Chapter Text
He had noticed.
Baek Saheon had always had a habit of ironing and hanging his work clothes before bed so he could wake up and change quickly. He was really never the early bird, you see.
Saheon remembered he had ironed every inch of his outfit that day, a smooth surface always made him happy. Of course, he had made sure to present himself as perfect as possible. He realized at a young age that being deemed as a hardworking and social person helped him get whatever he wanted.
So when he woke up that morning and found out there was a wrinkle on the bottom of his dress pants…
Saheon instinctively felt something was wrong.
I must have accidentally missed that spot. He told himself.
Shortly after, he ironed the wrinkle he supposed he had ‘missed’ and went to work just like any other normal day. Aside from that small abnormality, nothing else really happened.
Saheon decided to leave it at that—never touching that topic again. He felt it was better like that. And so life went on. The loop returns as he steadily works his life away. A monotonous routine, yet it was the future he had always wanted.
…
But…
“...? Where is it…”
That only lasted until the same thing happened again.
Baek Saheon fumbled the top of his drawer half asleep, looking for that familiar soft touch. His cotton eyepatch…
It was nowhere to be found.
“Did it fall off…?” His eyebrow furrowed together, drowsy eyes looking for that patch of white.
He clicked his tongue before getting off his bed and crouched down—eyes scanning under the bed.
Nothing.
‘Damn it… I didn't sleep well yesterday and now I have to find this shit too. Hah… fuck.’
Saheon got up and opened his drawer. He decided it was better to use his spare one instead of wasting his precious morning time.
He went to wash up and did his everyday routine—subtle annoyance still lingered at the back of his head. After he finished washing up, he changed into his office clothes, took his briefcase and headed out of his room.
Usually, he never really has breakfast before work, but strangely he was so hungry today that he felt like he might even collapse before getting to his workplace. One piece of bread should do.
Saheon headed to his kitchen, eyes focusing on the red package of bread sitting on his two-person dining table—He was about to check its expiration date when…
In the corner of his eye, something white flashed by.
“...!!”
He quickly turned his head towards it.
His couch was the first thing that entered his vision—Gray and worn-down. It had a slight dent on where he was usually seated and was Saheon’s first ever couch. He had used it a lot for days where he came back tipsy or just simply wanted a change of space.
But what’s more important is…
His eyepatch.
It was on it.
‘....’
What?
For a moment, Saheon stared in disbelief.
“What the actual hell…?”
Moving closer to where the eyepatch was, he swallowed hard.
His footsteps were careful and deliberate.
As his hand reached out to it, he paused for a second before picking it up—-recognizing the touch immediately.
Soft.
Soft and familiar. There was even the small ink stain he accidentally left a few days ago.
It was his.
The one he knew he definitely left on top of the drawer last night.
A chilling thought crept by.
How did the eyepatch get here?
The amount of paranormal events increased after that day. His keys appeared where he hadn’t left them, the mug he placed in the cabinet was on his table and his jacket hung by itself . Just like that, more and more unsettling incidents kept happening—mismatching with his memories. Each time Saheon would excuse it with something like ‘Ah, I must have misplaced it’,’ Ah, I forgot I put that here’.
That was the first week only.
On the second week though… The excuses didn’t work anymore.
‘Fuckfuckfuck.’ Baek Saheon picked up the towel he dropped seconds ago, shock lingering at the back of his head.
He stood there for a while, his heart beating rapidly as a sense of unease clawed at his neck.
Eventually, he placed the towel on the rack, before pausing momentarily.
The door.
It fucking opened by itself!!?!
The nightmare didn't end there. It was the beginning of something larger—something much more precarious.
At night, he would get the feeling that something… or someone was watching him. The hallway seemed to stretch longer than before and moments before bed seemed to be much much quieter. Sometimes, he even found the cabinets or door—which he was sure he had closed—opened slightly with a screeching creak. Even in the morning, he doesn’t feel safe.
He tried to excuse everything—telling himself it was a hallucination, that it was just in his imagination. The typical reasoning when someone experiences something impossible in reality. It helped him for a week, but only for a week.
Is this the side effect of cheap rent?!
Now thinking back, he should have seen the signs.
He had been warned on his first day here.
But the thing is…
He had also told the guy to fuck off the same day.
In his defense, It wasn’t his fault though…
It was a sunny day—hotter than usual. Saheon was laying on his bed after having just finished unpacking his stuff—limbs tired from moving all day around. Gosh, he was craving something cold after all this hard work.
Searching for convenience stores around him—he was debating whether to go out and buy some ice cream or stay home when…
Ding!
His phone buzzed. Was it sis?
—saheon-ie!! r u still packing up? ah my cute lil bro is leaving me so soon TT…
—don’t call me ‘cute lil bro’ and also I finished packing up earlier
—what’s with the attitude? u were so cute when you were little yk…
—and finished packing up??? why did u become such a hard worker after leaving home…
—wth I was always a hard worker hello??!?
—yeah yeah right……
Gosh she’s getting on my nerves again…. With a click, Saheon turned off his phone. He should've gotten ice cream earlier instead of wasting his time chatting.
At that, he exhaled before pushing himself off the bed. Grabbing the cap he had thrown on the table, he set it on his head with practiced ease.
‘Ice cream…’ A small pause, ‘should I get a popsicle?’
After managing to swipe his wallet and keys from the dinner table, Baek Saheon slipped in his outdoor slippers. He then fumbled with his outfit a bit before unlocking his front door with a swift motion.
Clack.
The heat from the burning sun slipped in slightly—making him pull his cap deeper. It’s going to be a hot day.
“I should probably buy some toothbrush too…—”
But before he could even finish…
“Uh, hello.”
Someone's voice rang out from the other side.
“...!!” Fuck, that shocked me to death
Saheon quickly regained his composure and smiled.
“Ah… yes?”
He opened the door wider— revealing a slender figure who surpassed him in height slightly. Who the hell was this?
“...Do you need anythin…—?”
“Here.”
The person cuts him off mid-talk. Rude enough?!
Saheon’s eyes twitched slightly.
He looked at whatever the other person was holding—organic sea salt, some kind of wacky amulet and…. Talisman? What’s this? A cult recruitment?
What the hell?
“I don’t know if you had heard what happened here or not but you should be carefu…—”
“Are you playing with me?” Saheon cut off the person coldly—immediately dropping his mask. What use does that have if I’m facing a persistent freak?
“Huh? Ah, no I…—”
“You must find it funny huh? Playing goddamn jokes like this.” He glared at the other man. Now that he had taken a better look, the man had sharp features and was quite pleasant to the eyes. If he hadn’t known any better, he might have fallen for the innocent look.
“Hah… Shit, I just moved here and I’m already being targeted by fucking freaks.” He intentionally muttered loudly enough for the both of them to hear. A sigh tinted with annoyance escaped from him.
“I’m not listening to any of your bullshit, so fuck off.”
BANG.
He shut the door.
Why was he so unlucky? It hasn’t been a full day since he moved here and now he has to deal with freaks too!!! Could life get any worse?!
Just as he was about to throw off his slipper in an angry fit… A small thud came from outside which was then followed by a knock.
“Saheon-ssi…” A voice whispered through the door.
Baek Saheon was about to curse the other guy's whole bloodline when…
“You should be careful.”
“.......?”
‘Hey, hold on… ‘Saheon-ssi’?’
He quickly looked through the peephole.
“...!!!”
“Our apartment walls are quite thin.”
A devilish smile—Black pupils that hid a clear hunger slid across the glass.
“I don’t want to hear screams in the middle of the night, you know?”
A pause.
Then his smile widened.
“That would be quite an inconvenience.”
The figure slowly backed out.
“...”
“.....”
Silence.
An uneasy quietness.
Saheon was unable to move.
Then…
Clack.
He was gone.
“..............”
He felt his body loosen up.
“...”
What the fuck?
‘No, no, what the hell was that?’
‘Be careful? Thin walls? Screams?’
Saheon scoffed, then his grin dropped immediately.
‘That look…’ A shiver slipped up his back as he recalled.
‘Wait fuck fuck fuck!! Did I accidentally mess with a psycho?! Am I a target now?!?!?’
Sliding down the door, Saheon’s left hand quickly rummaged in his jacket’s pocket as sweat beaded on his temple.
He pulled out his phone, preparing to type out a message before realizing something.
Wait a minute.
He stood up.
‘That was the sound of a door closing right…?’
Saheon quickly checks the outside through his peephole again.
In the opposite direction, there was a rusty steel door, visibly aging from years of use.
Something else caught his attention though.
Before the door, he saw something not usually seen in daily life—hung on top of it.
A protective charm—something typically used to ward off ghosts.
It was wavering from the earlier impact.
‘Fuck!! Fuck fuck fuck. No fucking way.’
He…
He was neighbors with that psychopath?!??!
Saheon didn’t manage to get any ice cream that day.
A few days later.
“Saheon-ssi…?” A brunette co-worker approached him, her eyes seemed to show worry. “You seem much more tired lately… Is everything alright?”
Baek Saheon let out a sigh.
“I’m okay, don’t worry about me.” A polite smile tugged at his lips. “It’s just that some stuff has been happening at home recently… But I'll be fine.”
Actually, he lied—he was NOT fine at all.
He wanted to grab his co-worker and scream: ‘No shit, there’s something fucking wrong with my apartment!!!!!’ It took him his pride and lots of willpower to resist the urge. After all, he would rather bite his tongue and endure than lose face in front of people he needed to face again tomorrow.
After reassuring his co-worker a little more, Saheon slumped on his chair.
Not that he could blame them for asking.
He hasn’t been sleeping well these past few days.
To be blunt, he looked like shit—dark circles had settled beneath his eyes after too many sleepless nights, his lips were dry and cracked, and his complexion was paler than the moon itself. It was reasonable that his co-worker might be curious. But who were they to pry into his business?
Staring at the brightly lit computer a moment longer than he should, Saheon felt the words might jump out of the screen and strangle him. His hands that were clattering on the keyboard stopped for a bit. Shit I can’t focus at all.
Memories of the past few days flew by as he felt the creeping anxiety crawling back up from the pits of his stomach—his headache flared up again—throbbing from behind.
A distressed sigh escaped involuntarily.
‘I might fucking die if this keeps going on.’
It was nighttime when he arrived back at his apartment building.
The restless dread that grew from early morning dragged on as he slowly made his way to his unit.
The apartment he lived in was the typical building any normal office worker with minimum wage would choose—Neither shabby nor fancy. It was the perfect combination of both. A slightly worn-down building with a reasonable enough price he thought he had hit the jackpot when he saw it on the marketplace. Many people from his workplace lived here also. I mean, they would be stupid to not.
Luckily, none of them ended up on the same floor as him so he wouldn't need to keep up his act when he returns home—unless he meets them on his way back or something. That was something he was very glad for, he absolutely despised the people in his workplace and being drained from work would accidentally crack his facade.
“Haa..”
But as always, every good thing comes with a price right?
Instead of annoying co-workers, Saheon found himself being entangled with something else—Someone much much worse than annoying co-workers.
That cult-like psychopath.
Actually, Saheon had contemplated whether to ask for his neighbor's help because he seemed like he might know a thing or two but…
The problem was he might actually die right now if he goes over and knocks on that weirdo’s door.
After all, he had accidentally fucked up in their first meeting.
Luckily for him, aside from small interactions (that scared him to death), that insane bastard didn’t do anything else to him. He was oh so grateful.
From that day on, he had made sure to take notes on when his neighbor’s schedule—-when he would leave, when he would arrive home and his everyday activities. He needs to avoid him at all costs, in case he ends up on the news later.
‘Fuck, thinking about that guy makes me wanna move already.’
Saheon's mood went to the negatives after being reminded that he lived next to a live lunatic.
But there was something he could use that guy for. If the worst comes to worst, I'll bribe him to help me.
That could work, unless that lunatic gets his dopamine from seeing him being vulnerable and helpless, in which he hoped not despite the rather high probability.
‘I mean, he hasn’t done anything to me… yet.’
Rumbling for his keys in his bag, Saheon wondered for a moment if he should call for an exorcist to come if things did get really bad when…
“...Oh?” A voice—so familiar Saheon tensed up the moment he heard it.
That voice came behind him.
“Saheon-ssi, long time no see. Haven’t seen you for a couple of months.”
Shit.
“Ah haha… good evening sir.” Just get me out already.
“Sir? I thought I had already told you to call me by name.”
He chuckled a little and Saheon automatically chewed the insides of his mouth. Deep breaths. He reminded himself..
“It slipped my mind.” He then added. “Soleum-ssi.”
The raven haired man seemed pleased hearing that—letting out an ominous chuckle.
As Saheon was wondering why he arrived home earlier than usual, he added something.
A sentence that sent chills down Saheon's spine.
“Also,” Dark eyes settled on him, “Be on alert for the next few days, I have a feeling that something might happen.”
Before Baek Saheon could ask any further questions, his neighbor just closed the door on him—leaving him with even more questions than before.
Fuck this shit.
He made his way into his apartment before slapping the door hard enough for everyone to hear.
After the door shuttered with a loud thud, Saheon realized he had a bigger problem to deal with.
An unsettled feeling churned in his stomach as he looked at his unlit apartment. Dim and hushed—moments like these were a reminder of the shits he had to deal with everyday.
Pulling his hand out, he then turned on the light with a push.
Click. Click. Click. The cheap led lights hovered for a moment before flickering and lit up. Cozy wouldn’t be the word he would describe his apartment room—something like lifeless and desolate would fit better.
Immediately, Baek Saheon went to microwave the frozen noodles he brought on his way home. Hearing the familiar buzz sound of the microwave doing its job, he then decided to take a quick bath while waiting for his food to warm up.
After washing up, Saheon settled down on his dinner chair, phone in one hand opening Netflix before taking apart his chopsticks and dug in. The comforting taste of the noodles made him feel he was back to before—back to the times where abnormalities weren't a normal occurrence. Somehow, that made his anxious state calm down a little.
That didn’t last long though.
As sounds of his netflix show echoed in the room, he heard the creak of a door opening along with it. Saheon immediately checked the time—8:47. Shit it isn’t even midnight yet you fuckers.
Finishing his meal as quickly as he could, he then threw all the leftover trash in the bag, tied it up before throwing it in his trash bin. In a hurry, he retreated back to his room after turning off the lights.
The walk to his room felt longer than before, and for a second he thought he saw something twisted in the corner of his eyes.
Creak. Creak. Creak…
There was no other sound than his footsteps, a chilling premonition washed over Saheon’s chest as he hurried to his room. All he could do was mutter curses to distract himself.
That was around 2 hours before ‘it’ happened.
Bzzt… Bzzt….
The air conditioner buzzed amidst the silence. Saheon was sure he was going to be knocked out the moment he went to bed but…
He couldn’t sleep—even though his body was tired.
The headache, the way his eyelids slid down voluntarily, the numbing of his limbs. Physically, he was basically begging for sleep. Mentally, he didn’t want to—His mind was oddly alert, his heart pounding a beat faster than usual.
Saheon hated nights like this.
He hated how the world seemed to shut down—not a single sound nor sign of living. It felt like he was isolated from the outside—only himself and his thoughts.
Frustrated, he tried to close his eyes—as if it could lull him to sleep.
But his unsteady breathing forced him to open his eyes again.
He looked around his room.
Unfamiliar was the word that came to his mind.
‘...Had it always been like this?’
Saheon desperately wanted to sleep but he couldn't. It was wrecking him from the inside out—he wanted the headache gone, wanted the discomfort gone.
His dry hands seemed numb and distant, as if it didn’t belong to him.
Unable to bear it any longer, he then pulled his cover over his head.
The floral scent of his newly washed blanket engulfed his nose. For a moment, he felt like he had escaped from reality…
Somehow that managed to calm him down. Just a little
But small harmless peace like this never lasts long.
Eventually something would break it.
It was inevitable.
Kekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekeke
A sound.
Beyond the safety of his cover, there was a sound.
Something akin to giggling.
A child’s laughter.
Saheon stopped.
Then…
Click click click.
He heard the lights flickering.
Black and white flashed in the blanket.
‘....?!’
His trembling worsened.
‘Shitshitshit…!’
Immediately, Saheon pulled off the cover.
“...!!!”
What he saw was a mess.
The walls, the furniture, the ceiling…It was like everything swirled—as if melting into one.
The closet twisted grotesquely, the ceiling dripped black, and the floor bulged—shaping into something like hands.
He realized.
Something was trying to grab him.
He froze.
For a horrible second, it was like his mind went blank.
Only one word appeared in his head.
Run.
Run.
Run!
He practically threw himself off the bed.
Reaching for the handle, every instinct in his body screamed.
He pushed through it.
Something brushed past the back of his neck.
The pit in his stomach dropped.
If he had been any slower…
Kekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekeekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekekkekekekeke
WIth a big push, Saheon managed to escape from his bedroom.
He didn’t dare to look back.
Was something chasing him?
Did it follow?
He didn’t want to answer that question.
In the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the living room.
His television was on.
Inhuman noises poured from the scene.
He even saw human-like faces bulging out of it.
A mass of flesh, desperate and writhing.
The window was stained red.
Hand prints all over.
A cry for help.
Stumbling towards the entrance, the cold metallic handle sensation on his hand told him he was almost out.
Saheon pushed one last time.
Click.
The entrance door slammed shut behind him.
Everything disappeared in an instant.
“Huff.. huff…”
He looked down.
His hands were shaking.
Saheon figured his entire body was trembling uncontrollably.
‘Help.’
He gripped his stomach.
‘I need help.’
‘But how…?’
A person immediately came to mind.
He glanced at the door in front of him.
A single protection charm wavered.
As if like an invitation.
And without hesitation….
Slam!
Slam!
Slam!
“Hello?!”
Baek Saheon slammed on the steel door so hard that his hand felt like it was burning.
“Hello?! Please, answer…!!!”
He kept pounding on the door, not caring if it was almost midnight and everyone might be asleep.
His voice was shaky and breathless.
He prayed for the other to be awake.
Because if he wasn't…
Saheon might be fucked.
But as if God had heard his prayer, the steel door creaked.
A familiar voice called out.
“Saheon-ssi…?”
Holy shit.
He had never been happier to hear another human voice.
"What are you…—?”
Baek Saheon shoved the door wider.
“S-something’s fucking wrong with my room!!!!!!!”