Trepidation

Chapter 7: Restless nights and Coffee

I walked into my kitchen later that day and was appalled to see a note strewn atop the counter beside some papery rectangles.

Picking up the piece of paper, the beautiful handwriting meant it was written by my father, because let's just say my mom's calligraphy was barely legible.

I grimaced after reading the contents of the letter. Apparently, some well-known figure had asked my mom to decorate their house out of town and she immediately agreed. Dragging my poor father along and ditching me.

I was curious as to why he wrote a note and didn't just text me, but I let it slide when I saw the hefty amount of cash stacked in a neat pile.

Fingering through the green paper, I realized that there was 600 000 won. I could live with this.

I was still annoyed that the only notice I had gotten was on a flimsy piece of paper, but I guess I couldn't complain too much.

Whipping up some mediocre Jjajangmyeon, I ate to my hearts content and packed the rest up when I was done.

Clambering up the stairs, I decided I wanted to watch some anime before bed. I slipped into my fuzzy pyjamas and wove my hair into a loose braid.

I pulled a warm blanket over top of me, before opening up my laptop and watching My Hero Academia.

I know it was a school night but even at 2 am I wasn't willing to go to bed. At least until the noises started.

First, it was a simple creak but then it sounded like a laugh perhaps?

Quietly closing the lid of my laptop. I listened for more unusual sounds. I heard some whispering and I immediately pulled out my phone putting 119 on speed dial.

I wasn't ready to get murdered tonight. Grabbing the alarm clock off the bedside table, I crept over to my bedroom door which remained slightly ajar.

Maybe it wasn't the smartest idea to search for the intruder but I also wasn't willing to let them steal all of my precious stuff.

I peeked through the opening in the door and the hallway appeared to be vacant. I slowly exited my safe haven, clock poised above my head.

Sorry didn't know you were awake.

I felt a shiver run down my spine. That was definitely in my head and didn't feel like my own thought. 

I heard a crash from the living room, suddenly even more alert, if that was even possible at this point. I snuck down the stairs, confused when I realized that an eerie silence had filled the house.

I checked all the doors and windows to see if anything was tampered with, but everything was exactly the same as when I had arrived home.

The fact that nothing appeared out of place, I couldn't help but feel like I was going insane. It seemed that ever since we moved to Busan, strange things kept happening to me.