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"Okay, so the first floor is for recreation and leisure. There is a small kitchen, the common room for socialising, the dining room, and various other spaces to chill out in," Taeyong explained as he led Renjun towards the staircase along the wall.

Everything was pristine and new, the faint smell of the colourful paints still present even now. The younger boy pulled his suitcase with a tired arm, thanking the older when Taeyong graciously helped him onto the second floor.

"Is this it?" The blonde enquired hopefully, eying the long hall of doors. Each was closed, and in fact, they appeared rather lifeless without any aged features or years of memories.

"Ah, no. This floor is still going through the final touch ups before more families move in. By the way," the dark haired male peered down at him, "You're on your own, are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"No roommate? No friend living with you?"

".....I'm new to this area. I still need to meet people."

Taeyong smiled happily while guiding him to the next set of stairs, "That's fine. Everyone around here is really nice, anyway. You'll fit right in."

God, I hope so, the younger thought wearily, once again lugging his baggage up the steps towards the third and final floor. His expensive trench coat was suddenly too warm on him as the exercise caused him to sweat.

"And here we are," Taeyong cheered, pointing down the white hallway of about ten doors -five on each side- and beaming. "Your room is sixteen. Here's your key."

Renjun took the small metal object and inspected it briefly before returning his gaze to the hall. "Oh."

"Okay, so here's a few pointers while I remember them. There are six other tenants up here, each in their own rooms. They're nice enough when you get to know them, and-"

"Wait, what's that supposed to mean? Are they hard to get along with?"

"Well, no...." the older tilted his head as he found the correct wording, "They're odd. Um....I don't really know much about them, so that'll be your own endeavour if you feel the need."

What the heck? Odd? The Chinese boy wondered, continuing to listen regardless.

"Another 'nice to know' would be the fact that all the locks are the same," the ravenette chuckled lightly, as though this piece of information was of little relevance.

"Excuse me? What?"

"I had a locksmith install all the locks in this place, but he was a foreigner and couldn't really understand me. The locks are all the same, so basically that key can get you into your room, and everyone else's as well."

Renjun scoffed, "Yeah, it also means they can come into my room. That's creepy!"

"It's all about trust-"

"How can I trust six people I've never met?!"

Taeyong sighed, shrugging as he didn't have an answer, and also looking quite guilty. "I'm having them changed soon, obviously. I just need to wait until I've saved up more. Besides, these guys all know each other, so the 'same key' business never seems to bother them. If it's scaring you, I'll work on it as fast as I can."

"Please," the younger nodded wistfully, pulling his suitcase a little further down the hall.

"Oh, and one more thing," Taeyong pressed, already starting his descent down the stairs. "Those six occupied rooms are all paid for by one tenant. Do you know a Mark Lee?"

Mark Lee? His name sounds familiar..... "No. I don't think so..."

"Oh. Well, he's the one who agreed to let you up here. I basically let him look after this floor, so try to be friendly with your neighbours."

"He agreed? Well, why?"

"I showed him the profile you sent me," the ravenette muttered, remaining on the same step for a moment. "He liked what he saw, I guess. I assumed you knew each other, but I guess not."

"I see. Thanks for telling me."

"No problem. Ask me any questions you have later on."

Renjun watched his retreating figure disappear before pulling his bags towards the door with two golden digits nailed to it. '16'. His breath hitched with uncertainty as he left his belongings down on the ground and retrieved the key from his pocket.

It'll be fine, right? He said he's changing the locks soon, and that these guys are nice. Let's stick it out for a couple of months and see how it all turns out. With that, he unlocked the door and pushed it open, shoving the small metallic item back into his pocket. Renjun was lazy while pulling the bags inside, ditching them beside the cream couch situated in front of the flatscreen hooked up to the wall.

It was nice. The white theme running through the space large enough for two made way for personal touches. The perks of this apartment was all the furniture that was already present.

He slowly walked around, taking a look at the bedroom with its white double bed and en suite, then checking the kitchen which was open plan and connected to the living area, and then finally the balcony situated beyond the French windows; acting as a replacement garden.

Not bad. It only takes ten minutes to get to college from here as well, the young adult thought, happy with everything inside. It all gave him much more hope than Taeyong had when he confessed that literally anyone on this floor could get into his room at will.

The blonde decided to take a look downstairs before starting his unpacking. He also remembered that his mother wanted a call when he got here. I'll just speak with her down there....

His legs were exhausted from a long day of walking around, yet it didn't stop him from making himself aware of his surroundings. The doors were all still closed around him, which he shrugged off and continued to trail down the staircase. He had locked his door as a precaution, though he was wondering why he'd even do it. It seemed a little pointless.

Downstairs, Taeyong had disappeared. The reception desk was empty, though the glass door to the small garden out back was open. Renjun cautiously wandered towards it, looking around him carefully before pulling the metal handle and stepping out into the evening air.

There was nice stonework lining the patch of grass, as well as a little mini fountain off to the side springing water down along the artificial creek down the middle. It was all very aesthetic and charming, which the Chinese male appreciated.

Then, he pulled his phone from his pocket and quickly searched for his mother's contact amidst the rest of them, clicking it and holding the device to his ear.

The three receiver beeps he heard soon passed before the woman's voice came through.

"Renjunnie?"

"Ah, hi Mum. I was just calling to tell you I'm safe and sound. No worries."

"Thank god. I was getting worried that you hadn't contacted me since the afternoon. Anyway, how is it? The apartment?"

"It's really cute. Since it's new, all the facilities are fresh and unused. I'm lucky."

"That's great, Junnie. And what about the people? Are all your neighbours nice?"

The young adult sighed, looking up at the orange stained sky with splashes of purple before tugging his lower lip between his teeth and shrugging to himself. Before he answered with the truth, he found himself turning around upon hearing something inside.

His eyes widened at the sight of a boy crawling on all fours across the white tiles, a blindfold covering his eyes and a soft smile playing at his cheeks.

What the hell is he doing? The male wondered, blinking in confusion as he watched the stranger feel around the common room's floor as though he were playing some sort of game.

"....Jun? Renjun?!"

"Huh? Sorry, what was that?" He quickly snapped back to reality, turning around again and pretending he saw nothing.

"You went quiet. I was just asking how the other tenants were."

"I'm not acquainted with them yet. I'll tell you all about them later though, when we meet." He checked his watch and stifled a yawn even though it was only quarter to nine. "Listen Mum, I'm super tired from the train. I'm gonna' head to bed..."

"Oh, of course. Get some rest, and don't stress too much, okay?"

"Kay. Chat to you soon. Bye."

"Bye. Love you." With that, the line went dead, and Renjun took a deep breath in order to release the longest sigh he could.

His small figure turned around to have a look at the crazy scene again, only to find that the weird boy had gone. He wasn't crawling around anymore, strangely enough.

Weirdos. Please tell me I'm the crazy one who needs sleep. As the blonde trailed inside, he double-checked the common room and nodded to himself satisfactorily at its emptiness before heading out to return to his room two floors above.

Renjun was staring at his phone as he ascended the steps, barely noticing he had reached the second floor before colliding with a firm body and falling backwards.

"Fuck!" He hissed, dropping the small device and feeling two hands wrap around his wrists to pull him back up. The phone slid across the floor down the hall, hopefully still alive.

"Woah, close one," the new boy chuckled, looking past the Chinese to see down the stairs. "Had you fallen, you could've died. I'm a life-saver."

Way to toot your own horn, the blonde thought, though owed it to the guy for actually saving him. "Thanks. I wasn't watching where I was going."

"No problem. Are you visiting?"

"No, actually. I live here," Renjun admitted, studying the stranger's features and tilting his head curiously. He's good looking. His dark brown hair was slightly frizzy, and the loose clothes he wore didn't hide how fit he clearly was.

"You live here?" The brunette furrowed his brows. "That can't be right. What's your name?"

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