𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐌𝐘 𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐄

Morning Mist

When word spread due to excited and nosy neighbours that someone was due to move in sometime around April, Choi Minyoung's apartment building was in upheaval since it had been over a few years since the last tenant moved out. The vacant apartment wasn't haunted, nor was there any problem with it. It'd just been empty for a long time, and the landlord hadn't bothered to put up an ad for the living accommodation until now since he'd been making decent money from the current residents. After some time passed, he decided to put up an ad after being reminded by a family member that apartment 2049 had been vacant for years. When the new tenant moved in, they were a complete mystery to everyone. People tried to meet them only to be turned away. The only person not to give in was Minyoung despite her curiosity.

~~~~

When Minyoung woke one morning, it was too loud. Not only had she woken up to the sound of the birds chirping dreadfully loud, but also the neighbour upstairs was yelling at their significant other. Below her level, there were some loud banging noises going on. She was concerned about the mental health of the people that lived in the building. It was the eighth time the upstairs neighbour had argued with their partner, and she tried her best to ignore and not listen to the shouting. A moment later, she heard a thump on the floor, accompanied by lots of screeching.

Another bang could be heard on the floor of the apartment below her. With the ruckus going on, she had no doubt that someone was going to file a noise complaint, but it wasn't going to be her because she wanted no deal with whatever was going on. Minyoung groaned as she got out of bed, seeing as she wouldn't be able to sleep this one through. Waking up this way was unpleasant, and she wanted to get away from the commotion. Shoving her feet into her slippers, she grabbed her phone and keys before making her way down to the ground floor, rubbing her eyes all the while.

Stepping into the lobby, Minyoung saw that nearly everyone had gathered, too. She recognised nearly all of them, except for one person. She surmised the unknown man was the one who moved into the apartment. At first glance, she couldn't tell whether he was young or old based on his appearance. He had raven black locks parted and swept down the middle, framing his face. Round dark brown irises shone in the morning light like tapioca pearls. His pale complexion stood out from the dark outfit he wore: a close-fitting black turtleneck tucked into black jeans held up by a black leather belt with a silver buckle, black Doc Martens and a sleek, black overcoat. Simple silver hoops adorned his earlobes. To complete the look, he wore a pair of black gloves.

Minyoung's eyes swept the lobby for anything else out of the ordinary. Feeling her ankle flare up from a sprain years ago that didn't heal properly, she limped over to one of the chairs in the reception area and sat down, resting her foot on the edge of one of the coffee tables. She winced when the pain persisted and her ankle throbbed. Having seen the younger woman arrive, a familiar face and longtime resident of the apartment building she recognised made their way over to Minyoung. They dropped themselves onto the other chair with a yawn.

"Yeah, that's about how I feel, too," Minyoung yawned and rubbed her eyes again. "How are you and your sister, Chaeryoung? I don't see her around."

"We both came down here, but she went out to get breakfast," Chaeryoung replied and offered a sympathetic smile. "It's unfortunate you live right below and above the commotions that made everyone go down to the lobby. You're apartment 2048, right? It's apartment 1048 that's making all the banging and apartment 3048 where all the screaming is coming from."

"I want to commit defenestration. I'm sensitive and pissy in the mornings. Just let me fucking sleep, you fucking assholes," Minyoung grumbled and hissed when pain shot up her ankle.

"You okay?" the older woman asked.

"I'll be fine; sometimes, my ankle has a bad day," her eyes widened when the apartment building's doors opened, and local authorities stepped into the residence. "Oh, man. Whoever filed the noise complaint I want to thank. Hopefully, I can go back to sleep now."

"They'll probably want to talk to you and others who live within the offenders' vicinity," Chaeryoung said, causing the younger woman to groan and throw her head back against her chair. She chuckled at her reaction.

"People fucking suck; I should move someplace else," Minyoung grumbled. "This is what- the eighth time that Jiseon has argued with their partner? Why don't they break up and save us from all the damn screaming? I don't even know why Minjun is banging shit around below me."

"You've only lived here as long as apartment 2049 was vacant for," Chaeryoung said.

"Three years, and it's been eight instances of Jiseon going off just the way she is now. Ah!" Minyoung bit down on her fist as she experienced the worst flare-up yet to come. "I need a cold pack soon. I wish they would hurry up so that I can get back."

"You should get your ankle looked at," the older woman said. Chaeryoung slumped down in her chair and observed the scene before them. "You know, this is the first time we'll ever see or meet the new tenant. Aren't they the one dressed like slender man?"

Unbeknownst to them, the darkly dressed man heard every word Chaeryoung had said despite being several feet away from them. Finishing greeting most of the people in the lobby, he made his way over to the two seated women, purposely ignoring the way the older woman straightened herself and folded her arms just under her breasts once she saw how attractive he was. He maintained eye contact with Chaeryoung as he introduced himself, extending his hand to her to foil her ploy. She eagerly reciprocated the gesture.

"Word of advice: if you want to make a good impression on me, keep your voice down," he smirked. "Choi Jongho."

"I'm Jeon Chaeryoung, but you can call me 'Chae' for short," she introduced herself and yelped when she felt the younger woman sharply kick her shin. "What was that for?!"

"And you are?" Jongho turned to face the younger woman with an amused expression on his face. His eyes widened when he saw her. Tendrils of copper-red hair framed her face and hung long to sprawl all over her thighs and the chair. Softly arched brows framed cat-like amber eyes that shone brightly against her glowing, tanned complexion that had neutral undertones to it. She wore a set of dark teal silk pyjamas and cream-coloured slippers. To say she was beautiful was an understatement. Jongho thought the younger woman was ethereal and one of his kind secretly living on Earth. He didn't get involved much with the other supernatural creatures unless his princely duties required him to do so.

"Choi Minyoung," she curtly answered and ignored Jongho's extended hand, choosing to do a little wave instead. Her brow quirked upward; then her eye twitched in annoyance. Peering around the black column standing in her way, she let out a huff and slumped even further in her chair. "What the fuck is taking them so long? Let me get that damn cold pack and go back to sleep, fucking assholes." Her nose scrunched, and she hissed when another flare of pain shot up her ankle. "I'm going to commit arson. I've had enough."

"Minyoung!" Chaeryoung chided in shock.

"I don't care; fuck this shit. I'm out," the younger woman removed her foot from the coffee table and lurched to her feet. A sudden wave of dizziness made her head swim. Taking a deep breath, Minyoung waited for the head rush to subside before taking a step. Then she limped away from everyone and called for the lift to take her up to the floor she lived on.

"Is she okay?" Jongho frowned at the outburst.

"She's not a morning person," Chaeryoung shook her head. "She's also in pain; it's her ankle. Minyoung often complains about it. She sprained her ankle a few years ago around the time she moved in. She fell down the stairs. She's said her ankle didn't heal properly and that it's beyond saving despite me telling her to get it looked at. I think there's more she's also not letting on. I helped her get out of a disastrous relationship. Minyoung is pretty delicate and closed off, so be careful with her."

"And here I thought you were interested in me?" Jongho teased and laughed when Chaeryoung blushed.