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. . .

 

Hyera exited the lift and entered the daunting looking corridor. The darkness of the night almost swallowing the entire hallway and silence claiming its territory.

 

The sound of her luggage’s wheels squeaked against the tiled floor, breaking the silence. It reminded her of the horror scenes in thriller movies where hospital beds were being pushed in a dark unknown corridor filled with overwhelming sinister aura as any seconds before an atrocious looking being popped out of the darkness.

 

She shook her head lightly trying to pull away her wild imagination as her eyes began to wonder around the corridor, searching for the number 1207 engraved on the oblong plank etched on the lined doors.

 

1205

 

1206

 

1207 , Hyera footsteps were brought to a halt.

 

A small grin spread across her features as the image of her living her life in the very apartment behind the closed door. Now, she can be back home without adults nagging at her, able to eat and drink where ever she likes in the house to sum it up the thought of freedom it just plain delightful.

 

After years living with her family she thought that she need some personal space and used the term independent to break away from her family’s hold and live by herself when she starts University. Living in the dorm of the school were the same as living under her parent’s roof but far more strict with the rules listed so, she decided to rent an apartment for herself. But unfortunately, she have to wait for almost a year to finally have the apartment. For the meanwhile, she stayed over at Chaerin’s house. And the bird was in captive again with the whisper of the devil named freedom. It’s not that Chaerin’s family were against the idea of a guest in the house but in fact they welcomed her and even persuade her to live with them. But it was a big NO, as she desperately accept the current agent’s offer for this apartment even though she will have a room mate of her own. She didn’t mind though.

 

Hyera pushed the cover of the automated lock up, that revealed a blue lit keypad.

 

0114, she punched in the number.

 

The automated lock beeped and the door unlocked. She charily open the door and a nauseating smell greeted her. She cringed in disgust before her gag reflex came. She pulled her turtle neck further up to her nose hoping that it would stop the nauseating smell from numbing her sense of smell.

 

Hastily, she leaned on the door preventing it from closing upon no force as she pulled in her two luggage almost toppling over them. She regained her balance as she realized the amount of sneakers that were thrown carelessly on the ground that almost made her fell, such a proper greeting into a new home isn’t it ?

 

Hyera’s eyes roamed around the house from the mini hallway just before the door. The house was in a mess. Clothes being thrown on the couch and on the floor, piles of snack packaging lying around and instant noodles cups being stacked on the coffee table with numerous amount of can and package drinks. The television and fans were on when nobody is around.

 

No wonder she wanted another tenant, probably to share the excessive electrical bills piling up.

 

Hyera stepped foot out of her comfy sneakers as she stood on the sides of her foot, not daring to step on the filthy flooring. Being a clean freak she is, she will definitely clean this place up after she had settled down and change into her home attire. There’s no way she could even think of sleeping in a filthy house.

 

She picked her sneakers and placed it on the shoe rack beside a fancy men’s footwear.

 

“ What.. “ she turned to look at the footwear for the second time after the first glance. Why is this here ?

 

A fancy men footwear, the ones that businessmen walked around in. What is it doing in the apartment? From that, her eyes began to scan the shoes at the entrance. There is a big wooden cabinet and a shoe rack just beside it, but sneakers were scattered all over the ground. Her eyes ran across the sneakers and strangely, there were jordons, converse, vans and absolutely no high heels nor sandals. Well definitely the intention is to not generalize the whole female population for it’s a must to own a high heel but there’s not a single shoe that speaks feminine in them.

 

She reached out for the cabinet’s handle and swung it open to be greeted by the sight of the men’s fancy footwear neatly arranged. This .. can’t be

 

“ Yah ! “ A grating voice that clearly belongs to a guy greeted her and that sealed her assumption of her room mate’s gender. The simple rude greeting that left his lips were like the cold air roaming in the winter’s sky as it made her froze in her spot. What should I do ..

 

“ Are you my room mate ? “ he asked. This time his words felt less threatening. He probably wasn’t aware of Hyera as the door of the wooden cabinet shield her from his eyes.

 

“ Aren’t you going to answer me? “ frustration rode on his voice as Hyera remained silent, still thinking what she should do . There’s no way she would call Chaerin to pick her up at 12:00AM. She slowly retreat from the cabinet and present herself before her room mate.

 

“ H-hello , I’m the tenant who rented the room. “ she greeted him and bowed almost immediately, trying to avoid his gaze and clearly not aware of who he is.

 

“ Y-you.. “ he stuttered. Hyera remained in her 90 degree bow position, not budging.

 

“ You are a girl ! “ he stated the clear fact. Hyera exhaled and braced herself to face her astonished room mate as she shifted her gaze from the filthy floor to the person who stood before her.

 

“ Yes, I’m a g- “

 

The one who stood before her weren't just her room mate. Hyera's tensed features goes slack, eyes widened as her pursed lips parted, eyebrows up and curved before her screams rent the air followed by his scream.