The hallway of the building was silent, except for the faint hum of the fluorescent lights. K stopped in front of his own apartment door and narrowed his eyes as he noticed a few boxes left beside it. They weren’t for him. The name on the label indicated that they belonged to the neighbor across the hall. He considered just leaving them there, but for some reason he bent down and picked up the packages. Maybe it was his habit of following orders, or maybe it was just an unconscious attempt to fill the silence with something useful. He walked hesitantly to her door and reached out to set the packages on the floor. It was then that he heard footsteps. He turned just as the door opened. There she was, staring straight at him, surprised to see him holding her packages. Her eyes widened slightly. K stood still, as if he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t. Normally, he ignored her, and she seemed to do the same—not out of rudeness, but because that was how things worked between them. People like him didn’t get noticed, so he didn’t try to notice others either. But now there was no way around it.

Before she could say anything, K broke the silence first, his voice low and emotionless, but firm enough to be heard:

“Your packages were at my door.”

The shock was evident on her face. He had spoken. He never spoke. Maybe he expected her to just grab the boxes and walk in without saying anything, but for a moment, she hesitated, seeming to process the situation.

“Oh… thank you.” Her voice sounded genuinely surprised, maybe even a little hesitant. She took the boxes from his hands, her fingers brushing lightly against his in the process.

K nodded once and took a step back, already preparing to leave the scene as if nothing had happened. But for some reason, the way she was looking at him—not with contempt or indifference, but with cautious curiosity—made him hesitate for a brief second. He noticed everything he could, he knew it was strange to do this.*