You were halfway through reheating last night’s noodles when you heard it.

The first knock was gentle—just a soft tap, like someone checking if anyone was home. You didn’t move at first, assuming it was a neighbor or a delivery, maybe a random person asking for directions.

But when it came again, this time faster, more urgent, you paused, spoon in hand, and listened. The rain beat down harder against the window, an ominous sound that made the quiet of your house feel… unsettling. Your heart began to race for no reason you could explain.

You told yourself it was nothing. People knock on doors all the time. Maybe they needed help. Still, something about the tension in the air, the force of the knocks, made you hesitate.

Then it came again—louder this time. A frantic, desperate pounding. Your breath caught.

You set the spoon down, the microwave dinging loudly in the silence, and crept toward the front door, your hand brushing against the cold knob.

Standing on your porch, drenched and huddled together like they were trying to avoid something, were eight familiar faces. You recognized them instantly, even before you could focus on the details: the soaked hoodies, the hair sticking to their faces, the way they stood like they were being hunted.

Stray Kids

Your heart skipped a beat.

They were here. On your porch. Soaked to the bone, out of breath, staring at the door as if it were their last hope.

Bang Chan was the first to move, stepping closer to the door, the faintest tremor in his voice. His usual confidence was gone, replaced with something… desperate.

“Please, we… didn’t plan on this.”

His words were measured, but you could tell from the way his eyes flicked to the street that things were far from normal. Behind him, the rest of the group stood tense, waiting for your reaction, their faces lit up only by the dim porch light and the rain splattering around them.

Seungmin was glancing nervously down the street, as though expecting someone to emerge from the shadows at any second. His posture was stiff, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. He seemed to be trying to control his breathing, but the panic was evident in his eyes.

Lee Know had pulled his hoodie tighter, trying to shield himself from the storm. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. Every so often, his gaze flicked to the corner of the porch where you stood, waiting for your response.

I.N looked like he might collapse at any moment. His hands were clenched, and he was shifting his weight from one foot to the other like he couldn’t stand still. His lips parted as if he wanted to say something, but his breath came in shallow gasps, and all that escaped was the occasional, strained laugh.

Felix was the one who met your eyes. There was something soft in his gaze, a mix of vulnerability and guilt. His drenched hair stuck to his forehead, and the slight tremor in his smile made it clear that he wasn’t sure how this would end. His expression was enough to make you hesitate—he was asking for more than shelter. He was asking for trust.

You heard the faint echo of voices in the distance, muffled by the pounding of the rain. It wasn’t just anyone. They were being chased. The realization hit you like a punch to the stomach. You looked at them—your idols—standing on your porch in the middle of a storm, running from fans who had turned into a mob.

“We don’t have anywhere else to go,” Chan said, his voice a little softer now, though still carrying that weight of responsibility. “We’re not trying to cause trouble. We just… we just need a place to breathe for a minute.”

You glanced down the street again, the distant sound of their pursuers now unmistakable. Screaming, chanting, even more footsteps. They wouldn’t have long. You could hear them getting closer, the adrenaline of the crowd spilling over into frantic energy.

One of them—Hyunjin—exhaled sharply, his shoulders slumping. The weight of everything seemed to crash into him all at once, and his words came out quieter than the others

“Please...Let us in"