The old, wooden floorboards creaked tiredly as Jisung stepped through the front door of his new house. It wasn't actually new, but new to him anyway. When his great aunt passed away earlier in the year, she left the house in his name. He didn't know her well, but he was the only heir she had left when she moved on from this world.
Despite a few minor details, the house was in great condition. It really only needed a fresh coat of paint and new furniture to liven it up. But, Jisung was a college student with little funds. He would have to make do with the old decor for now.
No one could argue that it was clearly a home in which an old lady had lived. An off-white sofa sat in the center of the room, its fabric embroidered with a pink and yellow floral pattern, and the end tables that sat on each side were topped with white, lace doilies. The tv on the low-sitting table across from the couch was ancient looking. Jisung could barely remember a time when he'd ever seen one square-shaped.
A large rug spread out across the living room floor, its blue and purple color questionable, as it didn't seem to match any of the furniture. It was likely his aunt suffered from vision loss, he surmised, based on the old tv and rather hideous decor. But at least he had furnishings.
A few old photos of people he didn't recognize hung around the room. Most likely his aunt's family that he didn't know. It felt too awkward to have strangers constantly looking at him and he decided they would be the first to get put away. But for now, he just needed to focus on unpacking.
Jisung slowly walked up the staircase to find the bedrooms. Each step groaned as if the house was alive and upset that some stranger had come along to disturb it. But it was just something he'd have to get used to. He wasn't a carpenter, after all.
He came to the top of the stairs, ending at a somewhat long hallway. There were four doors, all closed except one. He peered down through the darkness, then quickly searched for a light switch. When he finally located it, he flipped it on and reassessed his surroundings.
There was a small, slim table with an antique lamp perched upon it and a painting of a forest hanging above. It was the only light in the narrow hallway and it just barely lit up the area. But now he could see that the room with the open door was a bathroom. Now he just needed to find a suitable bedroom.
He made his way to the end of the hallway where he figured he was likely to find the master bedroom. He turned the old, brass knob and slowly opened the door to reveal a large room. There was a queen-sized, four-post bed and a large vanity with a mirror and chair. Across from that stood a towering, wooden wardrobe.
A hair brush and hand mirror sat beside a delicate jewelry box on the vanity. The bed was made—its lacy-edged pillows adorning it like pieces of art. Everything was left in its place, undisturbed, as if the owner had just left to run an errand. But the owner had been gone for months by now. It was beautiful but unsettling.
Jisung decided he'd rather not take the bedroom that obviously belonged to his dearly departed aunt, even if it was likely the largest one in the house. There were two other doors to check, after all.
He turned around and headed back the other way, pulling his heavy luggage behind him. The next door he checked was indeed another bedroom. It was a bit smaller, but much less lived in. He figured it must have served as a guest room after his aunt's children had grown up and moved out. The other room was much the same, he just needed to pick one.
Jisung decided on the room at the complete opposite end of the hall from the master bedroom. Since it was at the end of the house, it had excellent lighting from the large windows that spread across two of its walls. And the decor was lively, with bright shades of yellow detailing the quilt, rug, and even curtains. It was definitely the cutest room in the entire house.
He unpacked his things, placing his clothes in the closet as well as a small dresser beside the bed. The nightstand had a similar antique lamp to the one in the hall, but in the bright room, it actually looked rather pretty. He opened one of the large windows that faced the front yard, letting a cool breeze fill the room with fresh air.
He took a deep breath and sighed, but his peaceful moment was abruptly interrupted by a loud, animal-like sound from inside the room. He slapped his hands onto his belly and chuckled to himself. It was past dinner time and he hadn't eaten in hours. So, his next stop was the kitchen.
Jisung wasn't sure what food he thought he'd find in the old, empty house, but he checked anyway, out of habit. A few expired cans of vegetables lingered in the cupboards, along with an old sack of rice. The refrigerator was empty, but at least it was running. With nothing in the house to eat, there was only one option in his mind: pizza.
Luckily, he had enough money to order out this time, but after that, he'd need to get groceries and make his own food to save from delivery fees and overpriced takeout. It was one last splurge for his empty stomach.
While he waited for the pizza, he flipped on the tv. Nothing but static and scrambled images on every channel. The antenna wasn't working and the house didn't have cable or internet yet...not that he was sure the old set could make use of something from this century anyway. He resorted to his phone instead and turned on his favorite scary story playlist from the video app.
Finally, his pizza arrived and it was all he could do to not absolutely inhale it. But, not being a total glutton, he managed to save a few slices that would make for a quick breakfast the next morning before classes. And maybe even dinner again.
He spent the rest of the evening exploring the old house, wondering if he'd find anything interesting. Aside from the kitchen and living room, there was another small bathroom on the main floor and a little den that might be great as an office someday.
There was also a dining room with a massive, solid wood table. Behind it stood a towering cabinet filled with delicate dishes that could be seen through the glass doors. He was sure he'd never find a use for the room, but he imagined it once held big family gatherings around delicious food.
Soon, it grew late and Jisung had to be up early for school. He quickly washed up and headed to his new room. The air was rather cool now, so he closed the window that he'd left open when he was unpacking earlier. Though, it was perfect for snuggling under the heavy quilt on his bed.
He laid there for a bit, watching more of his scary stories before finally settling into sleep. It was strange sleeping in a new place that was suddenly supposed to be his home, but luckily he was tired enough to knock right out in a matter of minutes.
However, around 3 am, Jisung was awoken by a frigid breeze and the sound of crackling tree branches. He shivered as he tried to snuggle tighter under the blankets, but it was no use.
Finally, he sat up and immediately noticed the window across from his bed was open—the one he had shut before going to sleep. He rubbed his eyes, unsure if he was seeing clearly, but quickly became certain that the draft was coming from that window.
He got up and scurried over, flinging the blowing curtains out of his way, and closed the window again.
"I'm sure I closed that," he muttered to himself as he stood there inspecting the window.
He shook his head and decided he must have been so tired that he didn't quite recall if he'd closed it after all. He got back into bed and cozied up with his warm blankets and drifted back to sleep in moments.
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The next morning, Jisung was awoken by the warm sunshine streaming in through the windows. It was the first time he didn't need his alarm to get up for school. And despite the minor disturbance in the middle of the night, he felt refreshed and excited for the day ahead.
He got ready and quickly ate a couple of slices of cold pizza, then headed off to pick up his best friend for school.
"Thanks for the ride," Hyunjin said for the umpteenth time as he plopped down into the passenger seat of Jisung's car. "My car should be out of the shop in a couple of days."
"Don't worry about it, really," Jisung reassured his blonde-haired, lanky friend.
"So, how's the new place?" Hyunjin asked curiously.
"It's...old. And, well, it's a free place to live, so I guess I can't complain," Jisung chuckled. "Actually, you'd probably love it."
"Really?" Hyunjin turned his head like an excited puppy.
"My great-aunt must have really loved flowers. Just about everything in the house has a floral pattern. Or maybe she was just old and tacky, I dunno."
"Wait...are you saying flowers are tacky?" Hyunjin huffed, not exactly wanting to be compared to an elderly woman.
"Sorry," Jisung laughed. "It's just not my thing. Real flowers are lovely. Flower patterns are...yeah. Anyway, you'll have to come over later and check out the place."
"Sure! But...you'll have to drive me." Hyunjin rubbed his neck and laughed uneasily.
"Tell you what, I'll drive and you buy us dinner. You can even stay the night if you want. There's plenty of room."
"Deal!"
Jisung was already relieved to have a little company in the big, old house. And a free meal meant he could delay grocery shopping for another day or two. Besides, it was the least Hyunjin could do to reimburse Jisung for all the rides while waiting for his car to be repaired.
They arrived at the campus and walked to class together. First up was math and Hyunjin was thankful to have Jisung with him. He was more of an art student and everything else was a real struggle.
They sat down next to each other and got out their supplies while they waited for class to begin. It was a bit early and students were still shuffling in over the next few minutes. But one student caught their eye.
"Hey, isn't that Minho? The guy you have a crush on?" Hyunjin whispered rather loudly.
"Shh!" Jisung frantically tried to hush his friend as he watched the student saunter over to another table. "Yeah, that's him."
"Wow, I bet you weren't expecting to have a class with him. This should be awkward," Hyunjin giggled.
"Thanks for your vote of confidence," Jisung grunted.
"Come on. You've been crushing on him for the last three semesters. Are you ever going to make a move?"
"You're one to talk. I don't see you making any progress with Lee Felix." Jisung shot Hyunjin a sassy, wide-eyed look, receiving a dramatic eye roll in return.
"Touché," Hyunjin muttered and sighed heavily. "I guess we need to learn to be a little bolder."
"How?"
"No clue."
They both dropped their faces into their hands in unison. The ever-dramatic duo remained frustrated in their lack of love life, but perhaps this could finally be their year.
It was their second year of college and they were still young. But life away from home was much more challenging than they'd anticipated. Not just because of the reality of life, but neither had expected to become interested in dating while focusing on school.
They were used to spending their days studying and goofing around mostly carefree. The only thing serious in their lives had been chores and curfew. Now that they were well into their college career, it felt like life was really happening. And now love seemed to be a part of that.