24. The Green Spruce Trees

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A week had gone by, and the shadow hadn't revealed himself

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A week had gone by, and the shadow hadn't revealed himself.

It almost angered her.

No, it was enraging.

It made her seem even more ridiculous, telling Jimin about a shadow that appeared at her house and watched her through her window – all for him to stay and see for himself that there was no stalker, or any shadow that showed up in her front yard.

Seren was afraid, she didn't want to seem like a liar to her younger brother. Everything that she told him was real. It was as though her stalker was fully aware that Jimin was there, deciding not to reveal himself during his stay.

It practically drove her crazy.

There were some nights when she even prayed he would show up in her yard, as menacing as it was, she wanted Jimin to see for his own eyes.

However, as the days went on, she herself began to second-guess everything.

Did she really have a stalker? Or had the stress and hefty weight of her life finally collapsed above her, and made her go insane?

It was Jimin's last night at her home, and she was desperate for something to happen. Anything that would prove she wasn't just in some deep harmful trance, and that her stalker was real.

Seren released a deep sigh, her fingers tapping against the beer bottle in her hand.

She kept her focus on the pristine sliding door in front of her, looking at the pool, and hush moving trees.

"Did I take long?" An unexpected voice from behind her stiffened her posture.

She turned over, her lips pulling into a small grin. "Hey, no, no you were perfectly fine." Seren raised her eyebrows, taking another sip of her beer.

Seren voiced her tension to Hoseok, and he kindly invited her to his home for a drink. It was helpful, she just wanted to be somewhere other than home that night. It was Saturday, and she called off of work, needing time alone to sort her thoughts and clear her mind.

"Did you want another beer?" Hoseok offered, searching the fridge for another bottle for himself.

"Oh, no, thank you." She declined, almost halfway through her drink. "I shouldn't drink much."

Hoseok shut the fridge, twisting the cap off. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to pressure you or anything." He apologized, stepping over to her seat.

"No, it's okay." She nodded, her smile going flat. "I know you weren't, you were just offering."

His head tilted, sitting adjacent to her. "What's on your mind?" Hoseok sensed her tension, it practically seeped through her body, fragrancing the kitchen with her sorrow and doubt.

"Don't even get me started on that." She rolled her eyes, making him chuckle. "Honestly, I've just been so stressed out this whole week, work is being a pain, as always. School is rough, though I only have a few months left, it just seems to drag on."

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