As I approached the unknown, it got darker and darker and I felt my hands getting clammy. It wasn't safe, but there was nothing I could do about it. I couldn't ignore people distress when I witnessed it. Even though I didn't know the person, I couldn't look away and pretend nothing was wrong.

After a wavering moment, I crouched down in front of him. The young man was dressed in jeans torn at the knees and a black hooded sweatshirt that prevented me from seeing his face. I was about to speak to him when, having felt my presence, he raised his head slightly and grabbed my wrist with strength. His sudden gesture took my breath away while his hand, so cold, made me shiver slightly.

"What do you want?"

The stranger's voice - whose chin I could barely see because of his hood and the dim lighting - was cold and annoyed. Not really wanting to answer to someone who seemed to want to rip off my hand, I tried to free myself from his grip when he quickly released me, as if this contact with me had suddenly burned him. Clearly, his rough gesture was a reflex, not a will to attack me. After a slight hesitation, I asked.

"Are you all right?"

No answer.

Instead, he started banging his fist against the wall of the building again. He was pissed off, but I felt there was nothing I could do about it. This guy didn't seem to want to talk and I had no right to mind his business. So, even if I was a little worried for him, I got up. I sighed deeply, before talking to myself as I walked towards the building entrance.

"I hope this damn argument is over..."

"Hey!"

I turned around, amazed. Had he just called me out? Seeing he was turned in my direction, I realized it was the case. What did he want from me? Did he need help or was I the one who was going to get in trouble?

Confused, I didn't answer, but my silence and immobility spoke for me. Suddenly, the unknown stood up, revealing he was slightly taller than me. He slipped his hands into his sweater pockets, while I kept my eyes on him, suddenly a bit anxious.

Hm... What if he decided to racketeer me or something? He didn't particularly look like a thief... but there was a strange aura around him, something dark I didn't know how to interpret. I swallowed my saliva, waiting for the rest of the conversation with apprehension, ready to run away at the slightest suspicious movement on his part, when he asked me the question I least expected.

"What argument?"

I blinked, bewildered.

"Well..." Intimidated by his detached and rather pensive voice, I ran a hand through my hair before stammering. "My neighbor from the opposite apartment was arguing with his roommate earlier... The kind of argument that can end up in a bloodbath easy... So, I was wondering if it was over, because the walls aren't very soundproof and... well, when they argue, it's really disturbing..."

Okay me. But... why was I talking like an elementary school kid?! Damn it... Was I really planning to start working tomorrow?! 

The unknown's voice, suddenly deeper, brought me back to Earth.

"Hn. Yes. It's over. For now..."

Surprised, I couldn't take my eyes off him. So, he lived in the building too! Maybe even the same hallway as me! I had never met him before, but that was probably normal. I had only moved in just two weeks ago, I probably didn't know a quarter of the tenants. So, this guy was one of my neighbors and visibly, he seemed to hate this fool's daily crises as much as I did.

This unexpected news relieved me a little. I wasn't the only one who was exasperated by the situation. The idea of making an alliance with him in order to set up a petition crossed my mind.

"Living next door to this guy is really unbearable!" I grumbled, as the breeze grew colder, now that the night had fully set in. It was going to rain soon, by the way.

"Living with is even worse."

"I can imagine!" I admitted with a sigh of compassion for the poor guy who had to put up with that hysteric every day.

The unknown answered nothing. Seconds passed. I felt the tension rise a notch without understanding why, until my brain was illuminated by the understanding's divine light.

No... He couldn't be...

"Are you the one living with him?!"

"Not for long if this continues."

While I still couldn't believe it, he had just spoken so vehemently that I felt a trail of shudders slide down my spine. He wasn't joking. He seemed to be totally on the verge of a breakdown, as if he was about to commit a big mistake very soon.

Damn it... What was I supposed to do? Did I have to go home or to stay here until he's a little calmer? While I was watching him, he remained motionless and mute, no doubt dreaming of reducing that asshole to a bloody mush, I became more and more hesitant and lost. As I thought about saying something spiritual to loosen up the atmosphere a little, the rain began to fall, first in fine, almost imperceptible droplets that quickly turned into much more annoying drops.

Not having an umbrella, I moved back towards the entrance to stay dry. My interlocutor seemed impervious to any outside event. He was so cut off from the rest of the world, as if his anger was the only thing that existed, that I felt sorry for him.

"It's raining..." I whispered. "You're going to get wet..."

"I don't care. If I go back there now, I'm gonna beat the shit out of him for good."

He hadn't hesitated for a second when he said that with an icy tone, which confirmed my doubts about his nervousness state and his ability of make a big mistake before the twelve strokes of midnight. I frankly didn't know what to do, but before I even realized it, the words had crossed the barrier of my lips.

I heard myself propose, as if it were completely natural.

"Hn... You can come to my house for a moment if you want! We're neighbors after all!"

We're neighbors after all? Seriously?! In what world does being neighbors mean inviting a complete stranger, who's potentially about to commit a crime, into your house?!

Anyway.

It was obvious he was going to refuse...

"Why not."

Okayyy... Great... 

Congratulations, me.

I was flabbergasted. Did he really agreed? I mean... really ? Well, maybe it wasn't that dramatic... He didn't have anything against me... He didn't seem mean... Plus, he had spoken almost in a sigh, as if my proposal was the wisest solution after weighing the pros and cons... the only solution, maybe. So, if it avoided a catastrophe, it was a good thing. Besides... maybe if I spoke a little with him, I would understand better why he inflicted this to himself, staying with such a hateful man.

Without waiting, I took the direction of my apartment. The unknown was following me with a slow step, while keeping a certain distance between us. Arriving at my door, I saw him stop a meter away from me, looking towards the door of his apartment. Was he going to change his mind, go back there and make a massacre?! For a short moment, my legs weakened a little. I began to panic and dropped my keys, which landed halfway between him and me.

As I was wasting time blaming myself for my clumsiness, he bent down to grab them for me. When he reached out his hand to me, I realized his skin was covered with scratches. His joints and phalanxes were red and sore. Yet, his hand was so beautiful... He had long, thin fingers, white skin that seemed soft, but with so many stigmata that it broke my heart.

All this because of the other old dumbass?!

Suddenly bitter, I opened the door at full speed. Indeed, I didn't want us to stay on the landing one more second. My unbearable neighbor could see us through the peephole and I didn't want the unknown to get into further trouble because of me.

"Wanna come in?"

My voice seemed to take him out of his thoughts and without saying a word, he entered after a tiny hesitation. He looked like a wild cat, still in his bubble, but seemed less nervous than before, which was already a good thing. Now he was inside, under my living room bright lighting, I took the time to look at him more carefully. His body was slim, well proportioned. But I still couldn't see his face very well because he kept his head down constantly, almost invisible under his hood. At once, as if he had read my thoughts, he slowly took it off. Then, I could see his eyes for the first time.

Immediately, I swallowed.

If I had to find a term for this young man, simply saying he's "beautiful" wouldn't be enough. He wasn't "beautiful"... he was hot.

He had cat-like eyes, so deep it was almost frightening. Their color, fascinating, oscillated between black and gray. They looked like two dark lakes surrounded by mist from which I could barely detach myself. Nevertheless, aware that staring at someone this way wasn't very polite, I observed the rest of his face.

♯perfection

No, really. He looked like a top-model, an actor or a Kpop Idol...

Fine features, perfectly symmetrical... Pink lips, neither too thin nor too full... Perfect skin... Dark chestnut hair, with a few lighter strands and a fringe that didn't cover his entire forehead... He must have been about my age, that was what his so dark eyes said. Without a doubt, he was the kind of guy who could make girls fall like flies... Not only girls, by the way...

Suddenly, my hypothesis that my despicable neighbor's roommate might be his lover came back to me, and I almost choked.

No. It's just IM-PO-SSI-BLE.

If that handsome guy was dating that horrendous owl face, all I had to do was throw myself off a bridge! And the rest of the singles in the world would probably do the same!

"My name's Minho."

His voice, less nervous than before, drew me out of my disordered reflections. Caught off guard for no reason - apart from my interlocutor's undeniable and devastating sex appeal - I almost forgot my own name.

"I... I'm Jisung!"

Me for God's sake... A little less jovial would have been better...

As I tried not to lose myself again in the unfathomable vastness of his gray eyes, I couldn't help but stare at him again when his eyes suddenly widened.

Something had just grabbed his full attention, but what?

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Hello! Thank you for reading! I'm really happy if you go through this story! I hope you enjoyed this 2nd chapter! What do you think about it? Please let me know if you have any comments, I would love to hear from you! :D Take care of yourself! <3 

SaaheVer.