— yunjin.

@✽ yunjin h. [ text to: gremlin ]
— you sound like a plot from those hallmark romance movies in america lol
— but since you’re “fun” i guess you could
( . . . )
— putting words in my mouth now, huh?

heeseung briefly mulls over her comment. she was right, he definitely wasn’t the type who liked crowded places or events. but he was also curious—about what, exactly? he isn’t sure himself. seeing is believing, and a part of him wants to see her in her supposed element. perhaps, another part of him wants to know more about her, especially since his first impression of her was incredibly wrong.

[ text to: gremlin ]
— i have nothing else going on with my life so why not
(deleted: i'm not going to wear that shirt though)

@✽ heeseung l. in all honesty, despite yunjin's indulgence and curiosities in the text conversation with her next-door neighbor, she wasn't expecting much from him. even from earlier that day, he'd been so brief with his answers that she didn't think he'd relent, but with his incoming messages conveying a somewhat more cooperative attitude, it amuses her.

[ text to: pest ]
— boo, that to hear
— you think a small town rocker girl could change that boring city?
( . . . )
— exactly
— so i'll take maybe-into-a-yes :hand_over_mouth:
— but you seriously want to go?
— you don't strike me as the type :|

@✽ yunjin h. while heeseung wasn't attempting to avoid the question, he also wasn't sure what to properly answer and to what extent to share. the progress of starting any type of relationship involves knowing each other more, and he's aware that if he continues answering in vague mannerisms, it could convey disinterest and refusal to open up to the other person. with this in mind, heeseung decides to share something about himself more trivial and basic to provide some sort of elaboration to his answer, hoping it'll avert any doubt that he wasn't interested in befriending her.

[ text to: gremlin ]
( . . . )
— i was born and raised in seoul
— city life was getting boring lol

anticipating the three knocks, he's relatively surprised she gave him a proper answer until she sends the following two, hearing muffled laughter immediately after leading to a few chuckles escaping his own lips. taking time to read the messages, a teasing smile forms as he knocks twice.

[ text to: gremlin ]
— i'm kidding lol
— i'll consider it maybe
( deleted: i can cover the shirt with a jacket anyws )
— plus if i say no you won't give me the address

@✽ heeseung l. yunjin's face distorts into a look of confusion upon the third knock, her subtle anticipation growing into impatience in between the painstakingly long pauses. she's even sent him three angry emojis in the midst of such.

[ text to: pest ]
— :raised_brow: :raised_brow:
— i'll let it pass
( . . . )

her initial reaction is to press three knocks to the wall, but after more thought, her fist knocks one time — yes. it's her first answer, however, she's quick to follow it up with two more knocks just to bother him. and if he'd been listening closely, perhaps he'd catch her laugh.

[ text to: pest ]
— you know i'd never pass up the opportunity to annoy u
— ok my turn :|
— will you wear a 'yunjin's number 1 fan' on ur shirt if i give you the address :3

@✽ yunjin h. [ text to: gremlin ]
— maybe i'm indirectly implying it
— yeah but after that, the rest isn't free
( . . . )
( deleted: no way you're calling me out for being born a year earlier )
— get in line then a 5 yo would think you're just as ancient as me
— i like to think i was raised decently to not be a creep :|

heeseung quickly reads her following texts a couple of times before lifting his hand to knock on the wall three times, the interval between each knock being painfully slow yet intentional. the answer he picked was partially for the sake of annoying her, but he also interpreted his choice as an alternative answer.

[ text to: gremlin ]
— yes and no
— since we're playing 21 qns out of nowhere, i'm asking next
( . . . )
— are you going to give me an invite to your band's next gig? :\
— once for yes, twice for no, three times to annoy me
— if it's more than 3 knocks, i'll take it that you're sending me the address through code :zany:

@✽ heeseung l. there's a pleased grin on her face the moment a singular knock is heard, and in that moment, she also presses her ear to the wall, the sly comment from the older making her scoff. and in case he didn't catch it the first time around, she scoffs once more, and types away on her phone.

[ text to: pest ]
— i know you're not calling me a 12 yr old loser :triumph:
— an apology coffee?
— i'll accept :3
( . . . )
( deleted: ig i'm sor| )
( deleted: me too ig| )
( . . . )
— i'm 21 :zany:
— yea well, good thing you aren't actually creepy ... unless :raised_brow:

with pursed lips, she contemplates over sending what's already typed on her keyboard. she isn't usually this forward or interested in others, if anything it's the other way around, but she figures there's a first time for everything, even for something so out-of-character for her.

[ text to: pest ]
— but i should know more about this loser that lives next to me
— are you really in dandelion for /fun/? :|
— once for yes, twice for no

@✽ yunjin h. heeseung instinctively turns his head to the side, pressing his ear to the wall while waiting for a knock from the other side and in perfect timing, he coincidentally catches her statement rather clearly causing him to snort, rolling his eyes at his neighbour despite the growing smile on his face.

reading her first few texts, he knocks once on the wall as an answer before retaliating with his own childish remark, “huh yunjin is a brat.”

[ text to: gremlin ]
— yeah and guess what :| so are you
— i think it’s enough that you’re wreaking havoc to yourself without even trying
( . . . )
— all g i was never going to ask you to anyway
— that caramel macchiato equates to one ramyeon :\ but consider it an apology coffee for before
( deleted: you must be 12 fr if you think that’s old )
— why, how old are you then :\
— not my fault i have decent hearing
— if i was actually creepy, you shouldn’t be wondering - you should be moving out of your place lol

@✽ heeseung l. to her surprise, she could hear heeseung’s voice through the thin build of the wall, despite it being muffled. she’s sure if she pressed her ear to it, it could be somewhat clear. with a balled fist, she knocks upon the wall once and says, “lee heeseung, you’re annoying.” she doesn’t expect much of a response back, but this is enough for an amused smile to make home across her face.

[ text to: pest ]
— it was eh
( . . . )
— did you hear that? once for yes, twice for no
— yeah and you’re a loser :|
— what, not gonna let me wreak havoc on other people? : (
( . . . )
— wow a raise
— then i won’t pay you back for the coffee >____<
( deleted: not that i was going to anw )
— man, that /is/ old
— can’t i wonder abt this creepy neighbor i have that can hear through the wall :\

@✽ yunjin h. heeseung flinches lightly upon hearing the unexpected knocks, his shocking immediately turning into fascination. “oh.” he exclaims, now intrigued as to how thin the walls were and to what extent could they hear.

[ text to: gremlin ]
— i was leaning on the wall so i heard it

in response, he knocks three times before deciding to call her name, “huh yunjin, can you hear me?”

[ text to: gremlin ]
— how clear could you hear that?
( . . . )
— yeah and? :\ idk if i want to elaborate
— not looking out for you, i’m looking out for the healthcare workers
( . . . )
— it wasn’t april and if it was a joke he wouldn’t give me a raise :zany:
( . . . )
— i’m 22 why :|

@✽ heeseung l. with soft massages to the back of her head, yunjin decides to do an updated sweep through her social media while awaiting his texts — well, not /just/ for his texts. this conversation was just something trivial to pass the time, yeah. but this didn't seem to be the case when her phone chimes with her oh-so affectionate contact name for him popping up on her screen, and she presses it utmost immediately.

[ text to: pest ]
( . . . )
— wtf

experimentally, she knocks a few times on the wall.

[ text to: pest ]
— you can hear that? creep
( . . . )
— no comment is a comment :|
— aw ur looking out 4 me, don't do it next time
( . . . )
— maybe it was april fools when your boss told you. or some funny joke :zany:
— certainly a joke i’d make
(deleted: ain't no way ur calling me a 12 yr old)
— uh huh
— how old r u, like 25?

[post deleted by owner]

[post deleted by owner]

@✽ yunjin h. waiting for her response, heeseung transitions to his room and sits at the edge of his bed, his back leaning against the wall with his legs outstretched. he scrolls through social media for a few minutes, laser focused on the reels he’s been watching until his ears picks up a soft thump and a muffled voice across the other side of the wall he’s been comfortably resting against. in that short moment, heeseung receives her texts and breaks into a little grin while piecing two and two together.

[ text to: gremlin ]
— was that you lol did you hit your elbow again?
( . . . )
( deleted: yea sure she does :upside_down_smile: )
— no comment
( . . . )
— that had two sugars and a ton of caramel drizzle ….
— i’m saving you from the risk of type 2 diabetes yw
( . . . )
— lmao i’m not convinced either but my boss says i am so i’m the manager
— i’m not that old :raised_brow: but ig to a 12 yo (deleted: like you) i probably am

@✽ heeseung l. yunjin can only scoff upon reading his messages, though it soon comes to be more of an uncharacteristic chuckle. she leaves their conversation on pause for a few minutes as she slips into something more comfortable and sprawls atop of her bed — but perhaps she’d been too clumsy, for when she scoots up, her head softly bumps into the wall, resulting a not-so-ladylike curse.

[ text to: pest ]
— man, she sounds cute enough for a free macchiato
( . . . )
— thanks 4 that (deleted: ig)
— could’ve been a bit sweeter :|
( . . . )
— knew it
— still not convinced you’re the manager
— aren’t you too old :raised_brow:

@✽ yunjin h. after handing over the caramel macchiato to his neighbour, heeseung finally enters his apartment and immediately crashes on the couch with his eyes closed. he feels the succint vibration of his phone from the pocket of his hoodie, and while he usually dismisses it to reply later on (or never), heeseung fishes his phone out as he opens his eyes, taking a moment to read the messages with a chortle escaping his lips before he proceeds to reply.

[ text to: gremlin ]
— not too bad
— there was this girl who took my spot when i went for my break though
( . . . )
— nah there were people just as fun as you
— like the super manager

@✽ heeseung l. [ text to: pest ]
( . . . )
— how was your shift?
— no one as fun as me? :pensive:

her thumb lazily swipes across her phone's keyboard as she traipses inside her apartment, a newly made caramel macchiato held in her other hand. pleasantly surprised that he's even remembered her request, her lips upturn into a smile, relieved that he can't be of witness to it.

@✽ yunjin h. the most reasonable decision for heeseung to take was to let her win their childish bicker. he understands adding fuel to the fire would lead to nowhere. he knows that he'll forget her remarks the minute he hits that bed and falls asleep in an instant. and he's extremely aware he doesn't take insults to heart anyways, so there was no point in him refuting. but heeseung lets his impulse win over his discernment—which he's now realising seems to be the frequent case when it came to his neighbour. reason, logic, and composure all tossed to side without second thoughts because she somehow knew the right buttons to push to get a reaction out of him, irking him to the point where he refuses to let her win regardless how minor and petty it was.

"i was actually on a winning streak until i remembered a certain /somebody/ next door ruined my entire day because i didn't get to sleep the previous night," heeseung answers, his tone of voice laced with annoyance, before he mirrors her expression by raising his eyebrow, "also for someone in an actual band, based on the performance you gave the past two days, i think you need a lot more than practicing at 3am or else they might kick you out. i suggest you practice in broad daylight to save the rest of the floor's hearing."

the landlord's sighs become heavier and heavier as their quarrel progresses, it was way too early for him to deal with children that weren't his own. to prevent another round of arguments, he raises a hand to interrupt their conversation, "alright, that's enough from the both of you. you've already interrupted my sleep, i'll go crazy if i keep listening to the two of you biting each other's head off."

with the exchange complete, heeseung suppresses an eyeroll at his neighbour's remarks and returns her insincere smile with his very own, sarcastically waving at her until she closes the door. turning towards their landlord, heeseung bows once more as he expresses another apology regarding the commotion, "i'm really sorry about the disturbance we caused today. we'll ensure it won't happen again and aim to be more civil with one another."

"i'll be counting on that, heeseung. i'll go ahead now, rest well."

bowing once more as they part ways, heeseung enters his apartment with a deep sigh and immediately crashes on the bed. hearing the succinct buzz of his phone beside him, he grabs it only to see that he received a text notification from his neighbour; "i should go catch up on sleep she says," he grumbles softly as he opens the message. shaking his head at the image she sent him, heeseung chooses to send a curt reply before closing his eyes.

[ text to: gremlin ]
:shrug: :shrug: :shrug:

as he lulls himself to sleep, heeseung hopes he doesn't see her over the next few days, or perhaps the next few weeks, maybe even months. two consecutive encounters was more than enough for him to know they wouldn't get along any time soon, and to prevent starting war with one another, the best solution would be to actively avoid each other.

@✽ heeseung l. "ah, to chime in on that 'wannabe rockstar' comment —" the look of displeasure crosses over the landlord's face upon yunjin's two cents, but she comes off as more than proud as her eyes direct themselves over to her neighbor. "i /am/ in a band — and no, not those amateur garage bands — an actual one. so, in my defense, i was simply practicing. but what were you doing?" her eyebrow quirks up challengingly. "just playing games? wait no, /losing/ them. i suggest you lay off the pc games, might be good for the rest of the floor."

as their shameless banter is exchanged before the landlord, he only seems to let out another sigh, attempting to tolerate their mutual clash of pettiness. but his face slightly soothes when heeseung issues a genuine apology, nodding in acknowledgment before turning to her expectantly; yunjin subtly shifts to lean on her other foot out of unease, arms across her chest.

she was never good with apologies, but there's no surprise there.

when he finally takes her phone from her grasp, it dissipates the air of discomfiture, at least for her. especially when his eyes land upon the customized name she's put in, the brief glare he flashes her earns him a lopsided simper from her. one could say that she likes pushing his buttons, and at the sight of her own contact name embedded in his phone, perhaps she didn't expect him to return the favor.

"got it," she emits a half-fake yawn. "well, i should go catch up on that sleep i lost. hope to not see either of your faces at this time of night, and i mean that in the nicest way." she gives an insincere smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes as she steps back into her apartment and shuts the door, promptly typing in a message when she's made it back to her room.

[ text to: pest ]
[ gremlin sent a photo: https://i.imgur.com/hWH6p57.png ]

@✽ mark l. yunjin takes a step inside his house when he allows her to, not recalling much of her last memory here. but before he could even utter out his thoughts about replacing their furniture, it's the first thing she was going to suggest. not because it's all older than him and nearly worn out, but because he deserved a chance at a new start — she even recognized that before the night he left. "you're right, so i'll help you with it. anytime you want, new hair color." she turns to him with a -eating smile, softly kicking at the couch leg. "that's good. make sure you have space in your freezer for my favorite ice cream. i'll be expecting it whenever i come over. hey, you still play though? because guess what, i'm in a band now."

@✽ yunjin h. listening to his neighbour try to place all the blame on him, heeseung can't help but roll his eyes at her statement. scoffing lightly, he flashes a sarcastic smile at her way as he retaliates, “i’ll admit i’m partially to blame for this matter, but i wasn’t the one acting like a wannabe rockstar at three am last night; so in /my/ humble opinion, i personally believe huh yunjin here should be punished more seeing that /she’s/ the one who really started it.”

the last thing heeseung needs is an eviction notice caused by a neighbour he's starting to perceive more and more insufferable, nor does he take liking to the idea of the landlord gathering more information about him that could lead to his parents receiving details about his whereabouts and contact details. biting back another remark about his neighbour, he chooses to bow in apology instead, “i’m sorry, it won’t happen again on my end.”

yet heeseung groans inwardly at yunjin's refusal to apologise. regardless of sincerity (or lack thereof), all she had to say were two measly words to avoid being forced to pick between exchanging numbers and apologising to the whole floor. going door to door would take so much of his effort and energy—his social battery was already at an all time low, and it would be so inefficient. plus, he doubts they'd last a minute without trying to annoy each other. there’s no way they’ll be civil enough, they might even end up being kicked out of their homes whilst trying to make amends.

the resentful gaze he sends at his neighbour shifts to the phone she's holding out to him, thinking momentarily if he really needed to do this; and with no other choice, heeseung lets out an exasperated sigh as he begrudgingly takes it to input his number. taking note of the contact name she put him under, evident by how he glares at her for a second, heeseung proceeds to briefly dial himself through her phone as proof that he had given her the correct information.

once his phone buzzed, he ends the call and hands the device back to his neighbour. heeseung saves her number as a new contact under the name 'gremlin' before angling his phone screen towards the landlord’s way, “is that good enough?”

“yes. good, bother each other there. if i hear a complaint about the two of you in the near future, i won’t be going easy on either of you.”

@✽ yunjin h. mark grinned widely as he squeezed yunjin's waist, pulling away to look at her dyed hair with a laugh leaving his lips. "yeah, you've always been better at this stuff than i have. i just needed a change, what can i say? now that i can dye my hair crazy colours, i absolutely want to." he nodded a few times and stepped aside, motioning for her to enter. "it's a little bare right now, i'm in the process of getting all the furniture replaced so i can donate all this stuff. time for me to start completely fresh."

@✽ heeseung l. despite her feigned act of innocence as her neighbor’s door squeaks open, yunjin can’t help herself but to sneak a glance at him, simply to put a face to the label of ‘the most annoying guy that she’s lived next to’. and growing up with two brothers, that says an awful lot. but when her eyes momentarily meet his, amidst of her vexed glare, there’s an abrupt thought in the back of her mind: ‘not bad’.

“are you even listening, huh yunjin?”

in all honesty, she predicted that this little talk with the landlord was going to occur sooner or later, so his answer is ultimately no — but he knew that. “you disrupt my complex and you’re not even listening to me.”

“i think i’m a little hard of hearing right now because i was rudely woken up from my early morning nap,” she says as if that was a sufficient excuse, flashing him an exaggerated expression of exhaustion that she’s mastered. now, with another glance to her neighbor, she continues: “what’s this guy’s name… heeseung? yeah, he’s the only one that should be punished, in my humble opinion. he started this.”

the landlord gives her a pointed look. “your parents gave me a warning about you, huh yunjin. you’re lucky i’m not calling them right now,” yunjin’s countenance scrunches up in distaste, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. “and i don’t know much about you, lee heeseung, but don’t think that means you’re off the hook.”

it feels a little awkward now with the brief silence, yunjin evidently avoiding the entire apology part of this group encounter, and seeing this, their landlord sighs. “why don’t you kids exchange cell phone numbers or something? bother each other there, instead of the whole floor,” yunjin raises her pointer finger to intervene, but is immediately shut down. “it’s either that or going door to door to say sorry.”

with a huff, she retrieves her phone from her pocket and swipes past her lockscreen, pulling up her contact list. before she lends it over, she types in a contact name for him; pest.

“here.”

@✽ yunjin h. with both of their music blasting at different intervals, heeseung is overwhelmed yet extremely amused by the amount of noise happening and how chaotic everything feels. his amusement causes his annoyance to falter just a bit, momentarily wondering how the two of them ended up like this.

yet as soon as he hears another voice interrupt and the sound of fists angrily pounding at his neighbour's door, heeseung knew the game was over. with the music being abruptly cut next door, he knew he was next in line for trouble and immediately exited out of the app, turning off his phone just as his name was called.

rushing over to the door, heeseung maintains an aloof disposition as he opens it, slightly stepping out to meet the landlord. he glances briefly over to the next door to take a look at the neighbour who had been bothering him since last night, before his gaze lands back to the landlord, "yes?"

the landlord looks at them back and forth incredulously, wondering how they had the audacity to look unbothered as if they weren't trying to deafen each other (and the rest of the residents) a few moments ago. "for a bunch of kids who nearly woke up the entire floor, you two sure have the nerve to pretend like nothing happened," he comments, glaring at them, "i don't want to receive noise complaints about you two around this time of night ever again—this is the first and last time i'm giving you a warning."

@✽ mark l. when the front door swings open, it feels all the more surreal — sure, his hair was red and his age is catching up to him (not really, she just thought it's something she should about), but he still looks like... well, like mark. the same mark that would come over for breakfast every other morning and the same mark that shared a tearful farewell the night he left. “you , you better stay for more than awhile.” she returns his physical affection with her arms lazily slung around his torso, making a face as a result of the platonic kisses he bestows to her temple. “i’d tell (insert older brother name here), but he’d just bore you with whatever. lucky for you, i’m still fun as ,” she motions to her hair. “look, my dye job looks better than yours.”

@✽ yunjin h. mark was going to reply but then yunjin ran out of the bedroom, and he laughed before dropping the board and making his way down the stairs to open it up for her. when the knocks sounded, he unlocked and flung open the door before immediately pulling her into his arms, kissing the side of her head a few times and laughing. "i'm here, this is real and i'm back and i'm here to stay for a while."

@✽ mark l. it's like she could practically hear his laugh through their glass windows, especially with the way his head slightly leans back and his hair curtains over his eyes. it makes her feel all fuzzy and warm, in some weird, nostalgic way. "was the change losing two inches? you're shorter than i remember." she writes down easily, eyes held with mirth before she nods, sprawling her whiteboard and marker over her desk. she's gone in a flash, traveling her way from her room to his doorstep, as if she was eighteen again. her fist raps upon his front door without a sense of urgency, though she couldn't help but wonder — she wasn't going insane, right? mark was here, right behind this door.

@✽ yunjin h. mark couldn't help but laugh out loud when he read the first words on yunjin's board, pausing for a moment before remembering he was the only one in the house. he shook his head and lowered his sketchpad, letting her write before reaching out for his own whiteboard and marker, laughing at the fact that he had a bright red to match his hair. "needed a change i guess. well the house is all mine now so i think imma stick around for a while. come over?"

@✽ mark l. by the time that she's nearly finished packing the rest of her materials, she could hear the faint yell of her father from downstairs, "do you need any more help?" and it's much to her relief because damn, she was so tired. but before rosy tiers part to answer yes, she glances up without any thought, and is shockingly met with a strong sense of deja vu. in this moment, her eyes lay upon someone she hasn't seen in an awfully long time; mark lee. in some odd time warp, she feels like a high schooler again, caught waking up late on a regular monday morning by none other than her next-door neighbor. and just like she would back then, she scrambles in her moving box for her old whiteboard calendar, scribbling back: "what the ?!" her face contorts into a mixture of happiness and confusion, lips curling into a surprised smile but eyes held wide. scribbling again, she flips her board around for him to see. "you look like one of those troll dolls. you visiting?"

@✽ yunjin h. mark ran a hand through his hair as he finally stepped into his old bedroom, looking around at all of the things his parents had simply left there—whether it was because they wanted to pretend he had left on his own terms, or it was because they wanted to mourn the son they had thought he was after he rebelled by running away at seventeen. either way, it was untouched but not dusty, obvious that somebody came in to still clean up the place, and mark hated every bit of it. even the sketchpad he used to talk with yunjin was still there—speaking of which, he peeked out the window and noticed that she was in her bedroom, so he looked over at the desk and grabbed it and a marker without a second thought. he was different now—bright red hair, tattoos on his face and body, scars that hadn't been there when he left—but there was still some of the old mark in him. he wrote a large "long time no see" before holding it up to the window, wondering if she'd notice that he was there.

@✽ heeseung l. “torture?!”

yunjin exclaims incredulously with obvious offense, agitated at both his brazen insult and the fact that she could still hear his measly voice through her guitar playing. “i’ll show you torture.” as she mutters beneath her breath, she promptly powers her laptop on, slides to maximum volume, and coincidentally, begins to play the same heavy metal song that he does from his side, but his audio is about two seconds ahead. it confuses her for a second (might’ve even amused her amidst of all the noises), but she’s back on her guitar in no time, absolutely demolishing the clash of its strings.

their early morning feud lasts for about five more minutes before another competitor arrives, rapping their fist upon her front door. at first, she misinterprets it as him simply pounding against her wall again, but once a more angry, gruff yell of, “huh yunjin!” sounds above all their efforts, she mentally curses.

, it’s the landlord.

“oh hey, what’s up?” with the pause of her previous clamoring, she takes a chance at nonchalance the moment she swings the door open, refraining from making a face at his evidently furious one. after achieving her attention, he turns to the next door, repeating the same procedure with her neighbor’s door, as he shouts — “lee heeseung!”