Hidden Love

Chapter 5

An inch of safety starts to come back to me when I slow and walk up to the door as the entrance of my complex building. The air conditioning right above the door welcomes me and the running heat throughout my body starts to cool off starting at the top of my head. As per usual, the old lady sitting at the lobby desk greeted me in her native tongue to which I greet her back.

Korean isn't the easiest language to learn, but since coming to Korea to work and live, I have picked up enough of the language to hold the most basic of conversations. Although I was glad when I learned that the people I am working with can speak my own native tongue. In fact, from living in the same complex building for over a year now, the old lady who watches me walk from the door to the elevator has taught me Korean while in turn, I've taught her English from the brief moments we share when I enter or exit the building.

With a click of a button, the elevator doors slide open shakily allowing me to step within the cool metal box and start to take me to the fifth floor after another click of a button and the doors shakily close. The elevator rattles at a slow pace as it moves upwards but I pay no attention to it. Leaning against the railing at the back of the box, I allow my head to rest softly against the mirror so that I can take my time catching my breath, but with the vibration from my phone in my jogging bottom's pocket, I nonchalantly slip my phone into my hand to bring it into my view to read a message on the home screen from Sunghoon.

[Be glad you went home]

To a shaky stop, the doors slide open and automatically I step out of the metal box and begin to make my way down the straight corridor towards my apartment's door. On the way replying to Sunghoon's message.

[Why?]

Slipping my bag off my shoulders and unzipping it for the bag to fall open, I quickly retrieve my keys for the lock on my door before my phone vibrates again. However panic arises in my chest when I read the new message sent to me.

[Jungkook is pissed!]

By now my breathing had slowed but the stress was starting to create a headache for me while I reread the short message over and over.

Is he pissed because I left work, or is he pissed because of me entirely?

With my front door now in front of me, I take my time to slot the key into my door's lock as I rack my brain as to why Sunghoon is even telling me this. Surely he wouldn't be telling me if it had nothing to do with me, right?

My door's lock switches to open and throwing my keys back into my bag, a heavy sigh escapes me making me feel like a deflating balloon yet I drag my tired and aching feet through the threshold into my flat before pushing the door shut with a final click of the lock. Heavily, I press my back against the flat surface and drop my bag to the floor.

Then my phone vibrates again making me bring it into my line of sight once again.

[He's just nitpicking at everything. Do you know if something happened at lunch for him to be like this?]

Slowly, I peer through my apartment to watch the stillness of it. The only sound of the distant traffic is what filled the empty apartment's air. Despite having come back yesterday, there is still an unnerving stillness in my furniture and belongings that would be enough to scare anyone. Everything seemed down and grey really showing that I have yet to restore the life within my flat since no life was lived in these walls for a week.

Despite the current stillness, I felt safe and welcomed back into my flat's structure, as though the warm yellow glow to it will return sooner after I've done some cleaning. Swiftly kicking off my shoes and forgetting about replying to Sunghoon, I graced my flat through to the kitchen, remembering that my stomach is still empty from lunchtime and food could possibly cure the still lingering feeling of nausea. Discarding my phone on the dark walnut kitchen worktop, I plod over to my fridge and yank the door open to find it empty; a violent two-times buzz on my countertop makes me sigh heavily knowing full well who it is.