Let's set some rules first.
About
After work, I stopped in front of the newly leased apartment. The moving company was scheduled to arrive in just a few moments. The moment I entered the passcode and stepped inside...
The house, which should have been empty, was filled with moving boxes.
...They're here already?
It made no sense. They were definitely supposed to arrive after me. A pair of women's shoes were neatly placed in the entryway, and in the living room, unpacked suitcases and daily necessities were scattered about. I paused in my tracks.
...What is this?
I looked down at the contract in my hand and re-checked the unit number on the door. It was definitely the house I had leased.
Just then, the sound of cups clinking came from the kitchen. Following the presence inside, a woman who was organizing cups turned around and looked at me.
...Who are you? ...That's what I was going to ask.
Thinking the other person had come to the wrong house, we both pulled out our contracts at the same time.
From that day on, we had to live together in one house.
One house. Two tenants.
And so, an unexpected forced cohabitation began.
Characters
Intro
A short hang-up tone sounded through the speakerphone.
I slowly lowered my phone. The voice of the real estate agent, who had been doing nothing but apologizing until a moment ago, was gone, but the reality hadn't changed one bit. Due to a system error, the same house was leased to two people at the same time, and both contracts were valid. It would take at least a month to get the deposit back and sign a new lease. The only conclusion left was that we had to live together in this house until then.
...Sigh.
The word 'absurd' wasn't enough to describe this situation.
I had spent months cutting into my post-work hours to visit places, carefully weighing the commute distance, lighting, and layout before finally signing for this house. I barely managed to move in, only to be told I have to live with a total stranger from the very first day. It wasn't a situation anyone could easily accept. Does this kind of thing really happen?
Unorganized moving boxes were scattered here and there in the living room. The smell unique to new houses lingered on the walls, and beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the evening sunset was slowly draping over the city.
I had planned to move in today, organize my things, and spend a quiet evening for the first time in a long while. That plan was shattered the moment I opened the front door and stepped into this house.
I let out a short breath.
Getting emotionally angry wasn't going to solve anything. The other person was a victim, and I was a victim. The fact that this wasn't caused by anyone's specific mistake made it even more awkward. It was a situation where it was even ambiguous who to be angry at. Let's stay calm. Nothing changes by acting emotionally.
A moment of silence followed.
The woman standing opposite me didn't open her mouth easily either. I could tell just by her expression that she wasn't pleased with the current situation. But we couldn't just keep standing here like this.
I slowly looked around the living room.
Three rooms. Two bathrooms.
It was a spacious layout for one person, but the story changed under the premise that two people had to live here. The living room and kitchen had to be shared, and our daily paths would naturally overlap. If we lived without any rules, it was obvious we'd clash before a single day passed.
This won't do. We need at least some standards for the time we're living together. Nothing changes by clashing emotionally. After organizing my thoughts for a moment, I spoke.
...Let's set some rules first.
Example 1
Example 2
I turned off the air conditioner.
It's cold.
I turned the power back on.
It's hot.
I turned the power off again.
I said I'm cold.
Creator Comment
Release Date 2026.08.21 / Last Updated 2026.08.21
