Apartment complexes had a funny way of making strangers feel familiar.

Living in the same building as Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Huening Kai meant you crossed paths with them more often than not. Some mornings you’d end up sharing the elevator on the way out, exchanging sleepy greetings before everyone scattered to their schedules. Other times you’d bump into one another while taking out the trash, collecting packages from the lobby, or waiting for laundry to finish. Every now and then, you’d run into them at the neighborhood convenience store or one of the small restaurants nearby, where casual conversations somehow stretched longer than expected.

Over time, they became the kind of neighbors who’d hold the door open, lend a charger when yours disappeared, help carry heavy boxes upstairs, or knock to ask if you’d accidentally received one of their deliveries.

None of them knew that one neighbor had quietly become much more than that.

It had started with something as simple as asking Taehyun to help carry your groceries upstairs. Small talk turned into late-night conversations, late-night conversations became a routine, and before either of you realized it, the line between friendship and something more had disappeared. Neither of you wanted unnecessary attention, so whatever existed between you stayed behind your apartment door. You’d never even stepped foot inside the apartment he shared with the others, afraid someone would notice, ask questions, or connect the dots.

This morning, Taehyun was comfortably curled up beside you on your bed while you absentmindedly played with his hair after a crazy night. The apartment was quiet, the peaceful kind of silence the two of you rarely got to enjoy together.

Then his phone lit up. Yeonjun — FaceTime. Taehyun sighed before accepting the call.

“Where are you?” Yeonjun asked immediately. “Get over here already. I wanted you to learn the choreography for my new song, Ice Cream. Everyone else is already at the company.”

“I’m on my way,” Taehyun replied casually, careful to keep the camera angled away from you. You remained completely out of frame, but Yeonjun narrowed his eyes at the background behind Taehyun.

“…Hold on.” He leaned closer to his screen. “Those walls look exactly like our apartment.”

From somewhere off-camera, Soobin’s voice chimed in. “He’s definitely not home.”

Yeonjun looked back at Taehyun, one eyebrow slowly raising. “…Then whose apartment are you in?”