Block A 「Nishimura Riki」

1

Eiko Rin

"I'm telling you, Yunseo. It's actually good here." Eiko admired the sunset for the umpteenth time. A pool of red-orange rested over the overcast sky. The sun was its own saturated yellow even as it sunk behind the roofs of numerous houses. "You should really move over here too."

Yunseo sighed. "Out of all the things you said I still don't see why it'd be a fun place to live. It sounds like a regular neighborhood."

Eiko scoffed in response but didn't say anything more. Yunseo did it instead. "What did you say the name was again?"

"Block A. You should really check it out when you have the chance," Eiko enthusiastically answered. "Okay I have to go, I still have lots to unpack."

Yunseo blurted an exclamation instantly. "Wait! We just got on the phone." Eiko heard her sulk through the speaker. She let out an amused chuckle. Yunseo was always an exaggerator. It was 7:33 when they opened the call with friendly hello's and now it's 8:24 and it had almost been an hour.

Eiko released a small thrum behind her lips and spoke over Yunseo's incessant complaints. "I'll talk to you later. Love you, bye!" She drew out the bye to cover Yunseo's voice before she hit the end-call button and returned to her home screen. Eiko pocketed her phone and stared at the boxes adorning the rooms.

There really is a lot to unpack. She could've done it and saved her time for doing it any later as told to Yunseo, or she could take a walk about the neighborhood before returning to her home. And Eiko tends to avoid work, especially hefty work that takes a long time even though she would have to do it eventually. Like her motto, Eiko simply thought to herself that's future me's problem.

So Eiko grabbed the jacket she came in with a few hours ago and slipped it on again. It was typically cold during the fall in Korea. She learned that the hard way when she came from Japan with clothes not ready for the weather here. People learn from experiences and Eiko has surely learned hers then.

Eiko had slipped the key into her pocket before she even thought to embark on her adventure around the neighborhood, of course only after she locked the door.  "Block A here I come."

She walked the concrete of the sidewalk with her hands in her pockets. Like she expected, it was cold. Cold but so beautiful. The deep orange of the sky sent a hue to Eiko and her surroundings. It felt like a movie and Eiko loved it. Skies like this were rare in Japan. Orange and almost red. Eiko doubted that she ever saw something like this.

The night was so tranquil. It felt nice. Eiko could tell she was going to love this neighborhood. She looked all around her. Lights were off in houses, streets lights almost as equally dark as the sky. Dang, this place is magical.

Eiko decided to pull her phone out to snap a picture to boast to Yunseo. She pointed the camera to the ascending moon and allowed it to focus before she took the photo. She smiled to none other than herself and sent it to Yunseo with an acquainting message of 'you wish you had this view ;)'. Eiko laughed softly and hid her phone again.

She stepped further to a rounding building in the corner. From far away Eiko saw that it was a simple convenience store. She would have to check it out another day.

The serenity of the moment was sliced through with the sound of a dull thud. Eiko looked over to where it came from with her curiosity piqued. She became pretty alert to sounds anyway. Her gaze led her to the opening of an alleyway squeezed between two apartment complexes.

This is like a horror movie. Eiko knew fair enough about alleyways considering the amount of movies she had watched where something always went wrong when somebody checked it out, nonetheless her heart is made of gold and she approached the home of the noise under the thoughts that something bad had happened.