«Welcome, Aelia!»
A bright smile on a beautiful face, but Aelia was hardly able to smile back. She tried, though.
«Thank you, sir.»
«My name is Wooyoung. You can call me Woo or Youngie or Wooyoung, but we use no honorifics around here. There are no sirs or masters or anything like that around here.» He smiled warmly at her. She looked down like a slave would, but he didn't mind. He knew it would take her some time to get used to this. «Have the team introduced themselves?»
«No, we haven't,» a dark, beautiful man said as he came in carrying Aelia's luggage. He put her bags down and stood by Wooyoung while smiling at Aelia. He had the most beautiful dimples. «I'm San.»
«San and I are married,» Wooyoung said, putting a hand on San's shoulder. «We run this safe house, together with Jongho and Yeosang who were the other two in the car. We're going to tell you all about how a safe house works and what you can expect from here on, but first, let me just show you your room, okay? You'll be able to stay in there as much as you want, but we will come to talk to you every now and then.»
«Woo will force food on you if you don't eat,» Yeosang said, making San chuckle.
«I will not,» Woo said rolling his eyes. «We'll just try to make sure you're okay. We all know you feel lost right now. That's okay. That's normal. We have all been there. All four of us were slaves at one point.»
«All of you?» Aelia said, looking around at the four men in the hall. Woo nodded.
«And now we're free. Like you are.» He gave her a warm smile, he could tell it hadn't dawned on her yet. «Your room is this way.»
Compared to the quarters she had shared with Seonghwa at the Mansion, this room was tiny, but in reality, it was perfect. It had everything she needed. There was a queen-sized bed, a small wardrobe and a dresser, a comfortable chair, and a small ensuite bathroom. Her room had a window overlooking the garden and the woods further on, and she smiled.
«This is lovely, thank you.»
Woo smiled, he seemed relieved that she liked it. They knew she had been a slave at the Mansion, they knew she was accustomed to a different standard.
«Would you like to rest a little, or do you want to see the rest of the house?»
Aelia was scared of being alone, she was scared of her thoughts.
«I'd love to see the rest,» she quickly said, leaving her luggage in her room.
Wooyoung showed her the rest of the house. She got to see everything, except for the inside of the bedrooms that belonged to someone.
«We have seven bedrooms in the house. San and I have the one downstairs, and Jongho and Yeosang have the two rooms at the end of the hall.»
«Do they not share?»
Woo couldn't help but laugh. «You've only been here a hot minute and you already know they're in love?»
Aelia had to smile, he had the most contagious laughter.
«They pretend not to share, but I'd say they mostly use Jongho's room. Then there is Felix, his room is right here. He's out right now. Jisung stays here. And then there is one new person coming later tonight. Things often happen quickly around here, we don't know much time in advance, but it usually works out anyway.»
Aelia kept tagging along with Wooyoung. They went to the kitchen to start dinner. Woo was happy to fill her in on whatever she was worried about.
YOU ARE READING
Take Me Home // Ateez // Stray Kids
FanfictionAfter an unexpected escape from the Mansion, Aelia finds herself in a Safe House. Who is a friend and who has alternate motives? And what do the butterflies have to do with it? As a former slave, life looks empty. Aelia has to find her way in life...
