Stranger From Hell

Chapter 14 - Do Not Hide Anything.

I was determined to leave this place. It's now or never. I'll go back home but I just couldn't stay here further. I was turning paranoid. And just like Jieun said, wasn't it better to leave earlier than wait till something wrong happened?

I don't care where I'm going to live, could be in the living in the streets and I don't even care if I was going to be homeless at this point. It's better than staying here with a bunch of crazy people.

Next morning, I stuffed all of my clothes, phone and laptop's chargers and necessary toiletteries inside my bag and pulled the zip up. If I bring my luggage along, it would look very obvious that I'm going to leave this place. no no no, they should not find out that I am leaving. Nobody should know.

As I was walking by the counter, the landlandy looked at me and my bag warily.

"Are you going somewhere?" She asked.

"Office."

She chuckled. "The way your bag looks.. I thought you were going out for the night."

I sighed and looked at her.

"Where else can I go?"

The landlady grinned. "If you think about moving out, don't do it. Not now at least, not until Moon-Jo says so."

"What? Why do I need his permission?" I asked feeling irritated, "Where is he anyways? I didn't see him around."

She shifted on her feet, looking slightly nervous. "You know, he's a doctor so he's always busy.. And you know that he treat you like a lo- I mean brother."

I stared at her. They all had to be in this together, covering up for each other unless she had really bought into the story which was very unlikely.

"Right. See you later, ahjumma."

She laughed as I walk away from her.

What's so funny?

I walked out of Eden Studio with a heavy heart, my backpack strapped on my shoulders. I was afraid. Either I was in danger or I was losing my wits. Which was it?

I kept myself alert as I took the stairways and walked out of the neighbourhood to the nearest metro, eyes peeled for anything that is suspicious.

By the time I reached the office, I was already soaking in sweat with panic barely restrained.

I worked slowly to delay and stayed back only after my work was completed. But I never left. Once done with office work, I worked on my novel. Suddenly my stomach growling in hunger, I skipped lunch as I wanted to safe money. I took out apple that packed this morning and eat it.

I laid my head down on the table, feeling tired and depressed. Sometimes I ask myself, why am I born? I hated myself, for leaving his mother, for being here. For being me, in general.

What am I going to do now?

Am I going to hide in the office? but what if I get caught?

Wait, what if I was just being paranoid and no one was even following me?

It's okay, I needed to move out from that place anyways, I'm not going to stay there anymore. Enough is enough.

For several hours after that I googled on affortable apartments in seoul and read every reviews about the place, but as I expected, every apartment didn't meet my budget.

Somewhere close to dawn, I fell asleep.

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For the next few days, I would just sleep in the office without the others knowledge. I woke up before everyone arrived to the office and I will go to the nearest sauna to take a bath or sometimes I would just sleep in the sauna because I'm too lazy to walk back to the office.