Chasm.| Seo Changbin

Three.

Changbin was fidgeting in his place. Now he could understand how other people feel when they fall under his eagle eyes. He found himself being inspected from head to toe by the supposedly kind lady ahead of him who was nothing more than late forties, with brown fluffy short hair and very little eyes that looked like they could shoot laser.

Bitna, the housekeeper, was looking him up and down, assessing him. Her right foot was tapping on the marble floor and her arms crossed over her chest. Although Changbin was taller and much more bulkier than the petite woman, he felt like he was overpowered by her as if he was a little kid under the gaze of his teacher.

Bitna's eyes moved to Changbin's carrier that was by his left leg. "That's all your luggage?" She questioned in a tone that wasn't friendly.

"Yes, Ma'am," Changbin uttered.

"What do you have in there?" She quirked an eyebrow.

"My clothes, Ma'am." He hesitated for a second. "Do you want to check it?"

"Why would I check a grown-up man's clothes?" She looked at him weirdly.

"You seem to be suspicious, so I wanted to assure you." He shrugged. Before she could object, he crouched down and unlocked his carrier, showing Bitna the numerous plain shirts and tees, all in shades of grey, black, and white. Ruffling through them, Changbin showed her the content of his carrier. He tried to hide the organizer that had his undergarments but it was quite visible to Bitna.

Bitna cleared her throat and looked away. "I got your point." Changbin stuffed his carrier back, locked it, and then he stood up to face the woman again. "We are not used to having male staff here, so you'll have to bear up with the rules and regulations of this place, considering that you are going to live with two females."

"Yes, Ma'am." He nodded.

"Your room will be here on the first floor." She pointed at a far corner with a grey door. "The toilet and the shower you are allowed to use are over there." She pointed at another door on the other side. "The kitchen, the backyard, the front yard, the living room, the training room, and the roof are all shared spaces that you can use as you wish. The dance practice room is not off-limits but you have no business there. The studio office is the same." She listed out the different rooms and his access to them. "The second floor is where you are not allowed unless you are requested there for security reasons."

"Understood." He nodded firmly. "But I'll need to scan the whole house once to know the ins and outs and assess its security."

The woman squinted her eyes at him but then nodded. "I will inform Ella of that."

"Who's that? Who's Ella?" He blinked.

The woman rolled her eyes. "Stella. We call her Ella. But only the close ones to her call her that." She stated as if she was warning him of using that name. "You can go check your room while I inform her of the security check or whatever you want to do." She dismissed him with the back of her hand and walked away.

Changbin sighed and grabbed his carrier before heading to his assigned room. In all honesty, he wasn't comfortable with the fact that he was going to share a house with two females. For all his life, he's been surrounded by males. In his line of work, he was used to working with high-profile people which made him obligated to adapt to any situation and any place. But those places were always full of males and masculine energy.

Changbin was relieved that at least the house was large enough to avoid any inconvenient situation. It was a three-story medium mansion. Stella seemed to be someone who enjoyed staying indoors as long as she could. According to the house's description, the first floor had a living area, an open kitchen, a washing room, a dance practice room, a fitness training room, and a recording studio where Stella works on her self-made songs. There was a backyard which was a lovely yet empty garden. There was a very small front yard and a private parking garage that was connected directly to the inside of the house through a different entrance.

The second floor was Stella's private place. It had her bedroom, her luxurious bathroom, her walk-in closet, and Bitna's room by the stairs. The third floor was nothing but an open neat roof.

The house's interior design was better than what Changbin expected. It was calm and minimal, not extravagant or colorful as he guessed an idol's house would be. Changbin noticed there was a wall full of photos. Most of those sticking photos seemed to be with a man. The same one. Changbin didn't think much of it and just shrugged. He pulled his carrier and walked into his assigned room. Luckily, the room looked comfy. It had a single bed, a closet, a large window, and a desk. It was wide enough for him to move around without feeling stuffy.

He went straight to the bed and dropped himself flat on his back to the bouncy mattress. Thankfully, the bed seemed comfy. He stretched his aching body and loosened his tie. He was still in his suit. He needed to discard that suit as soon as possible and wash up, then he would be able to rest in that comfy bed. The thought alone made him smile, but then he huffed once her remembered he needed to scan the house.

Changbin pushed himself with a sulky sigh, grabbed his carrier to get a clean change, and headed to the shower.

That night wasn't ending yet.