Chapter Text
THUMP!
Dokja winces at the loud noise out of guilt, he didn’t seem to be making a great impression on his neighbors.
After his first attempt at financial responsibility, Dokja moved into a cleaner apartment complex. Well, it wasn't actually that much better, but at least there's no mold on his walls now. That disgusted look Han Sooyoung gave him after finding a leak in his bathroom sink was the last straw for him to move out for good.
Ever since meeting in university, the famed author seemed to be the bane of his existence and the one thing that pushes him forward in life. (in her very own incredibly judgmental and infuriating Han Sooyoung style)
And although they might spend most of their time together at Han Sooyoung's apartment, she’s been ‘busy’ with ‘womanly duties’ with her girlfriend, whatever that meant.(“obviously you wouldn’t get what I mean when I say that, virgin.” told him han sooyoung when he questioned her).
So after many many months–two hours–of searching for a new apartment that was up to his standards–which were none– he settled on a third-floor apartment close to his current job. That, according to Her Royal Highness Han Sooyoung, he also needed to quit.
Dokja didn't own much so it wasn't that difficult getting packed. The main problem in moving out was his landlord, who was, quite frankly, a gangly old senile man with an excessive amount of spare time.
Lots of arguments about the deposit were fought, although admittedly one-sided since Dokja couldn't be bothered to argue, until Han Sooyoung stepped in to almost assault said landlord.
He’d just arrived at his new apartment, and started hauling the small amount of boxes containing all of his possessions.
Currently though, he was slowly but surely making sure all his neighbors despise him.
After finally finishing unboxing everything, Dokja flops down on his bed and lets out a loud groan, this cannot be good for the back.
At last, Dokja can finally go back to reading his degenerate webnovels–
Dokja is blinded by the bright screen before adjusting, sighing once he reads the caller ID.
Han Sooyoung, speak of the witch.
“What.” He grunted out, his body deflating.
“I don’t appreciate your tone asshole, you should be thanking me, peasant. Without me you’d still be bathing in fungal runoff.”
Dokja stays silent.
“I can smell your ugly rat face judging me, wipe that look off your face, uggo.” Dokja sits up in his mattress—with no actual bedframe— to look at his phone questionably.
“‘uggo’? Really? What are you, a middle schooler?”
“Sorry my words remind you of your youth ahjussi.”
“We’re the same age ahjumma–”
“Fuck you–” Sooyoung cuts him off before he can continue marring her reputation any further.
“Fuck you!”
“Fuck you!” Dokja flinches away from the phone.
“Dont yell, you witch!” Dokja yells back.
“You're yelling too dumbass!” Han Sooyoung argues back, still yelling.
“Crap..” Dokja drops onto his back once again, after dropping his phone on the floor, leaving Han Sooyoung to talk to herself.
He's so screwed. What kind of neighbor makes this much noise on the first day of moving in? He cannot deal with any horrid neighbors. He already gets enough bullcrap from his manager. God, imagine dealing with two Han Myungoh’s, one at work and one at home. he'd rather suffocate.
His gremlin manager, Han Myungoh. The man who once he found out about Dokja relationship experience, or rather lack thereof, couldn't stop talking about it to everyone who was unfortunate enough to hear him utter words. Like he achieved a great accomplishment by knowing an average-looking man (citation: unreliable narrator.) had average dating skills and averege dating history.
Dokja shakes the thought out of his head, the possibility of it already wearing him out. He needs to make a good first impression.
“–ja..”
He heard there were a few kids near his apartment, maybe playing with them would leave a better mark than his yelling. But then again, people don't seem to assume the best when seeing him with children.
“–okja!”
What if he cooked something for the neighbors? No—he’d definitely get accused of poisoning them. Maybe just… buy some fruit instead?”
“Dokja!”
“What!” Dokja yells. Groaning to himself after realising he yelled. Again.
“Im outside.”
Silence.
“What.”
“Im outside” she repeated in a slow manner. “Man you really must be struggling after reaching your thirties huh–”
“–Stay there.” Dokja cuts her off before turning around in his bed and closing his eyes. Believing that maybe, just maybe if he pretended he never heard her, she’ll leave.
Only for his front door to open a few seconds later. Dokja sits up and looks at her as if she just broke into his house– which she surely would never do.
“I haven't given you a spare key—take off your shoes, dirty.” he orders before continuing, “how did you get in?” Dokja narrows his eyes in suspicion.
“I picklocked obviously, are you perhaps stupid?” she says, while dragging mud all over his new floors and spreading the smell of barbeque beef all over his apartment.
Dokja rolled his eyes. He was not emotionally equipped to handle her goblin antics today. “Leave the premises, witch.”
“Who’re you calling a witch, your rat bastard?” she scowled, as if it's the first time he’d called her such a revolting and foul word.
“You’re reading my novel. Technically, I own you,” she said, out of the blue, nonsensically, and completely serious. as if she'd just made a legally binding statement.
Dokja stared at her.
“…What—” He cut himself off, narrowing his eyes at her.
“Are you having a stroke?” he continues.
“ Don't give medical accidents the credit for my genius.”
“Medical accidents are the reason for your genius. There's no way you’re mentally sane.” he mutters to himself.
Han sooyoung replies gracefully as ever with something so profound, some find it difficult to comprehend if below a certain IQ level:
“Ehmi mi mi, mi mi” she whined, pitching her voice up and down like a broken recorder.
Dokja was left speechless at the display of childishness from a thirty-year-old woman.
“Grow up, bookworm.” She snorted, continueing to piss him off while ignoring the fact that she writes for a living. hypocrite.
“Sangah has some strange tastes..” He mutters to himself.
She flips him off before promptly ransacking his kitchen. Ha! Jokes on her, he's poor. no food in there other than ramen cup noodles and store-bought dosirak’s.
Dokja glares at her with the might of a skinny twenty-nine-year old man who has only consumed convenience store food(mayhaps spoiled) for a decade. Who was she to look through his kitchen, which he’ll admit was usually empty. But really, who does this vile witch think she is?
Han Sooyoung comes out of the kitchen eating his left-over-tteokbokki with an annoyed look on her face, including some judgy sympathy sprinkled throughout.
“You live a pretty sad life, my friend.” she tells him, currently eating said friend’s dwindling food supplies.
“My bad ‘successful author', I'm but a humble salaryman.”
“You sure are humble..” she replies, casually mocking him while looking around his apartment.
Dokja ignores her demeaning and presses on, “Why are you here anyways?”
“Just dropping by while i was passing, going to sangah’s to get some p–” she said, shameless.
“–alright, okay, thanks.” Dokja, thankfully, cut her off before she could share anymore scandalous and horrid information that he, quite frankly, didnt need to know.
“You should really—hey focus peasant. You should really get out there, my humble friend.”
ignored.
"or get yourself a sugerdaddy. i bet they'd loveyou."
Dokja looked up at her from his bed slowly like she grew two heads and started worshipping him.
“I'm serious, man! Some alpha CEO's would love your child-bearing hips.” She crossed her arms and grinned, as if what she said was completely profound and life-altering instead of the actual bullshit she spouted.
“What bullshit are you spouting?” Dokja's absurd stare from earlier turned into one of slight disgust and acceptance. He rubbed his temples, decaying in real time. Dropping his head in his hands and groaning loudly into them, trying to expel the sentence from his mind.
“Dude, I'm serious here.”
Dokja glares at her. Then looks up at the heavens searching for answers and maybe a strike down on him. Or her.
“Theres no god up there that’ll answer to you, twink.”
Ignored, once again.
“Cmon man, did turning thirty make you boring again? Oh right, are we still on for karaoke at yours?”
“I'm not thirty, we’re the same age, and its eight-AM right now, so yes, I will be boring.”
…
“So we’re still on?” Selective hearing.
“Yes.” he grunted back, exasperated.
After finally getting her out of the damn apartment with promises of beer and a girls night on Friday. Dokja can now relax once again.
Dokja sighs out, going back to his lovely, incredibly humble and affordable mattress-bed. How many interruptions will a man get before finally being able to read his trashy webnovels.
Finally, at long long last, Dokja can start reading.
Click. Tap. Tap, Click.
Dokja blinks at the ceiling. You’ve got to be kidding me.
THUD!
Clickclicklick..
Who types on a keyboard that aggressively?! Is someone trying to crack a safe over there?
The second he lets himself breathe, just one breath, it starts.
Click.TapTap.Click.
Seriously? He got stuck with a snot-nosed, hunchback, socially inept and completely useless in human interactions shut-in-hermit as a neighbor?!
God, he bets that guy wears glasses and is five foot-five, maximum.
TaptapClickclack
‘Is this dude attempting to summon Satan with keystrokes?’
Dokja is already dreading the day he has to talk to his next-door neighbor. He should've picked the apartment on the second floor instead, it would've saved him from the horrid interactions he's going to deal with.
…The typing stopped.
Quiet.
Peace.
Mercy.
Finally, he can read.
He opens his phone. Going to his beloved webnovel site–
‘Network Error.’
Dokjas' eyes fly to the top right corner only to be hit with the time. No network bars in sight.
No, no, no. Please. Not like this. Not today.
Right then, Dokja is hit with the realisation that he needed to buy a new router.
All he wanted was to read his webnovels. Was that too much to ask from the universe? This day could not get worse.
BEEP BEEP BEEP
Dokja was then drenched with water from the sprinklers, since that was the fire alarm.
The fire alarm continued to shriek like it had a personal vendetta against him. The sprinklers poured down like divine punishment.
Dokja stood there. Sopping wet. Holding his useless phone and the tattered remains of his pride.
He inhaled.
He exhaled.
Apparently it was a false alarm. An edgy teenager was smoking in his room with his windows down, and now Dokja had to deal with the consequences.
After one humiliating voice mail from Han Sooyoung while Sangah held back laughter in the background, Dokja was now freshly towel dried and wearing his least-wet clothes. Least-wet as in: still damp.
Dokja trudged the walk of shame to the nearest electronics store to spend a fortune on an internet router. Ah, the things he does for his webnovels.
With nothing better to think about while walking back to his apartment, Dokja's mind wandered to his neighbour.
More specifically, how to talk to them.
Dokja himself was quite introverted. It wouldn't exactly be the most comfortable thing to talk to another introvert who might or might not be a complete and utter pervert. Dokja considered calling off the karaoke night just for the girl's safety but decided not to. Jung Heewon would probably be insulted that he thought she couldn't fight off some key-board wielding troll.
They’ve all been quite busy recently but with Sooyoung and Heewon on break while Sangah’s work hours have been going back to normal lately, they’ve all had time to set up a few nights to go out together and of course, have congratulatory karaoke party for Dokja for finally moving out of that filthy apartment.
It hadn't been just Han Sooyoung who advised him to leave the cursed place. Jung Heewon was also ready to assault his landlord. While Sangah took a more quiet-but-deadly approach like she always does. And let's not talk about Uriel’s threats to a senile old man.
Although what annoyed him most was how all of them had gotten into relationships, save for uriel, who enjoyed watching others in love rather than be so herself. Heewon had found herself Hyunsung a few years back and now they’ve been happily engaged for a year.
Sangah and Sooyoung finally bit the bullet and got together. Bile still comes up Dokja throat thinking of the times where they were eye-fucking eachother across the room everytime they hungout.
Dokja was nearing his apartment floor. All it took was a few more staircases and he would be home. With internet and the sweet, sweet feeling of a new webnovel to read all night.
Despite everything today threw at him. Dokja emerged victorious (and damp) after all. Router in hand and freedom in sight, Dokja thought that maybe– just maybe– things will start looking up for him.
Ah, at long long last, only a few steps more till salvation–
“Give it to me, bugboy!”
“Get your own beast-freak, I found this one!”
Dokja blinked.
His apartment door was blocked by two toddlers. Seemingly bickering over a cricket in one of their hands.
One of them, ‘bugboy’, was a small boy with a cap on. Brown hair and a scowl on his face. He was protecting a container with a large green cricket inside. Abnormally large.
The other, ‘beast-freak’, was a little girl with shoulder-length blonde hair. Who was trying to snatch the container from the boy. She was clearly annoyed that he got the cricket instead of her. Although Dokja doesn't exactly understand what the fuss about a green cricket is.
“No you didn't, I found it!”
“Titano landed on my shirt! Which means he's mine!”
“That's not fair, I saw him first!”
The boy stuck out his tongue at her, as if to say ‘too bad’.
Dokja tried to quietly move up another step to his homely abode. Maybe they’ll just be too immersed in fighting over a weird bug to notice him creeping behind.
But, no matter his hopes, the universe doesn’t like Dokja. The blondie turned his way, her face going blank with her eyebrows raised.
“Who are you, ahjussi?”
Dokja didn’t flinch, but his twenty-year-old heart broke a little.
Now its was the boys turn, who was slightly more hostile,
“Are you delivering stuff or something?”
Dokjas pauses before answering, looking himself up and down. Hair wet, clothes damp with a white plastic bag in his hand and the look of a single father of two on his face—Definitely what a normal delivery man usually looks like.
“No, I live here” he deadpanned.
The blonde girl looked at him curiously, “in this apartment?” she pointed to the one behind her, “ you live here?”
“For the next forty-eight hours, assuming I don’t spontaneously combust, yes, I do.” Dokja said.
The girl nodded her head like what he had said made complete sense to her.
“Im Shin Yoosoung, nice to meet you ahjussi!”
The one holding the container also nodded along slightly, a lot more shy than Yoosoung.
“Im Lee Gilyoung.” he said, considerably quieter than the blond kid.
“I'm Kim Dokja.”
“‘Dokja’? Like ‘reader’?” Shin Yoosoung asked.
“Yeah exactly like that.”
“Cool! Do you like to read Dokja ahjussi?”
“I do. It's my favorite thing to do.”
“Thats kind of sad, why don't you do other stuff?”
Lee gilyoung nodded along, agreeing with what she had said.
“Well just like how you guys like insects and animals. I really like reading.”
“Ooh..” the both said in unison, like a wise-bomb had been dropped on them.
“Do you also like bugs, Dokja hyung?” Lee gilyoung hesitantly questioned.
Dokja blinks. Before a slight warm smile painted his face, "I think they're pretty interesting.”
Lee Gilyoung's face lit up like he’d been given a rare insect. A small smile now on his face instead of the blank hesitant look he had before.
“What about animals?” Yoosoung also lit up considerably after realizing there’s a chance Dokja might like animals as well.
“Those are also nice. I really like lions.”
Now both kids had huge smiles on their faces. Dokja felt like Christmas had come early for them. Were these kids so neglected in this building that finding a single nice adult was that big of a thing to be happy about?
“What about you?” just to see them smile. Just a bit more.
“Me too! I love lions as well! Tigers are awesome aswell!” Shin Yoosoung ran over to him and looked up at him with a wide grin on her face.
He smiled back at her, a bittersweet look in his eyes. He reached his hand down and patted her head slightly. Where are their parents?
Lee Gilyoung seemed to have gotten jealous. Deciding to run towards Dokja as well and hugging his leg, looking up at him, “what about insects hyung! Which one do you like?”
Dokja stumbled back slightly, before letting out a soft chuckle. A smile left on his face afterwards. He then reached his hand down to also pat Lee Gilyoung on the head, “I like black beetles alot.” he answered.
“Did you know that albino beetles exist, hyung” Lee Gilyoung immediately replied, already gearing up to geek out about bugs.
“No i dont.” he said while reaching over to pat shin yoosoung next, so she had some attention on her. Then crouching down to be eyelevel with them.
“Well it's because they're still black! They just have pure white eyes instead of black!” Lee Gilyoung excitedly exclaimed.
“Woah! Really? I never knew that. Do you know if that affects their eyesight?”
Lee gilyoung stands there dumbfounded for a second. Dokja worries he asked the wrong question.
“I don't know..” Lee Gilyoung mutters, like he disappointed Dokja.
Dokja panics slightly, rushing to reassure him, “Well that's fine–”
“ –dont worry, hyung!” Lee Gilyoung cut him off with his eyebrows furrowed, a determined look on his face, “ill learn more and tell you!”
“Yeah?” Dokja smiles at him, his eyes turning into crescents and warmth radiating off his face, reaching over to ruffle lee gilyoungs hair, “I’ll be waiting on the answer, okay?”
Lee Gilyoung nodded his head vigorously, seemingly taking the task very seriously.
Where are their parents?
Dokja turns to Shin Yoosoung, “What about you? Do you like to study animals?”
“Yeah! And they're much cooler than some bugs.” Yoosung said, obviously mocking Gilyoung's choice of interest.
“Hey,” Dokja paused. “That's kinda mean don't you think?”
“But dokja ahjussi–”
“You wouldn't like it if someone made fun of animals, would you? Just like how i dont like when people make fun of books.”
“No I wouldn't..” she muttered, slightly ashamed.
Dokjas realised that these kids were acting a lot more like kids now. Instead of the creative thrown insults and hostile demeanor towards him and each other. It made him happy.
“Then let's not insult each other's interests, okay?” He looked at Gilyoung, who was looking a bit too smug when he thought Dokja wasn't looking,“ you too.” Dokja said while narrowing his eyes at him teasingly.
Lee gilyoung visibly deflated, the smirk on his face melting into a slight pout. Dokja chuckled at how much they took his word to heart when they’d just met him, not noticing how the children seemed to brighten up once more hearing him laugh.
“What kind of books do you like, ahjussi?” shin yoosoung asked, gilyoung nodding along to the question, also wanting to know.
“I love biology books. The kinds that have animals and insects in them. We almost like the same thing!” Dokja exclaimed, lying through his teeth. But they didn't need to know that.
The kids visibly brighten up once more, stars forming in their eyes. Shin Yoosoung holds her white furry plush that Dokja just noticed she was holding, closer and leaned excitedly towards him, “show us! Please!”
Lee gilyoung added to her, “ yeah, Please show us hyung!”
“Ahh.. well i dont have them right now” Dokja gave him an apologetic smile,"they're at my old apartment. I'll swing by to get them for you guys. Promise.”
“Okay! Promise!”
“Promise!”
Dokja stood up, stumbling a bit from the numbness his legs got from the horrid position he was in. The kids took steps forward to support him, holding onto his legs. albeit they weren't really doing much.
Dokja giggled, thanked the kids by ruffling their hair. “I have to go now. I have a huge computer to build. Its gonna take me all night”
The two adorable gremlins pouted slightly before reluctantly letting go of his legs. Shin Yoosung seemed to be in deep thought, almost considering something.
“Here..” she reached both of her hands up, giving Dokja the small fluffy doll.
Dokja looked slightly confused. “Why’re you giving me the plush?”
“It's not a plush ahjussi, it's Biyoo! Take care of her. Then we can trust you!” Shin Yoosoung seemed hesitant to part with ‘Biyoo’ but let him take her anyway. She needed to know.
Dokja took Biyoo gently from the tiny hands that held her, and kept her close to him. Showing them he accepted the responsibility. “I’ll take the best care of her.” Dokja grinned at them.
But no matter how happy the children seemed, one thought kept swirling in Dokja's head whenever he saw theyre grinning faces,
Where are their parents?
Closing the apartment after waving the kids goodbye. Dokja felt exhausted. Sure the little youngsters were adorable. But it felt incredibly stress-inducing and completely relaxing to talk to them, and he didn't know which one affected him more.
Dokja is now splayed on his apartment floor, trying to figure out how this crappy router is supposed to be assembled. It didn't look difficult, barely any parts to assemble in the first place. But hey, give him a break, he’s no handy-man.
It should not take this much work to read from crappy, low-life webnovels that were bottom tier when it came to writing and plot development. But here he was, a few moments away from jumping off the third floor balcony. (which wouldn't even release him from the agonising pain he’s in, it’d just make it worse).
Dokja groaned loudly into his empty apartment. Google it is.
After about two paper cuts, one suicidal thought and another forty-five minutes of watching an extra-long video on how to assemble said router, Dokja finally did it.
The router was now set proudly on his shelf, where it would stay for all his years living here from now on.
Opening his phone to connect to his newly accessible internet, Dokja is blindsided.
'Apt103IsLoud.'
Dokja blinked.
Then blinked again.
He looked around, as if someone might suddenly jump out from behind the bookshelf with a hidden camera.
“…Excuse me?”
He refreshed the network list.
'Apt103IsLoud.'
Still there. Still mocking him.
He stared at it with the quiet fury of a man who had endured mold, a screaming fire alarm, a violent author, two suspiciously competent children, and a green cricket with judgment in its eyes—all in the span of twenty-four(six) hours.
“Is this targeted harassment?” he muttered, offended on a spiritual level.
“Who does this bastard think he is?” he mutters once again, to no one in particular. Thats how offended he is.
And so, with the divine conviction of someone who has completely and utterly forgotten their own crimes, Dokja renames his hotspot:
‘sayittomyfacebastard’
He hits save with the righteous fury of a man who has done nothing wrong ever in his life (citation: lies.), and waits.
After waiting for approximately five seconds, Dokja closes his phone and promptly throws himself on his bed. Finally, he's going to get some sleep. Turn his brain off for the next however-many-hours. No thinking, no loud neighbors, no annoying witch and no judgy cricket.
Dokja closes his eyes, slowly drifting off. His mind wandering-
THUD!
ClickCLICKtaptap.
Dokja screams into his pillow.