⋆.˚ ᡣ𐭩 𝐔NKoWN .𖥔˚ dream x wayv ˎˊ˗
CHaPTER THReE

KIYOMI STOOD AWKWARDLY IN THE ELEVATOR. she was in there with three other guys, who were all talking to each. she mentally cursed hendery for choosing to live on the top floor, meaning kiyomi is stuck in here for a while.

kiyomi felt a little embarrassed with her messy bun and waitress uniform she forgot to change out of in her rush to pick up yuki, her three month old son.

after what seemed like ages, the elevator came to a stop and to her horror, the three guys followed her right out. what frightened her more was the fact that they were following her exactly to hendery's apartment. kiyomi had thought they were just coincidentally on the same floor.

but they were a respectable distance away from her, so maybe they aren't creeps. but, just to be safe, she sped off to the direction of hendery's apartment and started knocking frantically on the door.

the door opened to reveal a disheveled yangyang. kiyomi chirped out a greeting and made her way to yuki, who was sound asleep in hendery's arms.

"don't panic, but i think i'm being followed." kiyomi said, scooping yuki into her arms.

hendery shot up, grabbing kiyomi by the shoulders. "you were what?"

"by three guys, but i'm surprised they aren't here yet." kiyomi said. "they're not really good creeps then."

"hey guys!" she heard yangyang greet. who could be here at 11 pm?

kiyomi turned around to find the same three creeps walking into hendery's apartment. kiyomi felt her jaw drop as she saw yangyang stir up lively conversation, opposite of his tired face.

"the creeps." kiyomi whispered.

"creeps?" hendery repeated. his shoulders immediately relaxed. "yomi, that's my roommate and friends."

"oh." kiyomi said dumbly. of course. she forgot hendery had a roommate, since they were never present whenever she came by.

hendery held onto kiyomi's shoulder with one hand, steering her into the direction of the small group. one of them looked up and sent her a grin.

"hello, girl from elevator!" they waved.

"meet my roommate bang yohan, and my friends mark lee and lee haechan." hendery introduced.

"hi." kiyomi said quietly.

"guys, this is mun kiyoung." yangyang continued. "the lady with the baby."

kiyomi kept herself from making a face at the use of her korean name. she used that name when came from japan, and always introduces herself at 'mun kiyoung'. but hearing it come from her friends was just so weird.

"ah the lady with the baby!" haechan grinned. "i've heard lots about you."

kiyomi gulped. good things? bad things? what have they heard? why have they heard? why do they know her had lady with the baby? are they going to judge her?

she knows being a college dropout with a child isn't the way to go, but they don't have to judge. thats just rude. to judge someone you haven't even met? not cool.

❪ they're literally not judging you kiyomi. ❫

"do i want to know why you're soaked?" yangyang asked yohan. he was in fact drenched, the water in his hair dripping onto his shirt.

"i was standing in the rain for hours before mark and haechan came for me." yohan explained.

"it was barely fifteen minutes." mark retorted.

"fifteen too long." yohan muttered as he walked in the direction of the bedrooms.

as kiyomi watched yohan walked away, she couldn't shake the fact that she knew him. something about bang yohan was so recognizable, but kiyomi was drawing a blank.

"i have to go now or else i'll miss the bus." kiyomi said. just then, a clap of thunder echoed throughout the apartment. kiyomi looked down at little yuki, making sure he didn't wake up. luckily yuki was still sound asleep in her arms.

"i can give you a ride." mark offered. "it won't be safe for you to go out in this weather."

"oh." kiyomi nodded. "thank you."

mark turned to yangyang. "do you need a ride too?"

"i wouldn't mind." yangyang shrugged.

next to her, hendery came up to her holding yuki's baby stuff. yangyang walked up, taking it from hendery for kiyomi.

kiyomi sat quietly in the backseat of mark's car, her gaze drifting out the window as raindrops raced each other down the glass. yangyang was chatting animatedly with mark in the front, discussing something about a new video game release, while kiyomi kept to herself, occasionally adjusting yuki in her arms.

mark glanced at kiyomi through the rearview mirror. "so, kiyomi, you live around here, right?"

kiyomi nodded, her voice soft when she spoke. "yeah, just a few more blocks down."

"that's not too far," mark remarked. "how do you like the area?"

"it's quiet," kiyomi replied, offering a small smile. "good for yuki."

"i wish i could sleep like him." yangyang chimed in, glancing back at yuki with a grin.

kiyomi nodded again. the dark circles under yangyang's eyes was a sign of the stress he felt from medical school. she would add more the conversation, but she was always very uncomfortable around new people and it took a while for her to actually open up.

as mark parked the car in front of kiyomi's apartment building, she turned to him with a small smile. "thank you so much for the ride, mark."

mark smiled warmly. "no problem at all. stay safe in this weather, alright?"

"i will. thanks again." kiyomi gently adjusted yuki in her arms, making sure he was still sleeping peacefully.

yangyang leaned forward from the front seat. "take care, kiyomi. let us know if you need anything."

kiyomi nodded, feeling a sense of relief mixed with lingering nerves as she opened the car door. stepping out into the rain, she hurried towards the entrance of her building, glancing back to wave a quick goodbye before disappearing inside.

once in the elevator, kiyomi leaned against the wall with a sigh of relief. her encounter with hendery's roommates had been unexpectedly nerve-wracking, but they turned out to be friendly, if a bit overwhelming. she reminded herself not to jump to conclusions so quickly next time.

as she entered her apartment, the familiar scent of home enveloped her-a comforting mix of lavender and vanilla. she quietly tiptoed to yuki's room and carefully placed him in his crib, watching as he stirred slightly but settled back into sleep. with a smile, she tucked the blanket around him before retreating to the living room.

kiyomi sank onto the couch, running her fingers through her hair as she replayed the evening's events in her mind. despite the initial panic in the elevator and her embarrassment at the misunderstanding with hendery's friends, she couldn't deny feeling grateful for their concern and kindness, especially mark's offer of a ride home.

lost in her thoughts, kiyomi glanced at the clock-it was late, and she knew she should rest. but her mind was still buzzing with questions about the evening and the familiar feeling she had about bang yohan. she grabbed her phone from the coffee table and began scrolling through social media absentmindedly, hoping to distract herself.

a message notification popped up, and kiyomi opened it to find a text from hendery. kiyomi smiled softly at the message. hendery had always been thoughtful, despite his somewhat absentminded nature.

DERY GIRL

DERY GIRL:
did you make it home ok?

KEY 🔑:
yes, ty dery

DERY GIRL:
let me know if you need anything :)
GN YOMIII

KEY 🔑:
GOOD NIGHT HENRY

putting her phone down, kiyomi leaned back against the couch cushions, finally allowing herself to relax. the rain continued to patter against the window, a soothing backdrop to her thoughts. despite the unexpected twists of the evening, she felt a sense of warmth knowing she had friends who cared, even if they were still acquaintances.

as exhaustion finally caught up with her, kiyomi closed her eyes, letting herself drift into a peaceful sleep. tomorrow would bring its own challenges, but for now, she was content in the quiet of her home, grateful for the kindness she had encountered amidst the initial awkwardness.

the night settled around her, the rain outside gradually easing into a soft patter, lulling her into dreams where faces of new friends and the steady rhythm of raindrops intertwined in a reassuring melody.