisoo looked up and was met with a smile. It made Mingyu's handsome face look softer and much less intimidating. The monk relaxed at the sight. It was a relief that the Being didn't seem bothered and it was even more of a relief that he wasn't openly hostile towards him.

With a silent sigh, he opened the envelope and pulled out several sheets of paper. They looked new and felt rather thick and the monk could make out different Chinese characters written in black ink. What they said was beyond him though, his knowledge of Chinese started and ended with the word for "toilet". For a moment he regretted not attending one of the Chinese classes offered in the monastery. But how could random pieces of paper possibly help him sleep? Was this another one of Chen's tricks? "Uhm... What am I supposed to do with this?" he finally asked, after examining each of the sheets for a possible explanation and not finding anything.

Mingyu chuckled, obviously amused by his cluelessness, and heat crawled over Jisoo's face. "Those are talismans; they are used to ban certain Beings. I'm assuming they are for your flat."

Talismans? He had heard of those before but had never seen one in person. One of the elder monks at the monastery had been able to create them but he had died during Jisoo's aspirant year. "Wow. How does it work? Do I have to activate them?" He wouldn't have to sacrifice something, right?

Mingyu chuckled again and the monk felt a small pang of annoyance. Somehow he got the impression that the Being was looking down on him. "They are already activated," Mingyu explained. "Pin them to your walls; that should be enough."

"Oh alright, thanks!" Time to leave. As nice as the other acted, his close proximity and the lack of knowledge about Mingyu made Jisoo nervous - but the Being wasn't finished.

"He seems to really like you. Those talismans are powerful and he usually doesn't hand out gifts," he said, sharp eyes trailing up and down the monk's frame as if to see why anyone would like a Human. Goosebumps immediately rose on Jisoo's skin. It reminded him of the way Soonyoung had examined him the day before and he felt the strong urge to run. He took a step back and Mingyu's lips twitched into a smile. It was lacking the warmth of the one before.

"He wrote that I should pay him," the monk squeaked and Mingyu's smile widened.

"Oh? Well, that's Chen for you."

It took a while for the unsettling feeling to vanish after Jisoo had bid his farewell to his neighbour. It also didn't help that it had been quite hard for him to step back into his flat's hallway where everything had happened the night before. He had almost chickened out after mistaking the shadow of his coat rack for Kai.

After he had taped the talismans to his hallway wall, Jisoo remained in front of them, studying them for a second time. They looked like regular calligraphy to him; nothing about them seemed powerful enough to stop a Being from entering his flat. Maybe it was all an elaborate