Eden Residence

Coming to Seoul and leaving his parents was hard. But in order to stay close to his girlfriend, Jongwoo agreed to it. He was aware of the high expense in everything surrounding the city, but when he did arrive, the rent money of all the apartments was...skyrocketing. On top of it, his laptop was broken by a stranger who hastily took off his luggage from the bus. His day wasn't getting any good and although it was a harsh condition, he knew he can endure it for Jieun.

As he was having his fill at a nearby restaurant, he looked up an advertisement put up by a residence that went by the name of "Eden Residence" located at Eunhyeon-gu. What caught his eye was the price of rent that was displayed along with it – 190,000 won. It seemed way too cheap for a room.

The streets around the residence were empty. And it was a pretty disappointing sight.

He knew that he didn't have much of a choice. He needed a room, the prices were high, he was physically tired and this was the only affordable place available.

When the landlady opened the room for him, a sense of disgust took over him. But he was still curious about the price. There had to be some reason for it to be this low. On asking, the landlady revealed that some guy had committed suicide on the residence before him. And how the fourth floor was kept off-limits because of a fire break sometime earlier. Although reluctant, he didn't have much of a choice and decided to stay for six months. It further soured his mood when the landlady informed him about the common bathroom he had to share with every resident.

Now, the residents. Not one of them looked normal to him. One of them kept laughing, one of them was a pervert with a room filled with pictures of naked women, a gangster who seemed to be annoyed at anything and everything, and some other guy who seemed to be pissed at him for no reason. But he consoled himself thinking how he only had to endure all of it for six months.

Although it is six whole months without privacy since the residents can ever hear who was breathing next door. He had to go to the rooftop to speak with Jieun. To top it all off, things weren't going easier in his job. Well, he's still an intern but he hoped to get the job eventually. He knew the CEO of the company and he was a nice person, although it felt like Jaeho sometimes wanted to embarrass him publicly. He could tolerate his senior being a pain in the ass for some time.

His mind filled with the current situation, he decided to call the one person he knew would calm his nerves. But..she couldn't understand him either.

"No, no way. I'm sure people here aren't in their right minds either," Jongwoo said.

"Maybe you're a bit too sensitive," Jieun said.

"What?" Jongwoo asked. He tried to find some comfort in her, but even she thought he was being sensitive. After a long bad day, all he wanted was for her to at least listen to him. She wasn't even here in the first place. A small tinge of pain took over his heart.

But he knew Jieun was saying all this just because she had no idea about it.

It wasn't her fault.

"Oppa, you must be tired," Jieun spoke over the phone, "Don't let it get to you, and go to sleep."

The least he could do is make her understand. He replied, "Jieun it might sound like I'm making a big deal out of nothing but if you come and see-"

"Oppa, I'm really tired after working long hours. Let's talk again tomorrow. Is that alright?" Jieun interrupted him.

"Okay then. Goodnight," Jongwoo said and disconnected the call. Sighing, he looked over at the tiny glimmering lights spread all across the city. He felt...lonely. All he expected was to stay and meet with Jieun as much as possible. But he didn't take the amount of work he had to do in his plans.

But..this felt nice. The rooftop was the only place his mind felt a bit of peace.

"You must be the new guy."

The new voice made him look in the direction it came from. It was someone he didn't encounter before. A handsome man, probably in their late 20s like him, wearing a white full-sleeved shirt indicating how he must have just come back from work.

Jongwoo quickly answered, "Yes."

"Ms. Um told me that we have a new resident in room 303," the man smiled looking at him.

Jongwoo nodded in response and looked forward at the city again, feeling awkward.

"Don't you like it here? It's suffocating the room as if you're lying in a coffin. But you can feel a little better if you grab a can of beer up here."

The man still had his eyes set on him without a break. Was he observing him? Must be. With all the weird residents around here, he shouldn't be surprised if there aren't any new normal people. So far, the man wasn't as weird as the rest. But it irked Jongwoo, the way he stared at him with a smile. What was so funny between them?

"Anyway, why do you keep smiling at me?" Jongwoo asked, trying his best to conceal the tone of irritation in his words.

"Oh, I'm sorry if I offended you," he responded.

It made Jongwoo feel a bit bad. It might be that there's nothing wrong with him in the first place. Nothing was going right so far in Seoul. Maybe it was something that he needed to be pointed out bluntly. Maybe Jieun was right.

"No-" he said.

"Just because...I like you."

Jongwoo was taken aback. "What?" he asked. No way he was hearing this right. Sure, he had some girls confess to him before but it would be the first time that a guy came to..confess. But it couldn't be right.

This was the first time they met each other, right?

____

Moonjo should've done this earlier. He knew Kihyeok was defective. He couldn't be what he wanted him to be.

But, the past is past. No need to worry about it now. His latest subject of interest was the new resident – Jongwoo. From his appearance, he looked way too innocent.

Oh, it would be so pleasing to break this fragile being.

He watched through the small hole in the wall as Jongwoo took an exit holding his phone. Taking some cans of beer in a plastic he went to the rooftop, hoping he would turn out to be as interesting as he thought.

And, he was right.

Jongwoo didn't act the way he actually is. The moment he questioned him about the way he was staring at him, he could sense the tone he spoke in. No, this person was someone who keeps all of his rages inside.

Now all he needed to do is to pull these emotions out.

"Do you want a beer?" Moonjo said holding out one can towards him, "I just bought it so it's cold."

As they opened each of their own beer, Jongwoo said, "You must've hurt your hand."

Moonjo felt delirious. He smiled, took a glance at the scar on his hand, and said, "Yes, I got hurt at work."

Oh, Jongwoo was good. He had observation skills.

"You must be in a rough business if you hurt your hand working," Jungwoo further stated.

A perfect candidate. Moonjo could barely hold in his joy. He stared at Jongwoo's fingers for a while and said, "You have very delicate fingers. Do you write by any chance?"

Of course, he knew about it. He just wanted to watch Jongwoo's reaction. But those delicate fingers. He wondered how perfectly it would fit in his hand. How soft it would feel when he touches him. Or..how good it would feel when he pleasures him.

Well, too bad it won't stay the same.

"How do you know?" Jongwoo asked, taking a sip.

Moonjo laughed at his expression and said, "People each have their own special ambiance. Something like that. I do something similar too. I break things up, put them together, and recreate." He could sense him getting uncomfortable and quickly changed the topic, "What's your favorite genre?"

"I like crime novels," Jongwoo answered.

"What are the chances? I like crime novels too," Moonjo chuckled. But Jongwoo still didn't look interested. Maybe it's time to drop another one of his likes. "I like Raymond Chandler."

Oh, that piqued his interest. Jongwoo turned to look at him with curious eyes. "Really?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Hey, I like him too!" Jongwoo finally let out a laugh, "Actually, to be honest, I didn't think I'd meet someone here who likes the same author as me. Not a lot of people know Raymond Chandler. Have you read The High Window?"

"Of course, I have," Moonjo said. He couldn't help but laugh at his reaction. How adorable. Jongwoo was just like a little puppy. It made him feel giddy how his cute toy was the one staring at him now. By far, Jongwoo is the most perfect human he has ever met. Wondering how good they would look together, he decided to ask his next question. If he was interested in crime, this one question would define how immaculate an artwork he can be.

"Could you tell me a little about the novel you've been writing?"