Not Really a Lucky Seven
770 Words
Day 7
The sun has yet to rise as I wake up at 4:30 AM. I have to go out of town today, so I need to leave early to catch the train. I try to be as quiet as possible as I leave the changing room so as not to wake Yuri and Hana. However, as I step out, I see Yuri waiting for me outside so that she can also use the bathroom.
"Are you leaving already?" Yuri asks me.
"Yes, I have to go out of town today..." I reply in a whisper so that Hana doesn't wake up hearing our conversation.
"I haven't seen you since last night..." I nod..
"I came home late, around 12 midnight..." I confess, followed by her nod.
"You haven't talked to anyone since last night?"
"Only a few, and that wasn't even intense..." Yuri nods again, as she tries to gather her thoughts.
"Be careful on the road...
"Thank you, you have fun too...
"I hope you can go back to working regular hours soon..
"I hope so too...." I say as I tiptoe, open our room door, wave at Yuri and close the door again.
I walk down the stairs to the kitchen to get some food that I can eat during my trip out of town. As my right hand is already full of three tuna triangle gimbap and my left hand is holding a bottle of cold green tea, I close the refrigerator door and turn around. I am shocked and half-scream when I see a figure standing right behind me. I drop the green tea bottle, and it rolls across the kitchen to the dining table. I can't see where the bottle is because the whole room is still dark. He tries to signal me to cover my mouth before he actually covers my mouth, I cover my mouth with the hand I was previously using to hold the bottle, while making sure my eyes see who the man in front of me is.
"What are you doing so early in the morning?" he asks in a whisper
"I'm going to work, I have to go out of town today..." I say with the same statement as I did to Yuri above.
"Why didn't you turn on the lights?" he asks again
"I was only here for a moment to get this food..." I reply, showing him the gimbap in my hand. I remember my bottle rolling to the corner of the dining table so I look for it in the darkness. After finding the bottle, I look at Kang-Min,
"Why are you sneaking around, I couldn't even hear your footsteps?
"I'm just walking normally, I was just curious what you were doing so early in the morning so I watched you from behind... I thought you were crying and putting a cold spoon on your eyes...
"Are you hoping I'm crying?" I don't understand why he thinks I'm crying...
"I didn't see you last night, I thought you were having a problem so you were sneaking to the fridge....
"And the problem you're referring to is me crying?"
"No, I don't know your problem, but I guess because of the problem you came home late and cried....
"No, I'm fine... I'm just busy with my work... But your guess is a bit right, if I could I would cry because my never-ending work makes me leave early and come home late... it's very tiring....
"You're going to be home late tonight....
"I don't know what time I'll be home....
"Take care of your health...." I nod
"Do you usually wake up this early?" I ask Kang-Min
"No, I woke up and couldn't sleep anymore...
"Are you going to make breakfast....
"I guess so...
"What did you guys do last night?"
"As usual, we had dinner together, chatted, and talked for a while until late...
"I didn't find anyone last night, I guess everyone went to bed early after the week was over...
"Everyone is starting to get tired because we sometimes stay up late or have trouble sleeping.
"I think so... good morning and have a nice breakfast... sorry I have to catch my train soon" he nods and I run to the exit and leave him because the clock is showing 5:37 AM.
Throughout the journey today, my mind was full of thoughts about lucky seven, at a time when many people say that seven is a good number, but on this seventh day, I was really having a hard time getting to know the other residents. I didn't have the chance to talk
- Writer
