It was last night when Sakuraba called me.
He told me he’d moved into a new rental apartment and asked if I wanted to come over this Sunday.
It was going to be our first time catching up since college.
About ten years had passed since both of us started working at local companies, putting us both at thirty-three this year.
So on a bright, crisp autumn Sunday afternoon, I drove over using the location link he’d sent me beforehand.
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The apartment building was a ten-story complex tucked into the hills on the outskirts of town.
It looked expensive right off the bat, making my first thought: How on earth did he manage to rent a place like this?
He’d told me in advance that he was in a corner unit on the tenth floor, so I parked in the designated spot and headed toward the entrance.
I dialed his apartment number and pressed the call button. After a pleasant chime, his voice came through: “Hey, glad you made it. The door’s unlocked,” and the lobby door clicked open.
The lobby inside looked just like a high-end hotel front desk.
I took the elevator to the tenth floor, walked down to Room 1006 at the far end, and opened the front door.
Stepping into the spacious entryway, I called out to him before stepping onto the marble-style hallway floor.
Four rooms lined the hallway, facing each other.
I walked to the living room door at the end and slowly opened it.
And I caught my breath.
The curtains over the large sliding glass doors in the back were open, revealing a sweeping panoramic view of the city.
The spacious living room, well over two hundred square feet, was covered in plush beige carpet, creating a bright and clean atmosphere.
An antique dining set sat near the entrance, and further in was a luxurious sofa set.
Sakuraba was sitting there facing my way, smiling warmly.
“Take a seat,” he said, gesturing to the sofa in front of him.
Over cups of coffee, we sat across from each other, chatting about work, our personal lives, and everything else, as if filling in the ten-year gap.
We were both still single. I had a girlfriend now, but Sakuraba had recently been dumped by his long-term partner.
He said he’d moved out of the run-down apartment he’d lived in for years because he wanted to sever his lingering feelings for her.
Once our conversation settled down, I asked him the question I’d been curious about.
“By the way, this place feels super upscale. What’s the layout, and how much is rent?”
Sakuraba finished his coffee, smirked, and opened his mouth to speak.
“It’s a four-bedroom. The sofa set, the dining table over there, the air conditioner—pretty much all the main furniture came included from the start.
Plus, it’s a one-minute walk to the nearest subway station. And since it’s on the tenth floor, the view from the patio door is incredible.
As for the rent...”
He paused for breath, looked me dead in the eye, and stated firmly:
“Four hundred bucks, tax included.”
The air in the room instantly froze.
I sat there with my mouth agape for a moment before finally managing to blurt out, “You’ve gotta be kidding.”
“Right? A place like this would normally go for at least fifteen hundred a month. In fact, every other unit in the building goes for that.”
“Which means... what’s up with this unit?”
“Yep. It’s a stigmatized property.”
“A stigmatized property?”
“Yeah. Come over here for a sec.”
Saying that, Sakuraba stood up and started walking briskly toward the living room entrance.
Not knowing what was going on, I followed him.
Stepping out into the hallway, he stopped in front of the door to the first room on the left.
He turned the knob and slowly pushed the door open.
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I cautiously peered into the room over his shoulder.
It was a stark, empty room about a hundred and thirty square feet.
The curtains over the window straight ahead were closed, leaving the interior dim.
It was completely bare, with no visible furniture.
“Looks like a normal room to me. What’s the deal with it?”
At my question, Sakuraba began to speak quietly.
“Listen to this.
When the realtor was going over the details, he told me this:
If you can just accept this one room, this place is an unbelievable steal.
And he was right.
Apparently, a young woman used to rent this unit. About a year after she moved in, the property manager started getting several complaints from other residents on this floor.
They said dozens of spiders and cockroaches were crawling out of her room and into the hallway, begging them to do something because it was creeping them out.
So the realtor went to meet her right away to figure out what was going on.
She told him that after a painful breakup with her long-time boyfriend, she felt lonely and started keeping spiders—something she’d always been interested in. But they kept breeding so fast that terrariums couldn't hold them, and eventually she surrendered this entire room to them.
When the realtor had her show him the room, it was an absolute horror show.
A clear plastic curtain was hung over the doorway, and spiderwebs took over every square inch of the room. Spiders of all sizes and colors were frantically scuttling around.
And crawling all over the floor and walls were countless tiny cockroaches serving as feed.”
“What was wrong with that woman...
And why spiders, of all things?”
When I asked in disbelief, Sakuraba shook his head grimly and said, “Who knows,” before continuing.
“After the property manager warned her, the neighbors stopped seeing spiders and cockroaches.
But from then on, no one saw the woman around anymore, either.
On top of that, her mailbox was overflowing with mail.
Her automatic rent payments failed for several months in a row, and no matter how many times the realtor tried calling her, he couldn't get through.
Out of options, the agent finally entered the apartment accompanied by the landlord.
They searched everywhere, but there was no sign of her. Finally, when they opened the door to this room, they found the entrance sealed tightly with clear plastic sheeting.
The moment the two of them peered inside, a chill ran down their spines.
The room was completely covered in dense spiderwebs, with countless spiders crawling all over.
But that wasn’t what made their hair stand on end.
Right near the center of the ceiling hung a massive cocoon-like structure.
Through the surface of the cocoon, you could faintly see the shadow of a human body.
When the police arrived later and opened it up...
...they found a gaunt, stark-naked woman curled up inside.
She had died completely wrapped in spiderwebs.”
Glancing at me as I stood there listening in stunned silence, Sakuraba continued.
“After that, a few people moved in because it was so cheap, fully aware that it was a stigmatized property, but every single one of them moved out in less than a month.”
“Why?”
To my question, Sakuraba silently raised his right hand and pointed upward.
Compelled to look, I hesitantly raised my eyes—
“Whoa!”
I let out a sharp gasp and stumbled backward.
There was a woman up there.
Clinging to the ceiling just like a spider.
Her body was a faint, pitch-black shadow, and she had eight limbs.
She turned a pale, frightened face framed by dangling hair toward us, then skittered rapidly to a far corner of the room to escape our stunned, frozen stares.
From there, her pale face peeked out, watching us intently.
“Is... is she... always in here?”
Sakuraba nodded at my question and spoke.
“Yeah, seems like it.
She must find it really cozy in here, because she’s taken up residence in this room.”
“Aren’t you terrified?”
“At first, yeah...
But when I took a good look at her face, it hit me.”
“What did?”
“Her face looks identical to my girlfriend’s—the one who dumped me last year.”
“...Huh?”
“Heh... don’t laugh, man.
I still can’t get over my ex.
Honestly, moving here was supposed to help me get over her memory... but I just couldn’t do it.
So after I saw her face, I decided we’re going to live together from now on.
Besides, it’s not like she seems interested in hurting me.”
As Sakuraba spoke,
he kept gazing affectionately at the monstrous woman who cowered in the corner of the ceiling, staring back at us in fear.
【The End】
