Don't @ Me • Luwoo

27

For Jungwoo to say he wasn't afraid of his own apartment would be the biggest lie to ever slip past his lips. Sure, he wasn't terrified but any normal person would be afraid of the constant odd noise that emerged from the sink.

Which is why Jungwoo had switched the light on in the said kitchen. The art student let his eyes race over ever inch of the kitchen that he told himself he'd clean later that week. He searched for the garbage bag that he had asked Yukhei to tie up and place somewhere before the model had left. His eyes didn't wander long and landed on the stretched out white plastic bag near the fridge.

Jungwoo hurried across the kitchen, his feet hitting the cold tiles as he ran, to the corner to wear the plastic bag leaned on one of the cabinets. The kitchen and the bathroom were the only places in his apartment with tiles instead of carpet.

Finally reaching the garbage, his thin fingers gripped onto the red strings that came out of the plastic. Jungwoo hoisted the bag up and over his shoulder, too busy trying to get in and out of the kitchen as fast as possible to complain about the odd feeling of the tiles. It only took a few seconds and he was back in the hallway with the plastic bag now hanging over his shoulder.

He let out a sigh of relief before he glanced at the sink that continued to grumble. Jungwoo flinched at the thought of something living in one of those metal pipes. The art student closed his eyes as if to erase the mental images quickly before he let himself finally walk past the entrance of the kitchen. It was connected to the hallway of course, he scurried far enough to where was in the living room instead. The front door now being across from his left.

Tightening his grip on the strap from the plastic bag that he had moved down to his side, Jungwoo walked over to the door and unlocked it before turning the knob and opening it.

Once opened, Jungwoo peeked his head out. The small like hallway was utterly wordless, the art student eyed the stretched hall that went down from his left and right with other apartment doors beside his own and in front of his own. The hissing and rustling sound of bugs from the windows at each end of the hallway were heard, the elevators also stood at those ends next to a stairs case. The long strips of lights that were attached to the ceiling flickered randomly with sparking sounds, some giving out mid way.

Jungwoo swallowed hard, this hallway hadn't seemed as intimidating while Yukhei had helped him move. Now that he stuck his head out from his door way, Jungwoo felt like if he were to even step foot in that hallway it'd eat him whole. Maybe he should just take out the trash tomorrow. Jungwoo agreed to himself  at the thought, his life was more important than his clean freak tendencies. He nodded to no one and was about to slide back behind the door when there was a large crash at the right end of  hallway.

Jungwoo jolted, he felt the hair on his arms stand to their ends as his toes curled. His eyes bugged out and he dashed in backwards, closing the door loudly and rather quickly before switching on the lock with his shaking fingers just as fast. His heart sent buzzing alarms all over his body. The art student could feel his lungs squeeze as his body leaned against the back of his door for support from the scare that left his legs feeling like jelly. He slumped further on the wood, his eyes now shut.

Silent and moveless seconds passed, the thundering of his heart and the shallow intakes of breath being the only things that rang in his ears. The rabid organ in chest being to slowly sooth istself into a regular beat. No sounds emerged from behind the wood of his door. Jungwoo gulped. Feeling his tense shoulders sag further at the wordless atmosphere. His grip at the garbage bag, that hung at his legs, burning tight

Ironically, just when his let out his first full breath that had been trapped in his lungs through all the quick ones, there was a hard and honestly starling to bone bang heard right outside his door. Jungwoo's eyes stung now with from all these times they've almost felt like falling out, he could feel the bang vibrate his door and cold ran through his veins.

The art student pulled back abruptly back from the door to only fall like a rag doll on his ass at the bang. The garbage bag had been long forgetten and left by the door instead of at his side. Jungwoo stared at his door, bringing himself up to lean on the palm of his outstretched hands thatnow gripped at his carpet. The bang had come from something or even someone being backed up directly on his door.

Jungwoo's eyes got bigger to the sight of his door rattle again. The Korean male felt a noise travel up his throat but quickly covered his lips with one of his palms, limiting the sound of his starlted scream. His heart had stopped for a minute but was now going full speed. Jungwoo felt his breath being choked at what he heard next.

"Why are there more of you, honestly?" A baritone and scratchy voice growled from Jungwoo's door. There was a gasp of air and someone was scrambling on the art student's door. Was someone being held up against it? Jungwoo felt his heart now stop as more choking and gasping sounds were heard. "Huh?" The voice further hissed.

"Hansol, calm down." Someone else faintly called, footsteps were heard getting closer to Jungwoo's door. The Korean male never once ripping away from his door with his saucer eyes. The baritone voice scoffed and there was a thud at the floor in front of the door.

"Shut the fuck up Jaehyun, stop letting the whole 'I'm second in command' get to your head, just cause of your new little status doesn't mean you suddenly have authority over anyone." The voice, Jungwoo had guessed belonged to a man named Hansol, snarled.

"I'm pretty sure that's exactly what that means." The other voice replied, calmness threading his words. There was a short period of silence. "Think before you staring having someone in a choke hold, you literally fucking slammed him into someone's door. You're gonna scare the neighbors. Again." There was a click of a tongue.

"Fuck the neighbors."

"I don't think Taeyong is willing to bail your ass out again if you get the damn cops called on you this time, but I don't know maybe that's just me,"  The soft yet strong voice belonging to the male named Jaehyun reasoned.

"Fuck off Jaehyun," Disgust was evident in his vocals "And you." Hansol's voice had become clearer. Jungwoo had guessed he was now directing his speech to whoever he had in a choke hold on his door. "Tell all your fucking stoner friends this isn't just some run down neighbor you guys can just come and infest with your drugs. This place is off limits, so if they bring that shit around here again we won't hesitate to beat you all to a bloody pulp." Jungwoo felt his heart pick up pace, as if it could, as he listened in. There was a pathetic whimper and then other rustling noises following a staggered and now fainting footsteps. It was quiet for a while again. Jungwoo could hear his heart in his ears.

"No one lives here anymore, in case you forgot, Jae." The nickname was seemingly spat out.

"Someone moved in today. They had some tall dude with a face mask helping him get shit up here earlier, I saw them." There was a scoff from Hansol. Footsteps were shuffled and the more Jungwoo listened in the more he noticed how they were getting farther and farther away.

"People still willingly rent this place out?" Hansol's voice was faintly heard before there was the sound of the elevator dinging and more footsteps echoed before the rackety metal doors of the elevator were heard being closed and it was utterly silent again. Jungwoo waited a couple of wordless seconds before he let his hand fall from his mouth that was now ajar in shock. What the fuck kind of neighbor had he moved into?