NXT 2 U [Minsung AU]

-1- Another Day

When I finally woke up after my very long afternoon nap, the clock hanging on the living room wall informed me it was already almost five p.m.

In front of what was beginning to become an exasperating habit - I tended to spend more time asleep than awake during the day - I couldn't help but sigh.

With me, everything was definitely going wrong. No matter how hard I tried to look normal (I'd given up on being a long time ago), I always faced total failure. No... It was definitive. Acting according to the pre-established normality canons wasn't my trademark and unfortunately, it didn't bring me anything very positive.

Before sinking into a permanent wave of depression - a frequent consequence of my prolonged naps - I decided to find an activity to occupy my mind. Seeing the situation around me was critical, I chose to restore a bit of order in my apartment, which looked more like a storage room than a suitable place to live.

After having lazily dragged myself out of the sofa where I had fallen asleep at about three p.m and after a short series of stretches to stretch my sleeping limbs a little, I valiantly tackled the dishes that had been happily piled up in the sink since the previous day. It was a good way to get active without overdoing!

I was soaping a plate whose red colour was almost invisible because of the foam, when a deafening din resounded like a thunder rumbling. The strident noise of broken glass told me that one of my neighbours had decided to wash his dishes by crushing them on the floor...

The neighbour of the opposite apartment again, to not change.

Since I had moved here two weeks ago, the sounds of broken dishes and furniture being thrown against the walls with a crash had become commonplace. They were most often accompanied by shouting and virulent insults at any time of the day or night.

Very soon I knew the culprit was that neighbour and just imagining what everyday life must have been so close to my house gave me shivers. But considering the way this guy looked, it didn't surprise me.

Of course, I wasn't the type to judge people on mere appearances, but this guy didn't really inspire me with confidence. He was in his fifties, very tall and imposing, with a face constantly tinged with anger. Moreover, with his hair slightly greyish, his beard trimmed to the millimetre and his snake eyes, he had everything of the sadistic psychiatrist or the old psychopathic man we see in the black series. I only knew him by sight, but I really hoped to never have to talk to him in the future.

I was putting away the clean, wiped dishes in a kitchen cupboard when a tidal wave of insults as sharp as a razor blade burst through the walls again, making me startled. Recognising the dry and unpleasant voice of the one who was shouting, I guessed it was that damn old man who was still insulting his roommate. Because yes, he didn't live alone, but with another man I had never seen before, and I felt sorry for him with all my strength for having to put up with such a disgusting guy.

Can't no longer bear to be an aural witness to this altercation, I gave up the idea of tidying up my apartment and opted for a walk in the early evening coolness. Breathing the fresh air and walking a little wouldn't be a luxury after spending my Sunday afternoon snoozing and drooling on my sofa.

So, I quickly put on my Converses, fixed my messy hair a little, straightened up my clothes and closed my door, eager to free my ears from this wave of swearing. The corridor was still invaded by my neighbour's choleric voice, well on his way to spit out his venom until the night end, when another voice resounded, which I heard for the first time.

It was a deep but clear voice, with something quite dark and captivating, which made me forget for a moment why I was in the corridor and pushed me to listen unconsciously what he was saying.