Chapter Text
Jiyeon
“This is The ModHaus. The apartment complex of all possibilities! Renovation is finally complete! Only 1 unit left, sign up now!”
That’s what the promotional billboard in front of the building read. Jiyeon’s confused why they haven’t removed it yet, they already got their last tenant, her.
Her room is 13B. There are 2 units on each floor, except the ground floor and for some reason, only one person can live in each. Meaning she has 23 neighbors which is rather unusual for apartments but at least to her it lessens the amount of people she needs to give christmas gifts to every single year.
As for the shape of the building. It’s ‘U’ shaped, 1 unit in each wing with the elevators and stairs in the middle of it all.
Because of this “One Person, One Unit” policy, some of them feel rather lonely. So at the end of every month, they all choose someone’s room to party in for one night.
It’s currently November 13, 2024 so it’s officially been 7 months since Jiyeon first moved in. She always makes celebrations of the smallest things, so as she stared at her laptop that was on her lap while her head was upright on the headboard of the bed. She decided to treat herself to some coffee. She doesn’t know what she’ll order, but she will decide on the way.
Jiyeon grabbed her orange clutch bag, hanging the hand on her left shoulder. She goes out very often, so she always stuff her keys and phone inside the bag just in case her excitement surpasses the feeling of forgetting something.
She locked her door, twisting the key until she clearly heard 2 clicks. Put it back in the bag and pressed the ‘down’ button for the elevator.
Jiyeon hears the striking ding of the elevator.
The elevator opens and she steps inside. It dings again and closes as she waits for it to go down to Ground. The elevator is really not that special. It has a steel interior and a white glass ceiling. That's it.
It dinged again, the doors opened and she is now on the ground floor. Then Jiyeon could hear a clickity clackity of heels heading towards her. Just like that, Mayu, 9B, was standing in front of her in a black cocktail dress with a matching black purse in her hand.
“Thank goodness the elevator came down just in time!” She exclaimed.
“Did you actually attend the runway show?” Jiyeon inquired since just yesterday she said she was afraid of going because celebrities would be there and she would end up fangirling in front of them and ‘embarrass herself’.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever! I’ll see you in the morning!” She said as Jiyeon walked out of the elevator while Mayu did the opposite.
Mayu
She strutted her way to her unit door. Unlocking it as her keys jingled around while twisting. It’s 8PM, and she already felt exhausted from the runway show, even when she was just sitting the entire time.
Mayu felt the floor beneath her vibrating and paused in position before turning around slowly. It was just Xinyu (9A) holding a bottle of what Mayu can assume was champagne. She was in her navy jacket with blue ripped jeans.
“Seriously sneaking up on me like that? I thought you were an invader!” Mayu gave her the ‘what the hell’ look as she breathed faster and sighed before taking off her boots.
“I wasn’t sneaking up on you, you’re just paranoid.”
Mayu looked up at her as she continued to untie.
“Care for some drinks?” Xinyu held up the bottle in her hand with a faint smile on her face.
Mayu pointed with her chin to the kitchen island.
“Place it there.”
Xinyu put the drinks on top of the marble island and proceeded to open a hanging cabinet to get 2 wine glasses.
“Love what you’ve done with the place!” Xinyu marveled.
Mayu could only assume that Xinyu was pouring the champagne into the glass before getting up to confirm her suspicion.
She glided across the floor with her socks and snatched the full glass from Xinyu’s hands.
“That was mine!” She exclaimed.
“It’s the same damn glass!” Mayu shouted as she got farther away from her and onto the couch in the living room. She looked at her Tangerine colored accent wall and nodded.
“I should definitely become an interior designer”
“Did Haseul ever call you back to look at the apartment she once owned?” Xinyu asked.
“Nah, I just sent her pictures.” Mayu took a sip of the drink.
“She liked it, though!”
Xinyu eventually came and sat down next to Mayu.
“You think we should check up on SeoAh?” She suggested.
“Why?” Mayu seemed hesitant.
“I mean, she’s 14 and her parents basically sent her here to experience ‘adult life’.” Xinyu insisted once more.
“She’ll probably move out in a month.” Mayu rejected the idea.
Xinyu turned her attention to the flat screen TV in the apartment.
The two of them stopped talking for a brief moment, enjoying the company.
Then a yawn hit Mayu.
“Shit, I’m tired.” Mayu sighed heavily before putting the drink down on the glass coffee table.
“That’s my cue to leave!” Xinyu got up, taking the wine glass with her out the door.
“See you in the morning.” She said, closing the door.
Then everything fell silent for Mayu. The ringing in her ears being the only thing she hears. She walked up to one of her blinds and pulled them up, seeing the bustling city of Seoul in her sight. She saw herself in the faint reflection and gave a small smile.
Then within a second, the sound of a firework, or a gun, whipped through Mayu’s hearing.
Mayu quickly turned that smile into a face full of dread, turning around to her door, her dress swaying as she did.
It sounded like the noise was coming from Xinyu. The gunshot-like sound was way too close for it to be on another floor. She hit the ground running, her socks gliding across the floor once again, this time it was not in her favor.
Her hand twisting the door handle and bolting out, leaving it wide. Running to the other side of the hall, both hands immediately gripped to the handle of Xinyu’s door.
She cursed under her own breath, it was locked, of course it was, who wouldn’t lock it.
Mayu had an idea, a loud one. She ran back to the other side of the hall. Then started sprinting, grunting.
She knocked the door down, a powerful thud could be heard, vibrating the floor, the dust settling in other places after being displaced. Mayu looked to her right, nothing but darkness, but her left. She froze up.
A pair of feet, a glimpse of the blue ripped jeans. Mayu stepped carefully to the King-sized bed. Then she saw it. She ran past the wall separating the living room and the bedroom.
Xinyu…Xinyu… lying down with her left hand on top of her chest, where a kitchen knife speared through it, the blood rushing out vigorously. Her head with a bullet hole, and a revolver. All that made together a ruthless crime scene of murder.
Mayu couldn’t hold it in, and she screamed for help. One that could keep her throat sore for days.
THE NEXT DAY…
GROUND FLOOR MEETING AREA, NOVEMBER 14, 2024, 10:30 AM
Soomin
The gloom on everyone’s faces. Someone passing by would have thought we were at the funeral. Well, it sort of is one. Just without the body and the casket in place.
Soomin sat down at a chair down the front row, the sound of all the girls settling down, chairs being pushed, pulled, chit chatter. Then board president Seoyeon came to the very front.
Seoyeon manages everything in the building, finances, building permissions. Everything. She had a tear in her eye but quickly wiped it off with her blue and white striped sweater.
“Alright everyone, settle down, this won’t take long. I hope.” She shouted.
“So, uhm,” she raised her arms for a second before putting them beside her. Standing still.
“I’m sure you’ve heard about our devastating loss. And everyone, I know you all love watching true crime during the end-of-month parties but please, do not go snooping around now. The police are on it.” She said, giving out a lengthy speech that basically meant: Mind your fucking business.
But like most of the girls in the building, they knew 4 people who will never stop investigating. Soomin looked back at those exact people.
Nakyoung, Yooyeon, Hyerin, and Yubin.
They call themselves, Acid Angels from Asia. Well, they did solve a lot of murders that the police couldn’t. But to the residents, they are starting to become just Acid. Girls breaking down the building piece by piece and peace by peace.
NAKYOUNG’S ROOM - 2 Hours Later
Nakyoung
A lot of people in the building keep doubting them, but frankly they’ve saved a lot of lives from being lost due to murderers being everywhere in Seoul.
“Another death to crack. Her skull already is, though.” Yubin said, staring at the murder board, with nothing but a picture of Xinyu.
Hyerin slightly shoved her and gave her a sigh for the dark statement.
“We have to interview Mayu first, I guess.” Yooyeon looked at the board.
“No, let her grieve for a moment. We should interview her.” Nakyoung suggested.
I guess that suggestion didn’t land well, Yooyeon gave her a confused look.
“She’s going to kick us out if we interview her AGAIN. We should just look at the crime scene first, the police end their shift at 3PM.” Yubin said.
She continued. “And guess who’s police shift starts exactly at that time too?”
That’s when a light bulb seemingly popped into Nakyoung’s head. A brilliant fucking idea.
Jinsoul.