Hello, I am Felix || Chanlix

Call 01

The cold breeze of the wind brushed against Chan's uncovered arms the moment he stepped out of their car. His gaze fixated on the perfectly white-painted house in front of him. It looked old, but the exterior was very pleasing.

"The first one to enter the house will pick the nicest room!" A cheerful shout from Chan's younger brother was heard, followed by a burst of loud laughter from his sister, who promptly darted towards the door after playfully shoving their younger brother in Chan's direction.

"Yah! Noona, you're cheating!" the poor boy protested before following his sister inside their new home. "Aigoo, those two are really hyper," Chan remarked, looking at his mother and sharing a smile with her. "They are excited to move here, eomma."

"Lucas literally talked about Korea the whole flight," both Chan and his mother laughed when Mr. Bang suddenly spoke after walking out of his car. Chan surveyed the surroundings; everything felt different. The structures of houses, the weather, and the vibes of this place were distinct from what he was used to. He sighed, realising that he was no longer in Australia. It's not that he hated Korea, but the need to socialize and adjust everything about his studies irritated him. Adding to the frustration was the fact that he didn't have any friends here.

"Chan, can you help me bring our luggage inside?" His father's request brought him back to the present. Chan immediately walked to his father's side and assisted in carrying their belongings inside.

As Chan entered their new home, he marveled at the interior. The design was eye-pleasing, with walls painted in a coral white colour, and the furniture harmonized with the surroundings. It was beautiful.

"Your room is upstairs. You can bring your luggage there and call your siblings to get theirs as well," Chan nodded to his father and proceeded to carry his luggage upstairs.

A loud running footstep from above announced the arrival of a pouty Lucas. "Why does Chan Hyung have the largest room, Appa?" the boy asked, pouting and crossing his arms, glaring at their parents.

Chan chuckled, teasing his brother with a smile. "Because I'm the boss, kid," he said, ruffling Lucas's hair before walking up to see his room. Lucas whined, complaining about their room assignments.

They reached Chan's door, and upon opening it, Chan was awestruck once again. His room was delightful, with his computer, keyboard, guitar, and other musical instruments neatly arranged. The bed looked cozy and comfortable.

"Hyung, let's exchange." Lucas said again but Chan only gave him a teasing smile, "kiss my ass first or smell my fart," the older teased.

"But you said I'm the boss now."

"You're the boss, but I'm the master. If you're not willing to smell my fart, then go away because I want to rest now."

"Ugh! This is unfair, Hyung!"

"Nothing's unfair, child. Now, go away." Chan pushed Lucas towards the door, shutting it to get some peace. With the younger one gone, Chan placed his luggage beside his computer table and threw himself onto his new bed.

It was a big relief that their parents had already settled everything before they moved. The only thing they carried now was their clothes, as everything else had been sorted out a week before they flew back to Korea.

Chan lay on his fluffy, cozy, and soft bed, letting his eyes roam around the room. He liked everything; his parents even added a small space in the corner for his recording booth. Everything was perfect. The only challenge now was adapting quickly to his new environment, especially his new university. As a transferred student, some subjects were not credited, requiring him to retake a few.

Lost in thoughts about his new school, Chan's attention was drawn to an old telephone on his computer table. He stood up, wowed at the sight of it, and tried using it, realising it was just a design.

"I think this is just for show," Chan whispered, acknowledging that the phone's aesthetic matched the room's vibe. He brought the telephone down, returned to his bed, and rested.

* * *

A week swiftly slipped by, and for Chan, it hadn't been an easy transition. Starting university on his third day in Korea proved to be a shock. The people were fine, the places were fine, but the workload was anything but fine—it was downright overwhelming. Playing catch-up due to his delayed start in the semester added to the pressure, especially for someone already in their senior year. Only on his fourth day, yet his workload seemed fit for an entire semester.

"Goddammit, I already took this subject in Australia. Why the hell do I still need to retake this one?" Chan's complaint about the umpteenth activity related to Ethnomusicology echoed through the room. The subject was clearly not his forte.

Sighing, he pushed away from his computer table, allowing the chair to glide closer to his bed. Legs now resting on the bed, he pulled out his phone to check the time. Almost 10 PM, and there was still a mountain of tasks to tackle.

"This is hell."

In just a week, he found himself resenting everything, especially the workload. Despite his eagerness to be productive, his mind struggled to process the flood of information from the past five hours, leaving him stuck in the middle of typing his paper.

Now faced with the dilemma of whether to sleep, play computer games, or finish his paper, he found himself in a trance when a ringing sound interrupted his thoughts. Checking his phone, he found no incoming call. The mysterious ringing persisted.

Chan, perplexed, searched for the source until it abruptly stopped, only to resume after a few seconds. Rising from the computer chair, he followed the sound until he identified the source—the old telephone on his computer table. He froze, eyes fixed on the ringing device, his confusion evident.

It was peculiar because that telephone was supposed to be non-functional—it was already broken. The ringing ceased, and Chan sighed in relief. About to return to his chair, the telephone rang again, startling him. "Holy shit," he muttered.

Nervously, he approached the telephone, examining it. Paranormal thoughts flooded his mind—how could a broken telephone suddenly start ringing? Surveying his room for any other anomalies, everything appeared normal except for the peculiar ringing device. Out of curiosity, he picked it up, wondering if they had misjudged its functionality.

Holding the telephone up silenced the ringing. Placing it near his ear, a deep, angelic voice from the other end spoke, "[Hello? Is someone there? Can you hear me?]" Chan, too bewildered and nervous to respond, stayed silent. What the hell was happening?

There's a long moment of silence. Confusion filled Chan's mind as he knew that the old telephone was already broken. How come it suddenly worked out of nowhere?

He slightly moved the old device away from his ear thinking that he was probably having some crazy hallucinations because of the lack of enough sleep not until the same voice spoke again.

"[Hello, I am Felix.]"

Published: 2021.08.31
strayradish_