After resting for a while, Dillan left their dormitory and went to the school cafeteria to eat. When he found an empty seat in the far corner, he immediately sat down and quietly ate.
“Hey, who are those people?”
“They look like celebrities, don’t they?”
Dillan looked up from his food when he heard the noise around him. His eyes landed on a group of young people walking down the middle of the cafeteria aisle. They walked straight ahead as if they did not see the other students around them. And Dillan knew they were from the upper class based on their appearance and the way they dressed.
Their faces were not very familiar to him, perhaps because they did not usually eat at the cafeteria, where scholars and middle-class students were usually the ones who ate. He did not waste any more time watching them and quickly finished his meal.
“Um, excuse me, can we sit here?”
Dillan turned toward the girl who had called out to him and saw a blonde woman wearing a T-shirt and a short skirt. She also had several companions with her—three women and two men. Still, Dillan almost raised an eyebrow because the seats she was asking about were beside him, even though he had taken a table by himself.
He looked at the group for a moment before answering.
“I think no one’s sitting there, miss.”
“Oh, is that so?” she said as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
But before she could speak again, Dillan stood up, picked up his tray, and headed toward the tray return without looking back. Even so, he could not help overhearing the group’s conversation as he walked away.
“Why didn’t you ask for his number? At least you could’ve asked for his SNS account.”
Before he could hear anything else they were saying, he walked straight out of the cafeteria after properly returning his tray.
He looked at his cellphone and checked his to-do list for the day. He planned to go to Nexford Technologies first to take care of what he needed. Dillan returned to the dorm, changed into slightly more formal clothes, and went to Nexford.
He wasn't sure if he would be accepted as the caretaker, but, he thought he might as well ask the HR staff member who had assisted him.
“Sir, just in case, would it be okay for a Nexford employee to have another job?”
“It’s not prohibited as long as there’s no conflict of interest and you don’t neglect your work here.”
Dillan smiled when he heard it.
“Thank you very much, sir.”
“But just so you know, you’ll need to report your part-time job to HR if you have one. Like I said, conflicts of interest aren’t allowed.”
“Yes. I understand.”
After speaking with HR, he was given a list of requirements. He planned to finish everything within the day so he could submit them immediately and have one less thing to worry about.
It was already past four when Dillan finished all his requirements. Since the clinic where he had his medical examination was accredited by the company he would be working for, he was told that they would submit his results themselves. So by the end of the day, he had completed all his requirements except for his school credentials, which he would not be able to get until Friday.
He returned to their dorm and checked his cellphone. Only then did he notice an email he had not opened yet with the subject line: Happy Stay Apartment Caretaker Application. Dillan opened the message.
Good day!
Thank you for your interest in applying for Happy Stay Apartment Caretaker. Please refer to the details below:
Place: Happy Stay Apartment143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWw0orKDc3Y
Address: 48 Mapayapa Street, Barangay San Telmo, Aurelion City, Valeera143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXaYI3AERHr
Time and Date: July 6, 2026 @ 7 PM
Dillan was a bit puzzled by the 7 PM interview time, but interviews nowadays didn't always follow the standard 8-to-5 schedule. He thought that might be the only time the owner was available. Dillan checked his calendar again and added the appointment. He only wanted to try visiting the place. If he did not get the job, perhaps he could at least inquire about the rent for an apartment there.
He opened the search bar again and searched for Happy Stay Apartment, but he could only find its address. There were only directions on how to get there, and aside from that, he could not find any other details. He also searched for reviews about the apartment, but it only showed zero results. He could not help thinking that perhaps the apartment was still new, or maybe it was not listed on the usual accommodation apps, which was why there was no other information about it.
Before long, the university graduation was over, and Friday arrived. Dillan did not waste any time and immediately collected his school credentials. After that, he submitted everything to Nexford and spent Saturday and Sunday organizing and cleaning his things in the dorm.
Monday. 5:30 PM
Because he had been instructed to arrive there at 7 PM, and Dillan was not familiar with the address listed in the post, he had no choice but to book a HAILA. He would just look for an alternative route once he became familiar with the area. Dillan waited for about five minutes before someone accepted his booking.
“Mr. Dillan Madrid?” the driver asked when he opened the door.
“Yes,” he replied.
“Good evening, sir.”
“Good evening as well.”
After getting inside, they quietly traveled along the road until Dillan noticed that there were fewer and fewer houses as they continued. Since the GPS on his cellphone was on, he felt compelled to check whether they were still going the right way. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw that the route was correct. The vehicle turned into a corner, and a few more minutes passed before it stopped directly in front of a gate.
Dillan got out and looked around. He even double-checked the address on his cellphone, but it was correct.
He could not help but stare in surprise. He had not noticed it earlier because he had been focused on the ride, but aside from the apartment, there were no other houses around. Streetlights stood along the sides of the road, but Dillan felt as though he had arrived at a private lot because all he could see were walls and trees. He raised his gaze. He was standing in front of a three-story apartment, but he could not see much inside because of the tall wall and gate.
“Was coming here really the right decision?” he muttered to himself.
He looked at the gate and noticed a doorbell, which he immediately pressed.
“Kriiiieeeek…”
Because it was already nighttime and there were not many houses nearby, the sound of the gate opening echoed around the area. Dillan looked inside, but he did not see anyone.
“Was the gate open?” he asked.
The light from the ground floor greeted him. He walked inside and slowly closed the gate behind him.
“Hello? Is anyone there?” he called out when he reached the door.
He was about to knock when the door suddenly opened, revealing an elderly man with completely white hair, dressed in a black polo shirt and slacks. Even so, Dillan noticed that the man still carried himself well.
The man smiled at him slightly.
“Are you Dillan Madrid?” he asked.
“Yes, sir.”
“Dontae Acoña.”
“Come in,” the man said, opening the door wider. Afterward, he turned around and walked toward the sofa.
The moment Dillan stepped inside, he felt as if he had entered a large freezer because of the cold that greeted him. He could not see much inside because only one light was on—the chandelier in the main receiving area of the living room.
“Have a seat.”
Dillan quietly obeyed and waited for the man to speak, but he frowned slightly when he noticed a piece of paper and a ballpoint pen on top of the table.
“I need a new caretaker for Happy Stay Apartment, and thank you for applying.”
“Ah, I was just taking a chance.”
The old man smiled and pushed the paper on the table toward him.
“That’s the contract. You only need to sign it,” he said.
“I’m sorry?”
Dillan paused slightly as he processed what the old man had said.
“I came here for an interview.”
“Oh.” The man smiled at him and began asking questions. “Are you easily frightened?”
Dillan blinked at the question but still answered.
“No.”
“Can you stay alone in a house?”
Dillan thought about how he was often the only one in the dorm anyway because he did not have the budget to go out.
“Yes.”
He saw the man nod slightly before asking another question.
“Do you believe in ghosts?”
Dillan had grown up in the province, and when he was a child, if they were not being frightened with stories of creatures that roamed at night, they were being frightened with stories of ghosts. Dillan did not know what those questions had to do with being a caretaker, but he still answered.
“Yes.”
“Your monthly salary will be V100,000.00.”
“Sorry?”
When Dillan heard the salary, he did not know whether he should be happy or nervous. He would earn even more here than at Nexford Technologies, even though, as far as he could tell, the work at Nexford seemed more complicated. No matter how he looked at it, there seemed to be something strange about both the interview and the job he was about to take.
“The contract will last for one year.”
Dontae smiled at him again, and Dillan noticed a glint in the old man's eyes. He stared at them for a while, as if something were urging him to keep looking.
“You won’t have to do anything except take care of the apartment and the tenants staying here,” the man said in a tone that seemed to lull him.
Dillan felt as if something had prompted him, and he slowly picked up the ballpoint pen. The contract was only one page long, and the words written on it were very simple. Dillan looked at the space where he was supposed to sign and signed his name.
The moment Dillan signed the contract, he felt something cold cling to him, making the hairs on his body stand on end. He looked ahead, and his entire body froze.
Behind the old man, he saw several figures, but his head and eyelids suddenly grew heavy until his vision finally went dark.
The last thing he heard was the old man’s voice, as though other voices were mixed with it.
“Welcome to Happy Stay Apartment.”
143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmqLelqiUhI
143Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0acN5gQVn0
and then Add to home screen.