Picture Perfect

Ch.4 | What?!

After yet another rude awakening, Y/N's eyes fluttered open to the sound of her ringtone. Stretching her arms over her head, she pulled the phone out from underneath her pillow. Squinting against the harsh light or the screen, she managed to make out her best friend's name. She let out a tired groan and picked up the call.

"What do you want?" She mumbled as she lifted herself up to a seated position.

"Good morning sleepyheeeeead!" Taehyung's voice chirped through the speaker with surprising volume. Y/N cringed, pulling away her face from the phone and desperately pressing the volume down button.

"Morning, weirdo." She chuckled, knowing that she never would understand how energetic he was in the mornings.

"I'm surprised you picked up, honestly. Are you okay?"

"Aside from being woken up on a perfectly good weekend, I'm doing great. Why, what's the matter?"

"Well, I heard a weird sound coming from your place last night..."

"...What?"

"God, it was so weird. It was like three in the morning. I thought I was on drugs or something. Like a loud chime explosion windy sound... Then I heard a thud like you fell down or something. It was so loud."

"I'm pretty sure I wouldn't sleep through that... Maybe it was a dream?"

"I thought so too but you never sleep in this late so I got paranoid."

"What time is it..." Y/N rubbed her vision clear with the back of her hand and looked up at the clock hanging on her wall. It was already one in the afternoon. "What the--?!"

"Yeah, I know! It's so unlike you. I'm gonna come over with some breakfast, alright? I want to come check on you."

"I'd love breakfast! But don't worry too much, I'm sure it was just a vivid dream. You have those a lot, you know."

"Yeah, but still..."

"I'll go unlock the door."

"It's fine, I have the key! I'll be there in like ten minutes!"

"Okay, I'll see you soon."

"But one more th--"

Y/N blinked at the silence and pulled her face away from the phone to look at the now-black screen. It died. She must've forgotten to charge it last night. She shrugged, knowing she could just ask him once she showed up at her apartment. She took a moment to think through what he said to find a realistic explanation, but she just shook her head. It was probably just another weird dream of his, but she still felt guilty to make Taehyung worry so much. She shrugged it off, knowing she'd comfort him when he arrived from next door. She stretched her arms as far as they would reach, releasing with a big sigh.

After counting down from three, she forced herself up off the bed, pulling on her blue fuzzy robe that was messily thrown over her bedside table.

She rubbed her eyes and slid her slippers on, shuffling her way towards the kitchen to get herself some water. Forgetting she had left the broom lying on the middle of the floor, she tripped over it, falling flat onto the ground with a thud.

"Oww, my god--!" Y/N scrambled from the floor to cradle the ankle that had so harshly collided with the metal foot of her bed.

Whimpering with her foot cradled in her hand, she silently cursed herself for being so clumsy, though she was used to it. It was another habit she was sure she'd never manage to leave behind. Other than the strange call from Taehyung, everything seemed totally normal. Until...

"Hello?"

...

What?

Y/N's body froze. That didn't sound like her best friend.

She sat in silence, her heart beating through her ears.

"Who goes there?" The unfamiliar voice echoed from underneath the bathroom door.

She immediately sprung to her feet, taking the broom up with her. Clenching the stick of it in her hand, she pointed the hard end in front of her as her makeshift weapon. Her heart thudded. The broom trembled in her hands as she quietly stalked her way over to the door, ready to poke the living hell out of the intruder who dared step foot in her territory.

Keeping her distance,

"Come out of there! S-show yourself!" She stuttered, her voice failing to sound quite as intimidating as it sounded in her head.

There was a moment of intense silence, the tension rising as she waited for a response.

"A-ah, a woman."

"SHOW YOURSELF!"

"I... I cannot show myself to you, madam. Please--"

"SHOW YOURSELF!!!"

"Please, wait! I mean no harm! I don't--"

With a rush of adrenaline, Y/N gripped onto the broom tightly and kicked the door open with all her might. The door flung open, crashing directly into the man's face. Gripping his forehead, he was completely thrown off balance and knocked back back, crashing into the bathtub. The shower curtain ripping along with his fall.

"AAAAHH!!" Y/N hugged the broomstick to her chest and shrieked, and jumped back in horror, seeing a complete stranger, laying naked in her shower.

"AAAAAAHHH!!!" The man screamed back in response, desperately covering himself with the shower curtains he had destroyed.

Y/N slammed the door shut, the man still screaming as she bolted out of her apartment. Tripping over her own two feet, she sprinted for Taehyung's apartment. She violently pounded her fist against his door.

"Taehyung, HURRY! OPEN YOUR DOOR!! OPEN IT OPEN IT!!"

Taehyung quickly answered with wide eyes as Y/N jumped past him and hid behind his back. He twisted around to see her clinging to her broom for her dear life, shivering behind him.

"Y/N, what's gotten into you?!"

"There's- there's a man- m-my phone died and- and my pretty showercurtains--"

"...A man?"

"In my room-"

"FINALLY YOU GOT LAID!!!!"

"NO, SHUT UP!" Y/N punched him in the back, making him groan and spin around, holding her by the shoulders to keep her from hiding again. When he saw that she was holding back from crying, he realized how serious this was.

"Someone broke into your house?"

She nodded, helplessly hugging the broom, her teary eyes looking at him for help. His posture straightened, looking down at the broom she was hugging close to her chest.

"Give me that," he demanded, bravery filling his every word as he took the broom from her hands.

"W-wait, we're going back?"

"Yes. Plan is, I beat him up with this broom 'till he's unconscious and you make sure he doesn't make an escape. Then we go back to my place and get my phone to call the police to get him while he's out."

"Wouldn't it be smarter to just call the police firs--"

"Shhh!" He put a finger to his lips, "just trust me, I know what I'm doing. Have I ever been wrong?"

"Yes."

Taehyung ignored her and continued.

"Stay close."