🏢: The Neighbor from 3B

🟦 Chapter 1 – The Silence Next Door

For three years, Julien had lived on the second floor of a quiet apartment building.
Right next to him was apartment 3B.
And in 3B lived a man no one really knew.

No greetings in the hallway.
No noises.
No complaints.
Just silence.

People made up stories:
“He’s probably weird.”
“He never opens his door.”
“He’s a ghost, I swear.”

Julien never paid attention. After all, life was busy.

🟦 Chapter 2 – A Knock at Midnight

One rainy Thursday night, just as Julien was getting ready for bed, he heard something strange.

A soft knock.
Coming from his door.

When he opened it, there was no one.
But as he turned to go back in…
He heard another knock.
This time, faint.
From 3B.

He hesitated.

Then, something inside him pushed him to knock back.

The door creaked open slowly.

Inside, a dim light.
And an old man, thin, pale, eyes wide open… but filled with tears.

🟦 Chapter 3 – The First Words

The man whispered:

— “I didn’t know who else to call. I think… I think something’s wrong with my heart.”

Julien immediately called for help.
He stayed until the ambulance arrived.
He held the man’s hand.
And the man said:

— “I didn’t want to die alone.”

His name was Mr. Kwan.
He had lived in 3B for over 20 years.
Widower. No children. No close friends.

No one had visited him in years.

🟦 Chapter 4 – A Life Behind the Door

After that night, things changed.

Mr. Kwan stayed in the hospital for a week. Julien visited him every two days.

He brought books. Asked questions.
Listened.

And little by little, a story came out:

Mr. Kwan had once been a teacher. He loved jazz music and used to write poetry in Mandarin.
But when his wife died, the world became too loud.
So he closed the door.

Until the silence became heavier than grief.

🟦 Chapter 5 – The Cup of Tea

When Mr. Kwan came back home, Julien was there to welcome him.
He had baked a small cake.
And they drank tea. Together. For the first time.

The building changed, too.

People started saying hello.
They checked on each other.
Someone even brought flowers to 3B.

Julien wrote in his journal that night:

“Sometimes, saving someone starts with just staying. Just listening. Just knocking.”

💡 Moral

Sometimes, the quietest doors hide the deepest loneliness.
We don’t always need to fix people.
Just to notice them.

A knock. A word. A chair pulled closer.
It’s enough to bring someone back into the world.