The cars honked loudly outside the rooftop house irritating him as he turned to cover his ears.
He wasn't always the biggest fan of loud noises and everyone knew this including his staff so why was it so loud. He sat up breathing heavily irritated by the events. Besides he thought with how expensive the neighbourhood was there wouldn't be such behaviour.
He rubbed his eyes deciding he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep anyway. He run his hand through his long hair with a sigh just then someone knocked loudly on the door.
"Jang Ha-ru !!! Open up!! " someone called out.
Why was this person shouting so early in the morning and disturbing him.
He let out a sigh as he stood up absentmindedly and dragged his feet toward the door. Just as he was about to reach the entrance his eyes caught onto something or rather someone.
He stopped in his tracks with confusion etched on his face and turned towards the mirror.
He looked at the person looking back at him. He didn't seem to recognise him.
He looked to be around 19 years old. He had long untidy jet black hair falling to his shoulders. His eyes had bags under his eyes from the numerous nights with lack of sleep. He wore a worn out red shirt with a picture of a faded robot at the front. There was a hole near the collar of the shirt. He also had on blue stripped yellow boxer shorts.
"Who are you?" He asked the person in the mirror.
"Don't play dumb with me I can hear you!!" The woman shouted irritation clearly evident in her voice.
He slowly raised his hands to touch his face. He felt his heart race as the person in the mirror did exactly as he did. His eyebrow raised as he raised his hand and slapped himself across the face as the figure in the mirror did the same.
He cursed as he felt the sting across his face. His hand covered his face as he tried soothing the stinging pain.
He slowly lifted his shirt and to his astonishment the figure did exactly the same. He let out an earshattering scream as the realisation started dawning on him.
He screamed as he grabbed the door handle and whipped it open.
The woman on the other side was shocked as he plunged past her. She fell on the wall as she watched him run down the stairs barefoot. She run to the edge on time to see him open the gate and run towards the road while still screaming.
He run down street as he continued screaming. He looked behind him as he tried to see if anyone was following him.
Passers-by stood in wonder as they watched him.
Suddenly he felt himself hit something before tumbling down. A young girl lay on the road in her pajamas as her ice cream lay splattered on her side. On the other side was her plastic bag torn and everything splattered on the ground.
He didn't even have time to think as he apologised and started running once again.
"Yah Jang Ha-ru!!!" She screamed angrily with her eyes wide as she watched him run further she started getting up to chase after him, just then someone stopped beside her panting.
"Mom!!!" She gasped in shock and question. In all her life she had never seen her mom run except when she was running after her to beat her up.
"C....cat...ch him!!" She gasped for air between her words before sitting down.
"What happened?" She asked. She was already planning to get him back for making her ice cream fall but she wasn't necessarily planning on running after him it was too early in the morning for her to deal with him.
"Just catch him!!" Miss Kim shouted. Mae-rin immediately started going after him.
Miss Kim reached out for some juice Mae-rin had bought but was sprawled on the ground and quickly opened it. She took two big gulps as she cursed out Jang Ha-ru.
"Ha-ru wait!!" Mae-rin called out as she started running faster.
Jang Ha-ru turned back to see someone calling out the name the woman earlier had called in the house. That solidified his resolve as he increased his pace.
But he wasn't in luck. Mae-rin was highly skilled when it came to physical attributes so every corner he took she was at his heel when he turned back.
Finally after running for so long he leaned against a wall heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He doubled down as he held his chest.
Finally Mae-rin caught up to him. She held her waist as she caught her breath.
"I wasn't planning on running again today." She scolded him as she slowly approached him but Jang Ha-ru despite his sore feet stepped back. He was covered in sweat and his shirt was wet.
"What is wrong with you ?" She asked grabbing him by the collar before he could think of running away once again.
She dragged him towards the house despite continously protests.
"Let go of me!!" He shouted as he tried to get her to let ho of him but she was unexpectedly strong.
"I am not going back!" He screamed as he held a pole stopping her in her tracks.
She tucked her teath irritated by his antics.
"Why!!"
"There is a ghost!! I think I have been kidnapped!" He said looking around consciously.
"Kidnpped by who?"
"The woman!" He said his voice low as he looked around.
"Wha....." She gasped in disbelief as she fished through her pocket and removed her phone.
"She....." Just then his eyes caught sight of something.
His head lowered in question as his eyes become wider. He suddenly grabbed the phone from her hand as he looked at it like it was alien. He held it at the tip while staring curiously.
"What are you doing?" Mae-rin asked with a questioning look as she stared at him like he had lost his mind.
"If you are trying to stall for time it won't work!" She said grabbing her phone from him and dailing her mothers number.
Ha-ru looked at her dumbfounded as she started talking through the phone.
"Yah i found him he is acting weirder than usual...yes..." with that she cut of the call.
Before Ha-ru could make any move to distance himself from her she grabbed him by the ear making him wince as she started heading up the hill.
Ha-ru wiggled against her grip but the more he did the more the pain increased.
Soon they arrived at the gate. Miss Kim was leaning against the entrance balcony facing the gate.
Her face crunched in an unreadable expression before going into the house.
The house was an old house with bricks that were slowly faded showing their long rich history and how it stood the test of time. The house had a basement which Miss Kim used to as storage and a rooftop house which was in the middle of renovations.
Mae-rin dragged him into the house before closing the door behind her.
Miss Kim was seated on her usual seat drinking some juice as the morning news played in the background while fanning herself. Her leg was on the sofa as she glared at the door.
"You better kneel." Mae-rin whispered before carefully walking towards the kitchen which was partially petition on the right side.
"You came back." Miss Kim said a smile on her face.
But Ha-ru was suspicious that the smile may not mean well at all and he was right. Just then Miss Kim clapped her fan to a close before slowly standing up and walking towards him.
Before she could hit him he suddenly jumped towards the other side of the room.
"Today you will really receive it!" She grunted as she headed towards him but he was quicker as he swayed from her making her miss multiple times.
Finally feeling exhausted she slumped on a nearby chair while glaring at Ha-ru.
"Go to your room. Before I get angry!!" He hesitantly walked towards the hallway while keeping his eyes out for incase she decided jump him.
He held onto a doorknob but heard a voice immediately he tried to turn it.
"It's the other one." Mae-rin said nonchalantly as she ate some watermelon.
She watched him head the other room her eyes digging into him .
He laughed awkwardly as she opened his bedroom door and got in before closing it shut behind him.