The gunshot shattered the stillness of the house, an explosive punctuation to an otherwise uneventful evening. Carrie's heart nearly launched itself through her ribcage as she froze, bracing for the sting of a bullet. But instead of pain, there was the tinkling crash of shattered porcelain. Her eyes darted to the floor, where the remains of a vase lay scattered like an ill-fated jigsaw puzzle, the bullet now embedded in the wall behind it.
"You're unimaginable crazy," she muttered, her eyes snapping to the perpetrator.
Jae-wook stood across the room, gun raised, his dark eyes colder than an arctic winter. His stillness was unnerving, his presence dominating the space like a storm cloud ready to burst.
"That was a warning," he said, his voice silky smooth but carrying the weight of a sledgehammer. "I don't miss twice."
Carrie swallowed hard, though the lump in her throat felt like a brick. Fear buzzed in her chest, but it was quickly overshadowed by a rising tide of indignation. She straightened her spine and let her sarcasm off the leash. "Wow, really? A warning shot? How original. Do you practice being this unhinged, or is it just a natural talent?"
Jae-wook's lips twitched into the faintest ghost of a smirk, one devoid of humor. "You're bold, I'll give you that. Stupid, too. But bold." He took a step closer, and she instinctively clenched her fists. His gaze was like a scalpel, cutting through her defenses. "You're trespassing."
Carrie threw up her hands, her voice climbing an octave. "Trespassing? I live here, you lunatic!"
Jae-wook tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable. "Leo never mentioned a housemate."
"Yeah, well, maybe Leo didn't think you needed to know," Carrie snapped, gesturing wildly at the broken vase. "And while we're on the subject, maybe you should've called ahead before going full action-movie villain in the house."
As if on cue, the front door creaked open. Laughter and the rustle of paper bags floated down the hall before Leo's voice called out, "We got Chinese! Hope you're hungry!"
Ava followed, her cheerful chatter dying mid-sentence as they entered the kitchen. Both froze at the sight of Carrie glaring daggers at Jae-wook, who had yet to lower his gun. The shards of porcelain glittered accusingly at their feet.
Leo's jaw dropped, the takeout bags slipping from his grip. "What the actual hell is happening?"
"Ah, you're back," Jae-wook said coolly, lowering the gun with the casual grace of someone returning a book to a shelf. "You didn't tell me you had company."
"Company? She lives here!" Leo bellowed, gesturing wildly toward Carrie. "Why is your gun even out?"
"She was suspicious," Jae-wook replied as if it were the most reasonable explanation in the world. "I handled it."
"Handled it?" Carrie cut in, her voice dripping with disbelief. "You almost shot my brain, you psycho!"
"Really?! didn't know you had one" Jae-wook said
Leo groaned, rubbing his temples. "Alex, this is Carrie, my friend. She's not suspicious. She's not a threat. And she's not a spy,."
"let's not forget she has brains" Ava emphasized
"Well, she did try to brain me with a bat," Jae-wook pointed out, his tone maddeningly calm.
"And you almost shot me!" Carrie fired back. "Let's not pretend you're the victim here, Mr. I-Don't-Miss-Twice!"
Ava stepped between them, arms outstretched like a referee breaking up a boxing match. "Alright, enough! We're not turning this into a crime scene. Alex, put the gun away. Carrie, maybe ease up on the bat-swinging."
"She started it," Jae-wook muttered under his breath, earning a glare from Ava that could have melted steel.
Leo threw his hands in the air. "Okay, great! Glad we're all on the same page. Now, can we eat before the food gets cold?"
Carrie scowled at Jae-wook, who returned her glare with equal fervor. Ava, ever the peacekeeper, looped an arm around Carrie's shoulders and steered her toward the dining table. "At least he didn't shoot you," Ava whispered, grinning.
"Yet," Carrie muttered darkly, throwing one last glare over her shoulder. Jae-wook had already turned his attention to his phone, utterly unbothered by the chaos he'd caused.
---
Later That Night
Carrie sank into the couch with a groan, her exhaustion crashing over her like a wave. Ava flopped down beside her, a mischievous grin plastered across her face.
"You're really something, you know that?" Ava teased, nudging Carrie's arm. "First day here, and you've already had a showdown with Jae-wook. That's gotta be a record."
"I'm moving out tomorrow," Carrie deadpanned, closing her eyes.
"You can't!" Ava gasped, clutching her arm like a melodramatic damsel. "Who's going to help me survive the madness? Do you know what it's like living with those two? I need backup!"
Carrie cracked one eye open. "I'm not exactly thriving here myself."
"Oh, come on," Ava wheedled. "Jae-wook isn't that bad once you get used to his... quirks. And Leo's basically a golden retriever in human form. It's not so bad."
"I almost got shot, Ava," Carrie pointed out.
"And yet, here you are," Ava said cheerfully, throwing an arm around her. "Besides, it's kind of exciting, isn't it? Like living in an action movie. Next time, you can be the one with the gun."
Carrie groaned, covering her face with a pillow. "Kill me now."
"Don't tempt Alex," Ava quipped, snickering.
"like I was trying to" Carrie sighed.