JustFriend's Zone [Re-write] [E-book on MEB]

[Re-write] CHAPTER 7 : My heart has been shaken.

The crickets and cicadas chirp noisily as Friend prepares the camera and equipment for vlogging after being gone for several days due to a lack of inspiration recently.

He hits the video record button on the camera before gently stepping up to the chair in front of the set he had arranged, pressing play for the gentle background music, and starting to introduce himself.

"Hello everyone, welcome back to the With Your Friend channel." When he begins sketching with pencil on paper, the narration follows the same old script.

The clock slowly ticks from midnight to two a.m., then from two to four a.m. The blank white paper is covered with colors and details until the entire area is a scene of the backyard atmosphere at night that his eyes can view from his work room window, just like every night.

Although it's the same location, the views Friend sees each night are never the same, even once; thus, he considers this the allure of nature, with which he has long been interested.

"Phew, done at last." After pressing the stop recording button on the camera, Friend sighs heavily and speaks to himself.

06:47 AM

At the table adjacent to the sofa in the workroom, a digital clock displays the obvious time numbers. Friend turns to gaze at it before yawning, leisurely extending one hand, and strolling out to the third-floor bedroom.

"Why is it so quiet today? Did Just come home?" Friend wonders why the area is especially quiet today, with no sounds coming through. Because the renovation at Just's place isn't finished yet, he should start hearing knocking and banging about this time. He can't help but notice how weird the entire silence is.

"Let's go down and check it out."

Friend steps out the front door, grabbing the handrail leading down from his second-story workroom to the ground floor. He slides open the door and peeks out to see what's going on next door, only to find it deserted and with no cars parked at all.

"He's really not home, huh?"

Before heading to the kitchen, the little kid closes and locks the door, opens the fridge to take out a carton of soy milk, inserts a straw into it, and then proceeds upstairs to his bedroom.

He throws himself onto the bed and grabs his cell phone to check the Facebook page inbox of his channel to see if anyone contacted him for employment or if any admirers mentioned anything before gradually and unknowingly drifting out.

Just parks and exits his car in front of his house. While walking out, he notices Friend's house and wonders why he hasn't gotten up to open the door, despite the fact that the sun is already high in the sky.

"Still not awake, huh?"

Just proceeds to unlock the door, but because it's a sliding door, each opening makes a loud rattling noise that echos down the street, so he has to slowly, slowly slide it inch by inch to minimize the sound as much as possible because he knows the noise from opening his door will disturb the little neighbor's precious sleep time, which they have already formally agreed on. He wishes to uphold his end of the bargain as much as possible.

It takes some time for the door to fully slide open. He walks in to place his luggage and keys on the inner counter, then returns to the car to take the decorative items he purchased from IKEA into the house.

Everything happens slowly because Just wants to make as little noise as possible, but he still makes a mistake when, as he is about to pour water into a glass he had just picked up and placed on the dining table, his gaze shifts inadvertently to see a tiny bug scurrying in from the front door, causing Just to flinch and jump violently.