Inside Park Manor • SKZ horror au

Chapter 2

"Guys! Look at this room!" Jisung cried, slowly panning the camera around his new bedroom.

    A chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting a soft glow on the huge bedroom. The walls were painted a soft creme color, giving the room an inviting feeling. He had a king-sized bed all to himself, a white curtain surrounded the bed giving him the option of privacy whenever he needed it.

    "This door goes to the kids room so I don't have to walk around the manor if they need me at night," Jisung explained, pointing to a brown door which had the outline of an eagle carved into it.

    "You're never gonna want to come home," Changbin joked, a hint of jealousy in his voice.

    "As much as I love it here, I still kinda wish I was at home with you all," Jisung said, sadness creeping into his voice.

    The door to the children's room opened, three children between the ages of five and seven rushed in. One of the girls immediately ran up to Jisung, jumping into his arms almost causing him to drop his phone. Her twin grabbed onto his leg. The youngest child, a boy, stood by the door watching the scene apprehensively.

    "Come here, Minseok," Jisung said gently. "Wanna say hi to my friends?"

    The boy, Minseok, slowly shuffled up to Jisung, waving feebly at the camera. The others waved back enthusiastically, making comments about how cute he was.

    "They really seem to like you," Chan laughed, watching as the twins ran around at his feet.

    "Yeah, they warmed up to me way quicker than I thought they would," Jisung confessed, escorting them out of the room. "Mr. and Mrs. Park are so sweet also. Maybe you'll be able to meet them sometime."

    There was a knock on the door to his room.

    "I have to go. Talk to you all soon!" He said as he hung up.

    That was the longest call they had with him since he got the job. Since then, there were fewer, far shorter calls, usually interrupted by one of the children. He played it off by saying that the children were keeping him busy, but to them, it looked like they were draining him.

    There were dark circles under his eyes and he had lost a considerable amount of weight in the first few weeks he was there. If anyone tried to bring up his condition, he would either change the subject to the children or hang up, It didn't take long before he stopped calling altogether.

    Seungmin had taken it into his hands to try and contact Jisung, but without success. Whenever he tried to call, Jisung would answer and say that he was busy. Jisung quickly learned that Seungmin wasn't going to give up anytime soon, and had turned off his phone.

    "What are we going to do?" Jeongin asked with a worried expression.

    "I'm sure he'll come around. He's probably just stressed," Minho said, though he didn't sound entirely convinced.

    Everyone clung to Minho's words like they would magically bring back the normal, happy and cheerful Jisung. The day of Jisung's first month of the job, Hyunjin received an unsettling audio message from him.

    It began with the sound of what he thought might have been a vase, shattering. He could hear Jisung's rapid breathing, but he said nothing. It was quiet for a few moments before he heard a woman's voice yelling. There was no way to describe her voice with words. He had never heard someone that angry in his entire life.

    "I welcome you into our home, feed you, pay you a gracious salary and this is the thanks I get?! You son of a bitch I'll kill you!"

    The audio message ended, deleting itself so Hyunjin had no way of showing the others.

~~~

    Hello Hyunjin,

    Your friend Jisung has been falling behind with his duties. I saw you on his account and thought you would be a good fit for our children. Maybe having a friend working with him would motivate Jisung again. You'll get the same benefits as him if you accept.

    Sincerely,
    The residents at Park Manor.

    If this would help him find Jisung, then so be it.