Her life was perfect.
Her relationship with Hoseok was thriving blithely, all that would play through her mind were the beatific moments they shared.
Things were almost too perfect.
It unnerved her slightly, realizing that her stalker hadn't been incessantly disturbing her, like before.
It had been almost a week and a half since Jimin last stayed with her. She tried not to even think about her stalker, the last thing she wanted to do was call upon his energy and see him on her property when she least expected it.
Which was why she continued to keep her guard, he was messing with her head. He decided not to reveal himself during the period Jimin stayed, it seemed as though he was doing it on purpose, trying to play mind games with Seren – driving her to insanity, second-guessing whether or not he was real.
Of course, Jimin still sincerely believed her. He would always be there for Seren, just because he didn't see the man with his own eyes didn't mean Seren was telling lies.
Seren began to think he was just a lingering spirit.
And just when she began to believe that he wouldn't show up for quite some time, he appeared a few nights after she was over at Hoseok's house.
Seren had little energy in her to even give him a reaction. She remained still as they watched each other through her bedroom window, bleakly staring into each other with no emotion.
He was constantly clad in dark clothing, he nearly blended in with the shadows, disappearing into the swallowing darkness when he decided that it was time to leave.
His visits felt unnecessarily prologued, however, he was only ever there for five minutes.
Five minutes of nothing, just blank stares.
She seemed dauntless on the outside, her expression cold and flippant. But, on the inside, her heart was frantic and unhinged, running away from her with each thrumming pump. Her jaw would tense, grounding her teeth against each other, and her fists would find the energy to ball up with ferocity.
Her gut would get stabbed with the sudden feeling of dread and anxiety, her chest growing tight with each breath she took. Then, tears would begin to form, she couldn't tell if it was from pure rage or fear.
And he would feel it.
He sensed her fear through the window pane. Even if she was one story higher than he was, he felt her fear bleed through the walls. She knew it the moment his lips would arch into a smug grin, finding her fear to be a turn-on.
That drove her to tears, a few slipping passed her cheek, not daring to move a muscle to try and hide them. It seemed pointless when he was able to perceive her very emotions.
After he felt he put her through enough torment, he would take a few steps back, putting out his cigarette, and leaving the scene.
Then, it would all replay in her mind, torturing her not only during the night but during the day as well.
It infuriated her when she knew that's what he wanted.
He wanted her looking over her shoulders, to be terrified to walk out in public unaccompanied.
He got what he wanted.
"Seren?" A voice pried into her head, interrupting her loud thoughts. "Seren, are you okay?"
She glanced up from her untouched food, meeting eyes with a perturbed Hoseok.
She had a blank stare, her lips parting slightly.
"Are you feeling okay? You haven't spoken a word since we got here." His eyes pooled with apprehension, the worry lines on his forehead showing.
She cleared her throat, scooting her food around with her utensils. "That's not true, I ordered the food for myself."
His expression dropped, sensing her smarty attitude. "You know that's not what I meant."
She shook her head, setting her utensils down. "Sorry, I just haven't been able to get any sleep recently, I'm a little on the grumpy side today." Seren dropped her tired eyes to her palms.
He was about to say something, but his voice was cut off by the waitress that came by.
"How is everything? Is it to your liking?" She questioned, the smile detectable through her soft voice.
Hoseok tried on a smile, hiding his concern. "Oh, yes. Everything is fine. Actually, can I get a to-go box?"
She nodded, "Of course." Stepping away from their small booth.
Seren felt Hoseok's eye trace back to her wilted body, her hair covering all the sides of her face like fallen drapes.
"Seren." She heard his lilted voice become a slight whisper, not wanting to intrude. "Seren, we can leave soon. You can rest in the car, and I'll take you home."
His sentence gave her a sense of relief, but elicited great fear in her as well.
Immediately, she raised from her hands. "Huh? No, no I'm not tired. Let's not leave, I'm not even finished eating yet." She looked down at her lukewarm salmon and rice, scared to eat it.
She picked up her fork, carefully stabbing the fish into pieces to shove in her mouth. Seren winced once the cold food touched her tongue, she forced herself to chew through it, swallowing it, and rinsing her mouth with the melted ice water.
Hoseok watched her in silence, his lips parted in complete bafflement, watching her force-feed herself.
She then tried on a contrived smile, humming. "It's- it's so good."
It was.
It was the best food she had eaten all week.
She continued to eat, placing more food in her mouth at a meticulous pace, worried she would lose her appetite if she continued to eat quickly.
The longing to cry was strong, the lump in her throat pushed down with the food and water she was consuming.
"Sen, when was the last time you ate something?" Hoseok asked after watching her mercilessly stab the salmon, then eat more than half of it in a matter of seconds.
Her cheeks were distended with food, covering her mouth as she thought about her answer. "Yesterday evening. Why?"
He was silent for a moment, blinking. "That was over twenty-four hours ago." Hoseok mentioned, worry coloring his tone.
She looked up at him, taking a sip of her water. "Has it really been a whole day?"
He nodded, shocked to his core. "Sen, that's not good. It's no wonder you looked so indisposed when I picked you up."
Her eyebrows puckered, eating some of the rice. "Indi what?"
"You looked ill." He said, clearing his throat.
Seren set her fork down, swallowing the rest of the food in her mouth.
He was right, Seren was too caught up in her stalker and her persistent anxiety that she hadn't realized she wasn't eating properly.
She felt her eyes well up with tears, her lips frowning.
Hoseok immediately got up from his seat, scooting over to her side of the booth.
"Hey, hey. What's wrong? Did I say something that offended you?" He wrapped his arms over her frail body, allowing her to fall into his chest. "I'm so sorry, Sen. Was that a sensitive topic?"
Her tears had nothing to do with what Hoseok told her.
He told her the truth, and it was difficult to hear the truth.
She shut her eyes, allowing more tears to flow through her eyes. She didn't want to think about how she was having a mental breakdown in the middle of a restaurant on a Saturday night, it would drive her to humiliation.
"Here's your to-go box." The woman was back, placing the box above their table.
"Thank you." Hoseok smiled at her, his hand rubbing over Seren's shoulder.
"Here, I'll pack up your leftovers, okay, my love?" He placed his lips above her hair, releasing her body.
Seren sniffled, wiping her tears.
She wondered how Hoseok could stand to be beside her and embrace her. It had nearly been two days since she last washed her hair – she was too scared to close her eyes, fearful that once she opened them, he would be there.
It took a toll on her mentality as she began to call off work more than before. Seren only focused on her school work, and she wondered how she was able to even do that.
She watched in silence as Hoseok packed her left-over dinner, and even took care of the bill. He helped her out of the booth, holding her scraps in one hand, and wrapping his arm over her shoulder, guiding her to the exit.
Peril sunk down in her gut when she saw how late it was getting, the darkness nearly taking over the once bright blue sky.
She didn't want to be home.
The food in her stomach gurgled. She placed her hand over it, praying that it would sit tight.
Hoseok opened the passenger door for her, making sure she was secure in his car before he carefully shut it.
Seren checked behind the dark backseat, her heart releasing tension when she saw that nothing was there, nothing but vacant leather seats.
Her fingertips sketched themselves above her chest, closing her eyes. She wanted nothing more than a moment of peace, to be free of the heavy chains paranoia placed on her.
The driver's door opened abruptly, and so did her weary eyes, watching Hoseok get into his car.
He placed the food above her lap, "Did I scare you?" Hoseok asked, shutting the door closed.
"No, no." She muttered a lie, hearing him start the engine.
He backed out of the parking space, allowing his hand to drop to her passenger seat as he kept his eyes on the back window.
He then put it in drive once he was clear to exit. "You know, I wish you would be honest with me, Sen." Hoseok muttered, driving out of the lot.
"What're you talking about?" Seren feigned innocence, keeping her eyes on the window beside her.
His eyes flickered to her, his lips pressed into a bitter line. "Remember a week ago you said you wanted to be completely transparent with me?"
"Not just me, the both of us." Seren corrected in a wintry voice, rolling her eyes.
She hated herself for being so curt with him, it wasn't his fault she was going through a lot.
Before she would regret ever being so cold with him, she released a sigh.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it in a rude way." She turned to him, toying with her lip ring.
"I know." Hoseok reassured, making a right turn.
"It's just... I haven't been able to sleep or eat." Seren confessed, her nails finding her teeth. "I've been so paranoid recently, scared to do practically anything that would cause me to be alone and vulnerable."
"Why? Did something happen to make you feel that way?" Hoseok asked, carefully listening to her honesty.
She hesitated, releasing another sigh.
"Kinda."
"Kinda?" He repeated, looking over at her with broad eyes.
"I mean, yes. Yes something did happen, and it's happening as we speak." Seren whispered, fiddling with her fingers.
"Can you tell me what it is that happened?" Hoseok requested, wanting to fully understand her feelings.
"I'm being stalked." She blurted, chills crawling down her spine.
She became cold suddenly as her body shivered at her bravery.
He was silent, unable to fathom what she told him.
He was expecting something serious, but not this serious.
"How long... how long has this been happening?" He asked, his voice thick.
"Five months." Seren stated.
He shook his head. "Five damn months... you didn't tell me?" He scoffed incredulously.
"I didn't know how." She said.
"Seren, all those times I let you go home... you're telling me something bad could have happened to you?" He seemed offended that she kept it from him for so long. "God damn." He muttered heavily.
"I-I'm sorry." She weakly apologized.
"No, please don't be sorry." He gripped the wheel with two hands, his jawline carved a fierce line. "I'm just pissed with myself for being so fucking senseless and letting you go through this alone."
"Please don't blame yourself, it's not your fault." Seren directed her body to him, grabbing onto his forearm. "I just couldn't figure out how to tell you."
She felt his hands relax, dropping his left hand onto the center console.
Seren grabbed it, intertwining her fingers with his.
"I'm not letting you go home." He stated confidently, squeezing her hand.
"Where am I gonna stay?" She asked. "I have nobody to go to."
"You can stay with me." He asserted, keeping his eyes on the road.
"Hoseok, no. I'm not gonna force myself into your house." Seren argued. "I can't."
Hoseok released a frustrated sigh, shaking his head in aggravation.
"Okay, that's fine." He settled, switching his blinker one, making a sudden u-turn.
Seren released his hand, staring up at his ambivalent expression, struggling to decipher his thoughts and what he was deciding.
"Then, where are we going?" She spoke after some moment of reflection.
"To my place." He stated with simple directness. "I'm gonna pack some clothes, I'll be staying with you."
☾