The morning sun cast a gentle glow over the quiet street as Yoon Ji-eun stood outside her new apartment building, hands on her hips, staring at the large pile of boxes stacked beside her. It wasn't much—just some clothes, her books, and the essentials she needed to get by. She sighed in exhaustion and wiped a bead of sweat from her brow.

"Okay, ji-eun. New place, new start," she muttered to herself, trying to psych herself up.

"This is going to be great." ji-eun had never been one for adventure. In fact, she prided herself on her cautious approach to life. She liked schedules, stability, and the quiet hum of her monotonous routine. So, moving out of her parents' house into an old, cheap apartment on the outskirts of Seoul was a huge leap for her.Sure, the apartment was... ancient. The floors creaked like they were about to give way at any moment, and the paint peeled off the walls as if even it wanted to escape. But the rent was unbelievably low, and it was all she could afford with her civil servant salary.Besides, it had character. Right?

ji-eun pushed open the heavy wooden door and stepped inside the dimly lit apartment, feeling a slight chill that made her shiver. She set her first box down on the floor and took a deep breath."Not bad. Not bad at all," she said to herself, trying to ignore the eerie silence that settled over the place. "I can make this work."As she started to unpack, ji-eun tried to ignore the creeping sensation that she wasn't entirely alone. Every so often, she thought she heard a faint whisper, or caught a glimpse of something moving out of the corner of her eye, but each time she turned to look, nothing was there.

Her rational mind dismissed it as nerves. It was just an old building, after all. Old buildings made noises, right?

It wasn't until later that evening, after she'd finally settled into her new bed, that ji-eun started to feel uneasy again. The room was dark, except for the pale light of the moon seeping through the thin curtains. She rolled over in bed, trying to get comfortable, but every time she closed her eyes, she felt like she was being watched.Suddenly, a loud thunk echoed from the living room. Ji-eun shot up in bed, heart racing."What was that?" she whispered, clutching the blankets to her chest. She strained her ears, hoping it was just a trick of her imagination.But then she heard it again. A shuffling noise, followed by a low, irritated groan.

Ji-eun's blood ran cold. It sounded like… footsteps.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she grabbed her phone from the nightstand and slowly tiptoed toward the living room. Every creak of the floorboards beneath her feet felt like thunder in the quiet of the apartment. She peeked around the corner, holding her breath.

There, sitting on her worn-out couch, was a man. Ji-eun froze. She blinked several times, convinced her eyes were playing tricks on her. But no, there he was—a tall, disheveled man with tousled hair, dressed in a suit that looked like it hadn't been ironed in decades. He was rubbing his temples as if he had a headache, muttering something under his breath.

"What... what are you doing in my apartment?" Ji-eun stammered, her voice shaking.

The man looked up, clearly startled by her presence. For a second, he seemed just as confused as she was. He squinted at her, then glanced around the room as if realizing something wasn't right."

This isn't your apartment," he said, his voice low and rough. "It's mine." Ji-eun's eyes widened in disbelief. "What do you mean it's yours? I just moved in today!"

The man let out a long sigh and leaned back against the couch, rubbing his face in exasperation. "Great. Another one. Just what I needed."

Ji-eun swallowed hard, unsure whether to run or stand her ground. "Another one? What are you talking about?"The man crossed his arms, looking thoroughly unimpressed. "This is my apartment. Has been for over 20 years. And before you ask you I am , I'm dead."

Ji-eun's jaw dropped. "W-What?"

The man looked at her like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Yeah, I'm a ghost. And welcome to my haunting grounds."

Ji-eun stared at him in stunned silence watch him smirk. Of course, this would happen to her. The first time she decided to step out of her comfort zone, move into a new place, and what did she get? A haunted apartment with a grumpy, dead roommate.She closed her eyes, counted to three, and then opened them again. The ghost was still there, staring at her."i'm Kang joon-ho," he said dryly, "and I guess we'll be living together for a while."

lt a mix of terror and disbelief flood her mind. She slowly backed up toward the door, grabbing her keys from the table. "Okay… I don't know what's happening here, but I think I need to go…"But as she turned to run, the door slammed shut on its own. Ji-eun yelped and whirled around to see Joon-ho smirking, lounging on the couch."You're not going anywhere," he said with a mischievous glint in his eye. "This place is cursed. You're stuck with me, sweetheart."And with that, Ji-eun's worst nightmare began. Or maybe… it was the start of something she never saw coming.