The house looks so eerily intimidating and heartbreakingly lonely.

It is the very thing that repels everyone… everyone except Choi Sooyoung.

                She passes by that small hill where the old, worn out wooden house stands everyday on her way to and from work. Each and every time, it never fails to make her pause – how short or long usually depends if she’s not in a hurry or not – just to gaze at the abandoned place. She knows of how no one had lived there for the past how many years and that for whatever reason, no one has attempted to try and take the place. It is perhaps the mystery behind it all that draws her to it.

Perhaps.

Probably.

“I could use an entire day’s worth of sleep at this rate.” Jessica Jung grumbles on one random night after work. She and Kim Heechul lead the way to the bus stop; the male of the pair immediately shrugging off his coat and puts it around his girlfriend. “It’s so cold.”

                Sooyoung silently follows at the back of the group. Like every other night, she, Jessica, Heechul, Cho Kyuhyun, Lee Donghae, Amber Liu and Kris Wu all head home together since their residences are all in the same area. And like every other night, they pass by the infamous, isolated house. Sooyoung is silent but she is alert, knowing that they are slowly approaching her very object of interest. The now familiar walls enter her vision and she can’t help but turn her head to get a better look. It still looks the same and yet the mystery that haunts her is stronger than ever. Her steps slow down until they still and she openly stares at the house; an unreadable expression on her face.

“Soo, I was wondering if–” Kris clamps his mouth shut as soon as he realizes that no one is by his side. He stops following the rest of their friends and turns around, finding the tall brunette staring at the old house.

                He knows their other friends aren’t vocal about it but he knows that even they have noticed this fascination Sooyoung has with the house. Sighing inaudibly, he reaches one long arm out to tap Kyuhyun’s side, telling him to holler at everyone to stay put and wait. Kris walks to where Sooyoung stands, gently putting a hand on her shoulder so as not to freak her out.

“What’s wrong?”

She seems to snap out of her trance and shakes her head. “It’s nothing… I was just looking at the house.”

“You’ve been doing that lately.” The tall man says it softly, not wanting to offend her in any way, shape or form.

“I just can’t help but wonder… whoever lived here before sure was a pretty lonely person for his or her house to look like that.” It surprises both of them that she’s sharing her thoughts so openly but they both let it slide.

“Hey, you two lovebirds!” Heechul yelled from the end of the road, causing Donghae to glare at him; the younger of the two always protective of the woman who is his best friend. “Do you have plans of going home or what?”

Sooyoung rolls her eyes. “Let’s get a move on before drama queen over there loses it.”

                Kris grins and shakes his head, waiting until Sooyoung has moved before he takes his place by her side. Her eyes droop slightly in exhaustion as they catch up with the rest of the group; a strong, cold breeze pushing against them. She shivers and he instinctively wraps an arm around her shoulders. If the gesture has surprised her, she doesn’t show; merely leaning further in his hold. He risks pressing a soft kiss against the temple of her head; an honest look of surprise crossing his face when she looks up and beams at him in reply.

o-o-o-o-o

                On a certain night, Sooyoung decides to stay behind at work; her decision easily protested by her usual companions on her way home. After a promise to Donghae that she’ll call once she gets home and a promise to Kris that she’ll go out with him for dinner the next night, Sooyoung is left to herself. Sighing, she sits behind her desk, puts her elbows on it and rests her chin on her clasped hands. She isn’t fond of being secretive towards her friends but her overwhelming urge to go to that house is undoubtedly winning its battle against her. She isn’t sure if her friends can understand what she wants to do; not even Kris or Donghae. She sighs one more time and whispers an apology into the air.

                Half an hour later, Sooyoung finally leaves the office; heading to the usual direction with purpose echoing in her every step. A part of her prays that she doesn’t get caught because heaven knows she doesn’t know what to say as an excuse for her trespassing. But the fact that no one ever dares go any closer to the house gives her reassurance that everything will go well. Her whole being isn’t still convinced about why she is going to risk going inside that house but the pull is definitely there and it’s one that she can’t control.

                Sooyoung stands at the foot of the small hill, frantically looking around for anyone in sight. She lets out a shaky breath of relief when she is convinced that no one is nearby and she starts the trek up the hill. Fear slowly enters her and she isn’t quite sure what exactly she’s afraid of at the moment. The air around her becomes colder with every step she takes closer to the house. Up close it looks more intimidating than ever but something continues to tug her closer and closer towards it.

                She comes to a stop outside the front door. It is still upright but she can tell that it isn’t as sturdy as it used to be. Sooyoung reaches a hand out only to pull it back half a second later. How sure is that she really wants to go inside? Fear is getting a good, tight grip on her and she takes an involuntary step backward. Maybe she should go around the outside of the house. That should do the trick.

                Debating which direction is the better option, Sooyoung rolls her eyes at herself before she begins moving clockwise. There is a window on the same wall of the front door but she can’t see much beyond the shutters that shield it. She continues walking; the tall grass brushing against her jeans. Another window greets her as she turns left and her shoulders deflate in disappointment when she sees nothing beyond it except for wood.

                Sooyoung half expects to be met with the same scene once she reaches the back but finds herself pleasantly surprised when she finds a small patch of land that could’ve been a small garden back in the day. Mud stained white fences surrounded the area; all resting quietly before the back door of the house. A smile makes its way to Sooyoung’s lips. It must’ve been so beautiful back then.

                She sits on the grass and looks around at her surroundings. The wind blows past her and she doesn’t bother holding her hair back in place. The place still has the eeriness even when she has found the guts to actually be in it. Sooyoung sighs and closes her eyes for a moment; only to open them once more when a sound that is out of the ordinary reaches her ears.

                Someone is humming; of that she is certain. Sooyoung shakes involuntarily in fright. She is alone here, isn’t she? The tall brunette scrambles to her feet and looks around. There is no one… no one except her. But that melody is still there and though she should be rigid in fright, her body slowly soothes down. The voice is calming. Though she is fairly certain she will always prefer Kyuhyun’s or Jessica’s voice anytime, anyplace – she swears they can be idols if they want to – there is still something unique about this voice she’s hearing. He is serenading her whether he knows it or not.

The snap of a twig catches her attention and she turns; her eyes widening.

All colour drains from her face as a shiver ran up and down her spine.

She is not alone any longer.

                He is tall but Kris is easily towers him by an inch or two. His jet black hair is in disarray yet she can’t help but think that it’s perfect as it is. His body is of a strong built and the features of his face are sharp yet unexplainably subtle at the same time. All those details fly out of her mind as quickly as they have entered. Her worst fear has come true; she has been caught on a property that no one dared enter. She can go to jail for this for heaven’s sake. Sooyoung gulps and opens to speak but words have escaped her and it is like she has forgotten how to talk.

He is staring intently at her; one corner of his mouth tilting upwards into a smirk.

“Who are you?”