⠀⠀⠀⠀♥⠀ ⠀2 o'clock⠀⠀，⠀⠀양정원
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐶𝐇⠀⠀⠀you gave up sleep a long time ago.. what happens when a new neighbor moves next door?
𝙹𝚄𝙽𝙶𝚆𝙾𝙽 ✶ 𝓯. reader fluff / 1,125 𝓦𝙘. neighbor!jungwon mentions of insomnia sleeping pills 𓈒 neighbors 2 friends ! ! ✧ ..
for all the people who suffer insomnia like me ...... (inspired by this juhoon au i found on tiktok where juhoon is singing and mc who has insomnia falls asleep for the first time :'] so cute)
you never paid attention to whoever moves in or moves out of your apartment complex. maybe that’s the reason why you never noticed him.
there was no grand introduction, no knocking on your door and announcing “hi, i moved next door recently” moment. just the faint thump of boxes being put on the floor, and the scrape of furniture being moved across the room. ordinary things. easy to ignore.
ignoring is something you’re good at. especially at night.
sleep had naturally stopped coming to visit you a long time ago. insomnia wasn’t just a phase anymore, it settled into your routine like something permanent, something that refused to leave no matter how many remedies you’ve tried. not moving for five minutes, warm milk, light raindrop music, even those “how to sleep in five minutes” videos. none of them worked.
eventually you had no choice but to resort to your last hope. sleeping pills worked, sometimes. but even then, the sleep that you had felt rushed and borrowed. like your body never fully sank into it.
it started small. you’d be tucked to bed, mindlessly staring at the ceiling. the hum of the air condition was the only thing you hear, the city below becoming so alive at night.
you’d hear a thud. then a low voice. like someone talking to their phone.
sometimes you’d hear him talking about how his dream was about saving—not the people—but cats. “no, i’m telling you. i had this cape on, and i was saving cats. like those that were too scared to come down from the tree or helping them cross the street. it was fun.”
most of the time he’d talk about random things that even you won’t think about.
you found yourself blinking across your phone, the screen glaring at you while waiting for the sleeping pills to kick in.
it happened a few more times. maybe past midnight, he’d be on the balcony of his apartment, talking about random things. and somehow you’re always looking forward to it.
“do you think animals would remember who was kind to them? i know elephants do.”
“there was this calico cat earlier. it followed me on the way home, i almost catnapped it. yeah i don’t think my landlord would allow it.”
his topics jumped from one thing to another with no warning. dreams, random observations, the future, what-if’s that didn’t seem important but to him it feels like a debate where his life was on the line.
and before you knew it, your eyes would be too heavy to open, and the next thing you knew, you’re off to dreamland.
it was weird, not in a bad way. his voice wasn’t loud or annoying, if anything it blended into the quiet night in a way that felt… natural.
you had stopped pretending to be frustrated hours ago. it was one of those nights where you were looking forward to his talking. it was almost 2 am, making you wonder where he was. the rain wasn’t helping either, the patter of the rain against your window made everything else muffled, which made you worry if you’d even hear his voice.
then softly—a guitar string.
another soft strum followed, almost hesitant. like someone adjusting their flow.
then came his voice. low and gentle.
you smiled, “so you’re not talking about being a superhero tonight, huh?” you whispered to yourself.
you can’t make out the lyrics through the walls, but the melody drifted loud enough through your room. i wasn’t perfect or polished, his voice cracked, most of the time he’d be clearing his throat. but that somehow made it better.
you found yourself lying still, listening.
the rain outside mixed with the sound of his guitar, despite the cold that engulfed the room, you felt warm inside, and slowly the noise inside your head became invisible.
jungwon absentmindedly strummed his guitar, humming to himself. like he didn’t realize someone would hear him.
the next morning you woke up with a light feeling inside your chest. your sleeping pills untouched for weeks already.
you strided towards your kitchen, grabbing a box full of strawberries coated with chocolates.
jungwon felt mildly confused when he opened his apartment door.
his hair was messy, like he had just gotten out of bed a second ago. he blinked at you before looking down at your hands.
“..uh,” he cleared his throat. “hi?”
you suddenly felt how awkward this situation is.
“hello,” your cheeks flushed. “i made these for you.”
you muttered, pushing the box into his hands.
his eyes widened slightly. “for me? really?”
you nodded, smiling. “as a thank you.”
jungwon accepted the box carefully, still confused but visibly touched. “you don’t have to.”
silence fell between both of you before you finally had the courage to talk to him about something that was on your mind since the morning.
“were you the one playing the guitar last night?”
he blinked. then his ears turned slightly pink.
“oh,” he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. “yeah.”
you watched him look away for a second, looking almost embarrassed.
“sorry. i tend to play when it’s night time, so that i don’t disturb anyone in their sleep,” he admitted. “i guess the walls are just that thin.”
you nodded slightly before he continued quickly, “if it’s too loud i can stop-”
the answer came out faster than you intended.
you looked down before speaking again, quieter this time.
something softened in his expression.
you let out a small huff, you’re afraid the loud beating in your chest would be heard.
“because of you, i’ve been sleeping well these days.”
his eyes widened slightly by that.
“and…” you added, slightly shy now. “i like hearing you talk too. even if you’re rambling about being a superhero for cats.”
jungwon paused for a moment, before he looked amused. too amused for your liking.
“oh my god,” he groaned, covering part of his face with both of his hands. “that’s actually humiliating.”
you laughed quietly for the first time in a while that felt like forever.
“well for the record,” he said after a moment, smiling again. “i honestly think it’s a good superpower.”
“it is,” you replied seriously. “the cats would appreciate it.”
“that’s exactly what i’m saying!”
you found yourself laughing again as he defended how he’d be a good superhero.
and standing together across the hallway, listening to him ramble about random things made you realize something.
his voice stopped feeling like a background noise a long time ago, now it simply felt familiar.
and from that then on, the nights never felt so lonely anymore.
#📎⠀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 !⠀(𝓝.)⠀⠀ @wonmyhrt @changbinsal0n @zyukze +++
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