My two hot Neighbors

Chapter 5: The Mask Beneath the Smile

The music room echoed with soft chords from the grand piano in the corner. I walked in, the wooden floor creaking under my boots. Jungkook was already inside, headphones hanging around his neck as he casually strummed a guitar. The moment his eyes met mine, something flickered in them—curiosity? Admiration? I wasn’t sure.

“You’re late,” he said with that usual smirk, but his voice lacked its usual teasing sharpness.

“I got lost on the way,” I replied, settling down on the bench beside the window. “New place, remember?”

Jungkook shrugged, then patted the seat beside him. I walked over and sat down, slightly cautious. He was quiet for a second before asking, “Why did you really move here, Ellanora?”

I blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Come on,” he said, eyes narrowing. “You’re not the type who just... settles in Seoul for university life. I’ve seen your eyes. There’s more fire in them than you're letting on.”

My breath hitched. For a moment, I wanted to tell him everything. About Dark Rose, the missions, the way I still wake up at night with phantom pain from that last assignment. But then I remembered my promise to myself: this life was a new beginning. No secrets. No scars. No stalkers.

Before I could answer, the door slammed open.

Taehyung walked in, clearly annoyed. His usually calm face was flushed, and his eyes locked onto the scene—me sitting next to Jungkook.

“Oh,” he said simply, but the tension was thick.

“You’re early,” I said, standing up quickly.

“I thought we could rehearse the vocals early. Didn’t know it was a... duet,” he replied coolly, his gaze fixed on Jungkook.

“Chill, Tae,” Jungkook said, leaning back with a half-smile. “We’re just talking.”

“Doesn’t look like it.”

The air crackled between the two of them, and I stood there awkwardly like a referee between two lions in a cage. I quickly grabbed a mic to distract them.

“How about we all sing something? Group activity?” I suggested.

It worked—for a while. We rehearsed, made music, shared laughter, but I could feel the undercurrent of rivalry growing between them. It wasn’t just casual anymore.

By the time the class ended, Taehyung had barely said a word to me.

That evening, I went home and found a new letter. Slipped under my front door.

I froze.

Cream paper, black ink. A red rose.

It read:

> “You think you can run, Phoenix? You’re still mine. You may change your name, your city, your neighbors...

But I’ll always find you.

Welcome back, soldier.”

My heart pounded. My hands shook. I looked around the hallway. No one in sight. But I felt eyes on me.

Without thinking, I sprinted upstairs, threw the letter in my secure vault, and turned on my laptop. Logged into my old agency database using a hidden VPN and checked any recent movements.

There it was.

Dark Rose spotted in South Korea. Three confirmed stalker incidents in Busan and two in Seoul.

He was here.

I closed the laptop and leaned back, breathing hard.

My peace was short-lived.

At dinner that night, both the Jeons and Kims were over. The atmosphere was lively, filled with stories and laughter. But I couldn’t shake the dread.

Britney FaceTimed me mid-dinner. I excused myself to take it upstairs.

Her face was pale.

“Nora,” she whispered. “We have a problem.”

“What happened?”

“I saw your stalker today. In New York. But he had a passport with a Korean visa. He’s going to Seoul. He said your name. Your real name. Not ‘Phoenix’—Ellanora.”

My breath caught. “What?”

“He saw me and smiled. That same smile I told you about. Like he was enjoying this. Be careful.”

The screen froze for a second, and then it glitched.

No signal.

“Britney? Hello? Can you hear me?”

Silence.

I hung up and stood still.

This wasn’t just a coincidence anymore.

He was coming for me.

Back downstairs, everything looked the same, but I felt different. Like my world was tilting.

Taehyung noticed. “You okay?” he asked, pulling me aside after dinner.

“I’m fine,” I lied.

“You’re not,” he replied. “I can tell.”

I looked into his eyes. Warm. Protective. Gentle.

But Jungkook’s voice broke the moment. “Nora, can we talk? Alone?”

I nodded. Both of them were now looking at me—two hot neighbors, both with secrets of their own, both unknowingly entangled in mine.

But only I knew the real storm was coming.

And this time, I wouldn’t be able to protect everyone.

Not without revealing who I really am.

To be continued...

> Next Chapter Preview: A mysterious break-in. A truth from Soobin. And the arrival of a new student who may not be who he claims to be…