The apartment was quiet, the kind of stillness that only comes after someone moves out. Max's room was finally empty, leaving behind a faint echo of his laughter and the unmistakable scent of his cologne. I had done my best to tidy up, but it still felt strange walking past his door and not seeing his messy desk or piles of clothes.
I sighed, glancing at the clock. The last few weeks had been a revolving door of potential roommates, each interview more exhausting than the last. None of them had felt right—too messy, too uptight, or just... not the kind of energy I wanted to share my space with.
Nate, my boyfriend, had made it clear he wasn't ready to move in yet, and I didn't want to push him. So here I was, waiting for yet another potential roommate to show up. This one—Kai—had sent a polite but casual email, which was already a step up from some of the awkward, overly formal messages I'd received.
The buzzer rang. I grabbed my phone and checked the time again before heading to the intercom. Pressing the button, I spoke into it, "Hello?"
On the other end of the intercom, a warm, slightly deep voice replied, "Hey, this is Kai. I'm here for the viewing. Hope I'm not too early?"
"Great, you're here! Come in!" I said, buzzing him in.
Moments later, there was a knock on the door. I quickly glanced at my reflection in the hallway mirror, brushing a stray strand of hair out of my face before opening the door. Standing on the other side was Kai, and damn, he was hot. Lean and muscular, with that perfect mix of Asian and European features that made him look effortlessly striking. He looked effortlessly put-together, the kind of guy who didn't have to try but still turned heads. The fitted leather jacket over a hoodie only added to his appeal, framing broad shoulders and a body that looked like it had been sculpted for trouble. His hair was slightly tousled, as though the wind had played with it on his way over, and he carried a casual confidence that made me pause for a second.
"Hi," he said with a small, easy smile. "Thanks for letting me stop by."
He shifted slightly, glancing past me into the apartment before meeting my eyes again. "Should I take my shoes off?"
I blinked at him, caught slightly off guard by his consideration. "If it doesn't trouble you too much?" I said.
Kai stepped inside, slipping off his sneakers with practiced ease. "Not at all," he replied, setting them neatly by the door. "Clean floors just make life better, don't they?" His tone was casual, but there was a flicker of humor in his expression as he looked up at me, waiting for my next move.
I smiled at him. "Let me introduce myself, I'm Noona. This is my apartment. I'm looking for a roommate because my old roommate moved in with his girlfriend, so this place is currently empty. Erm, this is a condo-type apartment. We share some amenities with the rest of the people in the complex, like a swimming pool, sauna, gym, and a ballet room. I'm staying in the master bedroom, which has an en suite bathroom, and the room I'm renting out is this one," I said as I walked towards the room to show him. "This room is the same size as mine, but you'd have to use the bathroom in the hallway. The kitchen is newly renovated, and that's it! Oh, also there's a free parking spot for you if needed. Rent is 500, excluding utilities."
Kai nodded, taking in the details as he followed me to the room. "Thanks, Noona. I'm Kai, by the way," he said, leaning slightly against the doorframe with a relaxed posture. "I work as an actuary—basically, I get paid to analyze risks and crunch numbers all day. It's not as boring as it sounds, I promise," he added with a small grin. "I moved to the city recently, so I'm still getting used to everything. This place already feels way more inviting than most of the ones I've seen."
I tilted my head, considering him for a moment. "Cool! That's good to hear. Erm, do you have any questions for me, anything you want to look at, or?" I asked, giving him an encouraging look.
Kai glanced around thoughtfully, his gaze lingering on the room and then shifting back to me. "Just a couple of things," he said. "Is the neighborhood pretty quiet? I tend to work odd hours sometimes, and peace and quiet are definitely a plus. And also, how are the neighbors? Friendly, or the type to file noise complaints over every little thing?"
"Yeah, it's a pretty quiet neighborhood generally, so don't worry about noise," I replied. "And the way this apartment is structured, there's space between neighbors, so we don't typically hear noise from them, nor they us. Just FYI, I work as a pricing analyst, partly remote, so I only go to the office on Thursdays. Most of the time I'm home. My boyfriend comes over a few times a week and is here mostly on the weekends. You're free to bring in whoever you want, just keep it down a bit during the weekdays," I added.
Kai nodded again, his expression thoughtful. "Got it. That sounds perfect, actually. And thanks for being upfront about everything. It's nice to know where the boundaries are right from the start."
"I'm glad you liked it," I said. "To be honest with you, I have another viewing tomorrow. I would like to go through with that and make my decision after, if that's okay with you."
Kai smiled lightly and nodded. "Completely understandable. I appreciate you letting me know. Take your time, and if there's anything else you'd like to ask or check in the meantime, just let me know."
"Thank you for being so understanding," I smiled. "Let's exchange contact numbers so I can call you tomorrow," I said.
Kai reached into his jacket pocket, pulling out his phone. "Sounds good. Here," he said, handing it over to me to input my number. "And I'll save yours too, just in case."
I gave him my phone and typed my number into his. "Thanks for dropping by, Kai. I will call you tomorrow. Safe trip home," I said with a small wave as I walked him to the door.
Kai pocketed his phone and smiled warmly. "Thanks, Noona. I appreciate it. Have a good evening, and I'll look forward to hearing from you." With that, he stepped out, leaving behind a pleasant sense of ease in the quiet apartment.