If Hanni could delete one person off the face of the earth, she would choose her obnoxious neighbor.
Hanni is not a successful person, not yet. Her work hours are hectic followed by a troubled academic career that sucks up all the time she can't even remember having. There were 24 hours in a day, and Hanni felt like she was staying awake for every minute without even remembering what rest is.
It's complicated, it's stressful. Her shoulders are tense and her dark circles are sunken. Her hair is duller than usual, and her body is showing obvious signs of fatigue from how hard her life has been.
She worked at a convenience store. Sometimes she has to take heavy shifts that take over her early hours, and that's painful because that was the only work option that didn't let her feel the true feeling of humiliation. Hanni can only say one thing, and that thing is that she loves herself enough to not allow herself to fall into the clutches of working at a McDonald's branch.
It's exhausting anyway. More than you can reason. It's a ragged sigh that escapes her throat when she opens the creaky wooden door of her apartment and finds her house the same way she left it the day before.
She had just spent an entire late night shift at the convenience store. And straight from her job, she made her way to college. There, she studied in the library desperately swallowing a full pack of energy drinks. The texts she read were extensive, and boring, but necessary because a few hours later it was crucial for a test. And Hanni doesn't even want to think about how hellish it was to write her answers on paper when she felt every cell in her body begging for some rest, even if she fainted in the middle of public transport.
And the infernal noise of a loudspeaker, which bursts through the thin walls of all the apartments on that floor the song 'Go Girl' by Pitbull without any qualms. Hanni feels her blood boiling in just a few moments.
She sighs, removing the heavy bag from her shoulder with all her notebooks, books, and important notes and letting go of her hands without any strength. It falls to the floor and melts through the carpet which is a few years behind on the trend, scattering the mess of all the papers in her already disorganized home.
She's exhausted, she's tired and especially, irritated.
Annoyed by Kim Minji's presence.
The music is so loud she can't even hear herself think. It's painful, as Pitbull's voice echoes through the four corners of her head and Hanni feels like she wants to die. All she wants is to allow herself to sprawl out on her old - and recycled - sofa, without worrying about the next day that already hits her without even starting.
But with her insufferable neighbor, it was impossible to even exist without feeling overwhelmed.
Milly and Mia, her pet dogs, barks tirelessly joining the overstimulation of different sounds on that floor. It's all too much for her. It's the dogs, it's her throbbing head, it's Young Bo's voice, it's the squeaky door, it's the walls vibrating from the bass music, and the mess in her apartment that makes everything just too much.
She lets out a scream that is drowned out by the music. Heavy steps that mark her notes with the dirty sole of her shoe are directed to the door of Kim Minji, the obnoxious neighbor with her exaggerated and nonsensical music.
A surge of energy and adrenaline rushes through her body. Suddenly, Hanni feels like she hasn't gone a good few hours without closing her eyelids in a deep sleep. She's angry, she's spiteful. It's for war, and it's mainly for having Kim Minji's blood on her hands.
She bangs on the old wooden door a few times - with a hatred so deep that the old doorknob almost gives in and breaks in front of her.
But she receives no response from the other side. Hanni can hear a few more chuckles.
Hanni bangs on the door once more. This time, she hits even harder and is surprised when the wood doesn't surrender to her strength, even if it seems to be hanging by a thread.
Finally, a reaction she likes comes from inside that apartment. The door that once vibrated from the sound now quiets down as the music is turned down and steps are taken towards the door. And the handle so cheap and weak finally turns.
A tall woman, 1.74 meters, with black hair and short bangs is revealed from behind the door. She was strangely beautiful, but definitely not Kim Minji. "Uh, yo... Minji?" The woman calls out, a confused look directed at Hanni. "Is this your bitch?"
What?
Some laughter echoed in the background, which shortly ceased after the question. The music was still playing, but at a much better volume now. Hanni is embarrassed by what the very pretty woman says, and before she can fight back, the most unbearable sight unfolds in front of her.
Minji, wearing football gear - helmet and shoulder pads, while holding a long neck of some random beer in her hand. She looked cheerful, with a smug smile on her face.
Minji looks at Hanni and widens her smug smile. "No, but it could be," Minji answers the woman who leaned against the doorframe. The stranger gives a loose laugh, equally smug, and looks Hanni up and down.
Her attraction to the stranger baffles her with her brazen act - also Minji's, and it leaves her cheeks flushed with pink. Suddenly, Hanni regrets knocking on Minji's door dressed the way she is - in sweats, flip-flops, and socks, with deep circles under her eyes and messy hair like a maniac. But then she remembers that this is Minji, and her presence is unbearable, and she lets it go.
"She's cute, huh." A mischievous smile appears on the unknown girl's face. She crosses her arms, and with a predatory look observes Hanni without any qualms.
"L-Look-" Hanni stutters, she pauses briefly to take a deep breath. "Can you please keep the sound down? I need to sleep and I work very early in the morning. If you two keep making that loud noise, I will not hesitate to call the police!"
"Wow, relax shawty." The stranger says, a weak laugh dancing in the corner of her mouth. "We can turn the noise down for you, okay? Stay calm."
"No, bro..." Minji looks at the stranger, she tries stupidly to drink the beer with her helmet but fails. The stranger laughs and Minji does it too. "There's that thing..."
The stranger looks confused at Minji. "That what?"
"That thing, dude." Minji points with her head heavily on her helmet towards a person inside the house itself. Hanni doesn't see much, but she hears a feminine laugh and can already connect the dots.
The unknown girl laughs. "As if you could make someone scream all night."
"Are you doubting?" Minji asks, eyes intent and ego bruised.
The pretty one clicks her tongue against the roof of her mouth and smiles smugly at Hanni. "Look, calm down. We're gonna manage the noise, I'm sorry for the inconvenience we caused.
Pretty and polite? Hanni needs to control herself as her cheeks are already red again. "Thanks." She responds at last.
The unknown girl blinks one of her eyes in the direction of the shorter one, who has to roll her eyes so as not to reveal that it moved her more than it should.
A sigh escapes her mouth as the door closes. Relieved that the sound is now not so loud as to make the walls shake, but, it's easy to put up with. Despite everything, Hanni knows exactly where her salary can pay, and she prefers to be in the middle of an unknown neighbor in a dodgy building than to share the terrible dorm on her college campus when there are no vacancies for a better place.
Hanni allows herself to return to the house, and before she re-enters her apartment, the barking of Shiro echoes, and a woman approximately the same height as hers, knocks on Minji's door gently.
The door opens once more, Hanni is still standing in front of her door with her sweatshirt two sizes too big for her own, watching the unfolding scene.
It's Minji - the hostess, who opens this time. The smile of the woman of her height grows on her face and Minji shares it too.
"Minjeong, you've arrived..." It's a disgusting smile that is on Minji's face. The one who doesn't hide her intentions at all.
"I said I would come." The other one, until then, Minjeong, answers.
"Yujin and Wonyoung are waiting for you, come on in," Minji makes room for the woman to enter. The muffled sound of Go Girl fades out and another song starts, and Hanni identifies the sound and discovers that the next song is 'Party Monster' by The Weeknd. "Make yourself at home."
Hanni doesn't realize that her body is automatically rejecting that promiscuous behavior. Her head shakes the tiniest bit when she sees the unfolding of that scene and the way Minji bites her own lower lip without scruples when she observes the legs exposed by the short skirt of the Minjeong girl. Hanni thinks Minji is a pig.
And Minji sees that.
"What?" Confused question.
"You are disgusting," Hanni responds promptly.
"That's how they like it." The smug smile returns to her face.
"They who? You don't fuck anyone."
"Don't worry, Han. I'm all yours if you want it, just ask." She replied with a smile. Hanni squeezed her eyes shut so as not to roll them to the point where they both fell out of her face.
"Just don't make too much noise, Minji." She changes the subject because her cheeks got hot. "I am serious. I don't know if you have a life, but I do, and I need at least one night's rest after the day I've had."
"Relax," Minji says nonchalantly, leaning against the doorframe with her football gear still on. "I will try to manage."
"No. You won't try, you will manage . " Hanni demands. "Promise me."
"Shit, how bossy..." Minji bites her lower lip, she likes that angry side of Hanni, and it makes the older one roll her eyes, unable to hold back this time. "Okay, yeah. I promise."
And without answering Minji, Hanni enters her apartment and closes the door just like that. The creak of wood echoed through that corridor and left Minji with a dubious smile on her face. She waits a few seconds at her door after Hanni closes the door to her apartment and enters her own, watching as Yujin and Wonyoung exchange intense kisses while Minjeong patiently awaits her actions.
Hanni amuses her.
