Ateez Imagines

Kim Hongjoong ✧ Home

It was silent on his drive home. Not quite eerie, nor discomforting, but a silence that was accompanied by exhaustion and desperation for home. Late nights were typical for Hongjoong, as he often stayed in the studio past the typical 9-5 schedule that most had. He enjoyed his work; being able to work with his own artistic creativity, pouring his heart and soul into each thing he makes was a privilege he acknowledged and didn't take lightly. Maybe that's why he worked so hard, to feel like he was worthy of being able to pursue something he loves rather than sitting in an office setting, typing away in a cubicle identical to hundreds of others.

But sometimes he wishes he could spend time with you. While his studio is an outlet for him, you are his inspiration, his muse, his safe haven. You are the reason why he works as hard as he does, why he wants to keep creating.

And yet, despite his desire to go home, he couldn't help but feel more and more unsettled as he drove the path so familiar to him. Was it that there weren't as many stars in the sky tonight? Was the moon a bit less bright than usual? Or was it just that the air coming through his window was warmer than he had expected at this time of night?

As he pulled into the driveway of your shared home, he still couldn't shake off the feeling of something being wrong. He looked around in the car for anything that he could have been missing back in his studio, but it was all there. Grabbing his things, he tried to convince himself that it was his own exhaustion playing tricks on him.

"What the hell?"

Approaching the entrance, he realized that the door had been left partly open, with the light from inside peaking through, onto the front steps. He slowly pushed the door open and gazed at the sight before him: coats were thrown haphazardly on the floor of the hallway, an eerie silence washing over them.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god."

He closed the door behind him, before peaking into the living room. The cushions, once placed neatly on the couch, had been thrown onto the floor. Things that used to be on the tables and shelves were now lying broken on the floor. The plants that had been in the room were now knocked over.

Panic quickly flooded over him, as he realized that not only had someone intruded the house but more likely than not, you were in the house when it happened. He peeked into the kitchen to check if anyone was there before grabbing the largest knife he could find.

"Babe? Babe?" He yelled through the house as he checked every room for even a trace of you.

"Hello? Hello! Are you here?" With every empty room came an even more panicked cry for you. Why weren't you answering?

"P-please, please say something. Baby please?" He ran up the stairs, almost completely blinded by the tears forming in his eyes but clinging on to any hope of you still being in the house.

For him not to be too late.

He stopped at the top of the stairs to calm himself down. He couldn't think straight with how loud his heartbeat was drumming in his ears. Every breath he took felt shallow, but he tried to steady himself, for him and for you. Only then did he hear a muffled yell from the bedroom.

He approached the door, knife tightly clutched in his fist, before pressing his ear against the door. Upon hearing another weak yell from inside, the adrenaline kicked in and he busted open the door, ready to fight whatever figure had you within their grasp.

Instead, he found you alone, tied to a chair in the bedroom with a blindfold covering your eyes and a piece of tape over your mouth. Your head had lolled onto the side, but you were still breathing and that was all Hongjoong could be thankful for right now.