It was already eight in the evening and the Kim household was still not ready to go out for their friends' dinner party.

Jiwon watched his wife carefully. Her eyes said it all: Startled. Horrified. If there was a way to take away her pain, he would've done it with all his heart.

"I'm sorry," Jiwon found himself saying. "I'm so sorry."

Jisoo didn't say anything, kept on leaning against the wall beside the master bedroom's door, unmoving, as if time paused for her.

Guilt weighed his shoulders like bricks. Jiwon felt like he couldn't do anything for her, so he settled on hauling her in his arms.

"I'm sorry," he repeated again. "I'm so sorry..."

His wife blinked once and looked at him with curiosity. "What... are you sorry for?"

"For a lot of things. For being selfish. For hurting you. For not protecting you sooner. I'm sorry."

Burying her nose on his chest, she murmured, "Now that you're here, make me feel safe."

"I will. I'll promise you that."

Red and blue lights flashed out of their house's windows. As Jiwon looked out to see, it seemed to confirm their reality. The fear he tried to push out of his mind rose like rolling waves. Shaking his head, he tried to wash it out of his system. He had to stay strong for the both of them.

"They're here," his wife mumbled as her arms around him tightened.

A knock was heard, surely coming from the people they were expecting. Jiwon kissed his wife on the forehead and hesitantly let her go.

As Jiwon opened the door, the two officers' grim face welcomed them. Officer Kang Seungyoon curtly nodded while Officer Lee Seunghoon tipped his hat. "Good evening."

Jiwon let the door a little wider for them. They took the invitation. As he gestured at the sofa, he offered, "Please take a seat. Do you want something to drink?"

Seunghoon smiled and waved his hand. "Thanks for the offer but we figured we will not stay around for long."

The two officers sat on the sofa while the couple, on the armchairs. When he took a glance at Jisoo, he couldn't help but get worried. His wife may try to hide it from him, but he knew that she was scared to death. Her eyes, strong and unwavering, was in contrast with her trembling fingers sitting on top of her lap. Jiwon reached out a hand to grasp them. Jisoo stiffened before relaxing as she realized it was just him.

Seeing her like this made him want to say, "It's going to be fine," but they both knew those were empty words. He squeezed her hand and wryly smiled. He hoped it was enough, even for just a little bit, to calm her nerves.

"We're going to collect Kim Jisoo-sshi's phone as evidence. Later, if you don't mind. In the meantime, we followed up on your report about your house. Figured out that it'd be best to start from there since we have nothing on the case." Seungyoon glanced at his partner meaningfully before displaying a grave look. "What we discovered... is alarming."

Seunghoon handed out a manila folder to Jiwon that he accepted with his free hand. With one glance at his wife, he hesitatingly opened the file. A picture was neatly plastered on the first page. It was a headshot of someone who looked young, his sharp eyes looking like it wanted to bear holes through the picture. His bangs that ended an inch or two below his eyebrows were unruly swept to one side. Nose pointed and sharp, he was someone stricken with unhidden confidence. Ghost of a color painted his boat-like lips, its ends curving up for a little smile.

"That's your house's previous owner," Seungyoon informed. "Name's Park Jinyoung."

"What happened with him?"

Right as Jiwon asked that, Jisoo stiffened under his touch.

"A... burned body was found in the backyard, completely black and unrecognizable. Its teeth was smashed beyond recognition so the coroner couldn't exactly identify whose body it was. They concluded that it was the house owner."

"Our realtor didn't inform us of this," Jiwon at his best, steadily replied, although he wanted nothing but to lash out.

"The laws state that if the death didn't affect the quality of the property in some ways, then it's best be disregarded. We contacted your realtor about this and she said it's for everyone's best interest."

Everyone's best interest, he wanted to fume. More like their payroll's best interest.

"Anyways, there is a lot of ambiguity surrounding this guy, Park Jinyoung, before his death. Someone reported him in cases of ual harassment and kidnapping. But before the court date, the woman who reported it dismissed the case. When they followed it up, she already flew to another country. There is not much to see on her file, other than the fact that she used to live around your neighborhood. We figured that it was how Park Jinyoung met her. Turn to the next page please."

Jiwon followed through. The next page contained additional information about the guy, however, mostly blank.

"As you can see, there is not much info about him. From the data collected though, it seems that his only family is his father. When the officers arrived on the scene, they saw his father beside his burned body, holding a graft of his skin. Prior to the witness' statement, he wasn't eating it, more like safekeeping it. The officers concluded that his father was too shocked to even know what he was doing. For some time, he became a primary suspect but they couldn't find a concrete evidence against him. The detectives couldn't find any evidences either and that continued on until Jinyoung-sshi's murder case turned to a cold case."

Jiwon was going to ask more about the father when he felt Jisoo clutching his shirt. When he glanced beside him, she had her eyes transfixed to a particular area on the folder, looking as if all color was drained out of her face.

"Jiwon..." Jisoo meekly whispered. "Park Jaesang..."

Jiwon creased his brows. The name rang a bell but he didn't know what. "Who's that?"

His wife turned to him with glassy eyes. "Park Jaesang's his father."

Jisoo briefly remembered her childhood, of her being scared of monsters under the bed or ghosts hiding inside the closet. As she grew up, she realized that the things scarier than ghosts are the ones alive to haunt her everywhere she went.

"Babe..." Jiwon's soothing tone penetrated her thoughts.

"Yeah?" Jisoo hummed.

Her husband softly grazed the area below her eye with his thumb, then went on to caress her hair. "What are you thinking about?"

"Just... things."

The sheets covering their bodies rustled as Jiwon moved closer and took her under his arms, placing his chin above her head.

"I know you're scared. But I'm here now. I'll protect you. Sleep comfortably and I'll stay watch. And if that bastard comes again, I swear, I'll kill him."

She angled her head up to send him a disapproving look. "Don't. I don't want you going to jail."

"I will not if it's self-defense."

"Jiwon..."

He just chuckled, the vibration felt against her chest. "Are you cold?"

"No. Why?"

"Why are you wearing thin clothes at this weather? Are you seducing me, hm?"

Jisoo couldn't help but smile at that. "Seriously..."

"There's that winning smile. It – Hey, why are you frowning again? You'll look uglier."

"If I look ugly, why did you marry me?"

"Your personality?" He shook his head. "No, that can't be right..."

"Are you just making me mad?"

"No," he replied a matter-of-factly. Her husband proceeded to squeeze her between his arms. "I'm just making you look cute."

That sent her smiling again.

"See? I succeeded. You look cute."

"Are you always this charming?"

He creased his brows. "You just realized that now? I thought you married me because of that?"

"Well, yeah, I did. Plus, the other things..."

He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Ooh, what other things?"

This time, Jisoo couldn't help but laugh and hit him on the chest at the same time. Her husband removed an arm around hers to catch her fist, bringing it up to his lips to kiss it.

Kisses from him sent tingles down her spine. It felt like it was enough to make her forget everything, even for just a little while. As these things played around in Jisoo's head, she thought of how much Jiwon was a permanent fixture in her heart. Get rid of the happiness, but he would still be there.

Strong arms hugged her figure like a warm blanket. Even though the room only illuminated a little light from the bedside lamp, Jisoo could see his eyes full of affection. It was that moment that Jisoo thought she was falling in love with him, over and over again.

Her husband's lips landed on the space between her eyebrows. "I love you," he whispered, coming soft like a breeze nuzzling through her ears.

Jisoo returned the gesture by giving him a peck on the lips. "I love you too."

It was easy for Jiwon to stay awake the whole night. Just the image of Jisoo's fearful look was enough for anger to course through his veins.

A baseball bat was resting at his side of the bed, a phone nearby, a message already composed to send to Officer Lee Seunghoon. Let the stalker try to lay a finger on his wife again and he'll see what Kim Jiwon is capable of.

It turned silent around the bedroom, the clock ticking endlessly through his ears. From the little midnight light pooling through the room, he concluded that it must be around two or three in the morning.

Jiwon took a look at his wife. She already slept three to four hours ago, with his aid. He knew that when it gets too silent, she'd let those scary thoughts in. So he did everything he could to keep them at bay. Honestly, it scared him more to see the light dimming from her eyes rather than the fact that a stalker was on the loose.

He could feel Jisoo shivering under his arm, so he ushered himself closer and raised the blanket a little more. Suddenly, he heard some faint scratching. If he was sleeping by then, it was unnoticeable, something that could just pass by as noise from outside the house.

Not taking any chances, Jiwon removed his arm around his wife and grabbed the bat, hiding it under the covers at the little space available at the bed. He laid down and pretended to sleep. Gripping the bat tightly, he waited patiently to see if it was just his imagination.

He figured it wasn't an imagination anymore when he heard silent footsteps. It took all his willpower not to act rashly and lunge. He knew he had to wait for the right moment. If the room wasn't as silent as the dead of the night, he wouldn't be able to hear the footsteps.

Thank goodness for the wooden floorboard, quietly squeaking with every step. It was going towards his wife's side. That was the cue he needed to gift the intruder his presence.

Then he saw it with his own two eyes, a silhouette of a man. The outline of the outside light ended unluckily below his chin so Jiwon couldn't see his face. The man had fast reflexes as he immediately crouched, Jiwon's sight of him obstructed by the bed's frame. Using the time wisely, Jiwon grabbed his phone and immediately sent a message to officer Seunghoon.

"I know you're in there," Jiwon hissed. "So be a good bastard and come out."

No reply.

"Who are you? Show yourself and face me like a man."

Again, no reply.

"You sure are something else," Jiwon sneered. "What? I thought you'd kill me?"

He was looking stupid, that was for sure, for speaking to someone who wasn't even replying. Was the intruder scared? No. Jiwon thought it would be too simple. The way he sent Jisoo on edge made him believe he wasn't capable for that.

Now growing impatient, Jiwon opened his camera on his phone and made sure to turn on the flash. Afterwards, he took a picture under a bed. It was to make sure that the intruder wasn't doing anything to take Jiwon by surprise.

His forehead creased in confusion. There was no one on the picture. Nothing. To make sure, he the flashlight, leaned his chest on the bed, and looked underneath. The only thing plausible running through his head was, what...?

As he confirmed that there wasn't anyone under the bed, his mind whirled. Maybe it was because he hadn't slept yet. However, at the same time, he was sure that he did see someone.

Jiwon was going to go back up when he thought he saw some floorboards slightly moving. He didn't want to lose chances, so he investigated it further by crawling under the bed. As the flashlight hit the floor, he could see a faint rectangular outline, it led him to wonder, 'Was it there the whole time?'

There wasn't anything to indicate that it was a door, so he banged his fist against it. It slid down for an inch or two. Before he could hit it again though, the board popped back up.

It only meant one thing. Whoever was at the other side was fixing it securely in place.

Jiwon tried again, but it turned hard as a concrete, as if something was obstructing it from moving. He cursed. A lot of things didn't make sense now, but one thing's for sure: their house held a lot of secrets they would yet to find out.

It was five in the morning and Jiwon still hadn't drank his coffee yet.

He kept his car keys at the back of his pocket, having arrived back at their house after dropping Jisoo over Hanbin and Hayi's. When he left, he remembered the officers' single police car parked at the empty space on the driveway. Now, swarms of police cars were there. Officers in uniforms were putting a yellow tape at the front of the house. Jiwon looked honestly lost at the whole fiasco. Thankfully, Seungyoon, who was at the lawn speaking to another officer, saw him.

"Kim Jiwon-sshi," he called.

Jiwon went towards him. "What's happening?"

The officer he was with bowed and excused himself as Seungyoon took the liberty to explain. "Come with me."

Seungyoon led him inside the house, then to their bedroom where the visit occurred hours ago. Jiwon could see that the bed was backed up towards the window to give space on what seemed to be a gaping hole the bed previously occupied. When Seungyoon stepped closer to the hole did Jiwon realize it wasn't a hole, but rather, a passage to something down there. Jiwon glanced at the officer in confusion.

Putting his hands on his waist, Seungyoon replied, "Sorry for the mess. We had to drill holes since we couldn't open it. You'll understand if you go down."

Sighing, Jiwon proceeded to place himself on the steps of the ladder. It creaked with every step. As he stepped down, he noticed that the ladder was leaning against a concrete wall. Landing on both of his feet, he heard Seunghoon's voice calling his name.

"Jiwon-sshi!"

As Jiwon turned around, he realized that saying everything was a mess was an understatement.

Studio lights helped illuminate the whole place. Forensics were scattered all over the place. He guessed they were in the middle of an investigation when Jiwon dropped by. Jiwon didn't even know if he wanted to see all of this.

Seunghoon grimaced. "Pretty messed up, don't you think so?"

It felt like the words dried in his mouth. A huge pin-up board was located at the wall they were facing. The board contained pinned zip-up bags with labels, labels written with, "jisoo's hair", "jisoo's blood", "jisoo's fingernails", and many more. Stolen pictures of Jisoo was also pinned at the board, the notes Jiwon found at his wife's phone beside the pictures.

What creeped him out the most was when he saw his wife's undergarments lying around the floor. Rage seemed to overflow his entire being. If he saw the stalker again, Jiwon would make sure he wouldn't be able to breathe anymore.

He didn't notice that he was puffing his chest in anger, not until Seunghoon placed a hand on his shoulder, the gesture somehow telling him to calm down.

"We are doing our best to locate the suspect. Don't worry," Seunghoon placated.

Jiwon's sighs felt heavier than ever before. He wanted to catch the bastard now, not later, not minutes after, but now. If they didn't, Jiwon would, and it didn't matter if it would take everything.

"It's a hidden lair, right underneath the foundation of the house," Seungyoon came beside Jiwon. "We don't know how it was built without anyone finding out but for sure, someone's going to be blamed for this."

"—You know what's weird though? It's that everything seems new. Concrete wall's not that dry yet." Seungyoon pointed at the wall on their right. "No cobwebs, no moulds... as if everything's clean all along. If someone's residing here, we would've expected a stench, but—"

"Yoon," Seunghoon interrupted worriedly as he shook his head. "I think Jiwon-sshi's had enough."

The other officer curtly nodded. "Very well. Jiwon-sshi, if you'd like to come with me..." Seungyoon stood beside the ladder. Jiwon couldn't do anything but follow him. He would only be inflicting pain on himself if he stayed around for long.

The house owner successfully climbed the ladder, Seungyoon trailing behind. They went out of the bedroom and stood at the living area.

The officer briefly removed his hat as he fixed his sweat-laden hair. "The lair is full of evidences we're currently investigating. For sure, the culprit will be behind bars in no time."

"I'll trust you on that."

"Don't come here for the meantime. Can you promise me that?"

"I don't think I'll ever want to," Jiwon grimaced, the idea of house hunting running at the top of his list.

Seungyoon bowed, with Jiwon doing the same.

"Take care on your way out."

"I will."

Jiwon went out of the house. When he arrived on the lawn, he had the urge to call Jisoo. However, when he searched for his pockets to get his phone, he couldn't find it. He tried searching his car for it, but its usual places had no traces of his phone.

Did I leave it at Hanbin's?

Since it was nowhere to be found, Jiwon gave it up. Maybe he will find it at Hanbin's house later. However, as Jiwon revved the car's engine, he couldn't shake of a feeling. Why did it feel like he was missing something?

"You must've been so shocked," Hayi said as she placed two mugs of coffee on the coffee table. Then she sat beside Jisoo on the sofa.

"I am. I still do," Jisoo sighed.

Hayi placed a comforting hand on top of Jisoo's. "He's going to pay. We'll make sure he's going to pay. No one deserves to be treated like that."

Jisoo smiled and was just going to reply when she heard her phone ringing.

"Sorry, I'll just have to see this..."

Hayi urged her to go on, taking a mug to occupy her for the meantime.

Jisoo rummaged through her bag and took out her phone. For a brief moment, she was startled. She remembered the officers saying they had to collect her phone for evidence. They must've forgotten, she thought. I'll just drop by to give it to them.

From the phone screen, she could see that her husband sent her a message.

Kim Jiwon
Jisoo, come back here at the house. You need to see this. Don't be afraid; police are still here.

Jisoo typed in her reply. Right now?

Yes. Don't tell the others first. They said it's for safety measures.

It may be a good time to give the police her phone. Pursing her lips, she looked up to meet Hayi's gaze. There was some curiosity dancing in her eyes.

"Hayi, I'll just go out for a little while."

"Now? Why?"

Jisoo slung her bag on her shoulder and stood up. "Don't worry. I'm meeting my husband."

"I'll take you there—"

"Don't be silly. The kids are out from school around this time, right? Plus, it's quite far from here."

"Oh, okay. If that's what you want. Take care, okay?"

"I will."

As Jisoo went out of the taxi, she had the opportunity to see their once beautiful house ruined by yellow tapes. It seemed daunting to look at now. The lot was eerily silent, as if no one was there all along. Creeped out but still wanting to see her husband, she raised the yellow tape obstructing her way in. Maybe the people were busy inside.

The unlocked door slowly creaked as she opened it. However, her expectation of seeing numerous police officers vanished in an instant when she saw no one.

"Hello?" she called to no one in particular.

Jisoo was losing hope, not until she saw someone come up from behind the kitchen island. She recognized Jiwon's build and the blue suit he wore a few days ago for work. It led her to wonder, why is he wearing a suit?

She walked towards him. "Babe, why are you wearing that? Where is every... one...?"

The words got caught in when the said person turned around. Jisoo gasped, the action muffled by her hand. It wasn't Jiwon.

"Hello, babe."

Wearing Jiwon's business suit all the while smirking, was the man she just recognized from a picture a day ago; Park Jinyoung.

With trembling fingers, Jisoo brought out her phone, Jiwon being the first one to come to mind.

Pickitup. Pickitup. Pleasepickitup.

Jiwon's familiar ringtone rang throughout the house. Jisoo's sight fleeted over the phone lying on top of the kitchen island. The man reached for it, his smirk growing bigger.

He tsk-ed while mockingly shaking his head. "What to do? What to do?"

She knew he would be answering it so she quickly dropped the call.

"Hm. One missed call from my wife. Charming as always..."

Thinking fast, she dialed the emergency hotline. However, before the operator could even answer the call, the phone was snatched away from her. As she craned her head up, she knew she was looking at the eyes of the most dangerous man she had ever met.

Screaming was the only thing she could do at this moment, hoping that the neighbors would hear it. But the man was quick on his feet as he covered with a cloth. Jisoo struggled under his hold, but he was obviously stronger.

There was just something odd with the cloth, she thought. Before she could think it through, she felt her world spinning at that moment. The last thing she saw before closing her eyes was the image of the man's deadly smile.

"Sweet dreams, my lovely wife."

-to be continued-

note: terribly sorry about the late update. Reality caught up to me.

P.S. JinJi shippers, please don't throw stones at me.