In the complex Jeongguk lives in, it's relatively quiet. If you don't count the distant train, the police sirens, or the cars driving by, it's ideal and one of the good places.
Jeongguk's problem, though, is that he lives next to the loudest fucking gate in history.
Opening the gate, no problem. Closing the gate, however, is like shooting a machine gun burst with ten times the volume. It doesn't help him that his apartment is on the edge of the building, and he's sure the neighbours downstairs have an even harder time. But hell, he's allowed to be peeved at it.
He knows it's loud for a reason, he knows it's made for the gated community, but couldn't they have gotten a better, more quiet sounding metal fence? Or put a piece of foam on the edge? Anything was better than the rough, loud bang of metal on metal, and the lock clicking ridiculously more loud than it needed to.
Jeongguk's had it by now.
He's got blisters on his foot from running earlier that week - more like walking five miles to stave off depression, and he'd gone and worn the wrong shoes - which makes him more exhausted having to hoist himself around the apartment. He's either hopping on one foot or he's limping awkwardly with his blistered foot bent in a way it shouldn't be bent. So yeah. He's fuckng exhausted from dealing with that.
He's going to bed late. No more later than usual, mind you, he usually heads to bed around two in the morning, not having to wake up until nine. He turns off his game console at one, limps his way to bed, pulls up his phone, and settles to reading in the dark whatever books he's hastily downloaded any amount of time ago.
It's hopeless.
Barely twenty minutes have passed before that motherfucking gate starts to make noise and causes him to jump and glare at the window, as if it will make it stop. But the gate keeps opening. Then closing. Then opening. Then closing. He can hear the faint sound of children's voices, and all he can think is, 'What the fuck are five-year-olds doing up at one in the morning?'
He continues on reading, intent to ignore the noise. But it continues. A mother's voice scolding, the children's voices growing, and he's positive that those little shits are playing with the gate on purpose. Whoever they belong to, that person needs to put their children somewhere the fuck else.
Once more ten minutes later and he wants to scream.
Jeongguk puts his phone down, opens his shades, lifts up his window a little more and yells through the bug screen.
"Shut up!" he calls out. "Shut the fuck up! It's almost two in the fucking morning, shut the fuck up!" And he closes his blinds again and drops back into bed, going back to reading and hoping the scolding will do him and his neighbours some good, earn them all peace and quiet for the rest of the night.
Doesn't happen.
Not five minutes later does Jeongguk furrow his brows at what he believes to be knocking. But who in the hell could be knocking?
It keeps going and Jeongguk whines to himself, burying his face in his pillow for a moment before he drags himself up and limps his way towards the front door.
"What?" he asks harshly, sleep-deprivation lacing his tone, along with irritation. He looks up and visibly freezes.
"Yeah, hi," the man on the other side of the door frame greets, waving a hand. "I'm the guy you told to shut the fuck up for using the gate?" Jeongguk straightens up and rubs at his eyes.
This is no mother. No child. Just a guy who Jeongguk doubts was playing around with the gate out of boredom.
"I-" Jeongguk says, but he cuts himself off and closes his eyes. "Sorry. I just- There were these kids earlier and they kept messing with the gate and-"
"No, I get it," the man says, and holds out a hand. "Just thought I'd formally introduce myself rather than be known as the Annoying Fucking Gate Guy." Jeongguk stares at the hand before he shakes it. "Kim Taehyung."
"Um...," Jeongguk hums and blinks away sleep. "Yeah. Jeon Jeongguk. Sorry, again, about yelling, it's been a long day." He sighs. "I'm not getting to sleep anytime soon. You can come in if you want to." And that Taehyung does. Slips off his shoes and looks around the apartment curiously.
"Looks nice," Taehyung muses and Jeongguk nods, shutting the front door.
"You want coffee or something?" Jeongguk asks, not bothering with turning on a light, the moonlight from the window illuminating everything enough for him to navigate himself.
"Coffee's fine," Taehyung agrees, and turns to tighten his lips and lean on the counter island. "Why're you up so late?"
"I'm always up this late," Jeongguk says. "Why're you?"
"I was out at a place and I stayed too long. Sometimes I forget how loud the gate is, especially at this time." Jeongguk just hums in response. "What happened to your foot?" Jeongguk looks back to see Taehyung craning his neck to glimpse at the Ace-bandaged, blistered foot.
"Running- Well," Jeongguk busies with the water pot, "walking. I wore bad shoes and walked five miles. So, blisters." Taehyung just laughs.
"Why'd you do that?" Taehyung asks with a smile.
"I don't know."
"Couldn't even take the time to put on, I don't know, walking shoes?" Jeongguk simply frowns and shakes his head, grinning when Taehyung laughs again. It's one of the more stupid things Jeongguk has done in his life, maybe not as bad as squatting down in jeans maybe-too-small and ripping the seam right on his ass. In front of people, not to mention. But definitely somewhere on his top twenty list. He'd even thrown away the old pair of shoes and gone to get newer, better ones.
The two make conversation. Small points of life, work and friends and family. Onto school and before Jeongguk knows it, they'd made a place on the couch and a full hour has passed along easily. His coffee is almost cold and his foot doesn't hurt as much since he wasn't walking on it anymore, but Taehyung stands.
"Should probably go," he says, putting the empty mug on the table. "It's late - early? - and I have got loads of work tomorrow. Today. Whatever." Jeongguk hums in response and stands up with him.
"What apartment do you even live in?" he asks, and Taehyung turns. Before he points to the right.
"I'm actually right next door," he says, and Jeongguk chokes on his spit. "Yeah, I didn't want to say so in case you were going to invite me in." Jeongguk stares at him. "Even if you yelled at me earlier, I think your cute face makes up for it." Oh, Jeongguk is so not fucking blushing.
"R-Right," Jeongguk chokes out, barely, and Taehyung chuckles. "Um, well... If I'm ever annoying with the gate, you just yell at me." Taehyung shakes his head.
"We're past yelling." Taehyung brandishes a paper and pen - from seemingly nowhere, it looks like - and scribbles. "My number." Jeongguk watches as Taehyung puts the slip on the counter island.
"But you're just next door," Jeongguk says suddenly. "Couldn't I just...knock on your door?" Taehyung hummed and nods.
"I mean, whatever it takes to get you closer." He clicks his tongue and makes his way to the front door. "See you, Jeongguk." Jeongguk stands as he hears his front door open and close, then what he assumes to be Taehyung's door open and close. He stands there for a few moments, trying to process before he jumps at the sound of a few succeeding knocks. This time from his wall. It's a five-beat pattern, waiting to be finished.
So Jeongguk taps back the remaining two beats, and he swears he can hear laughter on the other side of the wall.
