With each inhale, her strength faded, her vision blurring. Just before her eyes closed, she saw silhouettes rushing toward her.

The assailant was kicked away from her, and as she fell, like a lifeless doll, one of the men was quick enough to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Lilith, wake up!" A voice urged, shaking her gently. Her eyes fluttered open, but everything was a blur. She tried to focus on his face, but her vision was too hazy.

"Lilith!" he called again, but her strength faded, and everything went dark.

When she opened her eyes again, she was staring at a white ceiling. Morning light streamed in, and as she turned her head, she saw her father and mother pacing anxiously nearby. Her father was the first to notice she was awake.

"Honey, you're awake." Her mother quickly joined him at her bedside.

"What happened?" she murmured, holding her throbbing head.

"Can't you remember anything?" her mother asked softly, though her eyes were filled with concern.

"I remember... someone put a cloth over my mouth. Everything got blurry. Someone saved me, but I couldn't see his face," she said, squinting as she tried to recall, but the memory only worsened her headache.

A knock sounded, and a nurse entered to check on her.

"Hello, Lilith. How are you feeling?" the nurse asked, glancing at the monitor.

"My head hurts really badly," Lilith groaned, rubbing her temples.

"Don't worry—that's likely the chloroform. I'll bring you a painkiller shortly. After that, you'll be clear to go," the nurse said, adjusting the monitor.

"Nurse, do you know how I got here?" Lilith asked, her voice tinged with curiosity and confusion.

"Oh, a handsome young man brought you in. He didn't leave any information, just handed me your phone to call your parents," the nurse replied before leaving to continue her rounds.

Once Lilith was discharged from the hospital, she noticed activity next door—a moving truck and several pieces of furniture being carried inside. She hadn't even noticed that the house was for sale.

"Oh, look! We're getting new neighbors," her mother said, peeking out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of them.

"I just hope they don't cause us any trouble down the line," her father muttered, a slight edge to his voice.

Lilith settled down in front of the TV while her parents busied themselves in the kitchen. The doorbell rang, and Lilith offered to answer it.

She opened the door and stood there, momentarily speechless. Several young men stood before her, and suddenly, a memory clicked.

"I've seen you guys before," she murmured, piecing it together.

"Hello!" Jin greeted her with a bright smile. "You saw us at the bistro yesterday."

Lilith's memory cleared up, and she wondered how she could have forgotten so quickly. "Sorry, I... had a rough night," she said apologetically.

She glanced over their shoulders and, as she suspected, saw an even more familiar face among them.

"Yoongi?" she called, catching his attention as he turned to her.

Before she could say more, her mother's voice broke in from behind her.

"Who is it, honey?" her mother asked, peering over Lilith's shoulder at the visitors.

"Just some boys from school," Lilith replied, rolling her eyes.

"Hi, ma'am! We're your new neighbors," Namjoon greeted, flashing a smile that revealed his dimples, leaving Lilith momentarily taken aback.

"Wait, what?" she sputtered, choking on her saliva and breaking into a cough.

"Oh, come on, let them in already," her father said, joining them at the door.

As the boys walked past, they each cast a glance at Lilith, one by one.

"What's with them?" she wondered, puzzled. More importantly, what were they doing here?

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To be continued

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