A Series of Unexpected Events: Stray Kids

Chapter 10: You Make This House Feel Like A Home (Part 1)

A little over 10k words.

Hope you all enjoy the next chapter. Also, please go easy on me when it comes to the time zone differences. I didn't want to set a specific location for y/n so I can't do exact math to figure out how where she is compares to Korea. I hope it doesn't mess up the story for you guys too much.

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Life doesn't feel the same anymore. Once upon a time, you had been happy in this place, content with your home and your surroundings. Your fur babies had been enough company to keep you fulfilled.

Now?

The hole in your chest—that tangible absence—seems to only get bigger. Everything you look at makes you miss them. Makes you want to turn and talk to them only to find they're not there.

You're not alone—not fully. But after basking in their presence, your current existence feels like a bitter pill of loneliness.

You don't know what you expected but you didn't think coming back home would be this hard.

At the very least, being busy helps. After being gone for so long, you have a lot of work to catch up on. Lots of stuff that needs to get done and can't continue to wait for you to get your shit together.

After you paid your pet sitter, bought some groceries, did a little work prep for tomorrow, and cooked dinner, you found yourself sitting in front of the TV, suddenly at a loss. Before last week, you would've happily flipped to YouTube to watch SKZ's newest videos. Now, that feels like asking for punishment.

Reminding you of what you've lost. Reminding you of the otherwise happy last day that had been tainted with a shadow of fear.

You glance at your phone, half wishing you could reach out to them but you don't know what you'd say that wouldn't lead back to that incident, or them asking how you're handling everything. Which you aren't. You're avoiding it all, unable to stomach the memory in it's full capacity.

Beyond texting Chan and Nim that you had arrived safely and made it back to your apartment—as requested—you hadn't said much to the boys. Nor they you. Maybe they don't know what to say either. Don't know how to navigate this twisted game of trying to check on you without making things worse.

Or they're just plain busy. They are globally loved idols that have a job to do. You can't honestly expect them to drop everything and shove away their responsibilities for your sake. And you don't. You're glad they're putting their jobs first in all truthfulness.

But your stomach only sinks further when your phone pings with a message from Nim. A much longer one compared to the short and calm, "Glad you're back home safe," you had gotten before. You had wondered if Chan forgot to tell him what happened or was waiting for a better moment or any number of things. But now you see that wasn't the case. Nim knows, and he's not happy...

Reading the full message, you bite back a wince.