sincerely; | namjoon

one

"okay! that's the last one."

you set the last box of your belongings in your new apartment, sweating a little. hoseok pants beside you, but you're both smiling.

"thanks for all the help hobi."

hoseok gives you a thumbs up and smiles, and you give him a grin back. the apartment isn't huge, but it isn't tiny either. when you walk in, the kitchen is straight to your left, the living room directly in front of you, and the bedrooms and bathroom are past the living room. it's bare, un-decorated, and a bit cold, but you would make it yours.

"alright, as much as i would love to help you move in, i do have a parent/teacher conference." hoseok chuckles and inches towards the door, smiling sheepishly.

"yeah yeah, go ahead i'll be fine." you grin and hoseok gives a wave before dashing out of the front door. you sigh.

you had a long day of work ahead of you.

.

you had successfully unpacked all of your silverware and dishes, tucking them away in cupboards and drawers. the bathroom now had a shower curtain, toiletries, and towels. currently, you were in your soon-to-be bedroom, setting up your bed. the movers had arrived and delivered most of your furniture, save for a nightstand, desk, and chairs for the dinner table. so, here you were, screwing in nails to hold boards in place for your bed frame.

after struggling for ten minutes straight with the headboard you give up and decide to hang up clothes instead. you get up and walk to your closet, sliding open the doors and coughing at the musty smell that wafts from the small space. you grab a handful of sweaters and hangers, dropping them on the floor of the closet. you pick up a hanger and your favorite red sweater, ready to hang it up, but you stop when you see a small object in the corner of the wardrobe.

you furrow your eyebrows in confusion, walking forward and picking it up. it's a small book, a journal, with sprigs of flowers and ferns engraved in the front. it's sky blue, with a navy blue ribbon hanging out of it. curious, you sit down and open the cover.

february 12, 2019

dear diary,

i thought this was kind of stupid, but i was never good at talking to people. so...where do i start? i am 22 years old-

you quickly shut the diary after realizing what you were doing. this was someone's personal journal. you should not be looking through it. but then again, this apartment was vacant. maybe it wasn't important and they forgot it? reading the first entry wouldn't hurt. right?

-my favorite colors are black, pink, and purple, and i have glow-up stars on the ceiling of my room. um, let's see. i like riding my bike through the park at midnight because it's peaceful, and the stars listen to me. i have a pet crab, (his name is bubbles) and i love reading in my spare time. i think that's enough for today.

sincerely; n.j

you shut the journal more slowly this time, confused. why would someone leave a diary at their old apartment? maybe it was an accident? all the more reason not to read it then. you gently place the diary in the exact same spot as you found it, acting as if it was a ouija board and a demon would haunt you if you disrespected it. you shut the closet door quietly, clothes still inside, and rush to the kitchen to retrieve your phone.

it's been a couple of hours, he would be out of the conference by now, right? the phone rings once before there's a click and hoseok picks up.

"hey y/n, what's up?"

"i need help." you run a hand down your face and collapse onto your couch.

"with what?" hoseok quips through the phone.

"okay, so i found a diary in my closet that i'm guessing the old owner of the apartment left, and i read a little-"

"hold up, you read it?"

"well not like, all of it, just the first entry."

you hear hoseok groan before he responds. "why would you read a strangers personal diary?" you bite your lip. why would you?

"look, i don't know, and i put it back, but the first entry is really endearing. like i kind of want to read more. and there's no name, the end of it is signed by the initials n.j." it's exciting, you realize.

you could find out someone's darkest secrets and they wouldn't know at all. but, then again, if the owner left it accidentally, would they come back looking for it? however, the tenant said that this apartment hadn't been occupied in three years, so if someone had come to look for it, wouldn't they have already? or maybe they wanted to leave it. or maybe-

"-n, y/n!" hoseok's voice suddenly filters through your thoughts and you jump. "were you even listening?"

"no, i spaced out." hoseok sighs and then laughs.

"silly. anyway, i wouldn't read it. it's someone's vulnerability. don't read it."

right, hoseok is right. it wouldn't be the right thing to do. you should just leave it alone and pretend it's not there. maybe throw it away. but you definitely, one hundred percent, should not read the diary.