The wood floor quietly creaked when nobody was walking by, there was an odd breeze that wafted by her neck when all the windows were closed shut. There was the faintest smell of incense burning, coming from an area she was unable to locate.
These features only seemed to enrich when she was left alone in the house without Hoseok to be around. It was rare when he left her lonesome in his own home – and she figured it was because he never wanted to leave her unattended in a home that wasn't hers.
She thought he would be there by the time she got off work.
He was supposed to be there an hour earlier, and yet there was no sign of human life in the stoic house.
She hated being alone in that house.
She hated being alone in general those days.
Her phone chimed, and she didn't waste a second to pull it out and read the message that had been delivered
Hoseok
Just wait for me there, I'll be home in a few.
Seren sighed, reading his message in complete disappointment. That meant she had to wait inside his home for him.
She shoved her phone back into her pocket, dropping her purse on the single recliner seat in the corner of the living room. She grabbed the remote from the tidied coffee table to switch the tv on – needing some kind of noise besides the eerie sporadic creaking and thumping the old house innately created.
There was never a need for his house to be cleansed, Hoseok had it well cleaned practically every day. He was obsessed with making his house look perfect and neat despite his lack of visitors, adjusting the objects in his home that had shifted throughout the days that went by, and dusting the furniture.
He even made sure to wash his dishes right after they'd been used.
Seren walked to his bedroom, switching the light on to see the hamper was beginning to overflow with clothes.
"Okay, well since I have nothing else to do I might as well do his laundry." She decided to herself, lifting the white basket with her two hands.
She left the hallway lights on, noticing the light outside starting to diminish.
With all the times Seren had been over to Hoseok's house, she was still quite unknowing of what room his washer and dryer were kept.
She passed the living room, entering the kitchen to find any doors that may have led to her destination.
Her eyebrows pinched, confused when there was no sign of any secret rooms in his home. She huffed, nonplussed as her eyes scattered to other feasible areas where he would keep his appliances. Her eyes traced over to the pristine sliding doors that led to his backyard.
There was a good possible chance that he kept his things in his backyard.
Seren unblocked the door, pushing it to the side to fit through the space. The overhead light turned on to the right of her, causing her to flinch at the unexpected light that probed her.
It might have been darker than she anticipated, glancing around his backyard cautiously, paranoid that something would pop up from the dark and race over to her at an inhumane rate. Her mouth went dry at that creepy thought, shaking her head, not allowing her mind to play tricks on her. Or allow her overly inventive mind to stop her from doing something considerate for her boyfriend.
Her eyes traced over the dark property, shifting from left and right to find what she was initially looking for.
Her inquisitive eyes stopped at a cellar that was at the far corner of the house.
"That's so strange... I didn't know houses here had cellars?" She mumbled, taking a few careful steps forward to ensure her discovery.
Something dropped in her stomach, something that had her pause her movements to rethink what she was doing.
Would Hoseok appreciate her going down into the cellar of his home without his permission?
She bit her lip in theory, the tip of her shoe tapping against the pavement below her.
She took another painstaking step forward, noticing the chain tied around the two handles was left unlocked.
A sudden obtrusive breeze pelted against her face, pushing the unkempt hair off her cheeks and shoulders. Her heart throbbed painfully against her ribs, swallowing down her thick saliva. She almost wanted to obey the direction of the wind – as though it was telling her to turn back into his home.
All she could hear was the rapid beat of her heart, it deterred the rational thoughts in her head as it echoed throughout her body, solely feeling the need to step forward and enter the underground room she had no idea was even there in the first place.
Curiosity spiked in her blood, pumping her veins with impulsive fearlessness and adrenaline.
She pushed forward, standing in front of the entrance with the little light provided by the overhead light near the sliding door. Seren peeked through the small slit near the chained doors, all she was able to see was a short staircase that led to nothing but what seemed to be complete darkness.
She sighed, searching the area around her to make sure nobody was around. She set the hamper down on the ground beside her, carefully removing the rusted old chains from the latches. Her face recoiled as some of the rust debris fell above her hands as she tossed it to the side of the grass.
It left behind the smell of tainting metal on her fingers, sliding her hands together to rub off the residue.
When she moved the two doors aside, she was met with another white screen door with a single hinge to act as a knob.
There seemed to be a dim yellow light flickering inside, prompting her further.
With the basket of clothes in her hands, she walked down the concrete steps, pushing open the door, dauntlessly.
The poor yellow light hardly lit up the area, but it was just enough for her to see the washing and drying machine.
She let out a breath of relief, slightly laughing at herself for being so worked up over nothing but a simple cellar.
A wall of tools hung to the right of her, along with a single wooden table with a small tray of finished cigarette buds above it, gray dust surrounding the short sticks.
Her eyes searched below the table, finding a pair of black heavy-duty work boots that looked to be on the grungy side. She hummed in confusion, stepping closer to them to fully inspect the strange table and pair of random boots.
They looked wet, pieces of grass sticking to the leather material. Dirt stained part of the boots, with drops of liquid splattered on them as well.
"What... is that?" She muttered to herself, leaning deeper into the table to study the pair of shoes. "What could he be using those for?" He worked an office job, why would he ever need a pair of boots like those?
Perhaps he had some hobby she was completely unaware of?
As she looked deeper beneath the table, she began to notice a dark shirt and black pants folded neatly behind the boots. They seemed to be stained just as much, if not worse, than the soiled boots.
The murky atmosphere went unnoticed by her restless mind until she felt her lungs compress from the lack of fresh air. She coughed, sniffling when she realized how hard it was to breathe in there.
"I need to hurry and get out of this shitty place." She whispered to herself. "Sorry, Hoseok. I guess I'll find out about your hobby later." She stared down at the clothes, turning over to complete the task she originally went down there for.
"What're you doing down here?" A thick voice suddenly spoke, startling her.
She yelped like a scared dog, the basket slipping from her hands as the clothes went scattered on the floor.
Her hands pressed up against her chest, relief flowing through her trembling body when she saw it was just Hoseok.
"God, Hoseok. You fuckin' scared me half to death." She sighed, shoveling her fingers through her hair.
"Were you trying to wash my clothes?" He asked, dropping to his feet to pick up his fallen laundry. "How did you figure it would be down here?" Hoseok gazed up at her with dark eyes that demanded her answers.
"I-I uh just assumed?" She hesitated, the hard look in his stern expression eliciting apprehension in her body. "I never knew this was here, and when I came in, I saw what I needed."
She kneeled, helping collect his clothes as well.
"How did you get in here?" He persisted.
She chewed her lip, confused as to why he was asking her so many questions. "It was open."
"No way. I never leave that chained unlocked." He replied instantly.
"Okay, so what you're calling me a liar?" Seren asked, glaring at her boyfriend with baffled eyes.
He just shook his head, aggressively grabbing the last piece of clothing from her and tossing it into the basket.
Her last bit of solemnity waned. "What is your problem?" She demanded, her heart skipping a beat when he flippantly raised from the floor and walked to the washing machine.
He opened the lid, dumping his clothes into the machine, and placing the basket near the dryer. Hoseok shut the lid with a heavy slam, switching the machine on, and cranking the lever to set the timer.
"Nothing. You just shouldn't be out alone at night." He muttered, his voice as cold and hard as icicles in winter. "Regardless if it's my house."
His words stabbed at her, sending shivers down her spine at his odd behavior.
"Just get back inside." He barked, gripping both corners of the machine.
"Fine." She scoffed, stomping her way to the screen door and slamming it behind her.
She felt ridiculous for allowing Hoseok's flippant attitude get the better of her, but she couldn't help it. Seren was too accustomed to his charming and eased behavior that the slightest bit of his resentment embarked hurt feelings.
She slammed the sliding door behind her, hitting the wall before it opened from the amount of force she threw at it.
Seren grabbed her purse from the couch, throwing it over her shoulder, and slipping into her tied shoes.
"Seren." Hoseok called, the sliding door reopening.
His voice was gentle this time.
The Hoseok she knew.
"Seren, where are you going?" He asked, stopping by the foyer.
"Leaving. I'll come back when you get over your crappy attitude." She spoke under her breath, avoiding his sharp eyes as she raised from her crouched posture.
"Stop. You're not leaving." Hoseok insisted, stepping directly behind her. "You're staying. You can't leave, it's too dark, and dangerous." He grabbed her wrist, pulling her into him.
The lump in her throat was potent, tears building up in her eyes, ready to burst out at any moment.
She yanked away from his grip, throwing him back a few feet.
Her relentless tears won that battle, as anticipated.
Seren broke down, dropping her face into her hands.
"Sen, please don't cry. I'm really sorry." He instantly attached himself to her, massaging her shoulder.
She shook her head, sobbing. "No. Do you know how hard it is for me right now? I have somebody stalking me, and some other random fucking psychopath that's killing every man I've ever made contact with."
"I can't do it anymore. Everyday I'm at a breaking point. I can't do anything, I had to quit my other job, and I can't even walk into my fucking home without being scared that my stalker came back to terroize me." Her voice cracked, feeling herself descend into an interminable tormenting spiral of chaos and misery.
Hoseok embraced her, placing her head on his shoulder. "I feel like such an asshole. I'm so sorry, Sen. I didn't mean to lash out at you, I just got worried something happened to you, then I see you're under the cellar, and I was already shaken up."
"I called your name like twenty times, running through all the rooms like a crazy person." His lips peppered above her hair. "I know that doesn't excuse my behavior, but I just don't want you to leave angry at me. Please. Please don't."
She decompressed into his body, holding him tightly. "It's okay. I'm sorry I snooped through your things. I should have respected you and your home."
"No, don't apologize, my love." He placed his hand beneath her chin, pulling her off his body.
His fingers wiped away stray tears above her hot cheeks, kissing her lips.
"I've just been a little sensitive recently," she chewed her wet lips, staring into his eyes.
That soft look was back, a gleam in his brown eyes as he stared back into her like she was his special buried treasure. A smile tugged at his lips, replacing the hard line that once rested on his lips.
"I just hate when you act that way with me." Seren admitted. "I love the sweet you. When you give me an attitude like that, it just frightens me. And I've been so jumpy lately, my sensitivity has gotten worse."
He nodded. "Okay, I'm sorry I acted like that with you. Never again." Hoseok kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger.
She blew air out of her mouth, closing her eyes. "Thank you, Hoseok."
☾