A stranger knocked on her door in the rain. She didn't open it.

okay so I wasn't going to post this but it's been sitting in my head and I need to get it out.

Jeongmin lived alone in a quiet neighborhood in Seoul. rainy season, late July, one of those nights where the rain is so loud it drowns everything else out. she liked it that way honestly. curtains open, TV on low, eating dinner by herself. cozy little bubble.

then. a sound at the front door.

she almost ignored it because of the rain but something felt off. she checked the intercom screen instead of just opening it (SMART) and there was this guy standing outside, completely soaked. like dripping. and he kept looking around, all nervous, like he was watching for something.

"sorry to bother you," he says through the speaker. "I forgot my umbrella. can I just wait here until the rain lets up?"

and look. that's not a crazy thing to ask. but the WAY he kept looking around. the energy was wrong. she told him no, said she was home alone and couldn't open the door. he nodded, said thanks, walked off into the dark.

she breathed out. turned the TV back on.

then it happened again.

louder sound this time. she checked the intercom. nobody there. so she cracked the door open to look.

big mistake????? she felt something cold behind her immediately, slammed the door shut, locked it. checked the intercom again. still empty. she stood there in her own hallway just. not moving.

she called the police. "heavy rain, response may be delayed." okay cool thanks so helpful.

she checked every window. closed every curtain. sat in her room in the dark.

around 2am she couldn't sleep and went to the living room. that's when she heard it. the front door. slowly. opening.

she grabbed a flashlight and crept toward the sound. door was still locked. but there was water seeping in through the crack. she shone the light into the gap and

an EYE. looking back at her.

she slammed the door so hard. just stood there shaking until morning.

when the sun came up she finally opened it. the shadow of a person was still visible on the wet concrete outside. and there was a wet umbrella sitting in the doorframe.

the police came, looked around, found nothing. told her to "be careful" and left. great.

a few days later she saw it in the news. string of break-ins in her neighborhood. suspect always operated on rainy nights. still at large.

and she just. sat there reading that article.

the umbrella thing was the trick. a reason to get you to open the door. and she almost did.