The doorbell rang. It was yet another parcel that I received for my neighbors, they were often not home. I had moved into this apartment building a few months ago but still didn’t know most of them as there were many tenants. Today, the parcel was for a Mr. Song, who according to the address line, lived on the floor above me. The package was rather light, I wondered what other people bought online.

I put the box down near the door – I’d bring it upstairs when I went to get groceries later. Now, I had to get ready for work. I was already running late, and quickly gathered up my things into my bag, pulled my hair into a ponytail and rushed out the door. I pressed the elevator button urgently, it was taking so long on the first floor. Also… did I bring my wallet? My employee pass was in there. I rummaged through my bag – clearly I’ve forgotten it. I rushed back into my flat, I could hear the lift ding as it stopped on my floor.

---

The elevator stopped at the third floor. The doors opened but there was no one. Joong Ki pressed the button to close the doors, and heard the thud of an apartment door as the elevator doors slid shut. When he got to his floor, he noticed a delivery note taped to his door:

“Your package has been delivered to your neighbor on the 3^rd floor, Ms. Kwon.”

Ah right, he totally forgot about the shoes he had ordered. Running his hand through his hair, Joong Ki made his way down the stairs without entering his apartment since the neighbor was just below him. He checked the names on the doorbells, and finally got to the one that said “Ms. Kwon”, which was the flat right below his. Joong Ki rapped his fist on the door three times, waited, then rang the doorbell. Silence. Seems like no one was home. He decided to leave a note for her since he didn’t know when she’d be home, and made his way back upstairs.

---

It had been a long day at work, and I couldn’t wait to collapse onto my couch. It had been a cloudy day, and it started raining when I was on my way home. I closed my maroon umbrella at the entrance of the apartment building, and saw out of the corner of my eye, a flash of navy blue as a man opened his umbrella and stepped out onto the street. He was tall, handsome and wore a classic denim jacket. He looked vaguely familiar, as though I’ve seen him somewhere before. Maybe I’ve met him once in the elevator or something here. There was something about him, a feeling I couldn’t quite pinpoint. He answered his phone as he walked away, and I turned to enter the building.

I took the elevator to my floor, and as I was about to open the door to my apartment, I noticed that there was a post-it note stuck to my door.

“Hi Ms. Kwon,

I came by but you were not home. Can you please bring me my parcel when you’re back? I live right above you. Thank you very much.

Mr. Song”

Right, the neighbor’s parcel that I received earlier. I opened my apartment door, threw my things in, grabbed the parcel and headed upstairs. I located Mr. Song’s door, and knocked three times. There was no answer, and I rang the doorbell. Still nothing. Maybe this time he wasn’t home. I decided to just leave the parcel at his door, no one would take it.

---

It was raining, and Joong Ki forgot to bring his umbrella. He sighed and went back upstairs, grabbed the umbrella and went back down. As he opened his navy umbrella at the foyer of the apartment building, he saw the girl next to him close her maroon umbrella. She looked vaguely familiar, as though he had met her before, although nothing about the way she looked seemed recognizable. His heart beat faster; she was wearing an elegant green blazer dress and looked very pretty.

His phone rang, it was John. “Yeah I’m coming out now, I forgot my umbrella.” He spoke on the phone as he stepped into the rainy street.”

-

It had been a long night with lots of drinking, Joong Ki hadn’t met his friends in a while. A little tipsy, he managed to make it to his flat and saw a parcel waiting for him at the door. It was the shoes he had ordered! Finally.

Joong Ki wondered who this neighbor Ms. Kwon was and how she looked like. Was she as pretty as the lady he saw just now? Maybe it was her. But he would find out another day, now he just wanted to sleep. Joong Ki dropped the parcel on the floor and it made a loud thud. He hoped it didn’t wake Ms. Kwon up. He sank onto his couch and drifted out of consciousness, his last thought lingering on the lady in the green dress.

---

A loud thud from above woke me from my slumber. I glanced at the clock, it was 3am. Mr. Song must have just returned home. I hoped he received his parcel, and vaguely wondered who he was and what he looked like. Could he have been the man in the denim jacket just now? Maybe I’ll meet him one day and get to know. But now, sleep claimed me, and I dreamed of parcels and umbrellas.