Chapter 8: Behind the Door That Was Never Fully Closed
658 Words
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The Unveiling
It had been a week since the new tenants arrived, but time felt like it had stopped on the fifth floor. No sound of the TV, no casual footsteps—only faint whispers in the night. Jisoo knew the silence wasn’t because these people were introverted; it was because they were hiding something.
They weren’t ordinary people. Just like her. Just like Jungkook.
And she began to feel it… from the way they looked at her.
That day, Jisoo came home later than usual from campus. The hallway lights were dim, and the fifth floor felt colder than normal. As she passed Room 309—Jungkook’s room—her steps automatically slowed. For days, that door hadn’t been opened.
But today… it was slightly ajar.
Not wide enough to see much, just enough to glimpse a dark, silent part of the room inside. No sound. No movement.
Jisoo held her breath. Her heart pounded.
Her hand reached out.
But before she could touch the door—a voice came from behind.
“He’s not in there.”
Jisoo turned quickly.
Taehyung stood at the end of the hallway. His eyes were cold, but not uncaring. More like… someone who understood too well.
“He left,” he continued. “But he left the door half-open. That means he’s coming back. Or… he wants you to go in.”
“What do you mean?” Jisoo asked, her voice hoarse.
Taehyung walked closer. Each step calm, but calculated. Like someone too familiar with the edge of danger.
“Jungkook isn’t the kind of person who just disappears,” he said softly. “And you… you’re not the kind of girl he would leave behind without reason.”
Jisoo looked at him sharply. “You knew him?”
Taehyung glanced at Room 309. “Everyone here has known each other before. Either in the real world… or from the shadows.”
Before Jisoo could ask more, the door to Unit 312 opened.
Lisa appeared, leaning on the doorway with a lazy expression.
“You’re scaring her, Tae,” she said, chewing her gum. “Give her time. She’s just starting to adjust… to us.”
“Adjust to what?” Jisoo turned to her.
Lisa grinned slightly. “To the fact that this apartment isn’t just a place to live. It’s… a terminal.”
“A terminal?”
“Yeah. A crossing point,” Lisa explained as she stepped closer. “A place for people who can’t live normal lives. People with their own shadows. Their own wounds.”
Jennie appeared next, leaning against the wall with her hands in her pockets.
“Or maybe… a place where people like us get pulled toward each other. Like magnets.”
Namjoon was the last to emerge. Silent, holding a small book in his hands.
He looked at Jisoo briefly, then said, “You didn’t come here by accident, Jisoo.”
Jisoo turned in place, surrounded by them.
Four people with eyes full of secrets.
Lisa. Jennie. Taehyung. Namjoon.
They weren’t just new tenants.
They were mirrors—reflections of the parts of herself she had always tried to hide.
The Missing Reflection
That night, Jisoo sat alone in the living room. All the lights were off.
She stared at Jungkook’s door through the window.
Still slightly open. Still dark.
Her hand gripped a Polaroid photo on her lap.
Her mind was split between fear—and a desire to know more.
What were they hiding?
What was really happening in this apartment?
And… who was she in the middle of all this?
That thought stayed with her until 3:11 a.m.
When she heard knocking—not on the door.
But… on the bathroom mirror.
One. Two. Three knocks.
Slow. Gentle.
Jisoo stood. Her feet felt cold.
She walked toward the bathroom.
And when she opened the door…
Her reflection was gone from the mirror.
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To be continued...
- Writer
