Jisoo heaved a sigh as she put down three grocery bags on the kitchen island. After dropping by Jiwon's workplace, she went to the local supermarket. She didn't know if it was because they ate home-cooked meals, but the food supply went out quickly than estimated.

Carrying the vegetables in one arm, she grabbed the refrigerator handle only to stop short. The handle felt sandy and when she raised her hand, she saw that it was dirt.

'Was it there when I went home from the jog?' she asked herself.

If it wasn't her, it was surely Jiwon's doing. She'd have to remind him to wash his hands first before touching anything later.

After putting away the groceries and cooking dinner, she watched TV to kill time, drowning herself to a hilarious variety show Yoo Jaesuk emcees in. Halfway through the show, she heard the familiar hum of the engine of Jiwon's SUV, the headlights subsequently shining inside the house before turning off. She uncrossed her legs from the couch and jumped to her feet to open the door with a smile.

Jiwon looked surprised to see her standing in the doorway but quickly masked it by giving a smile of his own. He entered the house and closed the door behind him.

"Have you eaten dinner yet?" Jisoo asked as she reached out for the remote to turn the tv off.

He shook his head.

She tugged his arm gently. "Let's eat. I cooked kimchi stew with side dishes. You're gonna love it."

The woman the stove to reheat the pot after making him sit at the dining area. Remembering about the dirt on the refrigerator handle, she inquired, "Hey, did you fix the car or something?"

"No."

Double-checking the refrigerator again, she continued, "Then why is—" She shook her head as the handle was devoid of the mess she saw earlier. "Nevermind."

"So, how's work?" she asked instead as she took out bowls from the cupboard for the side dishes.

When she heard no reply from her husband, she glanced at his direction. Her brows creased as she saw he was only looking at his lap.

"Babe, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry..."

Call it woman's instinct, but something about it felt wrong. After turning off the stove, she took a seat in front of him. "Why are you apologizing?"

Warning bells rang in her head when she saw his shoulders tensing up.

Barely in a whisper, he murmured, "...I – I... Jisoo, I..."

"What?"

"...I kissed someone else."

She stared at him as if she was seeing him in a new light—a bad kind of light.

Honestly, it took her breath away.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I didn't want any of that. I'm sorry... I love you... I'm sorry... I let the idea entertain in my head and I – I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I – I didn't – didn't want any of that. I just – I just – Please... I'm so sorry..."

His indistinct sentences stopped short as Jisoo placed her warm hands on his cheeks, wiping away the tears that fell from his eyes.

A part of her didn't want to believe. A part of her wanted to slap him and tell him to go away. A part of her just wanted to cry and forgive him. But she didn't want to do any of those things.

The woman hated seeing him cry. Why did it look like it hurt him more than it should hurt her?

It was the first time she saw him cry. As her sight blurred, she realized she was crying too.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'll do everything to gain your trust back. Just don't leave me..."

Something lodged in , preventing her to speak. It made sense now, how his smiles didn't reach up to his eyes anymore, of how it looked like he wanted to look okay, even though he wasn't at all.

Then suddenly, she was mad. How could you do this to me? I thought you were stronger than that. What happened to your vows, Jiwon? You said you'd love me until death do us part. What happened with that? I was ready to move on with you. Why... Why now?

A lot of questions swirled around her head but only one prevailed. What went wrong with us?

Her hands lingered too long in his cheeks, she realized. As if burned, she took them back and placed it on her sides.

"I – I need some time to think. Get out of the house." She shut her eyes tight to prevent her resolve from crumbling. "Please."

He slowly nodded as he wiped his tears away using the sleeves of his shirt. As his footsteps gradually faded, her heart broke little by little. Maybe it was for this reason that she finally looked at him. A mistake on her part.

Her husband was already gazing at her, his hand on the doorknob. When their eyes met, she quickly avoided it by looking at her palms on her lap.

The jingle of the doorknob was the next thing she heard after and with a silent click of the lock, she knew he was already gone.

The light posts from outside helped seal in light to illuminate the surroundings of the bedroom. The thin white curtain swayed softly as the air of the electric fan veered at its direction, providing the room more light from time to time.

As Jisoo took her sight away from the windows, she could now hear herself think, as the night always did for her.

No more crying.

She was tired of having to cry herself to sleep every night and now, she was too tired to cry again for a different reason.

No more. That was it. No more. Don't think about him.

How could he do this to me?

Everything that she ever believed, everything that she held on to, was lost in a blink of an eye.

Stop. Don't think about it.

Jisoo turned to the other side of the bed, her sight going at the empty space beside. Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep.

Maybe she was really the one at fault. Maybe if she had been more loving enough, maybe if she showed she still loved him, maybe if she didn't push him away, maybe if she didn't turn a cold shoulder at all...

Stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault.

Feeling uncomfortable with her position, she tossed to the other side. The empty space and his scent buried on the sheets wouldn't bother her, at least for now.

Was it because she looked undesirable? Of her depressed state? Of her eyebags and her baggy shirts? Of her sunken cheeks and her pale lips? Had she been ugly to his eyes all this time?

Haven't he loved her enough?

I said, don't think about him.

It was her fault. She was really the one at fault.

No...

If he understood enough, if he didn't let himself take control of his needs... No... All this time, he didn't understand at all.

They both lost someone precious but here he was, packing their stuff away, ready to move from the other end of everything, ready to leave, ready to forget, ready to throw it all down the drain.

But he loves you...

Was love enough reason to forgive and to forget?

She was tired of thinking. It was like a routine all over again.

How many times will my heart have to break? How much pain do I have to endure?

Maybe it was for the reason that she was tired of it all, that sleep came to her naturally.

...

Creak.

Thud.

Jisoo creased her forehead as she woke up with a noise at the bedroom.

Silent footsteps echoed in the background, the floorboard creaking as it did so. As tempted as she was to open her eyes, she couldn't, feeling her body grow stiff.

As her heartbeat quickened, the footsteps sounded nearer, walking agonizingly slow towards her place. Dread crawled under her skin with every step.

The clacking of footsteps halted, just at the space beside the bed. The darkness she was seeing under her lids went darker as someone blocked the moonlight from the window. Whoever it was wasn't her husband, or from anyone she knew. The footsteps sounded light and careful, as if he didn't want to be discovered.

She held her breath as the footsteps continued, farther from her earshot. The figure stopped blocking the moonlight and she thought that was that.

Until she felt someone weigh the bed down.

"I can stare at you all night."

Jisoo had to fight a whimper from coming out. She gripped the end of her pillowcase tightly and prayed hard that the movement wouldn't cause alarm.

It was a man, she was sure of that. He had a low voice, but unlike her husband, it sounded like he was trying hard to make it sound so.

As if that wasn't enough to make her skin crawl, he blew on her ear and hissed, "I know you're not sleeping."

It felt like her heart jumped out of . Like an unknown force, something pushed her out of her trance and got up from the bed, fumbling for the light switch to turn on.

No one was there.

How...?

Was my mind just playing games?

She deflected that thought. It was real. Even though she didn't see it with her own eyes, she knew it was real.

Putting a hand over her chest, she tried to calm her heart. However, it was futile. With trembling fingers, she grabbed her phone at the bedside table and dialed the first person she could think of right now.

"J – Jinwoo oppa?"

Lee Hayi strolled over the kitchen and sleepily the coffee maker. As she yawned and stretched her arms out, her shirt went up, revealing a part of her abdomen decorated with battle scars from her first pregnancy. She proceeded to take out two white mugs, one that said, 'Greatest Dad in the World' and the other, 'Mom = 24/7 Maid Without Pay'.

While waiting, she leaned her body against the refrigerator doors, her lids half-closed and wide open. She jolted from her position when Kim Hanbin came running at the kitchen, all the while shouting Hayi's name. He hid behind her back and kept on pounding the broom he was holding at the floor.

"W – What...?"

Before she could even finish her sentence, Hanbin carried her on his back like a sack of potato while repeatedly screaming, "I'll protect you! I'll protect you!"

Hayi, unamused by his antics, hit him on the back with her balled-up fists. "What the hell! Let me go!"

"D – Don't panic!" he yelled in a high-pitched voice while frantically going around the kitchen floors, avoiding something on the ground.

Jiwon, who was watching the whole scene, brought down his cup of black coffee on the dinner table, removed a slipper, and locked his eyes on the bug running around Hanbin's feet. With a swift smack, the bug was dead in a nanosecond. After finishing the deed, Jiwon wore his slippers and went back to his seat, putting his right leg on top of the other and sipped on his mug like nothing happened at all.

It left Hanbin gaping. Hayi saw it as a chance to get out of his hold. When she fixed her shirt properly, Jiwon saw her blushing in embarrassment.

"Idiot," she mumbled under her breath before going back to the kitchen to pour coffee on the two mugs.

Hanbin, after waking up from a trance, immediately frowned. The lad muttered, "I didn't need your help," as he sat opposite of Jiwon. Glaring, he took away the mug of coffee Jiwon was currently sipping; causing the bug killer to shout, "Hey!" that he didn't pay heed to. After the first sip, the coffee-stealer brought his tongue out in disgust.

"Black," Hanbin said the word like he was trying to spit it out. "What is this? A representation of your feelings or something?"

The original owner took his mug back. "It's to keep me awake."

Hayi sauntered towards the table to bring Hanbin his own mug. Afterwards, she pointedly stared at her husband, all the while ordering, "You better clean up that dead bug in my kitchen or else..."

Hanbin's eyes followed her retreating back, shivering after, and slurping his coffee. Jiwon quirked a brow as he watched his friend's expression change into a pleasant one.

"I don't know how she keeps up with someone like you," Jiwon commented.

"If anything, I am the one keeping up with her."

"Really?"

"Do you know how many times she slaps me in her sleep? She drives me crazy!" Hanbin shrugged. "But what to do? I love that woman."

His friend's statement left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"I'm envious," Jiwon said after a while.

His friend looked up. "Why?"

"You two didn't change at all."

Hanbin slowly brought his mug down, the 'Greatest Dad in the World' facing Jiwon.

"You seem to describe it for us as magical, but it's not. It's more like cruising on a beat-up car on a bumpy road, without spare tires. It's a struggle, but you know it's worth it."

Jiwon chuckled. Fascinated all of a sudden, he ran his thumb through the spine of the mug handle, liking how the warm and smooth surface of the ceramic touched his skin.

"It is," he added. "I don't know when will our struggle end though."

Hanbin curled one corner of his mouth and sent him a mysterious look. "Hayi and I have problems too, but we do our best to resolve it, whatever it may be. I think that's the true spirit of marriages. Don't you think so?"

"I think so..." Jiwon idly nodded.

"Did she call already?" his friend asked to steer the topic away.

He shook his head and glanced at his phone beside the mug.

"Did you call her?"

"I want to, but I'm afraid it'd stir things up again."

Now that Hanbin gave him an idea, his hand left the mug and grabbed his phone. When his index finger pressed the button at the side, the screen lit up, his wallpaper coming into view. It was an image of her wife, brightly smiling and making a heart gesture with the tips of her fingers on top of her head. For some reason, it made his chest twinge in pain. This memory seemed distant already.

As he unlocked the phone, he went to contacts, scrolling through numerous names until he saw what he was looking for.

Jiwon's thumb hovered over it. Her contact was saved as, 'My Wifey Babe', with a heart sign. It was a silly name he thought of after Jisoo argued that her contact should be special among the other contacts he had on his phone, that using her full name didn't seem affectionate at all, even going as far to pull the 'you dont love me enough! Is that what you're trying to say?' card.

It reminded him of them before. Jisoo had childish tendencies to pick up the silliest fights with him, some hilarious, and most ending up with him the one apologizing.

Now, their situation wouldn't be mended with flowers and chocolates and charming his way out anymore. He messed up. It was simple but at the same time complex like that.

With one final look, his thumb left the screen as he used it to press the button on the side, the screen turning back to black.

Jisoo's sight drifted at the phone sitting on the bedside table. For a fleeting moment, she had the urge to call Jiwon to inform him what happened last night. However, the scene that happened before that still burned in her mind so she decided against it.

Shaking her head, she continued shoving pieces of clothes inside her bag.

Her brother said he'd arrive at the house to pick her up after a meeting. Since she didn't feel comfortable at the house anymore, she decided to wait for him outside. With a heavy sigh, she followed the cobblestone pathway and sat on the sidewalk, placing the duffel bag beside her. To kill time, she brought out her phone but paused when she saw her wallpaper. It was a stolen picture taken by one of her friends during a night out at a bar. Jisoo was childishly sticking her tongue out while Jiwon had his mouth open in laughter with smile lines running across his face.

She entered her passcode and immediately went to the setting to change it to a default one, powder colors of pink, violet, blue, and orange clashing together on a black background.

As she kept the phone back in her pocket, she noticed a taxi stop by at the house next door. Curiously, she craned her neck to see who it was. Throughout the time they moved in, she haven't seen the house occupied.

A couple emerged from the car, carrying heaps of bags. The driver helped them carry their luggage from the trunk and placed it on their doorstep. The woman smiled at the driver and paid the fare while the tall man opened the house door.

Taking note of the sitting figure at the sidewalk, the woman waved a hand and greeted, "Hey! Are you the new neighbor?"

Feeling aware all of a sudden, Jisoo stood up and cautiously met the woman halfway who left their doorstep to go closer. When they finally met, Jisoo noticed the youthful features of the woman, even more so defined with a red handkerchief tied around the top of her head towards the back of her medium-length brown hair.

The woman's eyes were big and bright as a deer, her nose slanted to perfection, and her purple-tainted lips curved in a welcoming smile. The woman's height seemed to be at the same range as Jisoo's if only she wasn't wearing black wedges, as opposed to Jisoo's sneakers. She was wearing a white v-neck that was loosely tucked underneath her black shorts.

Jisoo was just bringing her head down for a bow when the woman wrapped her arms around her. Jisoo, stunned at the woman's boldness, blinked as she let go of her.

She giggled and dismissively waved a hand. "Sorry. I forgot I'm in Korea." She cleared to compose herself and bowed. Jisoo did the same thing. "I'm Jennie Kim, by the way. The one who lives there," she informed as she pointed a thumb over the brown house. "What's your name?"

"I'm Kim Jisoo, your next door neighbor. I live there," Jisoo angled her body to the side to point at their house.

Jennie nodded. "So you're the newcomer..."

"Honey, why are you still outside?" someone called from the doorstep. When the two women looked at the source of the voice, a man emerged, the one who arrived with Jennie earlier.

Seeing Jisoo's presence, the man walked over to them and placed an arm around Jennie's waist. Jennie comfortably put her hand on his chest, the silver bangles she wore creating a short, jingling sound. "Introduce yourself to our neighbor, honey."

He bowed with Jisoo doing the same thing. "Nice meeting you. I'm Song Mino."

"Kim Jisoo."

Mino was wearing a red v-neck sweater that seemed to hug his figure effectively, navy blue jeans, and brown oxford shoes. His black hair was shaved neatly at the sides, with the hair on top grown out and styled lazily as if he just ran his fingers through it. He had an overwhelming presence with his tall figure. His straight and thick eyebrows contributed greatly to his aura. Even his slightly sharp eyes was a factor to that.

"I'm terribly sorry about the mix-up," Jennie began while lightheartedly chuckling. "We just arrived from New Zealand to visit my parents and the culture there is very different. By the way, Mino and I are married for two years."

Mino nodded. "But we lived around the neighborhood longer than that. When did you move in though?"

"We have been here for a month or two. We meaning my husband and me. He uh..." Jisoo awkwardly scratched her nape. "He travels around for work so he's seldom around."

"I see... You're married too. Do you have kids?" Mino continued.

Jisoo bit her lips as she slowly shook her head.

Jennie, oblivious to her state, disclosed, "My husband and I are actually travelling around the world before we have kids. We want to spend our years just us before trying for a baby. It's life changing, getting to see different places, experiencing different cultures... I'm terribly sorry. I'm droning on, am I? To give you a proper welcome, how about we invite you over for dinner? When are you available?"

Jisoo couldn't refuse such an offer, but with what was happening lately around the house, she'd have to skip on that.

"I'm actually going to be out of town. The house..." Jisoo shook her head, deciding that such information shouldn't be divulged to strangers. "I'm staying over my brother's place for a few days but hopefully, when I come back, your dinner invitation is still open." If I could come back, that is.

The woman's face lit up at her statement. "That's great! It's actually the first time in a long while we had a neighbor. I didn't even know the house could be bought. Not after what happened there."

Jisoo straightened up after hearing the intriguing news. "What do you mean?"

The couple exchanged glances. Mino pursed his lips as Jennie looked nervously at her. "I – I'm sorry. I must've overstepped my boundaries."

"No, no. It's fine." Nothing can surprise me anymore. "What happened with the house though?"

"Are you sure? It's a little disheartening though."

Jisoo defiantly nodded.

"I guess it can't be helped then. You're going to find it out sooner or later anyways." Jennie sighed and in almost a whisper, she began, "The previous owner died there. The funny thing is, they never discovered the body. The only indication that he died was a rough patch of his skin lying at the backyard. Some say that he was burned to death."

Jisoo felt the hairs on her nape stand up after Jennie finished her narration.

Mino shook his head. "I guess your agent didn't disclose that fact. There are no laws requiring it anyway, especially if it isn't related to the condition of the property."

"This owner... what does he look like?"

"Uhm..." Jennie tipped her chin in thought. "He was pretty handsome. He looked like Kim Soo Hyun actually. You know those chinky eyes? He also looked around your age."

Jisoo was going to ask them further about it when she noticed Mino looking at something past her shoulder. He tensed up and sent Jisoo a serious look. "If you'd kindly move close to me, I'd be thankful if you do so."

At a loss, Jisoo could only look at him in confusion.

Jennie leaned closer, her black-manicured nails gently enclosing around her wrist and pulling her close. "The neighborhood creep is looking at you."

A neighborhood creep was unheard of but the way she said it made Jisoo believe immediately. She tried to follow their gazes, but she only creased her brows.

"Where is this person you're talking about?"

"There, at the block around the intersection. Do you see him?"

Jisoo tried again, this time listening to Jennie's words. It startled her since she now saw what they meant.

A head peeked out inconspicuously behind a house at the intersection. Because the house was blocking the sunlight, she didn't see it first. Now that she did, the man's pearly white teeth seemed to be floating in contrast with the shade the house was giving.

She didn't know what was creepy though, him pretending that his presence wasn't seen or the fact that the ends of his mouth were grinning from ear to ear, his eyes directly looking at Jisoo's. A chill ran down her spine, shivering slightly as it gave her a flashback of what happened last night.

"Who – Who is he?"

"Some people say his birth name is Park Jaesang but we don't call him that. He prefers to be called Psy, short for Psycho. It's an insulting nickname, but he loves it when people call him that. I guess that's why the name fits him so well," Mino answered, his natural voice going deeper as he whispered in hushed tones.

"No one actually knows where he came from, or how he could enter the subdivision without the guards finding out. There's a rumor going around that he once entered one of the houses and attacked a woman. Another rumor revolving him also included the dead owner of your house," Jennie continued.

That took her breath away. "W – What?"

"One of our neighbors said he saw him eating the skin flesh at the backyard, making him call the police immediately. There was not enough evidence to build a case against him so he was taken off the list of suspects." Jennie shivered. "He honestly gives me the creeps. Be real careful Jisoo, especially if you're alone at the house."

The beeping of a horn jolted both of the women. When Jisoo turned around, she saw her brother rolling his car window down.

"Jisoo!" Jinwoo called, his mouth curling in a radiant smile. He slightly bowed when he saw the people Jisoo was with. "Good afternoon."

Mino nodded. "Good afternoon."

"Jisoo, let's go." Jinwoo glanced at his Rolex. "I have to go to a meeting later again."

Jisoo absentmindedly nodded and picked up the bag she left at the sidewalk, staring every now and then at the figure around the block in fear that the person would come running after her. She said her goodbyes to her neighbors and hurriedly sat at the passenger seat of her brother's car.

"They're your neighbors?" Jinwoo asked as he started to drive.

"Uh... yeah, yeah. They are."

Her brother must've noticed her disoriented state since he sent her a look. However, he didn't prod about it.

As the car started to move, they had to pass by that same block they were talking about earlier. She told herself to avoid looking at all cost but somehow, she couldn't help but turn her head at that exact place.

The creep was still there, following the movement of the car with his eyes.

Jisoo swore, when their eyes met, his eyes were giving off a vibe of, 'I know what you did last night. Let's play together again next time.'

Honestly, after everything she found out today, that wouldn't be far from the truth either.

-to be continued-