Fox || p.jm

“And the last box!” The male worker grunts. He breathes out and wipes the sweat off of his forehead with a grin,” We’re done, miss.”

The girl smiles brightly, thank him, and passes a few notes to him, “Thanks a lot!” He smiles back, happy with the little tip given to him. And soon, he and his group left.

Taehee turns around and looks at the cottage she bought. Unknowingly, she smiles at it. It’s a small cottage just beside the woods, surrounded by a huge field the size of about 10 football fields. As a writer, she thought that she might need a peaceful place to live in, and so, she decided to leave her parents’ house and live here. She’s very happy with the house. With the vintage design accompanied by the smell of nature, it’s probably one of the best houses there is to offer.

She closes the door after her and takes off her shoes, arranging them neatly on the shoe rack. After some cleaning, she decides to wash herself up. It had been a long day, after all.

Ding Dong

The doorbell rang when she was still in the shower. Panicked, she quickly puts on a random shirt she laid out on her bed and rushes downstairs to open the door.

She is greeted by a familiar face. The grandmother who sold her the house stood there with a huge smile.

“Grandma Rose! What are you doing here at this hour? ” She asks, genuinely worried for the woman’s safety. She only chuckles, “Well, young lady. I know this is your place now, but aren’t you going to invite me in?”

Taehee’s eyes widen. She quickly apologizes and gestures for her to come in. She ushers the old lady to the living before scurrying off to the kitchen to brew some tea.

“You should’ve told me that you’re coming over, grandma. It’s so late now, it could be dangerous outside.” Taehee sighs as she puts in a few cubes of sugar.

“Oh, don’t worry, darling. I’ve lived here for 20 years, I know the place well enough.”

“Say... Why would you come to visit me here at night? You could’ve come over tomorrow instead.” She places the cup of tea on the coffee table before sitting herself down on the sofa.

“I have something to tell you.” The old lady chimes as she picks up the cup of tea. Taehee raises her eyebrows;

What would be so important that she had to come all the way here at 9?

“You live near the forest now so I want you to be careful. It may seem peaceful, but don’t let your guard down and lock all the doors and windows at night. You’ll never know what animal there are out there.” Taehee nods at her and smiles,

“You don’t have to worry about me, grandma. I can take care of myself.” Grandma smiles back, wrinkles finding their way onto her face. She takes a final sip of the tea and places it down.

“Taehee-yah, there’s one more thing that I need to tell you.” The addressed girl nods, assuring her that she’s all ears.

“There’s a fox in the forest, and it likes to linger around this area. I want you to be careful, okay?” She smiles and holds her hands, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Alright. I’ll get going now, it’s really late.” The girl nods and stands up to escort her to the front door.

“Remember what I said, darling. Lock the doors and windows.” Taehee hums with a grin and the old lady can’t help but pat her on her head.

“Aigoo.. I really wish you’re my granddaughter.” Taehee’s grin widen at that. “I would love that too. See you soon, Grandma Rose!”

She waves at her and watches as she drives away. Just as she was about to close the door, she notices a faint hint of light in the woods. She narrows her eyes to see better. The faint light soon slowly fades into the darkness, so she decides to shrug it off. She turns around and closes the door behind her.

Yawning, she drags her lazy form up the stairs to her bedroom.

“Taehee! How’s your new place?” Hoseok’s voice booms through the speakers of her phone.

“It’s perfect! Better than what I imagined.” She chirps. “Aigoo... I miss you already...” Taehee giggles as she can literally hear the boy’s pouting.

The duo had been best friends since childhood. They’re stuck together like mochi, it’s almost impossible to separate them. When Hoseok heard about Taehee moving, he almost cried a river.

“Aww... I miss you too. You can come to visit me anytime. I’ll always be here, ready to give you a hug.” Right after she said that rustling sounds are heard from the other line. Taehee frowns, “Hobie? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m perfectly fine. I’m checking my schedule right now. Today’s Saturday, I’ll come visit you... on Tuesday? How’s that?” She grins, already feeling excited.

“Great! Remember to buy me some chocolate chip cookies on your way here!”

“Aigoo... you should stop eating so many sweets, Hee-yah. You’ll get diabetes!” Taehee giggles, “Yes, mother. I’m gonna get my beauty sleep now, goodnight!”

“Mm. Goodnight. Love you!” She smiles and says it back before ending the call. Holding the phone to her chest, she throws her body onto the bed and slowing drifts off to sleep.