The air inside is stale.
Thick.
Like the building hasn't been touched in years.
Hae-joon hesitates at the entrance, peering into the darkness.
"…You sure this isn't where people get murdered?"
Arthur steps in without answering.
Of course he does.
Hae-joon clicks his tongue and follows anyway.
"Yeah, great. Love that for me."
The door shuts behind them with a dull thud.
Hae-joon flinches.
"…okayy..now we are stuck, heh.."
No response.
Arthur walks ahead like he can see perfectly fine.
Hae-joon squints, trying to adjust.
"Hey! Slow down! Some of us are human and require vision."
Arthur stops.
For a second, Hae-joon almost walks into him again, but this time, he catches himself.
Barely.
"…You do that on purpose or-"
"Stand still."
The tone is different.
Sharper.
Hae-joon freezes.
"…What?"
Arthur tilts his head slightly.
Listening.
The silence stretches.
And then-
A faint sound.
Somewhere deeper inside the building.
A soft… scrape.
Like something dragging across the floor.
Hae-joon's breath catches.
"…Tell me you didn't hear that."
"I did."
"Oh, fantastic. That makes it so much better."
Arthur takes a slow step forward.
' rattle rattle.. crash!'
Hae-joon instinctively grabs the back of Arthur's coat.
"…I thought you said it was empty."
"I said unmonitored."
"…That's not the same thing?!"
The sound comes again.
Closer this time.
A distorted shuffle.
Hae-joon grips tighter; he whispers.
"Arthur."
No response.
"Arthur!"
"..keep quiet! And stay behind me."
Something moves in the dark.
Too fast to see.
A blur.
Then- JUMP!!
"AHHH!!" Hae-joon screams.
Arthur pulls Hae-joon in, becoming a human shield, trying to protect him.
They both were ready for whatever was about to attack them.
And then-
'squeak squeak'
"Huh?!"
"It's a mouse."
They both visibly relax, letting out a sigh of relief.
For a second, neither of them moves.
Then Hae-joon realizes..
Arthur is still holding him.
Close.
Too close.
"…You can let go now," Hae-joon mutters, suddenly very aware of it.
Arthur pauses.
Like he's just noticing it too.
Then he lets go immediately.
"…Sorry."
Hae-joon clears his throat, stepping back. "Yeah. No problem.."
"UGHH…I screamed for nothing."
Arthur glances at him. "You scream easily."
"Excuse me?! That thing jumped...and it was dark..and-and.." Hae-joon gestures vaguely, and then gives up. "—shut up."
Arthur almost..
smiles.
But it's gone before it fully forms.
"…Stay alert."
They move deeper inside.
The floor creaks under their steps.
Dust lingers in the air.
Hae-joon wraps his arms around himself. "…It's colder in here."
Arthur looks back
"Here..wear this, it'll keep you warm."
He hands him his coat.
"Uh..no you don't have to--"
"Just.take."
Hae-joon reluctantly takes it. 'guess he is kind after all'
Arthur's pace slows.
Just slightly.
He stops.
Again.
Hae-joon groans. "Not this again!! If it's another mouse I swea--"
"It's not."
That shuts him up.
Arthur's gaze is fixed ahead.
There's no sound.
No warning.
Just a feeling.
Heavy.
Like the air itself is pressing down.
Hae-joon feels it too.
"…Okay," he whispers, voice tight, "I don't like this one."
Something shifts in the darkness.
Not a blur this time.
Slow.
Deliberate.
A figure.
Standing at the far end of the corridor.
Too still.
Too tall.
Hae-joon's fingers twitch.
"…Arthur."
"I see it."
The figure tilts its head.
A sharp, unnatural angle.
And then--
It speaks.
A voice that doesn't sound like it belongs in a human throat.
"…Found… you."