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bestaez · 8 months

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Don't Fear the Reaper

Scream AU

pairing: taehyung x reader

genre: yandere, horror/thriller

warnings: murder, graphic violence, mature themes, obsessive behavior, sexual content

word count: 13k

summary/preview: Just a year since your brother’s brutal murder, bad luck seems to strike again in your once-peaceful hometown. It seems as if death wants to follow you as it finds its next victim in one of your school friends. The more the murders start to connect, you begin to wonder if it really could be just a copycat killer or if the wrong man was imprisoned.

quick note: this is very unedited so pls excuse any mistakes!! ty🖤

It had been almost a year since your brother’s death and you still couldn’t believe it was real. His bedroom door had been practically sealed shut, neither you nor your father daring to venture inside. The sight of his empty room getting dusty would have just made it that much more real - something the both of you didn’t need as the constant news coverage had done enough of that job already.

It wasn’t necessarily that you were so distraught over Seowon’s death that you couldn’t come to terms with it. He was your older brother, your own blood, but that didn’t mean the two of you had been the closest siblings. You would describe your relationship over the years as lukewarm at best. You loved him because he was your brother but you never truly felt like you knew him. It was also hard to mourn with news vans following you everywhere you went.

The part that was hard to believe was the way in which he had died. He had been found in the woods near your house with seventeen stab wounds. It didn’t make any sense. Your brother had been a star football player at your school, part of the popular crowd. He was well-liked amongst students and teachers. You didn’t think anyone had a bad opinion of him. It’s possible he had rivals especially in sports or romances but nothing that would warrant murder.

Initially, there had been a lot of speculation in the town and you had heard all the rumors, including the one where your father had killed him in a fit of rage. You knew it could never be true; your father had been devastated by your brother’s death. He had been emotionless before, but now he was just a shell of the man he was. And whoever said loss could bring people closer had obviously never met your father.

The truth was that your father had always been emotionally closed for as long as you had known him. Your mother had died from complications after your birth and though he had never voiced it, you knew that he had resented you for being the cause of your mother’s death. At times, you wished you had never been born because living with the guilt had been too much to bear especially living with a father who never forgave you for it.

When the police eventually did find a suspect, you were shocked to say the least. Min Yoongi was a few years older than you and had already graduated when the murder weapon as well as your brother’s blood on his clothing was found. He had always been a serious guy and if you asked most people, they would say they had always believed he kept skeletons in his closet. You knew he was a bit of a recluse, but you never would have guessed he was capable of murder. The motive they came up with was that Yoongi had been jealous of your brother’s popularity and mixed with his own mental instability, things inevitably came to a day and he decided to act out his aggressions.

Many people wanted to know your side of it, whether you believed the story and whatnot. You had mostly stayed silent on the matter, unlike your father who had screamed at Yoongi in court and had to be dragged out of the room. You can still remember the stares you got from everyone that day - it was the same look you got from most of the town and your classmates. A mix of pity, curiosity, and judgment.

It was safe to say you hadn’t been looking forward to this time of year. The true crime fanatics had seemingly been ramping up their shenanigans, hoping to possibly find some clue that would connect more of the dots. The stares you always felt in town and at school hadn’t lessened and seemed to be picking up a bit more in recent weeks as the anniversary drew closer.

Which is why most nights, you would find yourself holed up in your bedroom where it was calmer. Much to your best friend's dismay, as she would always try to drag you away to some party or school outing. Haena hated it when you closed yourself off and didn’t believe in wallowing alone. In her eyes, it was as if your introvertedness was just a sickness that she had to cure.

The only person who understood your feelings was your boyfriend, Taehyung. He, too, was a bit of a homebody and didn’t mind staying in with you most nights. He did have more friends and liked to party, but he never pressured you to go out. Part of you believed he enjoyed having you all to himself that way and for some reason you didn’t mind it.

You don’t know how you got so lucky getting a boyfriend like Taehyung. He was so dreamy with dark black locks that were often tucked behind his ear and matching dark eyes that seemed to always be on you. He was an artist and could often be found wearing distressed jeans and sweaters with little splotches of paint here and there. He was extremely affectionate, always having to have his hands on you some way or another.

The two of you met in freshman year art class where you had quickly realized you had no business holding a paintbrush, much to Taehyung’s amusement. He would offer to fix up your paintings when the teacher wasn’t looking and was the only reason you ended up passing. It wasn’t until a little after that semester that the two of you started dating.

A low tapping interrupted your thoughts as you sat in bed, almost too quiet to hear over the television playing in your room. You got up to investigate, pulling your curtains open to see none other than Taehyung leaning up against your window using a ladder to get up here. You weren’t even sure if that ladder was yours but you were glad your window didn’t face the street where others could see.

You opened the window as you spluttered in shock, stepping back to allow him room to clamber inside. You held your breath as you kept an ear out to make sure your dad hadn’t heard his nosy arrival, eyes trained on the door like he would bust in any moment.

“What are you doing here?” You hissed once you had regained your composure.

“What, I can’t visit my girlfriend?” Taehyung pouted. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too but if my dad catches you-” “He won’t.” Taehyung cut you off, leveling you with his beautiful dark eyes as he leaned closer to you on the bed. “I’m stealthy.”

You breathed out a sigh, at a loss for words from his sudden close proximity. He reminded you of a tiger the way he stared you down like you were prey. You were so mesmerized by him you had missed him inching closer until you could feel his breath on your lips.

“Tae-” You tried to stop him but he shushed you, pressing his mouth to yours.

Taehyung was your first serious boyfriend and there hadn’t been a single dull moment in your relationship yet. For you, every new experience you had with him had been a thrill. But there was only so many heated makeouts you two could have before you knew he would want to do more. He understood you were inexperienced and was willing to wait but you wondered how much longer before he cracked.

As if on cue, his hand grazed your thigh lightly as if to test the waters. When you didn’t stop him, he grew more confident and raised it until it reached your hip, squeezing gently. You appeared calm on the outside but on the inside, your heart was racing.

He pulled back a bit to look you in the eyes, licking his lips as he smirked. “I can feel your heartbeat.”

Your eyes widened in embarrassment as you quickly sat up, covering your cheeks as you felt them heating. You had hoped it wouldn’t have been so obvious. Why couldn’t you just be normal?

“Still so nervous around me after all this time,” He chuckled wryly, lifting a hand to remove the ones covering your face. His fingers caressed your cheek as he gazed at you. “What can I do to make you more comfortable, baby?”

“I’m sorry.” You breathed, feeling your heart skip at all the intense eye contact. “I just need more time.”

“Don’t be sorry. I told you I would wait.” He gave you a small smile, leaning in to give you another kiss. He brushed a hand through your hair before pulling away and making his way back over to the window.

You watched him begin his descent back down to the ground before an idea popped into your head. You don’t know where the sudden confidence came from but the sight of his retreating back made you want to try something.

“Taehyung,” You called out from the window once he had made it all the way down. He looked back up at you curiously, his eyebrows raised in question. “Something to hold you over for now?”

You didn’t wait for him to reply before you lifted your shirt up, exposing your breasts to him from down below. You waited a few nerve wracking seconds before pulling it back down, giggling nervously as you did.

His look of pure shock made it all worth it, preventing any possible embarrassment from flooding into your system. You could tell your stunt had rendered him speechless for a moment, if the choked sputters coming from him were anything to go by.

“I think you just made it worse.” He finally spoke, his voice deep and chilling. You laughed loudly, moving to shut your window closed.

*****

When you arrived at school the next day, the atmosphere was tenser than usual. You were used to people whispering around you but this was different. People seemed to be more huddled in groups. It was as if there was some unseen sinister presence that had arrived. You weren’t sure if you could just blame it on the seasons changing but there definitely seemed to be a chill in the air this morning.

A hand grabbing your arm on your way through the courtyard startled you, your heart jumping only to see it was just Haena. Her eyes were wide as she squeezed your forearm urgently. You could tell just by her expression that whatever was going on was serious.

“Are you okay?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Your confusion was obvious as you watched realization dawn on her.

“You haven’t heard...” She paused as if trying to find the right words, biting her lip unsurely. “YN, some students were murdered last night.”

“What? Who?” The shock spread throughout your body like a numbness, your extremities feeling cold all of the sudden.

“Park Jimin and Yoon Iseul.”

You weren’t sure if any names that could possibly come out of her mouth would not come as a shock but this just floored you. Jimin and Iseul were the school’s power couple. Everyone was in love with them or wanted to be their friend. The correlation between their deaths and your brother’s wasn’t lost on you. Could it be a copycat killer? You didn’t want to think of the alternative - that Yoongi had been wrongfully imprisoned.

“That must be why everyone is acting so strange today.” You mumbled mindlessly, hearing the words coming out of your mouth but not feeling connected with them. “I just saw Iseul yesterday in sixth period.”

“It’s all I’ve been hearing about this morning. How Iseul’s parents came home to the grizzliest scene you can imagine. They said Jimin was tied up and they found Iseul out- '' Her chattering stopped upon seeing the sick look on your face, her lips pressing together as if just now realizing who she was speaking to. You didn’t blame her though - you knew she was just in shock. “Well, you get the gist. Apparently a neighbor saw the killer run out of there wearing some kind of weird ghost mask. Now everyone’s calling them ‘Ghostface.’”

“I don’t understand why this keeps happening.”

At some point in the day, you were called to the principal’s office for questioning. This wasn’t strange, though, as everyone in the entire school was going through the same thing. The police figured their first place to look was at the school, which made sense.

They had asked you simple questions like how well you knew Jimin and Iseul, if you knew if they were in any drama at school, etc. You had answered honestly and as accurately as you could. To be honest, you hadn’t the slightest who could have done something like this. But you could sense the detectives figured you might have some clue as you had been around death before. They looked at you like you had some kind of ghost hanging around you.

You decided that going through your day like you always did was the best shot at getting through it, clinging to any shred of normalcy that you could find. And if that meant having lunch with Haena and her usual friend group, then so be it. The seven of you were sitting outside in the courtyard, the climate having warmed up a bit since this morning.

The boys were goofing off with each other as if nothing was wrong, which in a way comforted you. You needed to act like everything was okay or else you could feel your sanity start to slip. Eyeing Haena, she was chatting with Jungkook while throwing her feet in his lap. He was rubbing her lower calves and you couldn’t help but watch how comfortable they were with each other in public like this.

It gave you the courage to lean back onto Taehyung who was sitting behind you, his warm chest a welcome embrace. He responded by wrapping his arms around your front, not missing a beat as he conversed with Hobi about the quiz they took this morning.

“Did they ask you guys if you liked to hunt?” Hobi asked all of the sudden, the idle chatter dying down as you all knew he was talking about the police interrogations all students had to partake in today.

“Yeah, I just told them I liked to fish.” Jin barked out a laugh.

You wondered out loud, “Why would they ask that?”

“Because their bodies were gutted.” Hobi responded matter-of-factly, turning to Jin with a suspicious look. “Kind of like a fish.”

“Thank you, Hobi.” Taehyung spoke sarcastically and you could practically feel his eye roll from behind you.

“They didn’t ask me about hunting,” Haena frowned in confusion.

“You think a girl could have pulled off a murder like that? Yeah, right.” Jungkook chuckled, wiggling his eyebrows at her in a condescending manner.

Haena scoffed in disgust, pulling her legs off his lap. “That is so sexist of you. Plenty of women become serial killers - look at Aileen Wuornos.”

“She used a gun on her male-only victims. Not exactly the same.”

“Yeah, from what I hear Jimin and Iseul were barely recognizable by the time they found them.” Jungkook informed, seemingly undeterred by Haena’s annoyance. “The fact is that it would take a man to do something like that.”

“How do you gut someone?” Your voice trembled as you voiced the question, your curiosity getting the best of you. Taehyung tightened his arms around you and leaned his head on your neck, leaving a kiss there.

It was silent for a moment before Jungkook spoke up, “Well, you’d get a knife and start from the groin-”

“Jungkook, shut the fuck up.” Taehyung’s harsh tone left no room for argument and even made you tense up a bit.

“Didn’t you date Iseul?” You asked Jungkook.

His eyes lit up for a moment as he chuckled, “Yeah, for like two seconds.”

“Before she dumped him for Jimin!” Hobi chimed in. “Hmm, I wonder how the police would feel if they knew you were her lover scorned.”

“What, you think I killed her?” Jungkook laughed genuinely, shaking his head in disbelief. “I’m sure you would love to see me behind bars but I’m afraid I have an alibi.”

Haena rolled her eyes as Jungkook winked at her, fed up with his immaturity. “If you think I’m going to defend your misogynistic ass, you’re sorely mistaken.”

Jungkook watched her with a pout as she stood up to leave, gathering her books for the next class. “Come on, baby! You know I’m not a killer.”

She ignored him as she walked off, which led to him jumping up and following her to no doubt get back in her good graces. Those two had been on-and-off for a while but you would be lying if you said their shenanigans weren’t entertaining. He was a pig-headed jock and she was an artsy type. They didn’t make any sense but somehow they ended up together.

*****

You went home that day to an empty house and a note on the kitchen table, which both surprised you and somehow didn’t. You were used to your father skipping out on you with no notice but to leave a note? That wasn’t like him.

Got a lead for a job out of town so I’ll be gone for a few days. I’ll try to call but might not have service -Dad

You supposed the message was emotionally detached enough to be from him but you couldn’t help the strange feeling you got from reading it. You knew he probably wouldn’t call or if he did, it would be just to let you know he was staying longer. He knew you didn’t expect much from him and probably preferred it that way. Weirdly enough, you did too.

Exhausted from the day, you threw your bag on the floor and collapsed on the couch. You flipped the TV on and surfed through the channels mindlessly before one with a news headline and familiar face caught your eye. It was a reporter that you recognized almost immediately - Kim Namjoon. He had covered your brother’s case extensively and even wrote a book about it.

“ This small but mighty town has been hit yet again with another gruesome homicide case. Two young teenagers were found brutally murdered in their own home. ” He spoke clearly, his dragon-eyes penetrating you through the TV screen. You had seen them in person and knew how deadly their effect could be. “ Authorities have yet to release any statement but we know now that no arrest has been made and the murderer could strike again. ”

“ Could it be merely just a coincidence that this month is the anniversary of yet another senseless killing? It has been only ten months since Min Yoongi was found guilty for the murder of Jung Wooshik, who was also a student at Woodsboro High. ” Namjoon continued, and you held your breath as you waited for him to say what you had been fearing. “ Many have made a few theories on what could be the meaning of this, including that of a possible copycat killer or perhaps a wrongful imprisonment. It’s safe to say the town of Woodsboro needs to stay vigilant on protecting its own. ”

You cut him off there, not wanting to hear any more. Namjoon had made it clear early on that he was doubtful of Yoongi being the killer and spent most of his news coverage with that perspective. You tried not to take it personally but there had been instances where it seemed like the reporter blamed you for what happened. You knew you weren’t directly responsible for Yoongi’s conviction but you couldn’t help but wonder if you should feel guilty. You had only told the truth to the judge, that you had seen Yoongi by your house the day your brother died. That your brother had bought some weed from him and that you had seen him leaving while your brother was still alive. What happened between then and when your brother was killed was completely unknown to you.

But your witness testimony along with the physical evidence found in Yoongi’s home and car had been enough to convict him. You can still vividly remember the expression on Yoongi’s face when the verdict was given, as though he hadn’t even heard the judge. You couldn’t help but be amazed at his absolute indifference to everything going on around him at all times. You had never seen him smile or get angry ever. He kept all his emotions inside and it only fueled to make you more unsure of him.

The sound of the phone ringing loudly next to you made you jump, hand laying on your chest to feel your racing heart. You took a deep breath before you answered, “Hello?”

“YN, I just wanted to check on you and make sure you got home okay.” Of course it was just Haena. You knew she worried about you especially when you were home with your father.

“Yeah, I’m okay. My dad’s left town apparently so I’ve got the place to myself.”

“Oh shit, really?” She sounded stunned by this. “Didn’t he hear the news?”

“Not sure. Although knowing him, he might have just wanted to get away from all the media craziness.”

“Do you want to stay at my place?” As if she could sense your hesitance, she continued in a more serious tone, “I know you probably think I’m being dramatic but I just don’t think you should be alone right now.”

“Okay.” You relented, agreeing that it was probably best to not be isolated and vulnerable with a killer on the loose.

You ran upstairs to pack some clothes for the week, unsure of how long you would be staying there. The thought occurred to you that you should probably let Taehyung know where you would be going just in case he tried to make another surprise sneak-in on you again. You picked up your phone and dialed his number. It rang one time before immediately going to voicemail, causing you to pull the phone back and look at it in confusion. It wasn’t like him to outright reject your call, so you tried again. This time it rang all the way through before going to voicemail.

“Huh, that’s weird.” You waited for the automated voice to end and the beep to sound before leaving him a message informing him of where you would be tonight as well as Haena’s home number in case he needed to reach you later.

When you got to Haena’s house a little while later, you weren’t exactly sure why you felt uneasy all of the sudden seeing the police vehicle in her driveway. Her dad was Sheriff Lee and he had always been like a father to you, more so than your own father anyway. But just seeing his car again after so long and knowing he was in there was dredging up old memories that you had tried to forget.

Haena answered the door with a bright grin and pulled you inside excitedly. You already knew you were in for an eventful next few days, especially with her two younger brothers who were always loud and rambunctious. But oddly enough, you found that you enjoyed being around such a loving and busy household because that had never been your home experience.

You were greeted by warm hugs from Mrs. Lee before she quickly sat you down for dinner with a plate full of food. Haena rolled her eyes at her mom’s antics especially when she realized she was not included in this display of special treatment and would have to make her own plate. At some point, Sheriff Lee rolled in and you could tell by the tired lines on his face that this week had taken a toll on him.

He still greeted you with a smile and a pat on the head before joining you all at the table. Mrs. Lee brought her husband a plate and you couldn’t help but watch as he grabbed her hand to give it a kiss. The two of them had always been a sweet couple and what with your lack of ever seeing that growing up, you were always fascinated by them.

“How’s your father doing, YN?” Haena’s father asked.

“Fine,” You answered, rolling a cherry tomato around on your plate with your fork. “He’s actually on a work trip this week so Haena convinced me to come stay here for a little while if that’s okay.”

“You know you’re always welcome here, honey. You’re practically family.” Mrs Lee was quick to reassure you.

“Work trip, huh?” Sheriff Lee’s eyebrows were drawn together as he held a spoonful of stew in front of him thoughtfully. “Did he mention where?”

“Nope. You know how he is,” You answered honestly and he nodded.

Just then, the phone rang and Mrs. Lee got up to go answer it. You were about to go clean your dish when she came back into the kitchen and said, “YN, someone’s on the phone for you.”

You quickly went over to go pick it up, “Hello?”

“YN,” Taehyung’s deep voice came through on the other line, sounding hushed and slightly out-of-breath. “I just got your message.”

“Oh, yeah well I just didn’t want you to go worrying if you called me and I didn’t answer. Haena’s family is taking care of me.”

“Yeah? That’s good.” He responded, and you could practically picture him posted up somewhere like the cool guy he was. “Although, I wish I had answered when you called because I could have kept you company.”

“I’m sure you would have liked that.” You chuckled. “I don’t think my heart can handle another one of your window sneak-ins.”

“Well, I don’t think my heart can handle being away from you that long.”

“You’ll still see me at school.” You reasoned, rolling your eyes despite him not being able to see you.

“Yeah but that’s school. You won’t even let me kiss you unless it’s somewhere hidden.” You could practically hear his pout through the receiver. “Why don’t you meet me at your place sometime this week? I’ll cook you dinner and we can finally be alone together.”

You couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed at his sudden pushiness to get you alone. You knew if you agreed to meet him at your house that he would probably try to have sex with you again. As much as you wanted to take that step with him, you were scared.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, what with the recent murders and all. I think it’s probably best to stay in larger groups.”

“What, you don’t think I can protect you? I know I’m skinny but I’m strong.”

“No I know you can but it’s just not a good time right now.”

“Yeah, I know. You haven’t been yourself in a while.” He huffed into the receiver.

You laughed sarcastically, unsure if he was being serious right now. “Yeah, sorry I’m not in the mood to have sex with you right now. I’m kinda still reeling over the deaths of our classmates.”

“I don’t mean recently. You haven’t been the same since Seowon died.” His words shocked you, not understanding where this was coming from all of the sudden.

“Uh, well that’s kind of what loss does to a person if you didn’t know. They change - drastically.” All humor was gone from your tone as you felt yourself getting annoyed with him.

“Yeah well it’s been a year since he died and you’re still so skittish around me. It’s like you think I’m some kind of bad guy.”

“I’m sorry if my trauma has ruined things for you but no one is making you stay with me. If you need it that badly then you-”

“Stop. That’s not what I meant at all.” He huffed angrily, taking a pause to gather his thoughts. “Listen, I don’t want to make you upset. I know it’s hard to see right now but I’m just feeling insecure. I want to make sure we’re still okay.”

At your silence, he let out another sigh. “I’m gonna let you go now. Please don’t be mad at me. I love you.”

He didn’t say anything after that but he stayed on the line, and you knew he was waiting for you to say it back. Hoping for you to say it back. And as pissed off as he had made you, you hated the idea of going to bed mad at him. So you conceded, for now.

“I love you too.”

*****

When you arrived on campus the next day, you spotted Namjoon standing near his usual news van. He was dressed smartly in an olive sweater and gray slacks, his glasses making him look more like a university student than a reporter. He was busy sorting through some papers, probably brushing up on his notes before he did his next broadcast.

You felt compelled to speak with him, especially after everything that had been going on recently. Over the past year, he had reached out to you multiple times for a comment and you always declined. The only time you had spoken in-person was after the court case had ended and it hadn’t been the most cordial moment.

“YN, this is a surprise. What can I do for you?” Namjoon raised his eyebrows at you, a mix of curiosity and something else you couldn’t quite pick up in his expression.

“I wanted to talk to you about Min Yoongi.”

“Okay.” He spoke slowly, glancing over at his camera crew who were standing a few feet away. “I’m guessing this is off the record?”

“Yes, please.” You paused, trying to think on how to start. “I know you probably don’t think very highly of me.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, you wrote a whole book on how my witness testimony was the reason an innocent man was imprisoned.”

“Yes. I still stand by that.” He responded honestly, crossing his arms over his chest.

“So what, you think I’m a liar?”

“You painted a picture that made him look like a killer. I think you were so desperate for all the media coverage and court trials to end that you picked him as a scapegoat.”

“Have you talked to Yoongi?”

“Many times. He admits to selling drugs to your brother but that’s all.” The look on his face told you just how in-depth their conversations had gone. Namjoon was a very detail-oriented man.

“Then how do you explain the blood on his clothes and the murder weapon in his home?”

“His roommate testified that he came home high with no blood on his clothes. Someone else planted all that evidence and framed him.” The way he spoke of Yoongi was almost like they were close; he clearly felt very strongly about clearing his name.

“Why are you so adamant on proving his innocence? Did you know him?”

“Why do you care what I think?” Namjoon’s face screwed up as he seemed to grow more irritated with you. This was the real emotion you expected to get from him, behind the friendly facade he tried to put on with you. “You got what you wanted, didn’t you? Yoongi’s life is ruined, he’ll never see the light of day again.”

“That’s not what I wanted.” Now, it was your turn to look confused. “I wanted justice. I told the judge exactly what I saw that day.”

His lips pursed as he thought for a moment, processing your words. “Yes, I knew Yoongi. We weren’t exactly friends but anyone who knew him knew he was harmless. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“Harmless and yet he sold drugs to teenagers?” You regretted it as soon as it came out your mouth. You knew it was a low blow and you didn’t truly care that he did that anyway but you needed to cling onto some semblance that you made the right call.

He hummed as he searched your face for a moment, “Why are you asking me about Yoongi all of the sudden? You’re not so sure anymore, are you?”

“No, Yoongi murdered my brother.” You weren’t even sure if you believed yourself at how weak your voice sounded.

“These murders are related, aren’t they? The killer’s still on the loose.” He sounded almost triumphant as he marveled at your recent revelation, the cogs in his head working on overdrive. You had just confirmed his biggest theory yet despite your best efforts not to.

Now was a good time to leave. You weren’t sure what you had hoped to get out of this interaction but it wasn’t this. You had been avoiding the truth for a long time but it was catching up to you.

“Goodbye, Namjoon. Always a pleasure.” He didn’t respond as he watched you move to leave, his lips moving as he quietly murmured to himself. Despite his dark calculating eyes following your every move, you knew that he was in a different place conjuring up his next news broadcast.

*****

Halfway through the school day, it became apparent that Principal Choi had not shown up nor called in sick. After multiple attempts to reach his home phone, one of the administrators called the police to do a wellness check. And what they had found upon entering his home had been what everyone was fearing.

The news of Principal Choi’s death spread through the school like wildfire and you could tell the staff struggled to hold themselves together while keeping the students organized. A few police officers arrived at the school to work with the administrators on figuring out how to go about letting the students go home.

You were in the library with Haena and Jungkook when a pair of boys came running through your section and drawing the attention of everyone nearby. One was screaming in an exaggerated manner and the other was wearing the infamous Ghostface mask and chasing the former. You could tell they were just playing a prank but you didn’t see how anyone could be making fun of the situation right now.

“What is wrong with people?”

“Are you kidding me? Look at this place, it’s like Halloween.” Jungkook threw his head back and laughed.

“Stupidity leak!” Haena berated him, whacking him in the head with her notebook.

You shook your head at him, deciding to just ignore his comment. “Have you guys seen Taehyung around?”

“You mean after you gave him blue balls? No, his heart’s broken.”

“Jungkook,” Haena elbowed him hard, causing him to grunt.

“He said that?” You were shocked that even Jungkook knew about your lack of a sex life but should have known that boys would talk just like girls did.

“Of course he did. The guy’s crazy about you.”

“What guy’s crazy about her?” Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Taehyung leaned over you from behind to kiss the top of your head, causing your heart to do a flip.

“Keanu Reeves, of course.” You mouthed a ‘thank you’ to Haena at her swift coverup, causing her to give you a wink.

“Hey, can I talk to you for a second?” Taehyung whispered in your ear and held your hand as he pulled you out of your chair. Haena ignored Jungkook trying to get her attention as she watched you follow your boyfriend to a more secluded area.

“I’m really sorry about what I said before - it was way out of line. I’ve been a little out of sorts lately with everything going on.” He sounded vulnerable as he spoke, and you couldn’t help but feel your heart tug at his remorseful face. He had always been the type to wear his heart on his sleeve. “I just want us to be okay again. I want my girlfriend back.”

“I’m still your girlfriend,” You rolled your eyes playfully, squeezing his hand in yours. “But I’m sorry if I’ve made you feel insecure. I know I’ve been acting different for a while and it wasn’t fair to you. I guess I just haven’t been dealing with my trauma very well.”

“That’s not your fault. You don’t need to feel bad about how you grieve.” He reached up to tuck a lock of hair behind your ear, a soft expression on his face.

“I haven’t been grieving at all - that’s the problem. It’s like my emotions have been shut off.” You sighed, shutting your eyes as his hand moved to caress your cheek. “I can’t keep hiding in my room forever. I need to move on.”

When you opened your eyes again, Taehyung was watching you carefully with his mouth pressed shut. You wished you could read his mind. There was more you wanted to say but you found it hard to find the words, so you decided to let your actions speak by leaning forward and kissing him deeply.

You could tell he hadn’t expected you to make the move by the way he froze but he quickly recovered, pulling you closer with his arms settling around your waist. You pressed yourself to him as he leaned against the bookshelf. This was the most hot and heavy you had ever been in public and you could tell he was enjoying it, not wanting to part from you for even a second.

When you did eventually pull away, you felt brave enough to ask, “Will you meet me at my house later?”

You felt him tense up in shock yet again but couldn’t see his face as you were leaning on his chest. You dared to look up and see him looking at you with wide eyes.

“I thought you wanted to stay at Haena’s.”

“I changed my mind.” You shrugged, feeling giddy as his face lit up. “You’ll protect me from any bad guys, right?”

He pulled you in again, wrapping his arms around you tightly and resting his chin on the crown of your head. You had never felt safer.

“I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Taehyung has always been careful and thoughtful about how he treated you. His touches were gentle and soft; you couldn’t imagine him hurting a fly. Maybe it was just his artsy persona but you had always known him to be a deep, considerate person. He was meticulous about every detail, whether it was his art or his life. Sometimes it seemed like he truly believed life was art; a painting that was ever-changing and inspiring.

You were a masterpiece in his eyes. Something to be cherished and never tarnished. That was why he wanted to keep you safe from the evil in the world. He knew that life had already not been fair to you. But he believed it was his job to prevent any further wrongdoings from coming into your life. He wouldn’t hesitate to destroy anyone who would even try to cause you harm.

It was when you were laid out on your bed looking like an angel, Taehyung felt like he was truly going to Hell. Surely God was coming for him because he had stolen an angel and kept her all to himself. You had given yourself up to him and you didn’t know it yet but he would never let you go. How could he?

The only word to describe it was heaven. Having you in his arms like this, touching parts of you his hands had never dared to before - it was pure bliss. He wanted to stay like this forever. There was nothing out there for either of you. Everything you both needed was right here, in each other’s arms.

He had lost count of how many times he made you come undone before he had even entered you. This wasn’t his first time but it may as well have been with the way he struggled to not fall apart almost immediately. You were his weakness and at the same time you were the only thing keeping him together most of the time. He didn’t care how old you both were - you were it for him.

You had always imagined your first time would be like a dream, full of romantic candles and roses. The reality of it was much different, more natural, and yet you found it to be better than you could have ever imagined. You felt like one of Taehyung’s paintings as his lips and fingertips caressed you everywhere, molding you into one of his perfect creations. You were his muse and you had never felt so beautiful.

It was a night of passion and love; the perfect embodiment of your relationship. Whatever rocky period you had been going through before was long gone and you almost couldn’t believe you had ever wanted to delay this. This was where you needed to be. You knew you probably sounded like a naive teenager, but you didn’t want to think of anyone else in this way ever. You only wanted Taehyung.

“I’ll always love you, YN. I’ll never leave you.”

*****

The next day, you were on your way to your locker when you spied Haena waiting for you. You tried to act indifferent to Haena’s wide eyes looking you up and down as you approached her. It was as if she was trying to find some kind of visible evidence on you.

“So?” You knew she wanted to know what happened last night, but you weren’t ready to spill so soon.

“So... what?” You acted ignorant as you opened up your locker, reaching for your math textbook.

“Oh come on, I’m dying here! Spill.”

“Okay, okay.” Laughter bursted out of you, your resolve crumbling before you could even try to build it up. “We, uh... did it.”

“More details, please.” She rolled her eyes at your vagueness.

“It was really sweet. He made us a nice dinner and then we...” You cringed, not knowing how to talk about it without sounding corny. “I don’t know how to describe it.”

“Well, did it hurt? Did you come?” You nodded to both questions honestly and her eyebrows raised as she became more intrigued. “How many times?”

When she saw you counting on your fingers higher and higher, she blew a low whistle. “God damn. Good for you, girl.”

“I feel like he set the bar pretty high. Is it always like this or is he just really talented?”

“Well, it depends. Jungkook is usually pretty good but sometimes he’s too drunk or lazy and then I end up doing most of the work myself.”

You pursed your lips in thought, “Doesn’t he go down on you before?”

Her eyes widened as she opened her mouth in shock, “Can I borrow him?”

You smacked her on the arm as she laughed, linking arms with you as you both made your way to class.

“Oh, by the way, Jungkook’s having a party at his house later.” She mentioned nonchalantly as she popped her gum in her mouth.

“What about curfew?”

She shrugged, “I don’t think they’re being too strict about it. It’s probably safer that we’re all together anyway.”

You still looked convinced, so she added, “But if you’re really worried, we can just stay over at his place. His parents are out of town.”

“Does your dad know?” You glanced at her curiously.

“God, no,” she laughed, shaking her head. “He’s working a night shift so he’ll be busy patrolling. And I’ll just tell my mom we’re staying at yours.”

“Okay. We can go.”

“Yeah?” She looked surprised, a bright smile painting her face. It was infectious as you found yourself smiling back at her and nodding. She bumped shoulders with you, wiggling her eyebrows as she leaned in, “Hmm, I like the new you. She’s fun.”

You were surprised how easy it was for you to agree to the party. Maybe last night gave you more confidence to just live a little. All you knew was the old you would have opted to stay at Haena’s for another night in and you didn’t want to be stuck in your old ways. You owed it to yourself and everyone you loved to move on.

You had foolishly fallen into a sense of false security, not necessarily forgetting about the horrors your town had been cursed with but just for once not having it in the forefront of your mind. You had felt closer to your boyfriend than ever before and now you were ready to be more adventurous. It wasn’t until later in the day did that bubble of excitement pop.

When the classroom door opened to reveal Sheriff Lee, the students around you immediately began whispering to each other conspiringly. You wondered what it could be this time around as he whispered something to the teacher before turning back to face front with a serious expression. Your teacher’s eyes landed on you as she waved her hand, “YN.”

Everyone around you hushed as you gathered your things with shaking hands, making your way to the front of the room quickly. The air out in the hallway felt different, less suffocating. It somewhat helped your rising anxiety.

One look at Sheriff Lee gave you a new perspective of this man who had practically raised you. He wasn’t that old, only early 50s, but the stress he had put under with his profession had aged him. He had tired bags under his eyes, worry lines on his forehead, and sprouting grays here and there. He had always been handsome and you could tell he would continue to age like wine. But that didn’t change how sad it made you to see him in this state.

“YN, I’m afraid I have some bad news. There was a report of a car that wrecked on the side of the road just outside of town.” He spoke slowly as he relayed the information, the consideration from him not lost on you. You were trying to process it all while still not understanding why he was telling you this. “It was your dad’s car.”

Your heart stopped as you clutched your school bag in your hand. Thoughts were going wild in your head as your breathing became erratic. You didn’t know what any of this meant.

“What, um... is he dead?” Your tongue felt disconnected like your brain was just on autopilot.

“No one has seen him yet.” He sighed, a deep frown etched across his features. “I know you said he was leaving for a work trip but have you spoken to him at all since he left?”

He was aware that your father wasn’t known for contacting you at times like these, but you understood he still had to ask. “No. The last time I saw him was the night before he left.”

He nodded as if he expected that, giving you a small smile. “Well, we’ll keep looking. In the meantime, I want you to stay out of your house in case there are any clues to where he could have gone. And it’s probably safer that you’re not alone right now.”

“Okay.”

It seemed like he wanted to say more but clearly was out of his depth when it came to comforting someone. It wasn’t like he could make any promises about finding your dad because the truth was he was most likely gone. You had dealt with enough loss that you knew this feeling well. You gave him a matching small smile, albeit weak but you hoped it would appear encouraging.

“Thank you, Sheriff Lee.”

*****

School ended early that day, mostly due to the fact that half the staff had called out in fear of receiving the same fate as Principal Choi. It was strange that they even had anyone come in at all but you figured the police had already suspected the killer was at the school, thus being their best bet at finding them. Everyone was on edge as if Ghostface was still lurking in its shadows. Which technically, he probably was.

You had already started to go through in your mind which students in your school could have done it. There were a few stronger girls in your class who could have had the physical power to do it, but they were all too nice or non confrontational. There were plenty of bully-like guys that could fit the description, but you had a hard time truly seeing any of your classmates being involved in such gruesome scenes. It’s just that all the victims had one thing in common: the high school. It only made sense that all suspicion would be pointed here.

Eventually, you gave up trying to figure it out because you were only going in circles in your head. The police would figure it out. Tonight was supposed to be fun and you were sure the killer wouldn’t be brave enough to attack a whole group of teenagers. There was strength in numbers and you felt safer this way.

As you and Haena made your way up the driveway, music could be heard blasting from inside. You weren’t even that late but it seems the party was already in full swing. There were a dozen football players and cheerleaders lounging in the main room when you walked in, most of them unknown to you. Haena greeted a few people in the hallway and you followed her into the kitchen as she searched for some refreshments.

“It’s about time you guys showed up,” Jungkook yelled from where he was standing by the snack table.

“I see you guys couldn’t wait to get started,” Haena eyed where Hobi was pouring beer down a funnel into Jin’s mouth.

“Well no one told you guys to arrive fashionably late,” Hobi replied, high-fiving Jin before switching places with him. Haena rolled her eyes, moving on to talk to Jungkook on the other side of the room.

“Hey, have you guys seen Taehyung?” You asked, leaning against the countertop island.

“He was in here earlier. I think he said something about going outside for a smoke,” Jin informed, not taking his eyes off where he was pouring.

You briefly wondered how you had missed him if you had just come from the outside but shrugged it off. He had to be around here somewhere. You ventured out into the main room and plopped down on the couch. The music had been turned down a bit as they were going back and forth trying to decide what movie to watch. For some reason, the genre they had settled on was horror which was in poor taste in your opinion. At least it was entertaining to hear them argue about who usually survives in a horror movie.

A hand on your shoulder startled you, looking up to see Hobi standing there with the telephone. “Phone for you.”

You held in your confusion as you got up to take the call in a quieter area. “Hello?”

“YN, it’s Namjoon.” Of all people who could be calling you, he was probably the last one you would suspect. “Are you guys okay?”

“Yes, why wouldn’t we be?”

“I’m guessing you haven’t heard yet.” He sighed and your heart thudded in your chest, unable to speak as you willed him to continue. “Sheriff Lee’s dead. They found him strung up on one of the field goals in the football field.”

You almost dropped the phone, a stuttered gasp being the only sound you could make for a moment.

“Oh god,” you finally spoke, your hand coming up to cover your mouth. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”

“Is Haena with you?” He asked quickly, trying to distract you.

“Yes.” Swallowing, you covered your other ear as the voices in the main room started getting louder. How were you supposed to tell everyone? You were surprised you were even still standing.

“Stay with her. If I were you, I wouldn’t leave that house. ”

You were still so in shock from the news about your Haena’s father that it suddenly dawned on you that he had figured out where you were without you ever telling him.

“How did you know I was here?”

“Someone reported a large gathering of students at the Jeon house on the scanner. I had a feeling you would be there.” His answer was a shock to you, not expecting anyone to know about the party as it was out on the edge of town.

“O-okay, I better go warn everyone...”

“YN?” You held in your breath as you waited for him to continue, unease crawling into your system at his pause. “Be careful.”

For him to sound so concerned for you only heightened your paranoia, quickly walking back into the main room where everyone was. Jungkook was sprawled out on the couch now along with Jin and Hobi, throwing his head back at something the latter had said. You shakily placed the phone back on the stand.

“Jungkook, I need to talk to you.” You were surprised your voice was so steady, his big eyes meeting yours as he took in your expression.

“Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” He joked, standing up to meet you behind the couch.

“Kim Namjoon just called me,” You felt your stomach flip as you held the back of the couch for support. “Sheriff Lee was murdered.”

You had tried to be discreet about it but your shock must have garnered enough attention, gasps sounding around the room as they all picked up on what you had revealed.

“Holy shit, I’m getting out of here.”

There was a chorus of responses as people started to make themselves scarce, clearly not in the mood for a party anymore. The only ones that stayed were Hobi and Jin, either not concerned enough about the killer or not brave enough to leave the house. You weren’t sure which group you belonged to but you knew you had to find Haena. You looked up at Jungkook, who was staring at the carpet with a serious expression on his face and biting his lip.

“Where’s Haena?” It was like he almost didn’t hear you until you shook his shoulder. “Jungkook?”

“Um, she went to get more beer-” He blinked a few times, waving his arm behind him. “Garage.”

You walked quickly around the house, trying to find the correct door to the garage. When you finally did, it was pitch black save for some light coming in from the opened garage door. You almost turned back as it was clear there was no one in here before something made you stop. There was no noise, no movement but you felt like something was in here.

Your hand sought out the light, switching it on and blinking as it flicked a few times before brightening up the room. Your gaze flitted around, almost giving up before you saw something dark and red that made you flinch backwards.

There was a piercing scream and you felt the ground beneath you move, your ass hitting the wooden step hard. It wasn’t long before thundering steps came behind you, stopping as they hit your back. Your ears, seemingly filled with water with how muted everything seemed, caught a few more gasps and screams. Hands gripped you under your armpits, pulling you up over the steps and back into the hallway.

After that, everything was a blur of commotion. You were vaguely aware of people yelling around you but it wasn’t until Hobi crouched down, waving his hand in front of your face that you felt alert again.

“I think she’s in shock,” He relayed to the others.

“YN?” Taehyung’s voice sounded from the other end of the hallway, his expression bewildered as he approached quickly. “I heard screaming.”

“Jesus, where have you been Tae?” Jin asked.

“Having a smoke,” Hobi moved out of the way so Taehyung could kneel before you, bringing his hands to your cheeks and analyzing your face closely. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“Haena...”

“Go find Jungkook,” Tae instructed the older two.

Hobi groaned, “Why do we have to keep splitting up? This is what the killer wants!”

Jin smacked him behind his head, angling his head towards your shell shocked figure. “Shut up, would you?”

The two of them walked off, bickering quietly as they went. Taehyung sat with you silently as you stayed in the same position, wiping away any tears that escaped. You stared at the floor as your mind raced with a million thoughts, not a single one sticking long enough for you to linger on.

How could this happen so fast? You had just seen Haena in the kitchen talking to Jungkook. Everything was fine. You couldn’t have been gone from her for more than thirty minutes and yet so much had changed. It didn’t make any sense.

First Sheriff Lee, now Haena. The killer was getting closer. No, the killer was already here. It couldn’t have been Jungkook, Hobi, or Jin. They had all been with you.

But...

“Taehyung?” He looked up at you, surprised to hear your voice finally. He leaned in, reaching a hand out to brush your hair back but you shied away. He reared back in shock, his expression confused as he met your suspicious one.

“What?”

“You were... smoking? For thirty minutes?” Your voice was unsure as you questioned him, sounding stuffed up from all the crying.

“Yes, wh-” The sound of screaming from outside interrupted him. You shot up from your spot, running towards the front door where it came from. “Wait, YN! Don’t!”

You ignored him as you threw open the door; you needed to stop any more evil from happening. You had already lost so much in your life. Enough was enough.

The sight of Hobi’s bloody body laying on the front steps had you freezing in your tracks, feeling Taehyung’s chest collide with your back a moment later. The two of you stared in shock before you became aware of the violent tussle happening further out in the yard. It was hard to make it out but it looked like Jungkook and Jin were fighting. What the hell had happened? You were guessing this was Jungkook’s fight-or-flight response to finding out about Haena.

“Stay right here,” Taehyung spoke softly to you as he brushed past you, walking around Hobi’s battered body and approaching the two other boys with a calmness you didn’t quite understand.

The further he went out, the harder it was to make out who was who especially as they moved between bushes and trees. You felt anxious and stupid as you just stood there, your feet itching to move out and help them but not knowing if it was a smart idea.

“YN,” A voice coughed out from below you, a gasp escaping as you fell to your knees where Hobi was laying. You had been so distracted by the fight that you almost forgot he was there.

“What happened?” You asked urgently, grabbing one of his hands and squeezing.

He choked a bit, blood spraying out onto his lips and neck. “Don’t trust them.” He gave your hand one last squeeze, meeting your eyes as if to make the message stronger. You watched in concern as he closed his eyes, chest rising and falling rapidly. He was still alive but he wasn’t doing well. He needed medical care immediately.

“YN! Get inside now!” Your head flew up to see Taehyung underneath Jin, the two of them fighting over something shiny and sharp-looking between them as what looked like Jungkook was passed out next to them.

Your gaze flew back and forth from them to Hobi’s unconscious face, trying to figure out who to believe. You took a deep breath and ran back inside, locking the door behind you as you ran for the phone. You hit redial, hoping it would direct you to Namjoon. You never thought you could ever cry with relief at hearing his voice.

“YN? Are you okay?”

“Namjoon, tell the police the boys must have snapped or something, I don’t know. But Haena’s dead and we need help.” The words flew out of you so fast you weren’t even sure what all you said, hoping you got the message across as you huffed.

The line went silent at that, and you held your breath as you waited for a response. But there was nothing - just dead air.

“Hello? Namjoon?” You tried again, pulling the phone away before you realized the line was dead. Someone had cut the lines. “Shit.”

Just then, a sudden banging could be heard from the front door followed by desperate shouts of your name. You ran over to it, ready to unlock the door when you hesitated with your hand on the lock.

“Who’s there?”

“YN, let me in! Hurry!” The urgency in Jin’s voice made you throw open the door, gasping when you saw him covered in blood with a knife in his hand.

“Jin, what-”

“Don’t let him in, YN! He attacked me!” Jungkook suddenly appeared behind him, a deep cut on his cheek that hadn’t been there before.

You looked between Jungkook and Jin, trying to decipher who to believe but not finding any conclusive evidence. To be honest, when you saw them out in the yard before, it was hard to tell who had even started the fight. And now seeing them both with blood on them, you felt at a loss. All you knew was people were dying and someone had cut the phone lines. You didn’t know who you could trust.

“Fuck, I can’t.” You slammed the door as quickly as you could, locking it again. The banging and shouting continued.

“Help me! He’s gone crazy!”

You stood there for a few moments, palms still on the door as you willed your racing heart to calm down. Tonight had been nonstop crazy and you couldn’t remember the last time it was at a resting rate. Before you could turn around, a pair of hands landed on your shoulders and ruined any chance of your heartbeat slowing down any time soon. You shrieked as you turned around, not expecting to see Taehyung standing behind you.

“Shh, it’s just me.” He shushed you, putting his hands on your shoulders to calm you down.

“Wh- how did you get in here?” You hadn’t seen him outside just now.

“I came in through the back. Are you okay?” He checked over your body, fingers brushing over the visible skin on your face and arms.

“I’m fine but Tae, where have you been all night?” Your exasperated tone caught him off guard, a somber look coating his features as he regarded you. “I’m getting really freaked out.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to run off like that. I’ve just been trying to protect you.” His words didn’t make any sense but you weren’t thinking clearly enough to dissect what he meant.

The banging grew louder and Taehyung moved to open it. The roles were reversed this time as you shook your head at him, silently urging him not to let anyone in. Your fingers gripped the sleeve of his sweater anxiously. He turned to look at you, his hand coming up to cover yours on his arm.

“It’s okay. You can trust me.” He nodded at you with a small smile, and you released the breath you didn’t know you were holding.

The door swung open to reveal Jungkook standing there looking out of breath, but his face lit up when he saw you standing there with Taehyung. A grin broke out across his face, “The gang’s all here!”

You could only watch in confusion as Jungkook stepped in in the same move that Taehyung backed you up with him. Jungkook shut the door behind him looking gleeful as ever. You looked at Taehyung who had a serious look on his face but you recognized a glint of something in his eye, almost like he had just won a bet or something.

“What’s going on?” You asked, stepping back cautiously from them. The energy had changed drastically and you didn’t like it one bit.

Taehyung eyed you like you were a scared animal, holding his hands out as if to placate you. His gaze was locked on yours and you almost felt like he could read your thoughts, anticipating your next move before you could even do it.

“Surprise, YN.” Jungkook smirked at you, looking far too elated right now to have just lost his girlfriend.

Your eyes flitted back and forth between the two of them before you spun around, racing toward the kitchen to find something you could defend yourself with. Although you had no proof, you knew it was them. Taehyung and Jungkook were the killers. You didn’t have time to feel heartbroken and betrayed. Your only thought right now was survival.

Before you could get far, arms wrapped around your waist and yanked you back towards a firm chest. You eyed the knife block longingly - so close. Taehyung held you tightly to his front, turning the two of you around so you were backed up against the counter. Jungkook leered from across the room looking like a dangerous predator.

“Why are you doing this?” You cried, hot tears streaming down your face.

“I already told you. I’m protecting you.” Taehyung explained as if it was the most obvious thing.

“By killing all my family and friends? You’re fucking crazy!” Your voice grew louder, unable to feel shy about getting angry despite being caught in a murderer’s arms.

Taehyung was a murder. Your soft, loving, artsy boyfriend was a cold-blooded killer. This was a nightmare; this couldn’t be real.

“Yes, I am crazy, but only for you. I would do anything for you, YN.”

“You’ll never get away with this.”

Jungkook chuckled, “Tell that to Min Yoongi. You wouldn’t believe how easy he was to frame.”

“What did you have against my brother?” There was a lot to unpack here but this was the question you had been wondering for a whole year.

“Your brother wasn’t the picture perfect star quarterback everyone believed him to be. He had a bad habit of date raping girls from other schools, including my cousin.” Taehyung answered for you, the lack of eye contact with him making him hard to read if what he was saying was true.

“You’re lying,” You hissed, trying desperately to break out of his arms.

“Why are you defending him? He was never nice to you.” Jungkook reminded you, his eyes calculating and cold. “Face it, YN. Your brother was a bad apple who got what was coming to him.”

“What do you have to gain from this?”

“Well, naturally, I wanted his spot on the team.” He grinned at you, flashing a perfect set of teeth. “It wasn’t hard for Taehyung to convince me once I realized what a piece of shit he was.”

“And Haena?” You glared at Jungkook. “How could you kill your own girlfriend?”

“I can’t take credit for that,” He nodded towards Taehyung behind you and you felt your body go still. “You saw me. I was here the whole night.”

“Wrong place, wrong time.” Taehyung added, leaning his head on the space between your shoulder and your neck. “But I won’t lie. I hated sharing her with you all the time.”

“You’re okay with him murdering your girlfriend?”

“I liked Haena but she didn’t get me. She didn’t get you either.” Jungkook approached the two of you slowly, dark gaze zeroed in on your anguished expression. He reached out to caress your face, causing you to tense up as Taehyung straightened behind you. “You’re too good for her.”

“Jungkook.” Taehyung’s voice was rough as he motioned with his head towards another part of the kitchen. The two shared some sort of unspoken communication as something dawned on the other boy.

“Oh yeah! We got a surprise for you, YN.” Jungkook’s voice grew louder and more excited as he walked towards the hallway closet door. “You’re gonna love this. It’s a scream, baby.”

It didn’t take him long to retrieve what he was looking for, your eyes almost bulging out of your head as you saw who it was. “Dad!” He was tied up with tape around his mouth and a nasty cut on his forehead.

“See, YN? We got it all figured out, don’t worry.” Jungkook began, pulling the knife from his pants and stuffing it in your dad’s belt. “The cops are already onto him and now the evidence is all over him. Just one more thing to do.”

Leaving you no time to react, Jungkook pulled a gun from behind his pants and aimed it right at your father’s head, shooting him dead. You couldn’t help the scream that tore out of your lungs. You felt cold all over, like your body had disconnected from your brain. Vaguely, you registered Taehyung’s arms holding you steady as your knees buckled.

“He deserved it, YN.” Taehyung spoke so plainly about the murder of your father like it was just a harmless prank he had pulled, “He didn’t appreciate what he had. Deep down, we all know he blamed you for being the one that survived. He never loved you the way a father should.”

The harsh reality of his words hurt. It was like he was looking into your soul, into your deepest darkest feelings that you had tried to keep down for so long.

“We did you a favor.” Jungkook added, his dark stare penetrating you where you stood behind the kitchen island. “And he makes the perfect suspect, triggered by your brothers’ death anniversary, then goes on a killing spree and finally kills himself with the sheriff’s gun. It’s like it was meant to be.”

These two were insane, no doubt about it. They had seen too many scary movies and now they felt like they were invincible. You could practically feel the adrenaline running through Taehyung’s veins.

“And now what? I’m next?”

“Of course not,” Taehyung laughed, switching you around so that he cornered you into the kitchen counter. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to your forehead, ignoring your deep cringe. “This has all been for you, baby.”

“Now, we finish what we started.”

Faster than you could blink, Taehyung swung at Jungkook, causing him to keel over. Red started pooling through the side of his shirt as he coughed into his hand, staining it with blood. You couldn’t believe your eyes.

“Tae, what the fuck?” Jungkook grunted, holding his side as he looked up at Taehyung in shock.

“I changed my mind. I don’t need a sidekick anymore.” Taehyung sneered, a venomous look on his face. “Thanks for all the help, buddy.”

Jungkook fell to the kitchen floor and Taehyung moved on top of him, stabbing him a few more times for good measure. In his bloodlust frenzy, he failed to notice that he had turned his back on you. Not only that, but the gun in Jungkook’s hand was now within reach of you.

You wasted no time in falling to your knees to grab it, quickly standing up and aiming it at the back of his head. Taehyung froze, still not facing you but somehow already figuring out his mistake. It was a foolish move on his part but he wasn’t exactly thinking clearly.

“Don’t move.” You spoke clearly, trying to keep your hand steady.

He didn’t listen to you though, moving slowly and carefully as he got off of Jungkook. He turned around with his hands raised, eyes wide as he stared at you. “YN, don’t do anything you’ll regret.”

“I said don’t move!” You yelled, your fingers trembling. You had never even held a gun before and now here you were aiming it at the love of your life.

“I know you don’t understand right now but you have to know: I did it all for you. So that we could be closer. I never meant to hurt you.” The sight of him inching further set you off, giving you the motivation you needed to pull the trigger.

“Goodbye, Taehyung.” You closed your eyes, not wanting to see the image of the light draining from his eyes.

It was over.

*****

Months later, you were relieved to find that life had seemed to calm down after that horrible night full of evil and bloodshed. You had suffered and lost so many people you loved. Much like a year before, only this time you felt somewhat hopeful for the future. Death couldn’t follow you around anymore like a bad curse; the evil was dead and gone from your life. It was the only thing keeping you going.

That and having a positive influence in your life, like for example Namjoon. He was the first to find you there at the Jeon house after getting your phone call but never receiving your message due to the phones being tampered with. You were lying on the kitchen floor, covered in blood and still in shock over everything. He had been so helpful, urging you to call 911 on his cell phone while he checked to see if Hobi and Jin were still somehow alive - which by some miracle, they were. They had sustained serious injuries and were lucky to be alive, each spending quite some time in the hospital and then physical therapy after that. You visited them almost every day.

It had been hard, dealing with the survivor’s guilt. Losing your entire family, best friend, and boyfriend (even though he had been the cause of it all) had done some serious damage to your mental health. And despite all the therapy you had been receiving and would continue to receive, you knew it would never completely be healed. But that was okay. In your mind, you deserved some kind of scar from the whole ordeal since you hadn’t suffered any physical injuries. Several of your friends were dead or badly hurt - you could deal with it if not for yourself, then for them.

The best part about it was being able to exonerate Yoongi. To finally be able to see some emotion from him on the day the judge ruled him not guilty had been life changing. Yoongi had always been such a calm guy and never blamed you for the year of his life wasted behind bars. You wanted desperately to make it up for him but didn’t know how you possibly could. Namjoon assured you that you had done enough but the guilt never seemed to go away.

Namjoon and you had started to develop more of a friendly relationship, something you had never expected to come out of this. But after all the conflict was gone, it was much easier to see each other’s point of view. And the truth was, he had always been right.

“Got any plans this weekend?” Namjoon asked as he poured some sugar into his coffee before taking a sip.

“Not sure,” you began, taking a breath as you thought it over. “I got invited to an end-of-year party but I’m not sure if I should go. Feels too soon.”

“Oh, you should definitely go. It’s not as soon as you think.” He responded encouragingly, sounding like a big brother.

“I just don’t see what there’s to celebrate about.” You shrugged, meeting his gaze.

“There’s plenty to celebrate! How about surviving a tragic murder spree, exonerating an innocent man, finishing up a school year?” You didn’t look convinced, so he tried again, “Come on, I think it would be good for you to get out. You shouldn’t stay in that big house by yourself all the time.”

“You sound like my therapist.” You rolled your eyes at him, stirring the tea in your cup mindlessly.

“Well, you sound like a petulant child.” He chuckled.

You opened your mouth to retort, eyes flying up to look at him when something in the distance caught your eye. Your body felt cold, frozen up as you stared at the familiar figure. Dark black mop of hair covered his face, baggy sweater and jeans on his frame. You blinked a few times but he didn’t move at all. It didn’t make any sense.

“YN? What is it?” Namjoon waved a hand in your face, distracting you from whatever it was you just saw.

“Huh?” You asked, blinking at Namjoon before glancing back at where he stood before. Only now, there was nobody in sight. You cleared your throat as your gaze fell back on the man before you, “Uh, nothing.”

“You looked like you saw a ghost.” He laughed, eyebrows furrowing at you in a concerned manner.

“Yeah, right.” You shook your head. There was no such thing.

I’ll always love you, YN. I’ll never leave you.

*****

A/N: i'm baaaack! ngl i'm proud of myself for getting this one done bc it was a whopper. i really hoped you liked it! scream is one of my fave scary movies so i've always wanted to make an AU for it. ty for reading and pls lmk what you think!!

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koqabear · 2 years

Text

Only You, Darling.

♡Playlist♡

Love is a sweet, fragile thing. Never a thing that should be forced or manipulated— but they just can’t help it. You’re so sweet and pliant, a perfect angel that falls into their every trick with ease. Love can never be forced— but it can be molded into the perfect puzzle piece, ready to fit into theirs with ease.

beomgyu, yeonjun x reader, ft. Soobin & Jaemin of NCT.

genre: yandere, f2l, s2l, psychological horror, thriller, slowburn, angst fluff...? smut

Word Count:43.8K

Warnings:cursing, mentions of food/alcohol, unrequited love, pining, possessiveness, overprotectiveness, jealousy, mc is oblivious/trusting, hacking, stalking/harassment, toxic relationships, infidelity, lying, manipulation, brief sickness, nausea, mc cries a lot (for good reasons…) tracking, panic attacks, mc gets super paranoid n stressed, threats, arguing, violence, weapons, blood, injuries, MCD, subspace (not explicitly named), unhealthy (and healthy…?) coping mechanisms, power imbalance, recurring nightmares, hallucinations, PTSD, forced isolation, Stockholm syndrome (?), guilt tripping, use of collars, brief starvation, choking, guns, vomiting. Smut warnings:fingering, protected sex, voyeurism (non-consensual), masturbation, use of blindfolds, oral (fem rec.) multiple orgasms, threesome, degradation, praise, teasing, unprotected sex, creampie, sloppy seconds, overstimulation, rough sex. Notes: give it up for the absolute failure that was me trying to release this yesterday. A special thank you to all my readers who remained patient with my bs, I love you all. (ps, the playlist songs are in order!)

This story contains dark themes. Read at your own discretion. This story is purely for entertainment purposes, and do not reflect the idols true morals or character.

No matter what they say— I’ll never meet another you.

Yeonjun was impossibly in love with you.

Simple old you, his childhood friend that managed to stick with him through all the ups and downs. Who put up with his antics, and always managed to trail behind him despite his intense popularity and the attention that was always on him— something that you’ve never been particularly fond of yourself. (At least, that’s what you said, despite your magnetic personality.)

It was a wonder to him, how you still allowed him to follow you around, sticking to you like glue, unable to keep his eyes off you. Just like now— you had yet to look up from your phone, oblivious to the world around you as you nodded along to whatever song was blasting in your headphones.

God, you were so cute. It was a thought Yeonjun always found himself thinking; yet, despite his longing glances and soft smiles that always remained plastered whenever he was around you, you never noticed a thing— and maybe that made him like you a little bit more.

“___,” he said, smiling softly as you had yet to notice him, still lost in whatever it was you had been looking at. He frowned, irked at your lack of attention as he leaned forward, chest pressing against the wood of the library’s table as he tried again. Your name slipped past him once more in a gentle voice, his eyes boring into your skin as he waited for you to respond.

Nothing.

“___.” He watched the way you jumped in your seat, eyes wide as you finally looked up at Yeonjun. The said boy leans back, huffing harshly as he watches you hastily pause your music, pulling your headphones out your ears as you sheepishly look at him.

“Sorry, I didn’t notice you,” you admit, gaze downcast from the way he narrows his eyes at you, annoyed at how long it took you to pay attention to him. He doesn’t believe you, and you can see it on his face as he raises a brow at you, arms crossed as he tilts his head.

“I’m serious, jun! I just thought it was another person who wanted to sit here,” you pout, fiddling nervously with your headphones as you try your best to meet his gaze. He can only scoff at that, rolling his eyes as he looks off into a random section of books— he’s afraid that he might give in if you look at him like that any longer.

“You need to be more aware of your surroundings,” Yeonjun warned, finally setting aside his anger as he looks back at you, the familiar teasing making you shake your head in amusement, “you could’ve been in danger.”

“Yeah right,” it’s your turn to scoff as you begin to put away your things that had been scattered all along the desk— you had been trying to take a break from studying, but the moment you reached for your phone, it had all been over for you.

“Like anything interesting would happen to me,” you mused, unaware of the way Yeonjun could only frown at the thought. Your head snapped up at the sound of him standing, the frown still etched on his features as he reached to take your bag from you, slinging it over his shoulders before you could complain. Taking your hand, he leads you out of the library, fingers laced tightly with yours as he scolds you on your way out.

“You never know,” he says, pulling you closer at the very thought. Rolling your eyes, you bump your shoulder with his, a silent reassurance as you allow him to lead you along the campus, probably leading you back to the small diner where the two of you had spent most of your life.

Yeonjun had been with you longer than you could remember— you were practically childhood friends. You had always found him by your side throughout all of middle and high school, always in the background of your memories despite you never really talking to him much. He was always entangled within your friend groups, and before you knew it, the large circle of people quickly dwindled to just the two of you as everyone went their separate ways— leaving the nice coincidence of you attending the same college as him.

With nothing left but the familiar face that was Yeonjun, it was inevitable that the two of you would end up so close; you had always found yourself coming back to him when in need of comfort, the itch to find a reminder of the small hometown you both moved away from leading straight to him— and he welcomed you with open arms each time.

To you, Yeonjun was like home. He was warm and comforting, a reminder that you always had something safe and protective to come back to. He was the greatest friend you could ask for.

And he hated it.

He resented the label silently, always being bitterly pushed aside whenever a new guy would find interest in you. He wishes for nothing more than for you to rid him of the chains you’ve trapped him in, restricting him from ever allowing you to see a future with him.

He wishes you could see him as something more than a friend, but he would never admit it to you; he could never imagine losing you— the very thought made him sick to his stomach.

So instead, he allowed himself to wallow in shame on the sidelines, left with nothing but a constant reminder that you would never see him in a different light.

-♡♡♡-

Beomgyu was also impossibly in love with you.

He loves everything about you, from the small ticks you get when you’ve been sitting for too long, to the way you twirl your hair in your fingers when you concentrate. You’re perfect in every way, a gorgeous angel put in his path to pull him away from the dark corners of his restless mind.

He knows exactly when it all began— unlike Yeonjun, who still seems to be in denial of his feelings. You were always so sweet to him, a regular at the library he worked at, the endless piles of books you would take back and forth allowing him to strike up small conversations with you whenever he would check your books out. You would go home, and it wouldn’t be long until Beomgyu would see you coming back in.

If he was lucky enough, you would spend hours in the library, pouring endlessly over essays and assignments that never seemed to end with you, your figure always hunched over your trusty computer— that was where Beomgyu got his first opening.

“No no no, this can’t be happening,” you’re muttering quietly to yourself, tucked away in a secluded corner of the library, hands frantically hovering over the keyboard as you try to fix your computer, which froze before you could save your essay. You’re practically on the verge of tears, the frustration building up inside you so intensely as you slide a finger hopelessly on the mousepad, the last inkling of hope fading inside you as a frozen screen is all you get in return.

Beomgyu is a witness to it all— what started as an innocent favor to reshelve books quickly became an excuse to see you, inevitably rooted to the spot as he watched you peacefully work all alone— he always saw you with other people on campus, so to be able to see you alone like this, was much more personal to him.

He frowned, watching the way you’re practically pulling your hair out—his heart is pounding against his chest, and before he can overthink things, he’s approaching you shyly.

“Hey, is everything okay?”

You’re caught off guard at the sudden question, your head snapping up as you’re met with the sight of the cute librarian that you always see here— well, this is embarrassing. You’re reluctant as you explain your situation, brushing it off with a laugh as you solemnly glance back at your computer— with a wince, you notice the way the screen turns black.

“I know my way around computers pretty well. Maybe I could fix it?”

Those words really shouldn’t have gotten your hopes up as much as they did, but you couldn’t help it, not with the way this cute worker is offering his services, his eyes that shine under his glasses shyly flitting away as you lean towards him eagerly.

“Really?” A part of you can’t help but be naive as he nods, but the stubborn skepticism inside you crawls back out as you lean back in your chair, eyeing him warily as you ask, “How much will you charge?”

“Ah, no— I won’t charge you, really…” you’re sold on his words— if it doesn’t work, then you’ll go to an actual professional. But for now, you’re motioning to the chair across from you, watching as he quickly glances around the area before he sits down, hesitant in his movements.

Slowly, you hand your laptop to him, watching his every move as you patiently wait for him to do his thing. You can’t understand what he’s doing, but you’re oddly convinced as his eyes narrow at the sight of your device, already focused on his task as he goes quiet. He doesn’t even spare you a glance.

But what you don’t see is Beomgyu’s shaky hands and stuttering breaths— he’s nervous. He can feel your stare on him, and it’s making this simple task seem impossible to him. Your eyes are curious as you watch him, and he can’t help but be endeared at the sight. He’s peeking at you from the corner of his eye, brain short-circuiting at the fact that he has all of your attention on him, and only him.

You're looking away at the sound of your phone buzzing on the table, and Beomgyu can’t help but frown at the way your face lights up entirely at the sight of the caller ID. He wishes he had more self-restraint, but he can’t help it as he listens to your hushed whispers on the phone, watching as you lean back in your chair and speak fondly into the phone.

“Hi junie,” you greet, your voice sweet and affectionate at the nickname. Yeonjun. Beomgyu frowns as he realizes who you were talking to.

The man was always with you— even when you would come into the library alone, it wouldn’t be long before Yeonjun would be walking in, eager eyes searching for your figure before he clung to you helplessly. It annoyed Beomgyu to no end— seeing him there, with you, allowing himself to be as touchy and as clingy as he pleased while you sat oblivious to it all.

On days when he came in to interrupt your studies, Beomgyu would quickly find himself in the back offices, doing boring paperwork to get away from the sight. He would grit his teeth and wouldn’t come out of the secluded space until half an hour passed; that was usually how much longer you would stay whenever the annoying man would appear.

And he would check out your books, as usual— but he would remain silent, lips pressed in a fine line as he would watch the way Yeonjun would try to consume all your attention, stealing any precious time he might have had with you.

“Yeah, I am,” you replied, your leg beginning to bounce softly as you spoke on the phone— one of your habits Beomgyu always took note of. “No, I didn’t see it. My computer froze, what’d you send?”

Beomgyu was on autopilot by now, your computer already restarting as he saw your account— you didn’t have a password set up.

So naive, he frowns, and before he can second guess his actions, he’s logging into your account.

This is wrong, Beomgyu thinks, the thought a small ripple in the grand expanse of his mind as he sidetracks from checking to see if you had any viruses— and goes straight to the notification that pops up.

He shouldn’t be doing this— you’re right there… he reminds himself, but a quick glance at you and he sees that you’re too distracted to see what he’s doing. You’re still on the phone, your voice barely making a sound as you stare out the window, seemingly searching for something.

Or rather, someone. Beomgyu realizes bitterly. And with that surge of anger, he clicks on the file that has been shared with you.

It’s nothing special— some pictures from a vacation you took, he assumes. But at that moment, Beomgyu is sitting so close to you, yet he feels as though you’re miles away from him, practically unreachable as you continue to smile sweetly at your conversation, your eyes crinkling cutely.

And as he scrolls through them slowly, he finds himself frowning at the sight. Most— if not all— of the pictures are riddled with Yeonjun. Truly, what could he have possibly expected? But something about seeing you, happy and energetic—your skin practically glowing as pictures of you on the beach and tropical areas riddle the folder— makes him seethe.

Because there’s no doubt that it was him alongside you all along. And all those pictures of you, dressed in flowy garments and revealing summer clothes, were taken by him. He’s in some of them, pulling you close in each one without fail. If Beomgyu hadn’t known any better, he would’ve even thought that you two were together.

“Oh, you’re here? I’m in the back of the library, by the historical section,” you say, and Beomgyu is quick to exit out of the folder, his fingers twitching as he catches sight of a picture of you and Yeonjun, your eyes shut tightly and a grin on your face as Yeonjun plants a firm kiss on your cheek, the setting sun behind you casting a glow on your figures.

He’s back to his task as he does a quick check through your computer— seeing if any sketchy files have been downloaded, or if you had any viruses. Sure enough, he finds some, but it’s nothing out of the ordinary as he takes quick care of it, placing protective measures on your computer as he tries to get the album of pictures out of his mind.

But for some reason, he can’t. And it becomes even harder to do so when he hears footsteps coming his way, your figure perking up as you wave him over happily. It’s hard to forget, and it’s even harder to ignore the burning stare that he feels on his back as the man walks closer. Beomgyu doesn’t bother looking up, but he knows that Yeonjun is looking down at him curiously, and he can practically hear the question that is running through the man’s mind.

Who was he? Why did he have your laptop?

“He’s fixing my laptop,” you grin, eyes shining under the lights of the building as you look up at Yeonjun from where you sit. It’s instant, the way Yeonjun’s face changes as his attention is brought onto you, a smile tugging at his lips as he nods in understanding.

“I see,” Yeonjun hums, but it’s a wonder how you don’t notice the blatant dislike in his eyes as they flick back to Beomgyu. Yeonjun shifts, now looking over Beomgyu’s shoulder as he watches his actions closely, not bothering to hide his skepticism as he asks, “So what’d you find?”

“Couple of viruses, nothing too harmful,” Beomgyu responds quickly, beginning to explain what happened to your laptop. He knows neither of you understands what he’s saying, his complex terms lost on your heads as he tries to not laugh at the way you feign complete understanding as you nod along politely.

“I’ve also installed some protection software and adblockers, so hopefully that should help,” he adds, glancing up to see you grinning happily at him— at him, for once. You’re looking straight into his eyes, and Beomgyu can’t help the way he feels a childlike bashfulness take over him, a shaky hand slowly closing the laptop before he’s sliding it back to you.

“You should really add a password to it, by the way. I’m sorry I got into your account, but I promise I didn’t look through anything,” you don’t even second guess his words, and Beomgyu wishes he could feel guilt for his actions. But when Yeonjun is already beginning to whisk you away, any remorse he may have felt is quickly swept away.

It happens so quickly, and Beomgyu is alone again before he knows it.

-♡♡♡-

“That guy from the library— do you know him?”

You currently stand in line at a boba shop as you stare up at the menu, snapped out of your daze at Yeonjun’s words. Reluctantly, you glance away from the endless options to meet your friend's eyes, sending him a confused look as you take in just how serious he was.

“Not really… We‘re not like, friends, I guess. But I always see him when I go to the library, and we’ve talked a couple of times. Why?”

Yeonjun wishes you would stop being so trusting of strangers— it was one of the things that always kept him on guard whenever you hung out together. He resists the urge to run a hand through his hair at your words, already feeling his stress spike up from your confession.

“So you just let that random guy go through your laptop like that?” Yeonjun says, unable to hide his frustration. You’re surprised, eyes widening as he suddenly snaps at you— why would he be so worked up about this? Sure, you took a risk trusting him like that, but it all turned out well in the end; free of charge, too.

“I mean, he fixed it, didn’t he?” You retaliate, stepping forward as another person finishes their order, “Plus, it’s not like I have anything worth seeing or stealing on there— and I was right there the whole time, watching him.”

You can tell he’s still irritated by the situation, but you’re quick to ignore him as you turn to the worker to give her your order, blocking out Yeonjun’s persistent stare.

He would never admit it, but the only thing that bothered him was the sight of you wholeheartedly trusting a stranger— plus, the sight of another man sitting across from you so comfortably spiked Yeonjun’s heart rate for a second. He can tell that you’re annoyed with him as you pay for your order, not even bothering to argue with his offer to pay for you as you go pick out a table to sit at.

He’s left alone for a moment, and as Yeonjun absentmindedly orders his usual, he can’t help but think back to the way the man sitting across from you seemed to be in awe of your very presence, his sweet gestures and shy demeanor telling Yeonjun everything he needed to know.

A sudden urge to visit you at the library more often hits him.

-♡♡♡-

Yeonjun has always been too ambitious for his own good— Beomgyu is quick to realize this.

He’s a selfish man, always wanting you for himself yet never really making a move in fear of losing you— he’s a coward. His hard work will chalk up to nothing if all he can bring himself to do is follow you around like an idiot.

The sight has always been quite funny to Beomgyu. The boy has never been secretive about his feelings for you, yet you’re still painfully oblivious— Beomgyu likes to think you’re only pretending, and you don’t like the boy back— but he knows it’s not an act; that’s just how you are.

You’re oblivious to the world around you; you have yet to become aware of the boy in your ten am class that always itches to sit near you— of course, you’re also painfully unaware of the way Beomgyu shares this class with you, and uses it as an advantage to be able to watch you peacefully, away from any interruptions as he sits a few rows behind you.

The boy in your ten am class is itching to sit near you again. But this time, something’s different; Beomgyu frowns deeply as he watches the boy approach you. Beomgyu watches from afar, watching the way the boy meekly points to the seat next to you— he grits his teeth when you nod happily.

Honestly, Beomgyu shouldn’t be one to judge— he can’t bring himself to come up to you either. But he still allows himself to be pissed as he watches the two of you begin to talk; it’s even worse when you laugh softly, beginning to get friendlier as you lean into him.

The class is ruined. Beomgyu can’t bring himself to process a word that’s said by his professor, his eyes inevitably trailing back to your figure as he feels another surge of annoyance go through him at the sight of the boy next to you leaning in to whisper something— you laugh softly at his words.

And even when class ends, Beomgyu is quick to notice the way the boy still lingers around you; Jaemin, his name was. The sudden memory of who he was hits him, and it isn’t long before he’s walking out of class, accidentally trailing the two of you as he watches you continue your conversations happily.

He’s surprised to find Jaemin still stuck by your side by the time he spots Yeonjun in the distance— and is even more surprised to find you warming up to the man beside you so quickly. You’re playful… flirtatious, even. And with that single thought, Beomgyu feels his stomach twist harshly.

And he knows he’s not the only one who feels this way; he’s fallen behind, watching from afar as Yeonjun’s body language shifts at the sight of you with yet another man— he’s stiff, rigid almost, his eyes hardening as he watches Jaemin input his number into your phone. But he’s left powerless, forced to watch as Jaemin takes a step closer to your heart than he ever will.

You’re slow to notice him; that’s the final nail in the coffin. You seem to be quite reluctant to leave Jaemin, Yeonjun notes bitterly. He can almost taste the bitterness on his tongue as he watches the way you smile sweetly to your classmate, waving him goodbye before you’re turning back to him, the dreamy look in your eye rooting Yeonjun to the spot.

A look that you’ll never direct to him.

“He seems nice,” Yeonjun offhandedly comments, and he watches with regret as you curl up shyly at his words, your eyes sparkling as you bat at his arm playfully.

“Yeah, I’ve had a crush on him since forever,” you’re whispering the words, but it all sounds deafening to him as he watches the way you giggle at your own sentence. “I can’t believe he came up to me. And he gave me his number!”

Even from a distance, Beomgyu can tell that you’ve said something that has broken the boy beside you— but oddly enough, it only serves to brighten up his day a little.

“Are we still on to try out that new restaurant tomorrow?” A small part of Yeonjun hopes that you’ll still have him as a priority in his heart. But when he sees you throw him an apologetic smile, he can’t bring himself to be surprised.

“He asked me out on a date,” you say, sincerely apologetic as you watch the way your friend slumps down at your words. You’re quick to console him, grabbing onto his hand as you hold it tightly between your own, looking into his eyes as you say, “I promise I’ll make it up to you. Rain check?”

“Rain check,” Yeonjun reluctantly grits out, unable to ignore the way his heart softens at the way you happily thank him, continuing your ramblings on how excited you are to finally have a shot with the cute boy in your ten am class.

Beomgyu was right— because even now, as you go on about what outfits you could wear tomorrow, all Yeonjun can think of is how he can turn all your attention back on him.

-♡♡♡-

Yeonjun always thought of himself as a patient man.

Hell, he’s had to deal with his love for you for years— and he’s still hopeful for a happy ending.

Yet, he’s not sure if he can go on playing the long game. Countless attempts to woo you have always failed, so to see you wrapped around Jaemin’s finger so quickly makes him blinded with rage. It’s pathetic; Yeonjun knows this. Yet he’s unable to move on— it’s impossible for him, and despite his past attempts to get you out of his head, it’s plain to see that he’ll always come back to you.

Even now, when you spot Yeonjun as you pass along the sidewalk, and can only shoot him a bright smile as Jaemin pulls you along to the restaurant you mentioned the boy would take you to yesterday.

You’re too oblivious for your own good, Yeonjun thinks sadly, shaking his head at the fact that you didn’t even bother questioning why he might be in the area, most likely chalking it all up to coincidence— it wasn’t as if he had any malicious intentions, right?

That’s what he’d like to think, but as he lingers in front of the restaurant, able to spot your figure easily as you’re finally seated, he can’t seem to ignore the anger and jealousy that’s directed towards the man across from you.

And that would make two.

Because Beomgyu has spotted Yeonjun, the shopping bag from the bookstore crinkling tightly in his hand as he finally spots what the man might be looking at— the anger only rises more when he takes in the audacity Yeonjun has to continue to follow you around.

His walk home is ruined. His steps are brisk and his jaw ticks with every thought that sends him back to the scene.

What a brute, Beomgyu thinks to himself, tossing his bag aside roughly as he enters his apartment. His whole mood has been ruined, because now he realized that he has not one, but two obstacles in the way of you.

There is never a moment when you’re alone. It’s a thought that sours Beomgyu’s thoughts, pacing back and forth in his room as he tries to cool down. What he would give to be able to see you, alone and at peace, for just a moment.

He paces along his desk, past his computer. Once, twice, three times, before he finally slows down his steps, hands that were restlessly running through his hair now frozen as an idea comes to him, like the gentle whisper begging him to give in to his desires.

He could watch you all he wanted.

Alone.

Beomgyu pushes the thought away— it was beyond disgusting. You trusted him wholeheartedly yesterday at the library, so for him to invade your privacy— to invade your life, was just cruel.

But he just couldn’t get the thought out of his head.

The whisper was consistent, a sweet voice that ate through his doubts. It opened his darkest secrets, indulging in his every hidden desire as he thought back to you. As he thought back to every memory, every interaction, every smile that you sent him.

He found himself hovering over his keyboard, mind on autopilot as he typed away.

It wasn’t easy. His stomach would twist and his mind would swim with nausea every time he was reminded of what he was doing, but it wasn’t long before the whispers in his mind overtook every doubt he had left.

The guilt was temporary. And before he knew it, he was met with a sight that wouldn’t be able to leave his mind for the next few nights; your room.

His hands were shaking and a shiver ran down his spine as he sat back, exhaling slowly as he took in the peaceful emptiness of it all. He took in every detail— the posters on the wall, the pattern of your curtains, the stuffed animals on your bed— it was all ingrained in his head in an instant.

He’s not sure how long he sat there, staring at your room with a dumbstruck look on his face. But it seems like it must’ve been an obscene amount of time, because he’s quickly snapping out of his daze at the sound of a door slamming.

It’s you, he quickly realizes, the sounds of your happy giggles sending flashes of hot nerves down his spine, his body stiffening with anticipation. He can hear the soft thumps of you stumbling around, your words slurred as you finally appear in the frame.

And so does Jaemin.

Beomgyu can feel his blood freeze as he watches it all unfold. You’re tipsy, uncoordinated, and clumsy as you allow Jaemin to push you onto the bed, laughing softly as he takes in your small squeal. He’s quick to get back on you, lips fervently attached to your skin as he sucks, tastes, and bites.

He can practically see the marks bloom already. Beomgyu is unsure of how he feels— and is surprised to find that rage is beginning to overwhelm him. Many emotions are swirling rampantly inside, ranging from jealousy to an undeniable want that shakes him.

It’s hard to look away. Even when he wants nothing more than to tear that man away from you, it’s hard. His throat is dry and his eyes are stuck on your figure, from the way you arch and lean into his every touch, to the way you shakily thread a hand into the man’s hair.

He can feel his hands shake as they rub against his thighs uneasily, his heart jumping as he listens to the surprised moan you loudly let out when Jaemin slips a hand under your waistband. Beomgyu can’t even bring himself to blink as he watches your every movement closely, taking in the way your hips roll and buck up into the man’s hands, his lips still on your skin as a trail of marks is left in his wake.

It’s hard to watch— but it’s even harder to look away. Especially when your brows twitch with concentration, your mouth falling open as you allow the man above you to roughly finger you, your soft pants and moans falling from your lips and putting Beomgyu in a trance.

You’re perfect, Beomgyu finds himself thinking, and without realizing it, his hand has found the outline of his hardened cock. He’s concentrated, eyes pinned on your hips to watch the sight of Jaemin’s fingers pounding into you so harshly.

The longer he watches, the longer he lets his imagination run astray— and it’s no longer Jaemin above you— it’s him. He’s the one who’s got you pinned, drinking up every moan and whimper that leaves your lips, teeth sinking into every possible place where you could be claimed as his.

Beomgyu’s pace on his cock is brutal, following along with the pace set, brows furrowed as his imagination runs wild. He’s the one who’s laughing at you cruelly, taking in the way your legs shut harshly against his hand, the other being used to pry you back open as he watches your face be overtaken by ecstasy.

Beomgyu’s hips are bucking up into his hand as he watches, slowing back down to nothing more than a teasing pace as he watches Jaemin kiss you roughly, your legs wrapping around his waist and pulling him in as you lose yourself in his lips. Beomgyu’s lip is caught in his teeth as Jaemin rolls on a condom, positioning himself between your legs as he allows himself to tease you, a grin on his face as he listens to your soft pleading.

And once more, it’s Beomgyu that finally enters you, taking no time to let you adjust— it’s rough, your yelp drowned out by the rest of your sounds that slip out uncontrollably, the pace that he set for you too much for you to keep up with. And he’s the one to whisper into your ear, only it’s nothing but praise that rolls off his tongue, sweet and never-ending as he brings you to end, allowing himself to indulge in you even as you slump with bliss.

Beomgyu’s eyes are screwed shut; his stomach feels heavy— this is wrong. So, so so wrong. It’s what his mind screams at him, the last sane part repeating the prayer over and over again in hopes to steer him away from this rabbit hole. His chest heaves, and as your sweet whimpers echo in his ears, he can feel the way that the last sane part of his mind is slowly shut down.

It’s hard to ignore how badly he wants you. Because in the end, when Beomgyu opens his eyes again, it’s just him, and you’re nowhere in sight.

-♡♡♡-

Beomgyu has fallen deeply into the rabbit hole.

He swears he didn’t intend it to turn this way— just watching you from the sidelines was more than enough. But now, because of his careless actions, he couldn’t bring himself to look in your direction without feeling a myriad of emotions.

It’s hard to continue the casual banter you have when you check out books; how was Beomgyu supposed to get your pretty sounds out of his head? He always tried his hardest to not stare at you too hard, but he swears his eyes just keep wandering down to your lips. Yet you’re here, smiling at him, not a care in the world as you check out the next book in the series you’re reading.

His hands are shaking— what would you think of him? If you knew what he had done, what he thought of you…

Beomgyu’s reluctant to watch you go, but he knows it’s for the best. He’s not sure he could control his heart any longer, his hands trembling and fumbling with the computer keys as he pathetically pretends as though he wasn’t following your every movement.

Time passes, and he can’t keep you out of his thoughts for more than ten seconds.

He might go mad at this point— it’s been hours since his shift at the library, but it feels like years at this point. He finds himself in his room, unable to think straight as he glances back at his computer— he hasn’t touched it since that day. His mind scolds him; was he really thinking of reaching this new low?

Beomgyu feels as though he’s lost control of himself— his hands move on their own accord, his mind is blank, throat dry as he stares at his screen expectantly— he nearly falls out of his chair when your eyes stare back at him.

Oh…

It takes him a second before it finally clicks, a glance to see what you’re doing on your screen allowing him to slump back in relief. You’re absentmindedly watching a video, eyes glancing back at your screen ever so often as you touch up your eyebrows.

He frowns— were you going somewhere?

You’re all dressed up, as beautiful as ever as you anxiously check the time. The sound of buzzing reaches the computer’s microphone, and Beomgyu watches as you look at your phone, a grin overtaking your features as you recognize the contact.

He watched as you giggle happily, nervous to answer as you pause your video— it takes you a second before you accept the call.

“Hi,” you answer, voice soft and sweet as you stare off into space. You’re shy, even though the person on the line can’t see you; you’re fixing your hair nervously, listening to the other person intently.

“You can’t?”

Beomgyu finds himself leaning forward at those two words, as though getting closer to his computer would allow him to listen to your conversation better. He watches the way you slowly deflate, nodding softly as you sink back into your chair.

“But… we already got the tickets…”

Silence. You’re biting at your lip dejectedly, eyes downcast as you nod along to the words on the other side. You’re upset— Beomgyu can feel his heart rate increase at the realization.

“No, it’s okay— I’ll just go on my own since I already got it…” your voice is trailing off, unable to mask your disappointment as you try to reassure the man on the other side.

“Yeah, I heard the butterfly garden is supposed to be really pretty. Yeah, I’ll send you pictures…” you’re not fooling anyone; your pouty voice and airy tone gave away just how upset you were. But you continue to reassure the man anyway, even if doesn’t deserve it.

“Don’t worry about it, minnie. Yeah, see you,” you say, and Beomgyu can’t help the way he prickles at the nickname. You’re scoffing once you hang up on the man, throwing your phone at your desk, the irritation coursing through your body as you stand up suddenly.

“What’s the point of going to the Botanical Garden on my own? It was supposed to be a cute date together,” you huff, fixing your outfit in the mirror as you put on perfume. Beomgyu can’t help the way his mind immediately begins to run with ideas— you’d be going alone, after being stood up by your date; this might just be an opportunity for him.

He’s an uncoordinated mess as he fumbles around his room, doing his best to look put together as he glances back to his screen to check if you’ve left yet. His heart is practically beating out of his chest from the thought of going through with his plan, but he can’t bring himself to think about it when he sees you grab your keys, storm out of your room, and undoubtedly get ready to leave.

He shuts his computer down before he’s following suit, checking the address on his phone before he’s on his way, wondering just how long it might take for you to get there, hoping it’s the same location you’re going to.

Beomgyu is in too deep, but he can’t bring himself to care much.

-♡♡♡-

The gardens are beautiful.

It only leaves you in a worse mood as you take your time to walk around, looking at the carefully curated flowers and plants that cover the greenhouse. It was empty for a late fall night, and you’re sure it would have made for a perfect intimate mood.

But no, you think bitterly, turning on your heels as you spot a couple in the distance, Jaemin just couldn’t come. How convenient. You’re not sure if his words were truthful, and that only made things worse. You couldn’t help but keep him in your thoughts, trying your best to distract yourself only to fail miserably— he hasn’t been spending much time with you recently. Has he used you? Did he get his fill of you already, dumping you easily and leaving you to chase after him like a fool? You wish you could deny those assumptions, but honestly, you weren’t sure.

You’re not sure how long you spent wandering around the greenhouse, but as you’re finally approaching the butterfly room you had been putting off all night, you’re surprised to find it empty. You’re left in awe as you take in this new area, the anticipation of seeing the butterfly-filled room lifting your mood immediately.

All thoughts of Jaemin are forced out of your mind as you take pictures of the garden, deciding to take some of yourself as well when you finally make sure that no one else will be coming in.

It isn’t until you’re ready to leave that you see him.

“Beomgyu,” you don’t realize you’ve said his name aloud until he’s turning to you, his head tilting in confusion. Your body bubbles with shame and embarrassment— why did you do that?

“I— I’m sorry,” you stutter out, all confidence drained as you make eye contact with him. You’re avoiding his gaze, much too embarrassed about your slip-up as you try to explain yourself. “I just wanted to… thank you again… for fixing my computer.”

He’s dressed casually, the difference in the professional attire he usually wears taking an odd effect on you as he comes closer to you— you’re left in awe by how nice he smells. You can almost feel your heart stop at the way he smiles at you, placing his hands in the pockets of his oversized zip-up as he tilts his head again, amused at the way you continue to talk.

“I don’t know how you did it, but it’s almost running faster than it was before,” you say, trying your best to make sure you’re not being awkward. (It’s not working, obviously.) You’re rambling, hoping desperately that he gives in and talks to you, going further than the usual small talk you always have at the library.

“It wasn’t that hard, don’t worry about it.” Is all he says, unable to take his eyes off you even as you shrink shyly under his gaze. “What brings you here so late?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” you’re quick to deflect his question, but Beomgyu allows it to happen as watches the way you tense up.

“Just a nice place to destress,” his answer is simple and vague, and you’re wishing he would go more in-depth as he takes a moment to look around, staring at a butterfly that landed nearby. But he’s turning back to you, eyes glinting teasingly as he asks, “what about you?”

“Uh,” you maul his question through your mind for a second, and you’re surprised when you find yourself answering honestly. “It was supposed to be a date, but he blew me off.”

“Really? What a shame,” he says, eyebrows raising in surprise slightly at your words. “He doesn’t know what he’s missing out on.”

A satisfaction bubbles up in Beomgyu’s chest as he watches the way you turn shy at his words, a soft giggle leaving your lips as you turn away, shaking your head in denial. But he insists, and it isn’t long until he has you wrapped around his finger, the conversation flowing smoothly as you finally break through his shell.

It’s odd seeing this side of Beomgyu. Unlike the reserved, quiet worker at the library, the man who stands before you exudes confidence, his glasses discarded as he smiles teasingly at you, charismatic and magnetic as you quickly find your heart beating faster the longer you look at him. The garden that surrounds you almost fades away in your mind, and before you know it, time slips by and you allow Beomgyu to escort you out to your car.

And you’re not sure if you should be embarrassed, but you’re almost reluctant to see him go as he leaves you, the strange feeling of wanting to see him more often blooming in your mind— you wish you would’ve gotten his number.

-♡♡♡-

Everything went a little too well.

Beomgyu isn’t exactly counting on things to go easy for him— and he’s only proven right the next time he comes to class.

Jaemin is sitting next to you again; but to Beomgyu’s delight, you’re ignoring him. He watches Jaemin try to apologize to you, reassuring you that he didn’t mean to cancel on you at the last minute. But just as Beomgyu thinks you might actually stand your ground, he watches as Jaemin whispers lowly to you, his pleading eyes and seemingly sincere act finally winning you over as you finally turn to him.

It irks him, and he can’t even muster up a polite look when you finally see him out of the corner of your eye, turning around to send him a cute smile. It’s brief, and you’re turning back around the moment your professor begins to speak— unlike Jaemin, who takes a moment to look Beomgyu up and down, eyes narrowed and a scowl on his face as he makes eye contact with him.

Beomgyu expects nothing less when Jaemin sends a glare to him, turning around before he’s wrapping an arm around your waist, pulling you in protectively— but it sure as hell does piss him off.

Jaemin won’t last, Beomgyu reassures himself, watching as you throw the boy next to you a confused look, only to shrug off his behavior.

He’ll make sure of that.

-♡♡♡-

Beomgyu finds his opening quickly.

Who else would be just as eager to get rid of Jaemin? The answer comes like second nature.

Yeonjun.

Beomgyu doubts he’ll have to do anything to get Yeonjun on board with him— he can practically see the gears grind on their own in Yeonjun’s head the moment you emerge from class, giggly and cute as you stick to Jaemin’s side. He’ll have no problem planting ideas in Yeonjun’s head; in fact, he thinks Yeonjun may end up with some of his own.

And he was correct, of course.

Because how did you succumb to Jaemin so easily? He’s irritated, standing in his usual spot as he waits for you to look his way. But you’re far too engrossed in what the man before you is saying, your eyes not leaving his once.

Just a few days ago, he had stayed up late on the phone with you, listening to your rant on how your date had been canceled at the last minute. Yeonjun had listened to you, reassuring your worries and insecurities through gritted teeth as he listened to the way you pondered giving him a second chance— he wanted nothing more than to tell you to open your eyes, that Jaemin would most likely use you.

“He’s nothing but bad news.”

Yeonjun practically jumped at the sound of this new voice— how long had he been there? Swiftly, he turns to face the man, eyes narrowing the moment he recognizes the man before him— the guy from the library.

“Do I know you?” Yeonjun scoffs, eyes involuntarily glancing back at the conversation you’re still sharing with Jaemin. The man before him only laughs at this question, shaking his head as he reaches a hand up to adjust his hair. Yeonjun watches him, oddly tense as the librarian offers his hand out to Yeonjun.

“Choi Beomgyu,” the librarian introduces, patiently watching as Yeonjun hesitates to accept his outstretched hand.

“Choi Yeonjun,” Yeonjun reluctantly replies, grasping the man’s hand in a firm handshake. He shivers, unable to look away from Beomgyu’s eyes; it feels as though they were piercing through him.

“I know,” Beomgyu says, and though Yeonjun expected this, he can’t help but be unnerved by the man before him. Pulling away, Yeonjun is quick to shove his hands back into his jacket’s pockets, pulling the coat tighter around his form as he tries to play it off as the cold breeze getting to him—when really, he can’t help but try to shield himself from Beomgyu.

“You’re always around ___.”

“Do— do you know her?” It’s almost amusing how quick Yeonjun is to become defensive, shoulders tense and eyes narrowed in suspicion at the sound of your name.

“Of course,” Beomgyu says, his words doing nothing to reassure Yeonjun as the two men turn to glance back at you, to the way you’re finally waving Jaemin goodbye; slowly, you turn around, spotting Yeonjun in the distance as you wave happily— you’re unable to hold back the way your head tilts in confusion at the sight of Beomgyu as well.

“I have a class with her— and also, she’s always at the library,” Beomgyu says, a soft smile overtaking his face as you shyly wave at him as well.

“Well, what do you want then?” Yeonjun hisses, eager to get the man before him to leave. Slowly, Beomgyu turns back to the man, reluctant to tear his eyes away from you for even a second. Yeonjun can’t help but shiver, the man’s intentions already beginning to show in his eyes.

“The same thing you do,” Beomgyu says, voice quiet as you stroll happily in the distance, taking your time to enjoy the scenery as you allow them to talk— you wouldn’t want to be rude and interrupt their conversation, after all.

“I want Jaemin gone.”

Beomgyu can see the way something clicks for Yeonjun, his eyes flicking back to him instantly as the words leave his mouth. There’s no hint of a joke in Beomgyu’s eyes, and the pause is tense as he waits for Yeonjun to say something.

“He’s no good— quite unfaithful, I heard,” Beomgyu says, watching as the words hook Yeonjun instantly. It’s hard to fight back a smile, but Beomgyu succeeds in doing so as he continues to elaborate, already knowing what the man’s response will be. “The boy has already ditched her once— It’s a good thing I was there to keep her company— but who’s to say he won’t do it again?”

The date, Yeonjun thinks, eyes widening as he recalls you mentioning someone keeping you company, it was him.

“What are you playing at,” Yeonjun’s heart is beating harshly against his chest, unable to hide the way he jumps at the sound of you calling his name. He turns, ignoring the way Beomgyu stares at him, his eerie aura sending shivers down his spine as he greets you cheerfully.

“Meet me at the library in an hour and you’ll see.”

The words echo in Yeonjun’s mind, even as you cheerfully grab onto his sleeve, pulling at it as you cling to him, the cold breeze sending shivers through your whole body. He hopes you can’t see through his facade, but he knows he won’t have to worry about a thing when you simply look at Beomgyu, eyes widening as a smile overtakes your face.

“Oh, hi,” you say, and Beomgyu can’t help but smile fondly at your antics. Pursing your lips, you look between the two men, brows furrowing as you say, “I didn’t know you two were friends.”

“We met recently,” Yeonjun can’t help but notice the way the man is quick to lie, the words easing out of his mouth so naturally that Yeonjun himself could have believed it. “When I fixed your laptop, he reached out to me.”

“Really?” It should be a bit worrisome how quick you are to believe his words, even when the memory of Yeonjun condemning you for being so trusting of strangers floats in the back of your mind, “I had no idea.”

“My laptop was acting weird, that’s all,” Yeonjun says, hating how he’s adding to the lie, how easily he’s deceiving you— if only you knew what they had spoken about, how those simple sentences that they exchanged had Yeonjun genuinely considering his offer; he shuddered at the realization.

What a creep, Yeonjun thought to himself, brushing off any curiosity that festered within him, refusing to believe that he would succumb to such lengths. But even as you walked next to him, Beomgyu parting ways as he sent Yeonjun a last look, he couldn’t deny the impact that the librarian’s words had on him.

“I don’t know, I’m probably being dumb. Probably overthinking things, as he said.” Your words are quick to bring Yeonjun back to where he was, his body returning to the long stretch of pavement as his mind finally allowed him to process your words. You couldn’t hold back the yelp of surprise that escaped you as Yeonjun snapped his head to look at you for the first time in a while, brows furrowed and a frown on his face as he truly took in your words.

“He said that?” Is all he can say, accusatory and bitter as he seethes those words. You shrink under his gaze, and he knows by the way that you grow quiet at his question that you weren’t truly expecting him to catch on so quickly. You’re embarrassed, words coming out in stutters as you uselessly try to defend yourself— and him, much to Yeonjun’s annoyance.

“Well, he’s not entirely wrong,” you begin, arms wrapped tightly around yourself as you avoid your friend’s gaze, “I probably was overthinking.”

Oh, thank god Yeonjun had no idea of the things that had happened after your first date— you don’t think he would believe a single word you said if he found out how distant Jaemin had been after you had allowed him in your home, the very first bud of doubt blooming from then on; you felt stupid, but could never bring yourself to admit this to anyone— the embarrassment was too grand.

Sometimes, Yeonjun felt more like a caretaker than a friend, you thought to yourself, your poor attempts to change the conversation not going over Yeonjun’s head as you try to lighten up the mood; you don’t realize this, but asking him about his relationship with Beomgyu made nothing better.

“You two seem close,” you conclude, biting back a smile at the thought of seeing the two men next to each other; you were oddly comforted by the sight. “Are you gonna meet up with him?”

“What?” Yeonjun wished he could’ve held his tongue better, because he can tell that you were quick to see the alarm on his face. “Why do you say that?”

“I dunno, I heard him say something like that earlier,” you’re sheepish again, kicking at a rock on the sidewalk as you try to avoid your friend’s eyes, “sorry for overhearing your conversation. That’s all I heard though, I swear.”

And with that last comment that leaves your mouth, Yeonjun sighs, body slacking with relief as he shakes his head, unable to hide his fondness for your tactics. Throwing an arm around your shoulder, he pulls you into his frame, ignoring your yelp of surprise and complaints as he laughs at you softly.

“I guess I am, so what?” Yeonjun says, trying to not think much of what this meeting will entail as he leads you toward your apartment, “Jealous?”

“What? Of who?” You’re quick to get defensive, and Yeonjun can’t help but wonder if your affinity for Beomgyu had turned into something stronger— his stomach churned at the thought. But if he was going to get your attention back on him, he had to deal with things one at a time.

“Beomgyu, duh,” Yeonjun jokes, cracking a smile at the way you’re shaking your head in denial, arms reaching deeply into your pockets as you pull out your keys, “You’re scared he’s going to steal me from you.”

“Yeah right!” You say, unable to hide the grin that freely stretches across your face. You’re pushing him away, lingering at your front door as you lean against it, smiling coyly as you add, “He can keep you, for all I care.”

“Have fun on your date,” you chirp, unlocking your door and disappearing before Yeonjun can refute your claims. With the final click of your lock, Yeonjun can’t help but be frozen to the spot, staring at the wood in front of him as if it would change anything he had done— anything he had agreed to.

Technically, no one was forcing him to go, his mind refuted, trying its best to persuade him not to go. But a small meeting couldn’t hurt.

With that final decision, Yeonjun turned on his heels, face sobered from any happiness as he thought back to the quiet librarian who seemed to know more than he let on— after all, anything was worth investigating if it pertained to you.

Yeonjun let his muscle memory take over, and he quickly found himself on the path to the library again.

-♡♡♡-

The library was, like always, mostly empty.

It was nothing new to see only a handful of patrons wander around inside, sitting far from each other as they sat nose-deep in a book. Yet, it only seemed to put Yeonjun more on edge; without you here, he felt oddly vulnerable— even more so when he spotted Beomgyu in a deserted area.

“You’re quite early,” Beomgyu muses, not bothering to turn around as he reshelves a book. Yeonjun says nothing, waiting patiently for Beomgyu to say anything that involved the conversation they shared earlier. But he remains silent, turning instead to his cart that contained books that he needed to put back; Yeonjun could feel his jaw tick in annoyance.

“Well? Are you going to explain to me why you asked me to come here?”

For a brief second, Beomgyu’s eyes flit to the man, meeting his narrowed eyes as Yeonjun fights back the shiver that threatens to wrack through him. Yet Beomgyu can only exhale at that, clearly amused at the man’s attempts to seem stern.

“It seems as though we have a common interest in mind,” Beomgyu mutters, his voice smooth and entrancing as he manages to hook Yeonjun with those simple words. He pauses, reaching for another book as he scans the aisle leisurely; slowly, he places the book into its empty slot, pausing as his index finger runs along the spine absentmindedly.

“___.”

Yeonjun sighed— he knew it. From the very first time he walked into this cursed building, he had already gained the suspicion that you had caught Beomgyu’s attention— his confession did nothing to calm his qualms.

“You can’t be serious,” Yeonjun says, allowing himself to complain as he rolls his eyes at Beomgyu’s words, “What does that have to do with you calling me here? Are you trying to threaten me to back off or something? ‘Cause if you are, then that’s just pathetic—”

“Not at all,” Beomgyu says, a smile hinting at his lips as he wheels the cart to the next aisle, Yeonjun following uselessly in his tracks. “If anything, I think it’s best if we work together.”

Work together? Yeonjun couldn’t help the way his brain froze at that, unable to fathom the offer Beomgyu was trying to pitch; how could they possibly…

“Jaemin,” Beomgyu continues, eyes focused on the labels on the books as he searches for the empty slot for his next book. He finds it immediately, sliding the book in smoothly as he continues. “He’s not going anywhere at this rate.”

“Come on Yeonjun, how long have you been in love with her?” Yeonjun’s name is icy and threatening when it comes from Beomgyu’s lips, and the sudden accusation leaves him speechless. “Months? Years? I can see it all over your face.”

“You won’t get anywhere if you continue to be such a pushover. She’ll never think anything more of you.” It’s almost like magic, the way Beomgyu is quick and efficient as he finds the empty slots of each book. The cart is quickly emptying, and it isn’t long before he only has a handful of books to put back.

“But we, we can fix that,” he says, not bothering to look at Yeonjun as he absentmindedly flips through the book in his hands, reading the spine before he quickly finds its place. “We could work together, make sure she only thinks of us.”

Yeonjun says nothing. How could he? The offer presented before him is something he has never even allowed himself to explore. His heart is racing, fingertips numb as he buries his hands deep in his jacket pockets. Beomgyu doesn’t bother to say anything more, moving flawlessly along the aisles as he puts each book away effortlessly— he doesn't bother looking back once; Yeonjun will follow.

The cart is empty now, the last book placed in his hands as he leisurely reads through the summary as if he were actually interested in the contents. Yeonjun chews at his lip— to have you look at him, think of him. Maybe even put him first, for once; his mind swirled with the possibilities.

Plus, he could always deal with the extra variables later.

“What did you have in mind?”

The words escape him before he can think twice, and he watches as Beomgyu quickly finds the last empty slot, an index finger reaching out to push the book back snugly on the shelf.

Beomgyu smiles.

And it all falls into place.

Oh baby baby, how was I supposed to know,

that something wasn’t right here?

-♡♡♡-

Yeonjun’s palms run over his jeans for the umpteenth time this hour.

He’s stiff, nervousness rendering him in this awkward posture as he looks around the small restaurant nervously— he can’t believe he’s going through with this.

Honestly, he had no reason to believe Beomgyu’s words; but the eagerness to find a reason to make you leave Jaemin allowed him to take a seat in the quiet, hole-in-the-wall restaurant, unsure of himself as he waited for the target to arrive. He had chosen his seat carefully, sliding into the corner booth that allowed him to get a full view of the dining area. And any moment now, the said man would walk in with someone that wasn’t you.

“___’s sick, hmm?” Beomgyu had asked, briefly looking up from the random book Yeonjun had checked out— you had asked him if he could return your book and check out a new one and, like always, Yeonjun was quick to accept.

“Yeah, why?” Yeonjun was already on edge, and the slow shake of Beomgyu’s head in disappointment only served to spike his nerves more.

“She shouldn’t be going out on dates if she’s sick; especially in such horrible weather…”

“What are you talking about?” Yeonjun knew exactly what the man was implying— you had been bedridden for days. But he couldn’t help but seethe the question through gritted teeth in hopes that his suspicions wouldn’t be confirmed.

“Oh no, just… overheard some things,” Beomgyu says, sliding the book back across the smooth wooden counter as he leans forward, a small smile on his face. “Jaemin seemed very excited to go on this date; a nice restaurant, I heard.”

“You don’t think…” Yeonjun trailed off, eyes glued to the hardcover to avoid the confrontation of it all; he knew what Beomgyu was implying— what he was being asked to do.

“Don’t know,” Beomgyu shrugs, nonchalant as he fixed his bangs casually, “but there’s truly only one way to find out.”

And that’s how Yeonjun found himself in the corner booth, surveilling the room with dread.

He left your place for this— the promise of a warm soup leaving you dazed and happy as you went back to sleeping through your fever— but Yeonjun couldn’t help but hope that it was all a hoax that Beomgyu made to mess with him.

Yes, he wanted Jaemin out of the picture— Beomgyu as well— but the last thing he wanted was to hurt you in the process too.

So, despite it all, he was hoping that Jaemin would be able to prove his innocence; or even better, not show up at all. He couldn’t help but curse at Beomgyu under his breath as he waited for his food— honestly, how did he manage to pick up on such a conversation, down to the last details? It was honestly unnerving, and the longer Yeonjun thought about it, the more he could feel the dread pool in his stomach.

The bell rang, signaling a new customer.

Yeonjun’s head snapped up at the sound, and to his dread, all of Beomgyu’s suspicions had been confirmed.

In walked Jaemin, hand in hand with someone that wasn’t you.

Yeonjun could feel his blood grow cold as he watched the scene before him, watching the way the girl attached to his arm blushed shyly at his compliments and leaned into his touch— Karina, of Yeonjun remembered correctly. It was a shameless display, and it only served to worsen Yeonjun’s mood as he was left to watch it all from afar— what should he do?

As if to answer his question, his phone buzzed.

“Hello?”

“So? I was right, wasn’t I?”

Yeonjun said nothing— but that was more than enough for Beomgyu.

“He doesn’t deserve her,” Beomgyu sighs out, the words like a quiet revelation that implants itself into Yeonjun’s brain. He grits his teeth, unable to take his eyes off the way Jaemin pulls the girl close to him, clearly unashamed to show such bold displays of affection.

“Poor ___, she’s all weak and sick, and this is how he repays her,” Beomgyu knows that he doesn’t need to continue, but he does so anyways as he plants the image into Yeonjun’s head; you were always so naive, so trusting, and to think of the ways that it’s gotten you hurt only twists Yeonjun’s heart more. “By going with another girl behind her back and treating her like an idiot.”

“He’s using her.”

“She’s not gonna handle this well,” is all Yeonjun can muster to say, watching the way a waitress finally comes around to his booth with his takeout orders. He thanks her, forcing himself to pretend that he wasn’t seconds away from punching Jaemin as he takes the bags into his hands.

“Of course she’s not. She really liked him,” Beomgyu’s words do nothing to calm Yeonjun, his nails digging into his palm as he watches the romantic scene before him.

“But she’ll have us.”

Those words repeated themselves in Yeonjun’s head; they swirled around his mind endlessly, as he took a picture of the scene, as he walked past the couple with gritted teeth, and as he made his way back to your apartment to figure out how to tell you the news.

She’ll have me. Yeonjun thought to himself as he drove back to you, knowing that he was about to shatter the rose-tinted image you had of the cute boy in your class. He would care for you, reassure you when you would begin to doubt yourself, and he would pick you back up and put you together, piece by piece. He would show you that his care was the only thing you really needed; that you should only have eyes for him.

After all, no one cares for you like he does.

-♡♡♡-

No one has ever stuck to you like Yeonjun.

It’s a thought that crosses your mind as you feel your head swirl with emotions, your stomach dipping violently as you clutch onto his bicep roughly— from fever-induced nausea or the picture on his phone, you weren’t exactly sure.

You’re sweaty and uncomfortable as you try to process your friend’s words; what he saw, what he heard, all while you were at home waiting to get better like a naive child.

You can’t believe you ever doubted Yeonjun— and you allowed yourself to tell him this, flushed and embarrassed as you lean into his chest, the boxes of takeout empty and discarded on the coffee table as you allow yourself to let out all your emotions; only because Yeonjun’s steady comfort gives you the confidence to do so.

“I‘ve always doubted if he really liked me,” you whispered, vision hazy and body tingly as you can feel your fever returning— you had tried to shoo Yeonjun away from getting too close, but his persistence only ended in you giving up any efforts to resist his coddling. “Sometimes I felt he was just using me for my body.”

Yeonjun’s hands stilled for a second. Briefly, he glanced down at you, eyes darkening as he took in the way your eyes were closed, already feeling yourself dozing away once more as the sleep allowed you to lower your barriers.

“Why do you say that?” It’s a cheap tactic, asking you these questions while your guard is down, but Yeonjun can’t help but want you to elaborate, hanging onto your every word as he listens to the way this man has hurt you— it makes his blood boil.

“I dunno, just felt like it,” you sighed, unable to stop the way you were cozying up against your friend, “every date would end the same… he would take me home, we would… then he’d just leave as quickly as he could.”

“He would ghost me sometimes— he was kinda inconsiderate, too…” you mumbled, the soothing feeling of Yeonjun’s arms around you allowing the words to spill from you without a second thought. “Cancelling, making me feel bad for being too clingy…”

“I was so stupid for trusting him.” Your breathing has evened out, your warm body leaning against Yeonjun as you fall asleep, your last comment pulling a frown into Yeonjun’s features. Yet, the more he thought back to all that you confessed to him, the more he felt a quiet rage build inside him. Slowly, he laid you back on the couch, pulling the blanket that had fallen off you back onto your frame as he stood back, watching the utter peace manifest itself onto your face. Glancing back at the messy coffee table, he reached for his phone, clearing his throat before he pressed it against his ear.

“You heard that?”

“Yeah. What a prick…” Beomgyu’s irritation practically bled through the speakers as he grumbled those words. His mind raced to grasp new ideas, contemplating what to do with the boy as a heavy pause filled the line. Yeonjun took this moment to clean around your house, tidying up any mess he found and leaving the leftover soup for you for when you woke back up—he had placed a damp cloth on your forehead, and was happy to see your fever was slowly going down.

“Yeonjun,” Beomgyu finally spoke, the sudden utterance of the man’s name causing him to flinch in surprise, “we need to get Jaemin out of the picture.”

Get him out of the picture— the same phrase had been on Yeonjun’s mind since the first time they had met.

“How are we supposed to do that?” Yeonjun asked, throwing on his coat as he looked back at you; peaceful, still fast asleep.

“All she needs is a little push in the right direction,” the words did nothing to reassure Yeonjun, a frown pulling at his features as he waited for the man on the other side of the line to elaborate, “just leave it to me.”

He promptly hung up afterward.

Yeonjun’s ride back home was tense— his mind was filled with worry, unsure of what the other man might pull. But the thought of him worrying so much over Beomgyu's words was ridiculous— honestly, what was the worst he could do? He didn’t seem to pose much of a threat. But there was something about him that still managed to unnerve Yeonjun; it seemed as though he were always two steps ahead. And for someone who didn’t know you for half as long as Yeonjun did, he sure was attuned to you perfectly.

It unsettled Yeonjun— and maybe it was because Beomgyu might have a chance of taking you away from him.

You have to work together, his mind told him, thinking back to the way Beomgyu seemed to confide in him, you’ll choose him in the end, anyway.

After all, no one cares for you like he does— and no one will ever come close.

-♡♡♡-

You’re a little shaky as you walk to class— whether it’s from anger or anxiety, you’re not entirely sure.

Having yet to confront Jaemin about what he did, you were left to pore over the little details of your fleeting relationship; of the things he did, said, and made you feel. And with each passing memory, with each dismissive word about your feelings, you could only be left with a buildup of shame in your stomach— had you really let him treat you like this all along?

There was a reason as to why you had let all those grievances go— they were all small actions that, if you truly hadn’t paid too much attention, could have been justified quickly; and you were so in love with the boy that you had done just that.

It’s embarrassing, but you’ve always been like this; quick to fall in love, and hard. Your track record of exes consisted of nothing but wasted potential, and Jaemin would just be another name on the list. So, as you walk into your small class, you prepare yourself for the worst— denial, embarrassment, or more dismissive comments at your expense. Or maybe, if you decided to confront him, you would be forced to deal with his pathetic pleading; the very thought seemed to drain you.

“___,” your thoughts were interrupted by the call of your name, halting in your steps as you turn towards the sound; you let out a weak smile as you watch Beomgyu approach you.

“How are you feeling? Yeonjun told me you were sick all weekend,” he says, and you try to not indulge yourself in his coddling as you watch the way he tilts his head curiously, eyes filled with genuine worry.

The last thing you need is to interest yourself in someone new, your mind tells you, forcing down any slight attraction you may have found towards the man before you; you were on guard, and Beomgyu was quick to notice with the way you seemed much more distant towards him.

“Um, better…” you say simply, tugging at the straps of your bookbag stupidly. You don’t leave much room for conversation, because you’re already walking inside your class before Beomgyu could respond. Yet, to your surprise, Beomgyu follows along steadily, and you’re afraid to look up at him as he lingers near your seat.

“Do you… mind if I sit next to you today?” You’re surprised by his sudden request, unable to hide it from your face as you look at him. You take a second, hesitating to answer before you finally give in.

“Sure… if you want,” you’re oddly meek as you finally answer, sitting in your seat as you refuse to look up from your laptop— or more specifically, at Beomgyu.

You’re shy, Beomgyu realizes, the conclusion bringing about a wave of satisfaction within him as he watches you try to peek at him, only to catch him staring; yet you’re the only one who seems embarrassed as you look away.

Beomgyu watches as you slowly warm up to his presence— your body relaxes from its stiff posture, and you seem to be itching to make conversation as you glance at him again; this time, without any fear of being caught.

Yet within seconds, you return to your alarmed posture— and it doesn’t take much for Beomgyu to realize why.

In walks Jaemin, walking sluggishly to his seat as he stares down at his phone, unaware of the way Beomgyu throws an arm behind your seat instinctively, ignoring the surprised look you send him. Briefly, the boy glances up from his phone, and his expression drops as he takes in the way Beomgyu has made himself comfortable in his usual seat next to you.

“Could you move please,” it’s not a question as the words drip from Jaemin’s mouth, laced with such hostility that you’re quick to look away from his narrowed eyes. Beomgyu isn’t phased— at least not with the way the boy is trying to be intimidating, using the height difference to his advantage as he towers over Beomgyu.

“Why should I?” Is all Beomgyu says, tilting his head casually as he watches the way Jaemin’s jaw clenches with annoyance— his eyes flit to you before they’re back on Beomgyu, and he’s quick to decipher what the boy is trying to imply as he gives him a soft smile.

“Ah, I see,” Beomgyu says, allowing himself to lean closer to you— you seem to be on edge from his actions. “Well, she doesn’t mind me being here. Why don’t you find somewhere else to sit for today?”

“Because that’s my girlfriend,” Jaemin grits out. By now, the small exchange has caught the attention of the other students, and you’re buzzing with embarrassment as they all send curious glances at the three of you. “I’d really appreciate it if you took your hands off her.”

“What about Karina, hmm? Are you done with her?” Beomgyu says, the sudden drop of the girl’s name leaving the two of you to gape at him in surprise.

“What, you thought no one would find out? You didn’t even try to hide it,” He says, taking in the way Jaemin’s ears have turned red; he’s no longer looking at Beomgyu, but at you instead— his eyes are pleading for you to hear his explanation, apologetic crocodile tears filling his eyes as you refuse to look at him— the scene is almost laughable.

“The lectures starting,” Beomgyu adds, enjoying the way Jaemin glances to the front of the room to confirm this— his eyes meet with the professor’s who only gives him an unamused look as he begins to talk.

You hear a few soft laughs as Jaemin sulks to his seat— and you’re afraid the embarrassment might eat you alive as you melt into your chair, the interaction leaving you hot and ashamed as you zone out, replaying their words back in your head.

“How did you know about Karina?” You whisper to him, the sudden memory of the confrontation leaving you uneasy— there’s only one other person who knows about this.

“What do you think?” His words do nothing but confirm your suspicion; Yeonjun told him. That only leaves a bitter taste in your mouth, a frown overtaking your face at the thought of Yeonjun telling others about what happened to you; granted, it helped you keep Jaemin away for a bit, but it still left you upset to think about.

“Yeonjun told you,” you say bitterly, crossing your arms in annoyance. Beomgyu simply lets out a soft chuckle, and you send him a look of confusion as you watch him sit up, his arm disappearing from behind you.

“All Yeonjun did was confirm my suspicions, Beomgyu admits, watching as you throw him a curious look, sitting up in your chair as you wait for him to elaborate. “I overheard him on the phone, that’s all; I knew it wasn’t you because Yeonjun had told me you were sick.”

And because he watched over you, his mind adds, unable to let him forget his actions of doting on you, watching from afar as he watched your state closely; by the first couple of hours, he was ready to send Yeonjun to check on you, but the man was clingy enough that he found out on his own later on.

“Oh,” you say softly, processing the information as you pause, staring down at your lap before you’re finally glancing back at Beomgyu, sending him a sheepish smile as you add a small, “Thanks.”

“Any time,” Beomgyu says, unable to control the smile on his face as he watches you become more comfortable with him— and slowly, give your trust to him more.

-♡♡♡-

“You know, I’m glad I actually listened to you this time.”

Two men sit in the small booth of a restaurant across from a cafe, watching intently through the window as you sit across Jaemin, a steeled expression on your face— you’re sliding your phone across the table to him, allowing him to take a look at the contents on the screen as you cross your arms firmly.

“This time? Why do you say that?” Beomgyu asks, an amused smile on his face as he leans his face on his hand, watching the way Jaemin can only stare up at you with guilt, mouth agape as he attempts to defend himself.

“Because you creep me out,” Yeonjun is shameless as he admits this, uncaring of the way the man across from him only lets out a laugh at his words. It was nothing but the truth; there was something about Beomgyu that impeded Yeonjun from fully confiding in him— and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to find out what it was.

“Creep you out?” Beomgyu echoes, raising a brow as he looks away from where you sit— you’re arguing now, your voices hushed as you lean into each other, trying your best to not cause a scene in a public place.

Yeonjun doesn’t elaborate— he doesn’t want to, especially now that he’s become more invested in the way you’re trying your best to be firm; he can already see the way Jaemin is begging for a second chance, reaching out for your hands and undoubtedly promising that he’ll change; the decisive shake of your head is all Yeonjun needs to know that you’re not going back to him.

“Hmm, we should probably get going,” Beomgyu says, standing up before Yeonjun can inquire why. He hesitates, glancing back at where you sit before he’s rushing to follow behind Beomgyu, who has already paid the bill, and is waiting at the exit for Yeonjun.

“We could’ve just split it,” Yeonjun mumbles bitterly, pulling out his wallet to try to pay the man back. But Beomgyu only shakes his head, refusing the older’s money as they make their way out of the restaurant. The air is chilly and the sun is beginning to set, the two men pulling their coats tighter on their figures as a cold breeze passes by.

“No need, I don’t mind,” Beomgyu says, taking a path to a nearby park; one you went to every day, Yeonjun realizes, “think of it as a thank you, for opening ___’s eyes.”

“How do you know so much about her?”

The question is quick to slice through the pleasant mood Beomgyu had built up, their steps slowing on the path as they come to a stop. The air is tense, the rustling leaves and Yeonjun’s quickening breaths the only sound heard as Beomgyu ponders his question.

“You haven’t known her for that long,” Yeonjun says, eyes narrowing at the way Beomgyu does nothing to refute his accusations— he’s calm, eerily so as he listens to the older’s words, an amused smile threatening to show.

“No, I haven’t,” Beomgyu admits, looking away from Yeonjun’s searing gaze and at a much more interesting target instead. Yeonjun follows his line of sight, his stomach dropping at the way you’re already walking their way, having yet to notice them as you’re lost in your own world; your steps are hasty, frustration laced in your body language as you frown, hands shoved deep in your jacket pockets as you murmur incoherently to yourself.

“But you’d be surprised by how much she tells me.”

There it is again. That nagging insecurity that makes alarms blare in Yeonjun’s head, sending a hot strike of anger through him as the very thought of you confiding in Beomgyu instead of him comes into his mind. Just how much does this stranger know about you already?

He’s eager to get your attention as he leaves Beomgyu’s side, calling out your name and waving to you happily the moment you make eye contact with him. He can see the surprise on your features, and you’re confused as to how you’ve managed to run into both of them again at such a low point in your life.

“Hi jun,” you say softly, hoping that he can’t see your teary eyes as you approach him. The sun has set and all that’s left are the streetlamps above you, and even then, you’re hoping foolishly that he isn't as attentive to you as he always is— your hopes are crushed immediately.

“___, what’s wrong?” His words are quiet, the question meant to be heard by only the two of you as he cradles your face, staring into your eyes so intently you can’t help but fluster. You’re stuttering out excuses, not wanting to break the news to your friend in front of someone else. Out of the corner of your eye, you watch Beomgyu approach the two of you, watching the scene quietly before he finally speaks.

“Did you two break up?” There’s no context to his words, but none is needed as he sends you a knowing look; you nod solemnly in response.

“Huh? You and Jaemin?” Yeonjun is quick to bring your attention back to him as your eyes begin to shine under the streetlamps, much too embarrassed to be seen like this as you nod again; you’re prying his hands from your face in an attempt to hide the sudden influx of emotions.

“I feel so stupid,” is all you can say, back turned to them as you try to recompose yourself, “I can’t believe I let him treat me like that for so long.”

“Hey, don’t say that,” Yeonjun reassures you, getting a hold of your arm as he pulls you close to him, a soft smile on his face as he reaches to wipe the tear that slips from your eye— you really wish you weren’t crying over such a worthless relationship, but you were nonetheless; at least you had Yeonjun by your side.

“Do you mind if we walk you home? It’s dark out,” Beomgyu is quick to offer, his words sincere as he looks at you intently. You know there’s no room to argue, and you can see it on their faces that they refuse to let you walk alone— Yeonjun always made an effort to walk with you, always saying that he “didn’t like your apartment— it was too secluded”. Yet you still hesitate for a second, unsure if you want them to see you in such a state any longer.

“I don’t want to bother,” you say quietly, looking away from the intense gaze of your friend— you can already see him getting ready to argue.

“You won’t, I promise,” Beomgyu’s soft reassurance is all you need to agree, sending them an unsure nod as you allow them to walk on either side of you; they allow you to lead them, and you’re glad that they let you walk a few steps ahead, the space giving you a break from their constant worrying.

Behind you, Yeonjun can’t help but throw Beomgyu a cautious glance— the last thing he would want Beomgyu to find out is where you live. It’s irrational, but it’s a fear nonetheless as he keeps a close eye on Beomgyu, observing quietly as the man makes conversation with you.

Wordlessly, Yeonjun appears at your side; he links his hands with yours, staring straight ahead even when you only spare him a confused glance. Yet he can’t help the way a small smile breaks onto his face as you lean into his touch, fingers lacing tightly with his on instinct as you continue your conversation with Beomgyu.

Honestly, it was laughable if Beomgyu thought he would take you so easily— for as long as Yeonjun had a heart that beat for you, he would make sure to never leave your side. And to think that this man thought he might be on the same level as Yeonjun; it almost felt like an insult.

Beomgyu didn’t deserve you.

What you deserved was someone who would be able to protect you, someone that knew you better than you knew yourself; someone who’s been through the good and bad, who wouldn’t leave your side so easily— someone like Yeonjun.

“It’s getting late,” Yeonjun mutters, the two of you glancing at him as the suddenness of his words catches you off guard, “Beomgyu, you should probably go home. I can walk ___ home, we live near each other.”

Beomgyu has nothing to say, but he’s sure that the look he sends Yeonjun is enough to communicate his thoughts— You prick.

There was not much he could say to refute that, especially when you join in to reassure him that you’ll be alright. But he tries anyway, insisting that he wouldn’t mind walking home late if it means seeing you get home safe— your worried argument is the only thing that allows him to give in.

“It’s supposed to rain in a bit, Gyu,” you say, the nickname slipping past your lips so naturally he almost doesn’t notice— but when he does, he’s ready to do whatever you ask of him in an instant.

“Gyu?” He repeats teasingly, watching the way you fluster in realization, stuttering apologies and trying to justify yourself.

“Sorry, I do that with all my friends,” You say, unaware of the way Yeonjun sends Beomgyu a glare behind you, “sorry if I made you uncomfortable, I didn’t mean to— “

“It’s alright, I don’t mind,” he says, interrupting you before you can continue. With a tilt of his head, he leans towards you, enjoying the way you look at him in anticipation as he purrs, “I think it’s cute.”

You’re quick to look away from him, flustered and embarrassed as you let out a small “oh” in response. Clearing your throat, you try to recompose yourself as you send him a smile, trying to push past the way he’s looking at you so fondly.

“Well, get home safe,” you say, smiling as you softly add, “Gyu.”

He’s unable to put up a fight at your request— especially not with the way your cute nickname leaves your lips. He chuckles, bidding you goodbye before he looks up at Yeonjun— his expression sobers immediately.

“Bye, Yeonjun,” he says, careful to not sound too cold in front of you. The man only narrows his eyes at him, clearly eager to see him go as he bids him goodbye as well.

“Goodbye,” he says, the small smile irritating Beomgyu as he says, “get home safe.”

With one last wave goodbye, you watch him turn and head the opposite way— you’re glad that you insisted on letting him go home. But now it was just you and Yeonjun, and you couldn’t help but be on edge, afraid that he might try to get you to talk about what happened with you and Jaemin.

“We should get going,” is all your friend says, lacing his fingers with yours and pulling you along without a second thought. You let out a soft hum of surprise, allowing him to take you to your apartment as you wait tensely for his upcoming scolding— but it never comes.

Instead, he keeps you close to his side, bringing you closer to him as the wind picks up and a shiver wracks through you. The sky above you is clouding and gray, the looming weather giving you the motive to walk faster. It isn’t until you’re two blocks away from your apartment that the sudden rumble of thunder rolls throughout the city, the droplets of rain falling onto the two of you harshly.

“Shit,” you gasp, the rain quickly becoming more severe as you glance at Yeonjun. Linking his arm with yours, he says nothing, eyes squinting ahead as the two of you make a run for it instead.

You’re quick to pull your hood over your head, but you’re sure it won’t do much as you can already feel the rain soak through your clothes. Your legs are sore and you’re panting by the time you spot your house in the distance, the adrenaline that soars through your heart only increasing at the loud boom that strikes the city. Unable to contain your yelp of surprise, Yeonjun glances back at you, his laughter contagious as you finally rush to the steps of your front door.

“Come on,” you grunt, frustrated at the way you can’t seem to unlock your door. Yeonjun hovers over you, covering you with his jacket as he patiently waits. Your face lights up as you finally hear the click of the door, and you’re quick to push the door open as the two of you stumble inside roughly— you’re winded and soaked, and can only manage to let out a weak laugh as you make eye contact with your friend.

“I didn’t think it was gonna storm,” you say, peeking back out your window to see the raging winds and the rain that pours down, “I hope Beomgyu made it home safe.”

“I’m sure he did,” Yeonjun quickly pipes up, grabbing your hand and pulling you to your room, “but you should probably change before you catch a cold.”

“So should you,” you refute, already going through your clothes to find something to wear. Turning around, you hand Yeonjun some of his old clothes he’s left in the past to change into, heading out of your room as you say, “gonna go shower, you can go after me.”

Yeonjun’s small “m’kay,” is all you hear before you disappear into the bathroom, shutting the door behind you as you leave him alone in your room.

It’s been a while since he’s last been in here— memories of taking care of you when you were sick pop up in his mind, and he smiles fondly at the memories as he sits on your bed; the same spot he sat in as you begged him not to go, tugging at his sleeves weakly until his promise of returning with food allowed you to let go.

Then he returned with the news that broke your heart.

He then coddled you endlessly, enjoying how dependent you had become as you clung to him, making him promise you to stay by your side forever— a promise he gladly made.

Your bed is cute; filled with stuffed animals and made neatly, Yeonjun resists the urge to lay down, but if not for his soaked figure, he would’ve allowed himself to indulge in the scent that coated your sheets— the soft coconut and the subtle eucalyptus that came from the stress relief perfume you often used; it had been a staple in your life for years, and Yeonjun wanted it to stay that way. His gaze drifted around the space, from your unorganized closet to the pictures that decorate your walls, and he was elated to see himself in most of them. They surrounded your workspace, his eyes stopping at each one until he found a new interesting target.

Your laptop remained open, left to charge as the black screen was left to face him.

He always wondered why you left it open, often joking that “you should put something on the camera; you never know who’s watching.” You would be quick to brush him off, rolling your eyes as you would refute “who would want to watch me?”

The very thought sent shivers down his spine— the camera left the perfect view of your entire space; giving perfect access to watch you, alone and at peace.

He stands up to shut it.

“Jun, you got my bed wet,” your whiny voice is what snaps him out of his daze, and he’s glad for the diversion as he looks back at you, embarrassed to have caught himself thinking such things. You stand at the doorway, staring at him with your arms crossed and a cute pout that he wishes he could kiss away.

“Is that mine?” Is all he responds with, and it’s your turn to send him a sheepish glance as you pathetically try to cover the hoodie you wear, as if doing so would make him think otherwise.

“I was hoping you wouldn’t notice,” you sulk, hands dropping to your sides as you go to your closet to hand him a clean towel. Moving away from your desk, Yeonjun grimaces at the feeling of his wet clothes rubbing against his skin, glad to take the towel from your hands as makes his way to your bathroom.

“It’s my favorite hoodie,” he argues, but he can’t bring himself to be angry with the way you shrug carelessly at that, sending him a sly smile as you follow behind.

“You said it looked better on me.”

And it’s not something he can argue with— especially not with the way the item hangs over your figure, already big enough on him as he enjoys the way it drapes over your thighs, covering the poor excuse of shorts that you usually slept with at night.

“Go shower, you’re sleeping over tonight,” you say, and as if to prove your point, a loud strike of thunder booms over you, the sound sudden as you flinch in response, “there’s no way you’re walking back in this weather.”

“If you insist,” he coos with a cheeky smile, letting out an obnoxious laugh as you shove him inside; you’re grumbling incoherently to yourself as you leave, but Yeonjun knows you don’t mean any of it as he finally strips himself of the clothes that stick stubbornly to his skin.

-♡♡♡-

Yeonjun swears he might just be in heaven— the room is dark and the rain is soothing as he lays in bed, unable to take his gaze away from your peaceful frame. You’re sleeping soundly, allowing Yeonjun to sleep in the same bed as you after you had drifted off while you were watching a movie together; the exhaustion from today had seemed to hit you hard.

Yet he itches to get closer— he wants to hold you, and his thoughts seem to take over as he scoots closer to you, unable to help himself as he gingerly wraps an arm around your waist, pulling you into his chest as he nuzzles into your hair— he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to get over your alluring scent.

But when you shift from your sleep, turning around to face him, he thinks his heart might just stop— that is, until your eyes meet his, dazed and sleepy as you scoot closer to him happily. You’re quick to seek his warmth as you throw your leg around his waist, practically wrapping yourself around him as you bury yourself into his neck, sighing happily as you do so.

“Y’smell so good, jun,” you softly slur out, barely able to keep your eyes open as Yeonjun’s hand reaches the hem of your hoodie, his touch innocent as he breaches past it, rubbing your back soothingly. You hum in appreciation at his touch, ignoring his teasing chuckle as you already feel yourself drifting back to sleep.

“Cause it’s your stuff I’m using,” he argues; he’s sure you’re saying something along the lines of “doesn’t matter,” but it doesn’t really come out right as you’re quick to fall back asleep, comfortable in his arms as your breathing evens out.

He doesn’t want to let go— he doesn’t want to fall asleep, either, fighting back the urge as he enjoys this moment, thoroughly indulging in the way your body is pressed firmly against his; it just feels right.

Choi Yeonjun is screwed. Because as he lays down with you, the serene and calm moment doing nothing to slow down the flustered beating of his heart, he knows that he’ll never be able to move on from you— which only gives him a new swell of determination to make you his.

-♡♡♡-

Yeonjun hasn’t heard from you today.

Which honestly shouldn’t be that alarming. Except, he didn’t hear from you yesterday either— or the day before that. The last time he saw you was when he stayed over during the storm, and it’s been too long for him to not worry. He’s unsure of what to do, the constant calling and text messages doing nothing for him as it's all left unanswered. He’s even called your parents, asking if you were there— he couldn’t bring himself to tell them why he was calling, not wanting to worry them unnecessarily.

But now he’s left pacing in the library, biting endlessly at his lip as Beomgyu’s eyes bore into him.

“What do you mean she hasn’t talked to you in three days?” The librarian seethes out, just as tense as the pacing man before him as he sits up from his seat. The library was closed now, but he couldn’t help but let the older man in the moment your name slipped past his lips in such a panicked tone.

“I don’t know, she hasn’t been answering my texts!” Yeonjun can’t quell the feeling of despair that ensnares him, the feeling suffocating as his voice rises in volume, “Or my calls.”

“Call her again,” is all Beomgyu says, racking his brain as he blocks out Yeonjun’s protests saying it won’t work, “Just fucking try it!”

Even as Yeonjun begrudgingly does so, he can’t stop the secret pleasure he gets from seeing Beomgyu finally break his perfect facade— he just wishes it wasn’t due to this situation. The phone rings out, and Yeonjun can already feel the grip on his phone tighten as he listens to it ring out, his mind softly pleading for you to answer.

“Jun?”

It’s a chain reaction, for as soon as Yeonjun slumps down in relief, Beomgyu sighs, running an angered hand through his hair as he watches Yeonjun scold you ruthlessly.

“What happened? Where are you?” Yeonjun asks, the feeling of relief subsiding as he remembers how you just disappeared on him, “You haven’t answered any of my messages, you didn’t say anything for three days.”

Silence. Yeonjun waits desperately for you to explain yourself, wondering what you could possibly be doing right now that ended in you going MIA like this.

“Shit, jun, did my texts not send?” You say, and almost mockingly, Yeonjun can feel his phone buzzing with notifications, “I went to visit my aunt— you know, the one that lives in the countryside? Her internet was down, I’m coming home right now.”

Of course— Your aunt, Yeonjun remembers, recalling the way you would take him with you to visit her, the summers spent when you were younger bringing back fond memories— at least he knew you weren’t lying.

“Fuck, don’t do that again,” Yeonjun sighs, running his hand restlessly through his hair as he takes a seat in defeat, “You had me worried, I thought something happened to you.”

Your frantic apologies don’t quite reach his ears, because he can still feel an ember of anger fighting to stay alight inside of him, spewing irrational thoughts and a deep secret he thought would never resurface. But even as he listens to your sincere and apologetic voice, he finds himself meeting eyes with Beomgyu— and suddenly, he doesn’t seem to be as unnerving as he once thought; all he sees now is a manifestation of all the things he wasn’t brave enough to do on his own.

“Please, just tell me you’ll get here safe,” is all Yeonjun can reply, his voice tense as you reassure him, telling him that your aunt was currently driving you back.

“She was in town when I ran into her, I just couldn’t resist going with her to the countryside for a bit,” you add sheepishly, as though you actually had to explain yourself in the first place, “But don’t worry, I’ll be home in like, twenty minutes. I’m bringing back some of her pie, you should come over.”

Yeonjun’s noncommittal hum brings about another apology from you, and he knows that you’ve picked up on his tense mood as you hang up, trying to quell his mood with a sweet coo of his name— it almost works for a second, your melodic voice allowing him to calm down for a moment.

But when he hangs up, he can feel the ember light into a fire inside him.

“Went to her aunt’s house,” is all Yeonjun does to explain, not bothering to elaborate any further before he’s moving on to his next thought— he’s careful to bring it up, unsure if the man before him would use this idea against him, using it as a way to scare you away from Yeonjun; so instead, he merely implies it.

“I don’t want this to happen again,” Yeonjun says, face somber as he stares down at the table, and at his phone which is finally showing the messages you had attempted to deliver. It’s a picture of you and your aunt in her truck, a happy grin plastered on your face as you texted him “Auntie kidnapped me, staying over at her place for a couple of days!”

“What do you mean?” Beomgyu is hooked on his words, hoping that his eagerness is hidden well as he waits for the older man to speak—he can see the thoughts fighting in his brain, his moral compass being torn and broken as he looks back at Beomgyu, uncertain in his words as he meets his eyes.

“I want to keep a closer eye on her.”

Yeonjun is aware that Beomgyu knows his way around technology well; even more so when the younger man frowns, leaning back in his chair as he stares down at Yeonjun’s phone— he knows the moment he has caught on.

“A closer eye on her…” Beomgyu mutters, hands slowly sliding across the table to grab Yeonjun’s phone— the said man watches, eyes narrowed as he takes in the way Beomgyu becomes deep in thought.

“How are we supposed to do that? A tracker?” His eyes flit up, looking through the frames of glasses and piercing into Yeonjun’s own eyes— he stares back, unbreaking as the building falls silent.

“Cameras?”

There is no planning on how Yeonjun will react; Beomgyu has taken a leap of faith as the word escapes him, the final test that will show just how far Yeonjun is willing to go to keep you close.

Yeonjun thinks back to the computer on your desk; Then back to you, so unaware of your fate as you eagerly make your way back home, always so trusting of your friend as you expect him to come over soon.

He shouldn’t be considering it.

But he does, and once the memory of the anguish that flooded him at your disappearance comes back to him, he can only give Beomgyu a single nod before he’s able to return to the last part of him that kept him sane; the last part that wasn’t devoted wholly to you.

But it was too late.

“She asked for me to come over,” wordlessly, Beomgyu watches as Yeonjun reaches into his pocket, sliding something across the table, his hand pulling away to reveal the small device— a tracker.

“I’m sure she wouldn’t mind your company.”

Beomgyu brings the small device into his hands, examining it carefully as he withheld a smile; Yeonjun seemed to be just as deep into the rabbit hole as he was— he only played the part of the saint to make himself feel better.

“How did you get this?” Beomgyu asks, voice quiet as he looks back up at Yeonjun. The said man doesn’t respond, but the way he looks away in shame tells Beomgyu all he needs to know, “You’ve thought of this before, haven’t you.”

“It was a stupid purchase,” Yeonjun snaps, pulling out his car keys as he gestures for Beomgyu to follow him. Turning off all the lights, Beomgyu makes sure to lock up and set up the alarm before he follows Yeonjun out, laughing mockingly at his attempt to justify himself, “Don’t act as if you’re innocent either.”

“You suggested it,” The withering glare does nothing to affect Beomgyu as he gets in the car, the bag thrown in the back making him raise a brow curiously, “What, you want me to hack into her computer too?”

“You can do that—?” Yeonjun pauses his actions as he turns to the other in disbelief; yet he can’t hide the darkness in his eyes as he mulls over the offer, turning his body pressed back to the seat as he shakes his head. “You sick fucker.”

“Didn’t hear a no.” Beomgyu quips, and he knows his words have gotten into his brain by the way Yeonjun’s grip tightens on the steering wheel, the heavy gulp giving away his deepest thoughts; he was definitely considering it.

“She never closes that stupid laptop,” Yeonjun mutters to himself, and before he can second guess himself, he’s nodding his head, cursing at himself internally as he sees the way Beomgyu is eager to get to work from the corner of his eye. The rest of the drive is silent, and Yeonjun is slow to pull into your street as he hears Beomgyu mutter something about almost being done.

“There,” Beomgyu says, aware of how tense Yeonjun has become, his form rigid as he finally parks in front of your apartment— he’s quick to recognize your car, and is relieved to find your lights on inside.

Hesitantly, Yeonjun turns to his laptop screen, stomach twisting violently at what he might find. Nails digging into his skin, he can already hear his mind fighting him to not look— to save the last bit of decency that he may have had left in him. But his curiosity is much stronger, and Yeonjun knows there is no going back when his eyes land on his laptop’s screen.

And you’re there, in your room, laying on your bed casually as you scroll on your phone, clearly waiting for Yeonjun to show up. You’re wearing Yeonjun’s favorite hoodie once more, and he almost thinks you might just be doing all this on purpose— especially with the way your small shorts seem to ride up your thighs effortlessly.

“Let’s go,” is all Yeonjun can say, hoping that the effect of seeing you like this is gone unnoticed by Beomgyu— his head feels dizzy, full of the images of you and all of the possibilities as he knocks on your door, trying helplessly to get the intrusive thoughts out of his head. Beomgyu’s mocking laugh next to him does nothing to help.

“Jun—!” Your happy exclamation is cut short as you finally notice the other person behind your friend, flushing with embarrassment at being seen in such clothing. You’re suddenly more self-aware of yourself as you greet him shyly, and Yeonjun tries to not let his irritation show as he clears his throat, your attention back on him.

“Hope you don’t mind the extra company,” your friend says, and you’re quick to reassure him as you step aside, gesturing for the two to come in happily.

“Nah, more people to enjoy my aunt’s pie,” you grin, leading them to the kitchen happily; it smells sweet, the pie still warm as you had already prepared two plates— you’re quick to grab an extra one, smiling cutely as you serve them each a slice.

And Yeonjun wishes otherwise, but he can’t help but get excited at the way you seem to be tired from your trip, still a bit groggy and slow with your every action as you suggest watching a movie or two— the look exchanged between the two men goes unnoticed by you, the small device suddenly weighing Beomgyu’s pocket a lot more than it did a few seconds ago.

You’re happy to have both of them seated at each of your sides, though you’d never admit it out loud— the sudden warmth and comfort of having the two men next to you only made you drowsier, the movie left unwatched as you inevitably fell asleep; your phone left on the coffee table in front of you as you nuzzle into Yeonjun, searching desperately for the scent that always seemed to remind you of home.

With one look towards Beomgyu, he watches as the younger is quick to grab your phone, sneaking off into the bathroom so you won’t be able to catch him implanting the tracker. Slinging the bookbag containing the laptop over his shoulder, he quickly disappears as he tries to get it all over with as soon as possible, your peaceful form on the couch remaining unaware of it all.

“Mmh, where’s gyu?” Yeonjun can feel you stirring against his figure minutes later, the suddenness of your voice startling the man as he wraps an arm around you in a panic. He’s pulling you closer to him, putting on an act of clinginess as he whines for you to not get up, much to your protests.

“He’s in the bathroom,” Yeonjun says, arms wrapped around you tightly as he pulls you back down, laying on the couch as he shamelessly brings you closer to him, “don’t, I’m comfortable like this.”

If it weren’t Yeonjun who was doing this to you, you would have immediately wondered why he was being so clingy to you suddenly— but you can’t bring yourself to fight against him, the drowsiness combating against your brain as you finally give in to his request; the feeling of you slumping against Yeonjun’s figure tiredly allows him to finally relax. He hopes desperately that you can’t feel the way his heart is practically pounding against his chest, or the way his hands have gone shaky as they attempt to steady themselves on your back— the idea of you finding out what the two were up to was enough to set Yeonjun off into a feeling of panic.

You would hate him; you would think he was disgusting, too. But the thoughts were quickly swept away the moment Beomgyu emerged from the hall, triumphantly sliding your phone back on the coffee table, your sleeping figure weighing Yeonjun down on the couch as he finally allowed himself to bask in the feeling of it— because now, you would never be out of their sight.

You would be safe.

-♡♡♡-

Well, this is new.

Yeonjun stands outside the small coffee shop you work at, a family-owned business that you dedicated yourself to because “it reminded you of the cafe back at home.”

Yet from the time you’ve been working there, Yeonjun has never seen this— as in, you talking to the tall boy that smiles cutely at you as you explain something to him. Yeonjun is more than happy to turn your attention over to him the moment he enters the shop, your face lighting up as you wave excitedly to your friend; the boy beside you attempts to keep his dimpled smile from slipping.

Soobin, his name tag reads— and according to you, he‘s been here for months. The friendly smiles and small talk that the man exchanges with Yeonjun mean nothing, because he knows well that you’ve managed to snag the tall man’s attention; the only thing that runs through his mind is how to get Soobin out of the picture; the last thing he needed was a repeat of Jaemin.

“Yeah, he’s really sweet,” you say to Yeonjun, telling him about the man that is currently back in the kitchen, “not that I’m interested or anything.”

Soobin was, at most, a good friend to you. You had trained him most days when he first started working with you, and he was easy to get along with. But what you failed to tell Yeonjun was just how sweet he was— to you, specifically. The lingering thoughts of him being interested in you began to plague your mind, and despite you telling yourself that there was just no way, you couldn’t help but begin to overthink his every action.

“Was he a friend of yours?” Soobin asked, reappearing at your side the moment Yeonjun finally bids you goodbye. You nod, telling him that you’d been friends with the man since you were children— Soobin smiles fondly at the thought.

“That’s nice— I’m glad he’s gone though,” he says, watching the way you frown at his words, “Cause now I get you to myself!”

“Oh, uhm,” you can’t fight the way your awkwardness peaks though, thoroughly caught off guard by his words as you try to sputter a coherent response—Soobin simply laughs at your reaction.

“Cause I need you to show me how to use the new coffee machine they installed,” he says, enjoying the way you shrink in embarrassment by your reaction. Soobin was quite the tease— you would find yourself in situations like these quite often, his bold words making you trip over yourself as he would smile, fully aware of his effect as he would backtrack instantly; he had your mind spinning by the time you went to clock out.

You really hope Soobin is nothing more than that— a tease. Because as you wave to him goodbye, shrugging your jacket on as you send him a small wave, you try to look past the way his eyes narrow fondly at you, feeling his eyes lingering on your form until you’re out of sight— you try to suppress the shiver that threatens to wrack through you.

The drive home allows you to clear your mind well; the stress from work and your endless assignments have left you in distress, the sudden moment of weakness only bringing about more unwanted distractions— as in, Jaemin. And while it felt nice to be able to lean on someone while you finally got rid of the nuisance in your life, you were looking forward to finally being able to spend a moment alone, at peace, with no one to constantly try to stick by your side— the failed attempt to do so by going to your aunt’s place only left a bitter taste in your mouth.

So, to say that you’re confused when you see the small bouquet by your door is an understatement—more so when you spot the pretty burgundy envelope tucked in neatly.

They’re roses; and from what you can tell, they’ve been sitting outside for quite a while—most likely since you’ve been at work. The flowers smell sweet, the petals spread beautifully and tinted a deep color that almost matches the envelope— you gulp as you attempt to calculate how much they might’ve cost.

But who would do this? You don’t know anyone that would be the type to give you flowers; maybe that’s why your hands are so shaky when you open your door.

You’re reluctant to make your way to your kitchen counter; there’s a heavy pit that has formed in your stomach. You’re unsure why, but your mind seems to tell you that something isn’t quite right about your sudden gift. The flowers are soft as silk— the arranger must have been quite the professional, because they still seem to be alive and fresh despite the countless hours they must have spent outside; but you brush those thoughts aside, taking a deep breath as you finally dislodge the small envelope from its hiding place.

There’s a wax seal on it— the image of a heart has been stamped into it, the wax a midnight blue so dark it almost passed off as black. Carefully, you took the seal off, surprised that someone would still communicate in such a manner, and opened the letter.

“What… the… fuck?”

My dearest ___,

I know it might seem surprising to have such a gesture delivered to you out of the blue, but I don’t think I can hold back any longer. I’m content simply watching from the sidelines, for now, so don’t worry too much about me; just know I mean well. I’m too scared to say any of this to you in person; I know that you don’t feel the same about me. But I’d hope to change your mind through these gifts that come from the heart— that come from my heart.

Did you like the flowers? I know that roses are quite the cliche flower, but I can think of no better way to start things off than with something as simple as this— something that can show you just how much I love you. Of course, if you don’t like them, then I’ll stop sending them; but then again, I’ll be sure to never send you the same thing more than once. You deserve to be spoiled.

You looked so beautiful today; you always do, honestly. I just wish I could get you on your own, at peace for one moment, but there’s always someone that wants to get in the way of us— it seems like you can never be alone for one second. Do you feel the same way? You know, I could help everyone go away, if you’d let me.

Then it’d be just us two.

Stay safe,

I’ll always watch over you.

The envelope slips from your hands, and it falls on your counter with a heavy thud. Out slide more small contents, and you can already feel your whole body go numb as you pick it up— there were three pictures inside.

And fuck— they were all of you.

Studying in the corner of the cafe you work at during your break, a frown on your face as you concentrate hard on your screen— a picture of you in the park, walking along your usual trail; only it’s been taken from behind, zoomed in so much that the picture has become a bit blurry. Shakily, you flip to the last picture, your mouth going dry as you drop the picture immediately— it’s you, standing in the kitchen, cooking something as the picture seems to have been taken from outside.

The pictures land gingerly on your counter, flipping over to the backside as you spot something else— more writing. You’re sick to your stomach as you pick them up, your other hand gripping the counter as you feel your knees threaten to give out under you— a sob threatens to escape you as you read the comments left behind each picture.

“You look so cute when you’re concentrated. I wish you would take a day off once in a while though.” the first one says, your fingers digging into the photo the longer you survey the writing. Reluctantly, you move on to the next one, eyes stinging as you read.

“Monthly visit— I’m glad to see you’re eating well.”

Oh god,you think, forehead hitting the counter roughly as you let out a shaky sigh, lips dry as you feel the way your skin has become clammy, monthly. Monthly visit.

And before you can stop yourself, you read the last one, the picture shaking so harshly that it takes you a second before you can properly read what has been written on the back— but once you do, you think you might just collapse on the floor.

“I love walking with you. I’ll keep you safe.”

Fuck.

“Fuck!” You seethe, racing to all your windows and closing all the blinds immediately, double checking all your locks as you tried to remain out of sight from the windows, much too afraid of what you might find outside. Your heart is pounding and your body is trembling, your breath labored as you finally stumble back to your kitchen— only to slide onto the floor, hiding in the corner and as far away from all windows as possible.

You’ve always enjoyed looking outside your windows— enjoyed the pretty scenery, the quiet neighborhood, and the sun that always brought light to filter into your kitchen beautifully with every sunset— your stomach twists roughly at the thought of your innocent actions being used against you in such a way.

The letter and the pictures are crushed in your hands; they’ve been typed neatly, the font practically mocking you as it impedes you from trying to identify the handwriting— even the comments on the pictures have been typed out, printed out on sticker paper as they stick neatly to the center, the cutesy comments doing nothing to calm you down.

Who were they? What did they want?

Where were they?

You can practically feel the sob explode from you as you begin to shake, your form curling up as you find yourself too afraid to move— too afraid to lift your head, to open your eyes, to do anything.

And for once, you really wish you weren’t alone.

Am I bad, am I bad, am I bad, am I really that bad?

-♡♡♡-

Beomgyu knows something is wrong the moment you walk into class.

You’re tired, sluggish even, as you spot the man sitting in his usual seat— he tries to hide his surprise as you beeline to him, setting your bag down as you scoot closer to him subtly. Your clothes are in disarray and your eyes are red, and it seems like you haven’t gotten any sleep at all; his heart twists seeing you in such a state.

“___,” Beomgyu says, turning to you as he observes you; you’re practically falling asleep in your seat, jumping up in alarm at the sound of the man calling your name— you feel a bit shaky as you meet his questioning gaze.

“What happened?” A part of you is grateful to see how quick to notice Beomgyu is; but you hesitate to answer nonetheless, unsure of what to tell him as you look around the class nervously.

“It’s, uhm…” you shift awkwardly, your hand reaching for your bag hesitantly; the letters you’ve been receiving inside— you had planned to meet with Yeonjun to show them to him. “Are you busy today?”

Beomgyu frowns; you’re restless, eyes darting around the room as if you were in search of something. Body stiff, he watched the way you flinch as your eyes dart back to him, almost as if you were afraid to see that he was already looking at you.

“I’m not,” he says slowly, carefully leaning in towards you. It’s as if you’re a wild animal, watching intently as he places a firm hand on top of yours; his heart sinks as he watches you flinch again.

“Are you okay?” He tries again, the warmth of his hand allowing you to ground yourself as you look into his eyes. You say nothing, and a moment passes before Beomgyu seems to realize that you won’t answer that. “Have you slept at all?”

You both already seemed to know the answer to that— of course not. You couldn’t help it, remaining huddled in your room night after night as you listened intently for any noises that could give you a sign of whether or not there was someone else home with you. Your body feels weak as you attempt to lie to him, to pretend as though you weren’t as much of a wreck as you seemed.

“I…” you hesitate again, pulling your hand away from Beomgyu as you turn away from him. “I’ll tell you later.”

You hear the man let out a soft “Okay,” the words bringing about an unexpected flood of relief in your system as you force yourself to stay awake. You can feel his stare on you for the rest of class, but you try to ignore it in hopes that he won’t question you anymore; to your luck, he seems to have taken the hint.

And even if you had only planned to tell Yeonjun about the sudden letters you’ve been receiving, you’re glad that you managed to bring Beomgyu along with you—you’ll feel safer this way.

-♡♡♡-

“What the fuck.”

You don’t know why you feel like this— embarrassed, self-conscious, anxious— you weren’t the one that wrote these letters; yet you can’t help but feel this way as you watch the two men across from you read your letters over and over, looking at the pictures with such rage and disgust that you’re shrinking down in your seat in anticipation.

You currently sat in a booth of a restaurant, hidden from view as you finally built up the courage to pull your letter out of your bag, explaining to them the events from yesterday as you silently hope that they’ll be able to help you— their shocked looks and speechless faces don’t seem to be very promising so far.

“I just don’t know what to do,” you admit, downcast as your trace shapes on the table absentmindedly, “I think we should take this to the police.”

“I think so too,” Beomgyu says, eyes filled with rage as he looks at the picture taken of you in your home, “but I don’t think they’ll be able to do anything just yet. We need to wait— get more evidence. Show that they’re serious trouble.”

“Wait? Are you fucking crazy?” Yeonjun is quick to shut the other man down, slamming the letter on the desk as he stares at the man in disbelief. Sitting up, you feel a rush of anxiety run through you at the sight of your friend getting so worked up. “___, you can’t stay there. It’s too dangerous.”

“What? No, no no,” you say, catching on to what your friend is implying as you shake your head, “Yeonjun, I don’t want to bother you— what if… what if I bring them to you, too?”

“I don’t care,” Yeonjun says, stubborn as ever even as he listens to your weak rebuttals, “I’ll stay at your place, then. You can’t be alone like this.”

He’s right— you know this, but you still can’t help but want to refuse his offer, much too afraid that you’ll inconvenience him— or worse, get him involved.

“I just…” you bite at your lip, fighting back the sudden lump that has formed in your throat, your eyes stinging as the lack of sleep comes back to bite you, “I’m scared. I don’t want to get you roped up in this too.”

“We’ll be here for you,” Beomgyu quickly says, reaching over to grab your hand once more. You look down, taking a deep breath as he squeezes your hand gently, “we’ll keep you safe.”

You know he means well, but you can’t help but shudder at his words— an eerie echo of the letter.

It’s okay, your mind tells you, attempting to calm down your nerves as you squeeze his hand back, they’ll protect you.

You’re safe.

-♡♡♡-

Yeonjun quickly offered to take you home.

After stopping at a pharmacy to get you some sleeping pills, he dropped you off, reassuring you that he would stay with you while you rest. Yet despite his promise to stick with you at all times, you currently found yourself home alone, waiting patiently for your friend to come back; he left to get an overnight bag, swearing up and down that he wouldn’t take long.

A part of you wished that Beomgyu was here with you now, but you had already declined his offer back at the restaurant— you didn’t want to inconvenience him, either. But now that you’re here, counting the seconds away as you listen carefully for any abnormal sounds, you can’t help but wish that you accepted his offer; maybe then you wouldn’t be pacing back and forth in front of your door, checking the time restlessly as you debated on calling your friend.

And when you hear the crinkling of paper under your foot, you could only feel the regret sink into you more, the feeling heavy as you slowly look down, taking a step back to see what you’ve stepped on.

Another letter.

Oh god, you think, sick to your stomach as you lean against the wall, how long has that been there?

You’re too afraid to pick it up, but you can tell that it’s been there for a while by the footprint of your shoe that tainted the paper— you probably didn’t notice it when you came in. But that doesn’t stop the overwhelming fear that rushes through you, your knees weak as you slowly bend down to grab the envelope; the same blue seal greets you as you turn it over.

Should you open it now? Should you wait? Your mind is racing as you stare down at the envelope, picking at the seal as you feel your heart pound against your chest. Sighing, you go back to your couch, shakily sitting down as you finally decide to open it, the curious itch inside you begging you to get it over with now.

___.

How could you? This letter was meant to be a connection between the two of us— so why would you show it to them? You know, I was willing to excuse just how much time you’ve been spending with them, but now that I’ve seen just how ungrateful you are, I’m not sure if I can.

Everyone makes mistakes— and that’s okay. I’ll be willing to forgive you, my love, but don’t show them anything I give you ever again. Everything I send to you is meant for your eyes only, so if I ever see you sharing my gifts with others, it won’t go well for you— or them.

And trust me, I will know.

I hate that it’s had to come to this, my love. But promise me you’ll be good and listen to me, okay? I’m sure you’d like to keep Yeonjun safe and sound, right? Oh, and Beomgyu too— it wouldn’t be right to have something happen to them because of your actions.

I still love you, my lovely, but know that this stunt of yours has cost you a bit of my trust; I guess I’ll have to keep a closer eye on you.

I trust that you’ll be smarter from now on.

Stay safe,

I’ll always watch over you.

The paper crumbles under your hold as you grip it tightly, tears staining the paper as you read the letter again— and again, unsure of what to do with the situation at hand. You didn’t know what this person was capable of, and you really didn’t want to find out— a chill ran through your body at the very thought.

It was as if the letter wasn’t enough to prove his words, because three more pictures seem to follow along with the message, your heart heavy as you finally gather enough courage to see what else this psycho has sent you.

The first is a picture of you and Beomgyu walking into the restaurant, your weary gaze looking around the area to see if anyone had been following you— yet despite that, you still weren’t able to notice the person who took this picture.

Why must you act this way? The back reads, the neat font a mocking reminder that there’s no way you can trace these to a person, I would never harm you.

The second picture is taken when you’re already sitting in the booth, the clear view of your face bringing about another wave of panic inside you as you realize that they were in there, with you, and you never even noticed.

You look distraught, tracing shapes on the table as Beomgyu’s shoulders barely come into the frame—just when you thought you would have thrown him off, they still manage to find you— and take pictures of you, too.

No matter where you try to go, I’ll always find you. The picture says, the words only leave a sick feeling inside you, with ease.

The last picture was taken at the pharmacy, your weary figure leaning against Yeonjun as he looks through the medications before him, his arm wrapped around your waist in support. You feel hesitant to read what’s on the back.

Are you kidding? How do you allow him to be this comfortable with you? Do you like him? There’s only one person meant for you, my love. I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to ignore his behavior.

You’re crying now, shoulders shaking and chest heaving as you struggle to keep your composure, the fear of someone following you and threatening the relationship with your friends bringing a horrible ache to your head. Your lungs burn as you try to calm down, but are unable to do so as you glance back at the letter before you; you put everything back in the envelope, shoving it into the crevice of your couch cushions as you try to rid the letter from your mind.

Your house is silent save for the sounds of your crying, yet you can’t help but freeze as you hear a sound resonate throughout the house; your breathing stops. Frozen, you carefully look up, surveying your house as you wait for another sound— you’re standing, ready to make a break for it at any moment.

At the sound of a soft creak, you’re sprinting to the door, all paranoid thoughts discarded as a new goal enters your head: get to safety. Swinging the door open, you can’t control the scream that erupts from you as you’re met with the sight of men at your door, your hands flying up instinctively as you stumble back— only to trip over your own feet, flying back as you collide with your hardwood floor roughly.

“___!” The voice is unfamiliar in your mind, your vision hazy as you struggle to breathe— you’re gasping for air, tears leaving your eyes rapidly as you try to back away from the approaching figure; but it’s useless, your weak body easily encased in the man’s arms as you attempt to push away from him, his soft reassurance falling on deaf ears as you become disoriented.

“She’s having a panic attack,” the other voice says, the man coming closer to you as he takes a seat on the floor. Firmly, he grabs your hands, fingers intertwined with yours as he speaks, “It’s us. Yeonjun and Beomgyu. You’re okay, I promise.”

His words break through your blurred mind, soft hiccups leaving you as your cries go quiet, eyes screwing shut as you shakily gasp for air. You can hear their soothing voices attempt to ground you, but it’s hard to focus on anything as the fear that paralyzed you still lingers in your system. It takes you a while, but by the moment you’re able to calm down, you’re grabbing onto Beomgyu, bringing him in closer as you whisper in a panic.

“There’s someone here,” you say, ignoring the way he frowns at your words, “there’s an intruder— please, we have to leave.”

“There’s no one,” Beomgyu reassures you, trying to calm your panicking mind even as you refuse his claims, “I promise you it’s just us— here, I’ll go check.”

Beomgyu ignores your quiet plea to stay as he goes to check every room, corner, and hiding place, looking for anything that may show signs of someone else’s presence. But when he returns, he can only shake his head as he tells you that you’re safe— that there was no one here.

“But I thought,” you whimper, your mind going back to the sounds you heard a moment ago— it all seemed so real. But one look back to Beomgyu tells you that he’s not lying, his soothing reassurance that you’re safe doing little to calm your restless mind.

Maybe you were imagining it.

For the rest of the night, you’re unable to get rid of the paranoia that clouded your mind, trying your best to avoid walking past windows as Yeonjun and Beomgyu stick by your side— their presence is the only comfort that allows you to sleep at night.

“We’ll sleep in the living room, I promise you’ll be safe,” Yeonjun says, kissing your forehead gently as he takes a look at your face— you’re still shaken from the events that transpired earlier, and he wishes he had never left your side as he remembers the fear that filled your teary eyes as you looked at them. Beomgyu stands next to you, nodding his head as he takes your hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as he sends you a reassuring smile. You say nothing, your mind panicking as you watch them turn to leave.

“Wait,” you’re meek as you grab onto their shirts, pulling them back weakly as they send you a curious look; the embarrassment from your actions floods your body quickly.

“I don‘t… I don’t want to be alone,” you say, flushing as you stare down at the floor, “Can you stay with me? Both of you?”

They say nothing, and you can already feel the regret creep up for asking, yet just as you’re about to take back your request, Yeonjun takes your hand, your head snapping back up as you look at him; your hopeful eyes give you away quickly.

“Of course,” Yeonjun says, smiling fondly at you, “whatever you want.”

It’s a bit awkward as you try to explain that you don’t want them to just be in the room with you, but you’d actually want them to be next to you as you sleep— you’re all flustered as you finally propose the idea. Yet in the end, they can never say no to you; so you’re finally able to sleep as they hold you close, Beomgyu’s hold on your hand and Yeonjun’s arm thrown over your waist, their promise to stick close to your side finally allowing you to calm down.

The letter in between the couch cushions is forgotten.

-♡♡♡-

It’s been a while since you’ve been able to enjoy your life.

Your days are filled with nothing but paranoia and fear, your skittish behavior not remaining unnoticed by your friends as they continue to ask what’s wrong— but you refuse to tell them anything.

“But the letters have stopped, right?” Yeonjun asks, sitting across from you at the library table as he watches the way you’re unable to look up from your laptop, afraid that one look at him will be all it takes for you to fold.

“Yes,” you say hesitantly, pretending to be busy as you pause, “but it’s just… hard to get over.”

Yeonjun is understanding of that— he thinks you’re doing better, ever since you decided to stop clinging onto them helplessly; but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

The letters never stopped— if anything, they only got worse. They were filled with detailed words of this psycho proclaiming their love to you, followed by countless pictures of you— with your friends, alone, even in places you swore were practically empty— places that made someone pointing a camera at you easier to spot.

That had become your new strategy— when you weren’t at home or work, you resided in the loneliest, quiet public places; the library being one of the most common ones. It was unhealthy, but you kept every letter, gift, and picture, poring endlessly over every minuscule detail as you tried to find anything that could trace you back to them— whether that be the camera angle, speech patterns, or gift brands.

Yet, you couldn’t find anything— No two gifts were the same, the speech this person used was too formal for it to ever be used in real life, and every picture taken was different; even when they were taken in the same locations, the camera angles were always different and unpredictable.

In the end, you were just as obsessed with your stalker as they were with you.

Your life was no longer the same— every moment you stepped outside the house was a moment where you were being watched, a moment where you were left vulnerable to the eyes of your stalker; and sure enough, every second spent outside would be captured and sent back in the same, deep red envelope.

The letters piled up, your wariness of those around you growing as you wracked your mind of ways you could get rid of this mystery person— you’d give anything for them to leave you alone, even for a single day. It even got to the point where you ordered a bat online— for protection, you told yourself. You tried to set up cameras around your house too, but every time you thought the culprit was at your doorstep, it would just be the mailman, there to deliver the same packages that haunted your daily life.

At first, it was nothing special— generic flowers, jewelry, chocolates; random things that always ended up in the trash or your pile of evidence.

Then, it got specific.

The sweater you stopped to look at while you were walking around the mall— an album from your favorite artist, the item so rare that it must’ve cost a couple hundred— Today’s item came in a small velvet box.

Carefully, you open it, your hands shaking as you realize what this stalker has gifted you— a necklace. But not just any necklace; of course not, why would they gift you something generic when they can gift you something eerily specific instead? Yelling in disgust, you toss the necklace on the counter, left in disbelief by the item.

It was a diamond necklace you had been looking at, giddy at the fantasy of ever owning it; one that you had only looked at online. You’d never said a word about it to your friends, let alone looked at it in public.

I’ll give you the world, the note attached to the box reads, all you have to do is ask.

The velvet box was quickly tossed into your pile of evidence.

You’ll never be safe, you think, your body ready to shut down on you as you glance down at the pile of letters before you tiredly, not as long as they’re around.

-♡♡♡-

Your behavior change is noticeable to everyone— especially Soobin.

It was as if he noticed immediately—being extra kind to you, offering to do so many things for you as he tried to get you to rest as much as possible. It was sweet really, if his underlying crush didn’t make his motives so obvious.

His offers to eat together or hang out were swiftly declined; you couldn’t imagine having someone new come into your life at the moment. And when he hinted at having feelings for you, you were gentle to reject him, saying that you weren’t in a good place in your life to think about relationships. In the end, he was sweet nonetheless, comforting you when needed and allowing you to take small naps on your break— a small pastry would be left near you when you woke up. (Courtesy of the alarms Soobin would set up.)

You remember the first time you woke to the sweet gesture, confusion filling your mind as Soobin had left a note next to the pastry. “It’s not much, but take it as a token of my gratitude in return for what you did :)”

It took you a while to figure out what he meant by that— you chalked it up to the time you covered for his shift, not bothering to ask as you ate the pastry hungrily.

Then, it seemed as if something changed; suddenly, you didn’t mind his constant acts of kindness, the smile he flashed you as he complimented you shyly a lot cuter than it was before. You found yourself excited to see him when you went to work, eager to make conversation whenever you had a chance. He was quick to notice this change too— quick to pick up on your new view of him.

So he tried again, asking if you’d like to eat together outside of work; when you said yes, he broke out into the cutest dimpled grin. He was like a giddy child around you, your relationship strengthening as he stuck to you like glue— he felt safe, constantly checking up on you and your health when you weren’t at work, bringing you meals and buying gifts despite your constant reluctance to accept them.

With one last leap of faith, you finally decided to let Soobin into your life; the prospect of liking him didn’t seem so sour anymore. Maybe it was because of his caring nature, or maybe it was because of the way your letters seemed to have ceased, even if it would just be for a moment.

My dearest ___, the last letter you received read,

It pains me to say this, but my letters to you will cease briefly— I will be traveling for a bit, but I will be back. Maybe, once I get back, I’ll gather the courage to see you in person.

I know this letter is brief, but I have important business I must attend to; I trust that you’ll wait patiently for my return. In the meantime, I leave you this gift— I hope you’ll think of me as I will of you.

Stay safe,

I’ll miss you dearly.

The gift mentioned was another necklace— a golden chain with a heart pendant on it, the color the same red as the envelopes you received. The necklace was stored with the rest of your gifts quickly, a shiver running down your body as you read the note attached to it— I hope to see you wearing this when we meet— for I will have one to match yours.

So, as much as you wished to give into Soobin’s flirting and sweet gestures, you knew you couldn’t; what you needed was to plan for your stalker’s return.

-♡♡♡-

“It doesn’t make sense,” you whisper to yourself, staring at the pictures laid out before you as you go over them once more, “How were these pictures taken? I don’t remember anyone being there.”

In the end, your attempts to make sense of everything were futile; your stalker covered up their tracks nicely. You were obsessive, ignoring the outside world around you once more as you received a postcard in the mail today— a bitter reminder that you weren’t out of the woods yet. The small postcard had been waiting for you when you woke up, your throat drying as you carefully picked it up— there were no addresses or stamps on it.

I’m finally home. I missed you so much, it felt great to be in front of your home again. I hope you slept well, my lovely.

When you first read the postcard, a wave of nausea washed over you; you almost fainted on the spot. They had been at your house while you were sleeping— they could have broken in if they wanted to. A shaky sigh escapes you, your body sweaty as you make your way to your laptop; if they had been here, then surely the cameras you set up must have caught it.

Biting at your lip, you scroll through the footage impatiently, eyes wide open as you wait for the person to appear— but nothing comes. It isn’t until you’re checking the time and date that you notice it— there’s footage missing.

Your hands are shaky as you go to three am— the last time the cameras were working— and watch as the timestamp skips to four am swiftly.

A whole hour of footage. Missing.

How did they get access to your footage? How did they find out about your hidden cameras? You had made sure to put them up from the inside, angling them to look outside so your stalker wouldn’t have been able to see you put them up. And yet, it didn’t work. They still found a way to get around the protection you set up. Shuddering, you feel the heavy dread form in your chest as you fight back the tears that prick at your eyes.

You’re not sure if you want to leave your home at all anymore.

-♡♡♡-

In the end, you force yourself to continue with your life— the constant texts and calls from your friends asking if you were okay becoming a bit too much. You didn’t go to class, you called off work, and you couldn’t bring yourself to leave your home anymore; you weren’t sure of what to do.

But the reminders from your stalker to keep your letters a secret forced you to continue as if nothing was happening; if any of your friends continued to pry, you’re not sure if you would be able to hold on to the truth much longer. Yeonjun was particularly persistent; constantly asking if the stalker had returned, if you needed him to come over, or if you wanted to stay over at his place. You were quick to deny it all each time, the piercing fear of seeing him hurt impeding you from saying a word. And in the end, it was just you, ready to take action on your own.

Your current plan was to go to the police— you would take Yeonjun and Beomgyu with you, using them as extra protection as you finally revealed to them everything that has been going on.

You knew you had more than enough evidence by now, and with the countless letters filled with threats you would be able to claim that you were in danger— maybe that would put more urgency on your case. It was going to be hard to track your stalker down, but the prospect of visiting the police station after work tonight was the only thing giving you hope.

“Are you feeling alright?” You knew you looked a mess right now, your suspicions only being confirmed as Soobin approached you, his lips in a pout as he observed you in worry, “you look tired.”

“It’s nothing,” you quickly shrugged off his concern, flashing him a bright smile as you tried to put on the perfect facade you’d been cultivating for the past months, “don’t worry about it.”

But Soobin remained unconvinced; He didn’t try to hide it either, attempting to make your shift easier by taking any workload off your shoulders, despite your constant protests. His affection was persistent, an unnerved feeling forming in your stomach the longer time passed. Maybe it was your horrid paranoia, but even the customers that came in seemed to leave you on edge, any passing look becoming a lingering stare, every smile becoming something more sinister.

By the time you were ready to go home, you were practically running to your car, unable to feel apologetic for the brief goodbye you gave Soobin— you were more than ready to go to the police station.

More than ready to finally get this awful secret off your chest.

Instinctively, you reached out to the passenger’s seat, expecting to feel the small box filled with evidence; only to feel nothing.

Fuck, you realize, letting out a frustrated groan as you smack your steering wheel, you forgot it at home. With a text to your friends to meet you at your home, you change course.

You make your way back home bitterly, angry that you had been so rushed to get to work that you forgot about the most important thing that could help your case. The sun had set an hour ago, the sky dark as every street was illuminated with streetlamps— yet even then, you couldn’t help the way your grip on the steering wheel tightened nervously.

Your phone buzzed— it was a text message. You glanced at it briefly, seeing Soobin’s contact name appear on your screen. Ignoring it, you continue driving, listening as your phone buzzes again— then again, and again, and again.

By now your body is tingling with anxiety, your palms clammy as you finally get the view of your house. You’re not sure why, but you’re urgent as you make your way inside, legs shaky as you grab your phone, reading all the text messages Soobin sent you.

Soobin:

I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable tonight.

I really care about you, you know.

I would never do anything to harm you.

I love you so much.

My lovely.

This is just a coincidence, your brain told you, fumbling with your doorknob as you stumbled inside, don’t jump to any conclusions.

But how could you not? It was impossible, his speech patterns the exact same as the ones used in the letters— like the very one you seemed to step on now, you realize horribly; your breathing becomes staggered.

You practically ripped the envelope as you opened the letter, going to your bedroom as you read the letter; you were going to leave through the back door, praying silently that your stalker wasn’t around to see.

But it seemed as though life had other plans, because as you finish the small message, you feel yourself freeze with fear.

I miss seeing you happy. I’m sorry I let you down.

Please don’t go to the police, I promise I’ll do better.

I’ll make you happy— I’ll fix things! Everything will be as it was before.

Just wait for me, okay?

See you soon, my lovely.

The box of evidence wasn’t where you left it— it was gone.

No matter how much you trashed your room and looked through every nook and cranny, your mind concluded that he must have gotten to it first. He must have known about your plan for a while now.

The box of evidence was no longer on your list of priorities, you decided. Your main priority now was to get out of the house.

Yet just as you were exiting your bedroom, the front door bursts open, and in comes the very person you were dreading to see the most.

“Stay back!” You scream, tears pricking at your eyes as you stumble back, arm flailing behind you as you reach for anything to help you defend yourself.

“___!” Soobin steps forward, but stops as you yell at him once more, your throat raw from the force as you try to not fall from the fear that shakes you. You’re trembling violently, the sight of the man behind it all causing you to panic like never before— your lungs burn, unable to breathe properly as you try to think of any way that you can stall.

“Please, listen to me!” Soobin, you’ve realized, looks just as panicked as you— his eyes are teary, chest heaving as his hands remain stretched out towards you; he’s treating you like a wounded animal, slowly attempting to step toward you; but with every step forward, you take many more back, eyes stuck on him as the fear of him doing something unpredictable prevents you from running away.

“Leave,” you say, panting wildly as you attempt to muster as much courage inside you as you can, “leave me the fuck alone!”

Your voice booms around the small living room, the man before you flinching from the sheer force of the scream that left you— your throat stings, and you’re sure that you’re not getting enough oxygen in your system as you struggle to calm down.

“___, please,” he begs again, stepping back as he attempts to speak to you, “I’m not trying to harm you, I swear! It wasn’t, I’m not the one who—“

Before you can attempt to dispute his sad attempts to redeem himself, he’s tackled to the floor, your friends bursting through the door as they take him by surprise— you’ve never been more thankful for them in your life.

But, as you guessed, Soobin didn’t come empty-handed— a pocket knife is pulled out of his pocket, and before any of you can react, he swings blindly; and slices cleanly on Beomgyu’s shoulder. The man winces, grabbing onto his shoulder as he grabs onto the wound— you can already see the blood seeping through the cracks of his fingers.

“Stay back, you sick bastards!”

You’ve never seen Soobin like this— wild and violent, eyes blown out as he threatens Yeonjun and Beomgyu with the weapon. He’s taking a step away from them, and your eyes widen as you watch him come to you. And it seems as though Yeonjun notices, because before you can stop him, he’s diving to disarm Soobin.

“Yeonjun, no!”

You’re not sure what took over you— maybe it was panic, seeing the way that Soobin quickly kicked your friend away, straddling him as he brought a rough punch to his face. Or maybe it was fear, watching as the man brought the knife back, ready to hurt Yeonjun without a second thought.

Or maybe it was anger, your clammy hands gripping your steel baseball bat tightly as you used up the rest of your strength to swing at your intruder.

He drops instantly— the knife clattering on your floor as you watch him fall back, landing on top of Yeonjun’s legs as you pant harshly, your breathing labored and mixed in with your heavy sobs as your bat follows shortly, clanging onto the ground.

It rolls slowly, dipping into the puddle of blood that is forming around Soobin’s head.

“No…”

Your eyes glance back at Soobin’s figure, catching onto the necklace that peeks out of his sweater— a golden chain with a deep, midnight blue heart pendant hanging from it.

“I didn’t…”

Soobin is on the floor— Soobin isn’t breathing either, and the bat that you used on him is laying by his side.

“I didn’t mean to…”

But it doesn’t matter if you meant to or not. Because as you collapse onto the floor, your vision spotting as your legs give in, this simple fact won’t change.

Soobin is dead.

And you killed him.

My baby’s got a gun, I better run!

My baby’s got a gun, it goes—

-♡♡♡-

“Do you think we were too harsh on her?”

The car ride is silent, your unconscious body slumped in the backseat of Yeonjun’s car as they make their way away from your town— Yeonjun frowns, listening to your restless stirring behind him; but you didn’t wake, your body too exhausted from the past month’s events as it tries to compensate your lack of sleep.

“A bit,” Beomgyu sighs, leaning his head back to rest against the seat as he watches the autumn leaves fall around him. Pouting, he reached into his pocket, pulling out a golden chain as he thumbed absentmindedly at the pendant attached, “but it’s okay— she’ll have us around.”

Yeonjun can’t help the way he feels a strange serenity wash over him; there would be no one else where you were going, no one to distract or stress you out as you took this time to heal; took the time to put yourself back together as you leaned on them for support.

And he knows Beomgyu feels the same— from the corner of his eye, he sees the way Beomgyu has read over his work with a satisfied smile, the messages sent through Soobin’s phone becoming the final piece they needed to get away with things.

“We still need to get rid of that god-awful body,” Beomgyu sneers, going through his mental checklist as he groans. It’s been an hour since they’d been driving, and he could almost feel his nausea growing stronger at the reminder of what remained in the car’s trunk.

“Not it,” Yeonjun quips, suppressing a smile at the way Beomgyu gawks at him. He laughs, the younger man shaking his head in disapproval at his words.

“If my arm wasn’t fucked up I’d punch you,” Beomgyu mutters, glancing back at Yeonjun as he added, “Add another bruise to that face.”

“Hey man, I didn’t actually expect him to fight back.”

Soobin had simply been another step in their deluded plan to get you to rely solely on them. They had let him in on the letters that had been sent to you, taking him with them on their way home to you— they made him believe you were in danger.

“This is sick,” he said in the backseat of Yeonjun’s car, unaware of what was coming for him as they led him to his demise, “I can’t believe someone would do this to her.”

“Well, it’s quite easy really,” Beomgyu had said, turning in his seat as he cast Soobin a mischievous grin, the car parked as he sent him a wink, “especially when she doesn’t suspect the ones she trusts the most.”

Beomgyu still feels the tingle of excitement that ran through his spine at Soobin’s reaction, the slow realization that dawned on his face as his jaw dropped; followed by his wide eyes, pupils flooded with horror as he rushed to get out of the car— and ran straight to your home.

“Poor thing thinks he can save her,” Beomgyu pouted, watching the way Soobin bursts in your door roughly— the crazed image he made for himself was unintentional, but perfect nonetheless. They had waited outside for a second, listening to the powerful boom of your voice as you tried to defend yourself; he remembers how he shivered in delight at the sound, finding your willpower to survive quite pleasant.

They had never meant for you to be the one to kill him— no, not one bit. If anything, the dirty work was meant to be done by Yeonjun, staged as an accident the moment he dove to tackle Soobin— the glint of his pocket knife appeared under the street lamps as he drove. But in the end, your small kick of adrenaline and instinct only helped them more— because at least now they wouldn’t have to justify their murder to you.

But you would.

Their image would remain pristine, and you would have to cling desperately to them as you begged them to not see you in a different light— to not see you as a killer.

They can hear your turmoil now as your toss and turn in your seat, sweat gleaming on your forehead as you mumble incoherently. You’re frowning, catching their attention as you begin to thrash around, your body distraught as you fight against the seatbelt— you wake up with a cry.

“___!” Beomgyu says, slipping into his pleasant facade as he reaches back for you, wincing at the exertion as he grabs your hand gently. “It’s okay, you’re okay.”

Your teary gaze clears as you feel the hot trails run down your cheeks, your vision finally clearing as you feel the firm hold of Beomgyu’s fingers lacing with yours— he gives you a gentle squeeze, holding back a groan of pain as he did so; your head snapped up at the realization.

“Gyu!” You say, taking off your seatbelt and scooting forward despite his protests, “you’re hurt, don’t move.”

“This? It’s nothing, I promise.” Beomgyu says, turning in his seat as he faces you. Reaching out, he cups your face, a fond smile on his own as he caresses your tear-stained cheeks comfortingly. “What matters now is that you’re safe.”

He can see the stress that lingers in your eyes, the fear not yet subsided as you finally take a look at your surroundings— you’re surrounded by nothing but trees, the area unfamiliar as Yeonjun pulls into an unknown driveway.

“Where…” The house is at the top of a mountain, placed next to a cliff as it gives way to a view of a small town far off— a town you didn’t recognize. “Where are we?”

“We’ll explain everything to you later,” Yeonjun says, parking the car as he finally glances back at you— you gasp, taking in his busted lip and the bruise on his face. “But right now, you need to rest. Beomgyu will stay with you.”

“But what about you?” You ask, reaching out to touch his face— your touch is like a feather, cautiously grazing over his injuries as you pull back in a panic the moment he winces.

“Gonna go pick up some things from the store,” he says, gesturing to the town that seems distant from the rest of you. It seems as though he catches the worry in your eyes, because he pats your head softly, pulling you in as he gently kisses your forehead. “Beomgyu will explain everything. I promise.”

You’re hesitant as Beomgyu leads you into this new home, unable to stop yourself from glancing back to where Yeonjun remains, his soft smile and wave goodbye all you get before he drives off— solemnly, you continue to watch until his car is out of sight.

“Where are we?” Your voice feels unfamiliar to you; soft and vulnerable, your body still shaky as you cling onto Beomgyu— yet you can’t help it, your mind preventing you from being alone for a second as the image of Soobin’s lifeless body is burned into your mind.

“It’s a cabin my family would rent out for vacations, though we don’t use it at all anymore…” Beomgyu explained, refraining from cooing at the way you stuck to him, grabbing onto his good arm tightly as you looked around wearily. “We’ll stay here while everything cools down.”

While everything cools down.

It seems as though his words seemed to trigger something in you; you no longer felt like yourself, the memories of everything flooding your mind as tears began to flow from you endlessly.

The letters were gone. All your evidence that could have justified what you did, gone. All that would be left was Soobin’s body, and a murderer on the run; you.

You weren’t a killer. You were only trying to defend yourself, but now no one would believe you, and all your efforts to win this battle would be thrown down the drain.

“I’m not…” you mumble out, your brain slipping deeper into this strange space that leaves you vulnerable, seeking comfort as you attempt to wipe at your tears uselessly, “I’m not a killer.”

Beomgyu rushed to your side swiftly; he encases you, kissing the top of your head softly as he reassures you, soft words like “I know,” and “It’s okay.” escaping his lips repeatedly.

“I was just trying to defend myself!” You cry out, the image of Soobin’s lifeless eyes breaking you down as your body shakes, gripping Beomgyu’s shirt as you try to shake the vision from your mind.

“I know,” Beomgyu says, pulling away as he cups your cheek. Tilting your head up, he looks at you, smiling softly at the way your eyes sparkle under the dim moonlight. You’re perfect, and his mind practically spins at the way your pouty lips beg to be kissed. So he gives in, inching in slowly until your eyes are fluttering shut, the tears that cling to your lashes grazing your cheekbones like diamonds as he finally allows his lips to press against yours.

How long has he waited for this? Beomgyu has lost track, but all he knows is that no one will ever be able to compare to you. Your lips are chapped and bitten at, but it’s still perfect to him as you whimper, the comfort of his pillowy lips on yours a perfect distraction as you pull him in closer. He can feel you crying still, your mind weak and shaken as you desperately seek protection.

You’re divine. The perfect delicacy for him to indulge in, his hunger never satiating for as long as he’s alive.

Pulling away, he gently smooths out your hair, eyes lidded as he slowly takes in your face; his thumbs wipe at your eyes gently, sweeping your tears away before they slowly caress your cheeks. Finally, he allows himself to graze your bottom lip, laughing softly at the shaky breath you let out. He’s unable to resist the temptation, leaning back in as he gives you another firm kiss, his desire and love laced so deeply in it that he’s sure you’ll know just how much he means his next words.

“I believe you.”

And for now, that’s all you need.

-♡♡♡-

The first week is impossible to get through.

Yeonjun and Beomgyu try to make it more bearable, constantly distracting you and trying to keep your mood up, but it’s all in vain. You spend your days staring out into the small town, sitting near the edge of the cliff as you imagine a life where everything was normal— where your nights weren’t filled with the same recurring nightmares.

In your dreams, you relived the same night over and over— your mind filled with vivid images of Soobin reaching out to you, pleading to not let him die as you watched the life drain from his eyes. He always appeared as the same sweet guy from work, not the crazed stalker that ruined your life. Then there were nights when he wouldn’t die, taking the bat from your hands and forcing you to watch as he killed your friends instead; they would call for help, reaching out to you as you remained frozen in place, at fault for their deaths instead as Soobin left you with the aftermath.

It was especially bad the first night. You couldn’t sleep, and you remained a sobbing and broken mess as Yeonjun held you close— in the end, you simply slept from the exhaustion of all your crying, the comfort of Yeonjun’s arms wrapped around you allowing your mind to rest for a second.

But it wasn’t long before you woke up once more.

You still feel horrible for the way your friends had to deal with your distressed state, their reassurance never-ending as you would try to convince them that you were innocent— and would try to convince yourself that you didn’t see Soobin every time you close your eyes.

By the third day, it became a routine— the two boys would take turns sleeping next to you as they comforted you all night.

It was under the covers where Beomgyu would sneak his kisses— peppering them all over your face as he promised you that you were safe, that nothing would ever come to hurt you— that it wasn’t your fault.

Those seemed to be the only times where you truly believed his words; his hold on you was so secure, his lips soft and filled with such love and adoration as he failed to keep his hands off you, your body indulging in this new type of distraction, mind racing with possibilities the longer you felt his touch.

But you never caved in— much to both of your disappointment.

By the end of the first week, you almost felt yourself getting a bit better; the nightmares weren’t as strong anymore, and you felt your appetite returning for the first time in a while.

You found solace in the cookbooks that had been collecting dust in the kitchen— “they were my mother’s,” Beomgyu had told you, the solemn look on his face as he stared at the books preventing you from prying more about his family. You no longer had your phone; it was long forgotten back at your old home, the two boys reassuring you that having your phone would only stress you out more— and you wholeheartedly agreed. You couldn’t even bring yourself to watch the news channel, much too afraid of what you might find as you opted to watch random shows instead, spending your time cooped up inside as the fall air around you grew colder.

That’s how you spent your days— going from cookbook to cookbook, trying out new recipes as you lost yourself in this new comfort.

The boys still had to go on with their lives; much to your discomfort, they would leave you sometimes, whether that be to attend classes or go to their new jobs in the town nearby. “We can’t let them suspect us,” they would remind you as you would cling to them, begging them to stay as they tried with little effort to pry you off— sometimes they would allow you to try to convince them, the sight of you begging and needy just too cute for them to ignore.

But you? You had been dead to the world for months. Your disappearance would be nothing new; if anything, the two men assured you that they made an excuse for you.

“Here,” Yeonjun said one day, handing you something you hadn’t expected— your phone. “Your parents keep asking me about you because you haven’t talked to them in a while. You should call them.”

It was embarrassing, the way you panicked at the prospect of talking to someone who wasn’t them— someone who didn’t know of the horrible thing you had done.

“What do I say!” You asked, exasperated as your finger hovered over your mother’s contact, “what have you told them?”

“That you’ve been busy, mostly,” he explains, leaning against the counter as he glances down into the oven— you were in the process of making muffins before he interrupted you.

“Just tell them you’re alright,” Yeonjun says, gently taking the phone from your hands before he called the number for you; you gasped, stiffening up as the sound of ringing filled the room, “maybe even tell her you won’t be using your phone much anymore.”

There was no way your mom would be convinced by that— right? Biting your lip with uncertainty, you can already feel your mind flooding with many different lies you could tell your parents; anything to get them off your back. If they were to continue looking for you, you’re sure they would be able to spot the guilt all over your face immediately.

What would they think of you? Your family would be so disappointed; their child, a killer. Even if you spent day after day convincing yourself otherwise, you knew that your parents wouldn’t see you in any other light— and that’s why your voice shook as you spoke with your mother.

“I’m okay,” you say, huddled up in the corner as you lean against the counter, biting your nail nervously, “just been busy.”

“I know that you don’t really visit us often, but even this is a bit much,” your mother sighs, and you can hear the commotion of her cooking on the line, “why haven’t you called? I heard about the awful disappearance that happened in your town, I was so worried when I heard about it. Are you okay? Is something going on—?”

“I moved!” You blurt out, eyes widening as you look at Yeonjun, his face as equally as surprised as your own. “That’s why I’ve been so busy…”

You’re not sure why you did that; you panicked, surely. But the regret from saying that sinks into you immediately as you hear your mother’s excited chatter on the other line, your head spinning from its attempts to keep up with her.

“Ohh, I should come to visit then! It’d be so nice, I’ve never really liked that old apartment of yours, it was so secluded. Especially now with that boy that went—“

“Please don’t visit— yet…” you try your best to seem casual as you reject her, her questioning growing tenfold as she begins asking why, “I’m not done setting up! I want you to see it once it’s done. This was supposed to be a surprise.”

Her apologetic voice is heard through the phone, and Yeonjun watches with amusement as you stumble over your words, reassuring her that it was okay, that you’d let her visit soon.

“My service is really bad here though,” you say, sending Yeonjun a glare as he chuckles at your words, “so if I don’t talk to you for a while… that’s why. I haven’t been using my phone much anyways.”

It’s endearing, watching the way you try to insist that you’re not making excuses— even if you actually are. But Yeonjun knows that if your parents were to come and visit one day, you would be quick to give in and tell them everything— and he really can’t have that happening. So he gestures to you to wrap it up, pointing to the muffins as you jump in surprise, seeing that the timer is about to run out. Your voice is meek as you say goodbye to your mother, wishing her the best as you try to not choke up— you’re not sure when you’ll talk to her again without the fear of your guilt making you slip up clouding your mind.

And as you hand your phone back to Yeonjun, telling him that you “really don’t need it,” you try to avoid his gaze as much as you can, focusing more on the muffins before you as you hold back tears.

Yeonjun smiles, watching you as you slowly take the hot tray out of the oven. He can tell that it hurts you to be isolated so much, but the darker, greedier part of him is happy to see how easily you cut ties with everyone.

It was certain now— no one would come looking for you.

-♡♡♡-

He’s there.

In the corner of your room, watching you with blank eyes— you swear he’s there. You’re shaking like a leaf as you back up in your bed, eyes widening as he steps into the light— Soobin smiles down gently at you.

“My lovely,” he says, in that same voice he would use whenever he would tell you to rest during your breaks; the same voice he used to win you over, even if it was just for a moment.

“How could you?” He asks, and you’re frantically getting out of bed as he takes a step forward— you fall, your feet entangled in the sheets as you’re tripped. The air is practically knocked out of your lungs, but you don’t care much as he rounds over to where you are, his lips turned to a pout as he rubs the back of his head.

“Why would you do this to me?”

His hand comes around, and you gasp as you look at the red substance that coats him— blood. It streams endlessly out of him, you realize, leaving a trail behind him as he attempts to reach out to you.

“No no no no,” you gasp, crawling back as you stumble to your feet, bolting out the door. You can hear Soobin calling out for you, the sound of his heavy footsteps echoing throughout the house as you try to figure out what to do. Soobin is dead, you know that much— so what was it that you were seeing now?

You can’t hide— you’ll be a sitting duck. You can’t run; you’ve never stepped a foot out of this house, never going as far as the backyard where the cliff was— the only thing around you for miles was a thick forest; You didn’t even know how to get to the nearby town.

You were stuck.

“Please,” you cry, your voice breaking as you watch Soobin finally appear at the entrance of the kitchen. You grab a knife, unsure of what else to do as you watch him closely. His eyes are looking at you, yet they’re oddly empty. He looks like a shell of a person, skin pale and veins peeking through as if he were translucent. His hair is matted and the trail of blood continues, like an endless stream.

“I didn’t mean to,” you say, holding out your knife in threat as he takes a slow step towards you, “please, leave me alone!”

He freezes, and you can’t help yourself as you shut your eyes, your head pounding harshly against your skull as the same fear as before enters your system. Taking a shaky breath, you open your eyes, surprised when you find no one there— not even the trail of blood.

“My lovely.”

Shrieking, you drop the knife, making a run for it as Soobin’s voice appears right beside you— you practically collapse in relief as you notice Yeonjun entering through the front door.

“Jun!” You yell out, rushing into his arms as he takes in your broken expression. You refuse to let go, nuzzling your face deep into your chest as you wet his sweater, “please, make him go away!”

Your words are unsettling— him? A glance around the house tells him that there’s no one else here, but he knows that you think otherwise.

“But there’s no one here,” Yeonjun gently says, pulling you away as he forces you to turn around, firm hands on your shoulders as he whispers for you to open your eyes. “See?”

Cautiously, you open your eyes— only to spot Soobin in the kitchen, leaning on the counter as he stares at you with a blank expression.

“Jun!” You cry out, and you can feel yourself slipping away as you cling onto him roughly, your mind doing its best to help you cope. You’re pulling him back, face still buried in his chest as you’re directing him towards the couch, walking backward until your knees collide with the furniture. Pulling him down with you, you ignore the sound of surprise that leaves him as he towers over you, arms on each side of your head as he tries to not fall on top of you.

You thought you were doing better— you all did, your restless nights ceasing as you were finally starting to find yourself again. But it all seemed to go down the drain, the sight of Soobin staring at you much too realistic as you shut your eyes again.

“Please make him go away,” you beg, pulling Yeonjun closer to you, his body obscuring your view as the sight of Soobin goes away— yet you can still hear him, the sounds of his disapproval reaching your ears as you shake your head uselessly.

“Make him go away?” Yeonjun asks, cupping your face as he leans closer to you. You look so fragile, and he hopes you can’t feel how quickly his heart is pounding as you continue to grab onto his sweater, “how?”

How?

Yeonjun can’t see what you see— that much is clear. What you need now is a distraction, your mind involuntarily going back to the nights spent with Beomgyu, nights where his arms wrapped around you and the feeling of his lips on yours was enough.

But Beomgyu wasn’t here.

Instead, you stare up at Yeonjun, observing him as you feel your heart slowly pumping faster— his pouty lips, his piercing eyes that stare down at you with such care and love that you wished you had realized it sooner.

He was always there for you— when you were sick, through your bad relationships, always there to care for you and pick you back up when things didn’t go right— he saved you.

You think of that night, of the way Yeonjun had been quick to jump at Soobin the second he noticed the man coming towards you. All those times when he put you first, spending time with you and caring for you in ways no one else could. Even now, as he waited for you to give him an answer, you knew that he’d follow your every command because he loved you.

The realization makes your head spin.

You feel vulnerable again, your mind on autopilot as you tug him closer— then closer, your lips brushing against his as you feel the way your brain begs for comfort, for someone to take care of you and protect you.

Recklessly, you pull him in, lips crashing against his and teeth knocking together as you grip his sweater, hoping he doesn’t notice the violent shake of your hands or the way your eyes are shut tight with fear.

In the corner of the room, you can still hear him, hear his protests and whines as you kiss the man before you, attempting to get him out of his shocked state as you carefully thread your fingers through his hair. And that seems to do it, and you feel Yeonjun jump into action as he places a hand on your waist, the other coming to place itself on the back of your head, pulling you deeper into his body.

You feel so small against him— you curl up against him, your frame clinging to him as he feels you still shake with fear.

“What do you see, baby?” He whispers against your lips, hands roaming over your body wildly as he attempts to hold himself back; but he can’t, years of standing to the side and waiting patiently manifesting itself into this desperate mess, a gross part of him hoping desperately that you’re vulnerable enough to give yourself to him.

You’re seeking protection from him— he knows this, and he was well aware of the different ways Beomgyu helped you cope; the jealousy that burned inside him lighting up once more as he pulled away, looking at your pretty lips and shining eyes that never seem to run out of tears.

“Soobin,” your voice is weak, trembling as you mention the man’s name, as if saying it out loud would bring him back to life. You’re traumatized, the memory of killing him still so fresh in your mind that your guilt has manifested itself in a new form; hallucinations.

“He’s not real darling,” the pet names slip from him effortlessly, and it takes him a second as he almost slips up, the term “my lovely” almost escaping him— who knows what kind of reaction you would have had to that.

“But I am,” carefully, he places your hand atop his heart, allowing you to feel the rapid beating that comes from his chest. He watches the way you stare at him, clearly avoiding a certain corner of the house as you sniffle softly. “It’s okay. It’s just us.”

“Make him leave,” you whisper, and he leans towards you, angling his body so it covers the spot you seemed to keep avoiding. He watches as you relax a bit, your hand pressing firmly on his chest as you focus on his beating heart instead. “Distract me.”

“Distract you?” He echoes, placing soft kisses all along your face— tracing along your cheeks, going up to your forehead, and down the bridge of your nose as he stops at your Cupid’s bow, unable to hide his smile at the way you whimper softly.

“How do I do that?”

It’s strange— you’ve never felt like this before; you’ve never thought of Yeonjun like this. But you need him now more than ever, your muddled mind seeking protection that he’s more than happy to offer to you; your stomach flutters with every brush of his lips against yours, and you can’t help the way your thighs squeeze tightly, the teasing laugh he gives you doing nothing to help the sensation.

“Please….” You whine, your hand that remained entangled in his blonde hair slowly tracing down, dipping shyly at his sweater as you felt the warmth of his skin underneath. “Touch me.”

Yeonjun has never had a harder time holding back.

His lips are back on yours, pulling you in so close to the point where you forget where he ends and you begin. The kiss is desperate and messy, the pace he sets for you hard to keep up with as you let him guide you; he’s biting softly at your lips, tongue tracing along them as he allows himself to tease you. You’re a mess, falling apart in his hold as you wrap your arms around his shoulders, shivering at the way you feel his hands play with the hem of your sweater.

“You’re perfect,” he mumbles, forced to pull away for air as he takes in your face; your wide eyes, lips swollen and shiny as you pant, unable to look away from him as you find yourself pulling him in for more.

He’s addicted, pulling at your clothes as you allow him to undress you, eyes hungry as he takes everything in— you only seem to grow needier by the second, allow him to lay you on the couch as you stare up at him in anticipation.

Then Soobin appears again.

“Junnie,” you whimper, slapping your hands over your eyes at the horrible sight— Soobin smiled at you, turning his head as he allowed you to see the damage you had done to him; the wound in his head so graphic that your stomach lurched with fear instead of pleasure.

Yeonjun picks up on your distraught state immediately— hovering over you, he gently pries your hands away, kissing your face softly as he encourages you to open your eyes; the sight of Yeonjun’s comforting smile is all you’re met with.

“Come here,” he says, putting your sweater back on as he helps you stand— you don’t say much, allowing him to lead you away from the living room as you keep your face buried in Yeonjun’s arm— Soobin’s light whispers follow you from a distance.

It isn’t until you’re laying back in bed that you finally summon the courage to look at him, the weight on the bed disappearing as you watch him search for something in his closet; he turns back around, a scarf in his hands as he smiles at you.

“Do you trust me?”

You flushed in realization at his words, taking a second to think about it— but you gave in, watching the way his eyes darkened, your body shivering as he took slow steps towards you; the room finally fell silent. Gently, he takes your sweater off— you feel shy under his gaze, his eyes so intense as he takes you in once more, sweeping down to look at the shorts you wore; the same shorts that always tempted him, bunched at your thighs innocently.

Brushing your hair back, he plants a gentle kiss on your head, bringing the thin fabric up as he finally covers your eyes— it’s tight enough so that it won’t slip off, your vision taken away as the sounds around you are all that’s left.

You listen to the wind outside— the leaves that rustle, the sounds of the heater turning on as the room is slowly flooded with warmth. But most importantly, you pay attention to Yeonjun, on edge as you listen to his soft breaths— you’re not sure how close he is now, or what he might be doing as you wait patiently.

Goosebumps rise along your skin— Yeonjun gently caresses your arm. Slowly, he takes your hand, bringing it up until you feel the softness of his lips press along your skin, giving you a soft kiss. Then another. And another, trailing up your arm as you shiver, the feeling of his breath on your skin and the addicting feeling of his lips making you reach out to grab something— you jump as you feel his hand encase yours, fingers lacing as he keeps it close to him.

His hair brushes along your cheek— the hot trail his tongue leaves on your neck draws out a small whine from you, his actions mischievous as his teeth bite at you teasingly, lips sucking as he takes note of what makes you squirm under him.

You’re leaning back, your body coming in contact with the mattress as your legs are left hanging, the feeling of Yeonjun gently prying your thighs apart as he stands between them making you tense.

In the dark corners of your mind, you hear him again— hear his complaints, his insults, and questions that attempt to draw back the guilt that threatens to ruin you— but you refuse to give in.

“Yeonjun,” your whine is immediately silenced, Yeonjun’s breath fanning across your face as his pouty lips graze yours. He understands what you want to tell him, but he won’t let you dwell on it any longer as his fingertips play with the waistband of your shorts, his head dipping into the valley of your breasts as he leaves a trail of kisses.

“Think of me,” he says, hushing your cries as he slowly pulls down your shorts, your panties being dragged along with them as the material brushes against your skin, unable to stop the way you shift nervously.

His hands are running along your thighs— they’re soft and warm, your hips jumping as you feel his breath fan on your stomach, a teasing kiss left just above your mound before you feel him trail down more.

“Think only of me.”

Yeonjun’s tongue is hot against your pussy— he’s licking a stipe along your folds, circling your clit teasingly as an unabashed moan escapes him; the sound of your own follows shortly. You’re like his own ambrosia, addicting and sweet as he doesn’t bother slowing down for you— why would he, when you’re taking him so well?

The image of Yeonjun in between your thighs is all you can think about. The sound of his moans and the depraved wetness that escapes you is all you can hear, your mind filled with nothing but Yeonjun as his lips encase your clit, sucking softly as his tongue licks over the bundle of nerves.

You can think only of him.

Without realizing it, your hands fly down to grip his hair, hips jumping up as you push his face against you harder— his nose bumps against your clit, a groan escaping him as he lets you ride his tongue the way you please. His hair brushes against your inner thighs, the ticklish sensation only making you more sensitive as you feel his tongue lap at you; taking everything you provide him, sucking at your pussy like a starved man.

He’s eager to hear the sounds you make, amused at the way your thighs clamp against his head at the stimulation. It’s dirty, his saliva mixing with your arousal as the wet sounds of your cunt fill the room, his eagerness to bring you to your high evident in his actions. His tongue teases at your entrance, his fingers circling your clit slowly as you whine for more. With a gasp, you throw your head back as he finally breaches inside, nose rubbing against your pussy as he loses himself in you.

You then feel a kiss along the valley of your breasts.

“Did I scare you, darling?”

You can only let out a depraved whine as you recognize the voice, clenching around Yeonjun’s tongue as the realization that Beomgyu has been watching dawns on you. With one hand still laced deeply in Yeonjun’s hair, the other reaches out blindly towards the sound of Beomgyu’s voice, landing hesitantly on his cheek. He chuckles, placing his hand on top of yours as he turns to kiss your palm, his other hand running down your body slowly; you shiver, feeling his nails scratching gently along your skin, stopping just at your naval.

You hear Beomgyu hum in approval, your body burning as you feel the coil in your stomach grow tighter. Beomgyu is above you, and you can feel the mattress dip as Beomgyu hovers over your lips, his voice quiet and dangerous as he speaks to you.

“What’s wrong, darling?” He asks, taking in the way you moan as you feel his hand continue to travel— beginning to rub at your clit as Yeonjun continues to fuck you with his tongue. The pad of his fingers are rough, but it’s nothing you can bring yourself to care about as he traps your bottom lip in his teeth, pulling softly as he chuckles meanly at you.

“Were my kisses not enough? Does our needy baby want more?”

You’re nodding along to his words, hips riding against Yeonjun’s face as your grip on his hair tightens more— he hisses, the sting in his scalp doing nothing to hinder his actions as his hands find purchase on your hips; his nails dig into the plush skin, pulling you against him more as he enjoys the surprised yelp you let out.

“Greedy girl, not being able to live without us,” Beomgyu says, his breath ticklish against your neck as he continues to tease you. His mouth is slowly trailing down, leaving kisses and sucking softly as a trail of marks is left behind— the thought of making you his plagues him.

“What would you do without us?” He asks, watching the way you shake under him— he can tell your mind isn’t truly there, your voice becoming louder as the coil in your stomach tightens; you’re dangerously close, the man’s words only bringing you more to the edge.

“You need us.”

Your mind blanks, mouth falling open as the coil finally snaps— his words echo in your head, your brain dumbly agreeing with him as you ride out your orgasm, the feeling of Yeonjun’s tongue cleaning you up making you cry out softly.

“Tastes so good, you’re perfect,” Yeonjun says, his voice suddenly closer as his hands remain at your waist affectionately. Before you can react, his lips are against yours, tongue prying you open as you taste yourself, the kiss harsh and messy as you feel drool begin to gather along the corners of your lips.

Beomgyu seems quick to catch onto your stupefied state—you’re vulnerable, the result of your restless mind forcing you to find comfort in whatever you could as the guilt continues to eat you from the inside; without them there to distract you, you’d fall apart.

“I need you,” you whimper quietly, your mind straying as you feel the reality of your situation beginning to creep up on you once more; you push it away, sinking deeper into this vulnerable state of yours as you seek to rely on their touch to lead you to somewhere so, so much better.

Your words are like music to their ears— it takes all their willpower to not lose control and fuck you senseless— because for once, you are coming to them. You’re the one begging desperately for their attention.

Your thighs are quickly pushed apart; you’re not sure who it is that’s positioned in between your legs, your hands reaching out uncertainty before they’re locked together, raised above your head and pinned by another set of hands— the room is silent, save for the pleasured sighs and gasps that leave your lips.

They’re teasing you. The realization strikes you as you feel fingers teasing along your entrance, stretching you open once more as they wait for you to break and beg for more— you’re not entirely sure of who it might be.

His hands are rough— grabbing your hips with a tight grip, cock head poking at your entrance teasingly as he barely pushes in, thrusting inside just enough to feel you squeeze around him before he’s pulling back out— it barely takes a second before you’re crying for him to stop with the teasing.

His hips move like water; rolling into yours, exploring how you feel as he bottoms out, a small groan escaping him as you piece together who’s above you— Yeonjun. His hands are smooth and soft as they grip onto your skin, panting breaths fanning above you as you feel the way he struggles to remain patient, your soft whines and the tight way you squeeze around him driving him mad.

“Yeonjun.”

His patience breaks.

He’s fucking you deliciously, hips snapping against yours as you feel the weight of his arms cage your head, the bed dipping in as reckless moans and groans leave his mouth. You’re no better than him, calling out his name as you wish to touch him, legs wrapping around his waist as you’re pulling him in, pushing him in deeper as your hips begin to move on their own accord.

You’re better than any dream he’s had; any fantasy, the nights where he could only think of making you his, wanting to bend you over the counter whenever he watched you cook— all those dirty thoughts that plagued him with guilt, all those times where he felt disgusting after he could only come from dreaming of the day he would fuck the obliviousness out of you— nothing compared to this.

You lay under him, flushed and sweaty as your mouth hung open, lips bruised and bitten at as drool slightly escaped you— you were too fucked out to care or notice. Unable to resist himself, he leans down, capturing your lips once more as he feels the way you squeeze around him, pulling him in more as your body begins to become more sensitive to him— the feeling bringing out another groan from him.

It feels warm— Yeonjun’s breath on your neck as he slowly grinds into you, a breathless whimper the only thing you can muster as you feel your body tighten up, waves of pleasure crashing onto your as you clench on his cock; the feeling of him grinding against you, his hot cum spurting inside you makes you dizzy for a second.

He’s off of you instantly. You’re left in confusion, twitching pathetically as shocks of pleasure continue to ignite inside you— then, you’re being filled again.

“That was so mean of you,” Beomgyu pouts, leisurely thrusting against you as he listens to your cries; he’s not as long as Yeonjun, but he’s girthier, the stretch catching you by surprise as your walls clench around him. It’s messy, the room filling with wet sounds as Beomgyu continues to fuck Yeonjun’s cum into you, grinning wolfishly at the way you squirm under his ministrations. He leans down so he’s in front of your face, nose rubbing against yours as he speaks quietly.

“Making me watch another man fuck you,” his voice is low and cruel, his fingers finding your clit as you jump at the with stimulation— Yeonjun has your hands clasped tightly in his now, watching with amusement as you attempt to break free from his hold, only to hold on to him desperately in the end.

“You can take what I give you, right?”

Beomgyu’s pace is brutal. His finger rubbed in circles on your clit, hips snapping against yours as he drinks in the way your overstimulated cunt still seems to beg for more; as he drinks in your desperate calls of his name.

It’s insane, the way cum is leaking out of you as Beomgyu’s hips stutter, the feeling of him finishing inside of you bringing you to your climax soon after; you’re shaking, a fucked out mess as you cry out Beomgyu’s name, the said man pulling you in for a slow kiss as his hips press deeply against yours.

“Good girl. You’re perfect.”

Praise leaves their lips like a constant waterfall— it’s like they worship you.

Your mind panics for a second, getting reminded of the sick content of your letters— of the endless praise, the way you were described as a god in their eyes. But even if the thought is alarming, you’re too weak to do anything, your body limp as you have no other choice but to trust the two men to take care of you— the blindfold comes off slowly.

A wet rag is swiped across your legs, cleaning up the sticky mess of cum that continues to leak through— slowly, you open your eyes, coming face to face with the man you’ve considered a friend for half your life— Yeonjun smiles at you.

And your heart flutters.

You’re not sure how you’ll deal with these newfound feelings— especially when they can’t seem to keep their lips off yours for even a second, seemingly not minding the fact that they’ll have to share you. It’s overwhelming, but your tired body and stressed mind don’t want to dwell on it— you’d much rather focus on the way they treat you like a gem, coddling you as they help you fall asleep.

You sleep perfectly throughout the whole night, protected from all danger in the safety of their arms.

-♡♡♡-

It’s not fun to cook the same dishes over and over.

You’ve seen everything on television— your room feels so stuffy, and the books that the boys acquired are not interesting at all to you as you spend your days staring out the window, at the winter scenery and the mountain that separates you and the rest of the world.

It’s such a quaint town in the distance.

What are the people that live there like? Are they friendly, or were they more reserved? Did they have a strong sense of community? Were they kept up with current events? How far would you have to walk to get there?

“You don’t deserve to leave this place,” the same voice as always spits out, venom laced deeply in its tone as it mixes with the deep self-hatred you’ve come to acquire for yourself, “Killer.”

It’s like Soobin never died— if anything, he simply returned to haunt you, the visions of him appearing randomly as his voice rings out in your head; sometimes, if you were feeling extra guilty, he would appear in his cute and proper uniform, ever the gentleman as he reminded you of how good he was to you before you discovered the truth— of how caring he had been.

“Did you ever hear me admit to it?” His phantom would ask, tilting his head cutely at you as you would try to ignore him, stirring the mixture in your hands with more force, “don’t you ever wonder what I was trying to tell you? You’re so cruel.”

He wasn’t real. Those three words repeated themselves like a prayer in your mind every day, unable to even look up from what you were doing the moment you would hear his voice— it was like he froze you, the guilt and fear piercing as you remembered what it felt to strike him against the head, the memory of your floor being stained with blood seared into your mind.

You looked out the window whenever Soobin would appear.

In your mind, you weren’t in an isolated cabin, on the run as you avoided being seen as a killer— by your friends, by your family, everyone. No, instead of being trapped here, you were in a new town, free to explore and wander as you took in the sights, the winter chill creeping around as you took breaks in a coffee shop, drinking warm drinks as you stared outside— maybe even at the falling snow.

You glance at the time.

Yeonjun and Beomgyu would be in their classes right now— they wouldn’t be back for a few hours.

A trip down there couldn’t possibly be that long, right?

You’ve never brought up the idea of visiting the nearby town to them— much less on your own. But you can’t help the excitement that bubbles inside you, slipping on a warm winter jacket as you put on some boots— it had snowed a bit a couple of nights before.

“You don’t deserve to be happy,” Soobin sneers, the pure manifestation of your guilt as he appears behind you in the mirror. You avert your gaze, staring down at your feet as you say nothing— the sounds of his footsteps follow you to the entrance.

“They’ll realize it’s you,” he whispers, suddenly closer than he was before as you slip on your shoes, grabbing a mask for safety precautions— you’re shaky, unable to tie your laces as you attempt to block him out, “they’ll find out you’re a killer on the run.”

“I’m not a killer,” you whisper firmly to yourself, remembering the pain and fear he caused you— he ruined your life; you simply returned the favor. Opening the door, you inhale the frosty air entering your lungs as you block out Soobin’s cruel whispers. Exhaling, you close your eyes, stepping out as you feel the crunch of the snow under your feet.

“I’m not.”

-♡♡♡-

Okay, you think to yourself, hands clammy and stuffed in your pockets as you glance around your environment, throat drying from anxiety, this was a horrible idea.

Why did you think this was actually a good idea? Huffing, you watch your breath come out in a smokey fog, your body shaking as the air gets colder— you tried to follow the path that seemed to go down to the city, but at some point, it just… disappeared.

You’d think that with the way the two boys would go to and from with ease that a clear road would be put in place. But you were proved wrong, the many faded dirt trails leaving you to stand still with uncertainty as you wonder if you should just go back instead; if you knew where you came from, that is.

Maybe it was the way time bled together at this point, days dripping into weeks like molasses as you found it harder to concentrate on your surroundings, your brain going on autopilot as you daydreamed instead— and it seemed like this was one of those times.

Did you take a turn? You’re surrounded by nothing but trees, compact and looming over you as they hide the sun, the last rays of light peeking through the leaves and branches as a way to warn you to pick your path and go; maybe you would make it home okay.

Hastily, you turn around, assuming that you were making your way back in the direction you came in; your steps are hesitant as you take in the vast scenery in front of you. Moments later, you see your cabin in the distance— a very far distance. Gulping, you begin to shake as you see how dark the night has become; the idea of walking alone in such a secluded forest makes you shake.

This was a bad, bad idea.

Oh god, you think, anxiety flooding you cruelly as you begin to panic, why would you do something like this?

You should’ve just stayed at home with the boys— it’s the only place where you’re truly safe.

Shifting nervously, you begin to pace back and forth, biting at your lips as you try to find the courage to keep walking— but you simply can’t. It’s like you’re stuck in place, not wanting to venture further in fear of what you might encounter. Just when you begin to doubt whether you’re going in the right direction, you hear the sharp call of your name, freezing involuntarily as harsh footsteps make their way to you.

“___!”

Beomgyu grabs your arm roughly. Shocked, you attempt to pull away, only to be pulled closer as you quickly find Yeonjun next to him, staring down at you with an unfamiliar look— anger? Disapproval? Panic? You shiver, eyes flicking nervously between the two as they pull you along the dirt path.

“You had us so worried!” Beomgyu says, pulling you along in a panic— you realize that Yeonjun’s car is parked right there, bright headlights on and the doors left ajar as they lead you inside. You’re caught off guard by the sheer force they use on you, stumbling on the road as you land unceremoniously on the leather seat of the car. Clearing your throat, you attempt to apologize, but are quickly shut down as Yeonjun sends you a sharp look.

“You disappeared without a trace!” Yeonjun says, brows furrowed as he turned in the seat to look at you, “You were gone for hours! Didn’t even leave a single note! How could you?”

Your stomach lurches involuntarily.

“I just— I don’t know what I was thinking,” you feel small, the fear of being lost finally sinking in under the pressure of their sharp glares, “I wanted to go visit the town nearby.”

It feels stupid to say it out loud— even more so when they shoot you an incredulous look, locking the doors as they make their way along the path; you notice that you were about to go down the wrong one.

“The town? Are you crazy?” It hurts to hear Yeonjun say that to you, especially with the way rage seems to seep off his tone. You had him worried, afraid that you had been trying to escape— only to find out that you had become a bit too open to the thought of moving on with your life. “Remember why we’re here, ___.”

His words feel like a stab through your heart.

“Remember why you’re here,” Soobin’s voice whispers lowly to you, the trees all a blur as the road before you becomes unrecognizable— you still have no idea how to get back to your cabin, let alone leave it.

You dragged them into this, your mind tells you, blocking out the sounds of their worried scoldings— you’re not sure if you can handle more reminders of your situation— they’re just trying to protect you.

But it’s a headache, spending day after day cooped up in the cabin, the place you once saw as a sanctuary quickly becoming no better than a prison; you simply wished for nothing more than to spend a day feeling normal, as you had once before.

It isn’t long before you’re pulling into the cabin’s driveway, the tight hold that Beomgyu and Yeonjun have on each of your elbows almost reminding you of prison guards preventing a prisoner from escaping.

-♡♡♡-

“She looks so cute when she’s concentrating.”

Yeonjun hums in agreement, peeking over Beomgyu’s computer to watch the way you carefully decorate your cupcakes, a frown overtaking your face from time to time— it’s cute to watch you talk to yourself, pacing around the kitchen as if you were arguing with someone.

“I didn’t think his death would take such a toll on her,” Yeonjun comments, observing the way you clap your hands over your ears, eyes shut tight as you shake your head in denial, quickly stalking out of the kitchen and running back to your room— their hearts flutter sickly as they notice the way you curl up, the plushies they got you pressed tightly against your chest.

“She must be feeling so guilty,” Beomgyu breathes out, in awe at the way you nuzzle tiredly into his pillow, “such an angel.”

Watching you carefully, he wishes nothing more than to comfort you and fuck you stupid while you hug your stuffed animal for support— but he pushes the thought aside, looking away from the scene and at the television that was currently on the news channel.

Any search for Soobin had died down; with no evidence of his whereabouts, the police investigation quickly dwindled until it was no more— it was satisfying to watch the way the boy’s name slowly faded from everyone’s mouths, from everyone’s mind.

Soobin’s body currently resided in the woods by the cabin, decomposed and disfigured beyond recognition— Beomgyu watched with bored eyes as Yeonjun followed his every instruction the day it happened, the ugly scar on his skin and stitches he needed from the wound only adding more to the satisfaction of it all. It gave the two a sick sense of pleasure, knowing just how easily they were able to sabotage your life, turning it upside down in a matter of months as you learned to rely solely on them— as your heart turned to them for comfort.

Your little surge of courage brought about a realization between the two; one wrong move and everything falls apart. If you had been trying to escape that night they found you in the woods, they’re not sure what they would succumb to in order of keeping you with them— safe and sound, of course.

So, in favor of keeping an eye on you again, they installed cameras in the cabin while you were sleeping— so while they were away, making sure that no one would catch onto the way the two men no longer lived at their old town the moment Soobin disappeared, they could still keep a close eye on you.

Just to make sure you wouldn’t attempt anything stupid like that again— they didn’t want to lose you.

-♡♡♡-

The front door is mocking you. These windows are nothing but a pretty decoration— you’re like a bird in a cage, forbidden to go outside and be part of a normal world once more.

You’re not dumb— they’re watching you.

It was strange, the way your fear soon transformed into rage, angry at the way they were allowed to live their lives while you were forced to disappear from the face of the Earth— the cameras they set up only served as a further way to degrade you.

You’re not sure when you first noticed them— maybe it was instinct, glancing up to the high kitchen cabinets, looking past all the clutter and into the dark corner; straight into the lens of a camera. You’re sure this has to do with your attempt to leave days ago, because the very next day, you were told sternly by the two boys that you should never leave this cabin— under no circumstances.

At first, you justified it as them being afraid that you would leave again, getting lost and being left in the woods alone and in danger; another measure put in to protect you.

But it didn’t take long before you began to resent them— how dare they leave you alone every day, allowing themselves to indulge in the last bits of normalcy they had while you rotted in this cabin? Was it any better than being discovered as Soobin’s killer? All activities you once did to make the time pass quickly became a joke to you; it was like you were a child, being kept complacent while they left to live their lives as they pleased.

“Look at you, so ungrateful,” Soobin would mock you, the grotesque scene of his injured figure still accompanying you in your daily life as you were forced to cope with it on your own— another thing you would begin to resent the two boys for, “turning against the people who help you— what, will you kill them too?”

You would never do that.

Instead, you hid.

You hid from their sight throughout the few hours they decided to come back to you, annoying them to no end as you refused to make even a sound— not even their cameras could help them now, learning their blind spots as you snuck around.

“___!” Beomgyu’s frustration was evident in his voice, the light of every room in the cabin turning on as he continued his search for you— Yeonjun wandered outside, phone flashlight aiming around as he looked for a hint of where you might be. They knew you did this to spite them, your petty actions annoying them to no end as they tried to explain to you repeatedly that everything they did was for your own good— that everything would be back to normal soon.

But how long would that be? You’re not sure how much time has passed, your mind spiraled too long ago to keep track. Watching the two boys numbly from afar, hands shoved in your winter coat as you hide in behind the trees, your eyes narrowed as you listen to their desperate calls for your name.

“___, what are you doing there?” Yeonjun’s voice is defeated as the bright light of his phone is aimed directly at you, watching tiredly as you flinch under the sudden spotlight. It isn’t long before you’re being dragged back inside, your protests and pouts falling on deaf ears as the warmth of the cabin hits you full force.

“Can’t you see? All I want is to feel like a normal human being again! It’s like you’re holding me hostage here!” Your complaints quickly go quiet as you take in the way Beomgyu looks at you, leaning against the kitchen counter as his arms are crossed over his chest— he’s holding something, but you’re unsure of what it is as it’s tucked underneath his arm. It’s his stare that silences you— dangerous, a calm rage as he takes in what you just said with a slow nod.

“Everything we do is for you,” Beomgyu says quietly, your throat drying as you take in the way they both practically glare at you— they’re sick of you playing games with them, avoiding them despite their efforts to keep you safe, to keep you as theirs.

“Do you think it’s easy to leave you here alone? Hmm? To think that someone might catch on and figure out just who,” Beomgyu tilts his head, brows rising as he watches the way your lips quiver at the anticipation of his words, “Killed Soobin?”

“You know I never meant to—“

“Of course,” It’s Yeonjun that speaks this time, gaze cold as you meet his eyes, face devoid of any emotion as he gives you a light push towards Beomgyu, “but it happened anyway.”

It happened anyway.

Beomgyu straightens up, your gaze weary as you watch him drop his hands to his sides— a collar is revealed.

Your stomach twists in alarm at the sight, attempting to take a step back before you’re colliding with Yeonjun’s chest— looking back, he simply raises a brow as you, a mocking twitch of his lips all he shows before he’s snaking his arms around your own, pressing them down at your sides— you’re trapped flush against him.

“If you didn’t want to be alone, that’s all you had to say,” Beomgyu says quietly, eyes lidded as he slips the collar around your neck— it’s a simple silver band with a small ball hanging from it, the metal cold against your skin, your eyes widening as you hear a snap at the back— you realize with horror that he locked it— the mischievous smile he gives you only confirms your suspicions, followed by the special key that’s dangles mockingly in your face.

“One of us will stay with you darling,” Beomgyu grins, and you can’t hide the way his words only serve to enrage you, the peck he places on your lips doing nothing to wash away the humiliation you feel.

You’re walking away the moment Yeonjun lets go of you, only to come to a horrible realization as you tug uselessly at your collar. It wasn’t a ball hanging from your necklace— it was a bell.

Cooped up in your room for the rest of the night, you realize miserably that you’ve become nothing more than a pet to them, the decoration around your neck serving as a way for them to keep track of your whereabouts. It jingles as you shift restlessly on your bed, anger lighting in your veins as you begin to resent them for their behavior.

But unfortunately for them, you’ve only just begun to fight.

-♡♡♡-

Something has changed.

Since when did seeing Beomgyu resting on the couch fill you with such dread? Why do the walls around you seem to be closing in on you much more every time you look at him?

Maybe it was the fact that looking at him reminded you of the one thing you could never have again— a normal life. Because as much as he coddled you, reassuring you that everything would be okay and that no one would find out, you knew that nothing would ever go back to how it was before. It seems that your brain has finally caught up, the dense fog of fear that clouded your mind clearing up as you realize that no matter how much they told you that it was all in the past, you would never forget.

“Come here, darling.”

It was impossible to hide from them, the bell that hung delicately on your neck giving away your whereabouts with every movement you made; even when you clasped your hands tightly around it, when you remained quiet and found a new hiding spot, they always seemed to find you with ease— it began to unnerve you, keeping you on edge every time they would call for you.

Beomgyu takes your hands as you land on his lap, straddling him as your hands find themselves on his chest for support. He smiles fondly at you, his hair tickling your neck softly as he begins to trail kisses along the column of your neck, arms wrapping themselves around your waist as he pulls you in.

“You look bored,” he mumbled against your skin, noting the way you stay silent, refusing to give him a reaction as he nips softly at your neck, “we should do something about it, don’t you think?

“I want to visit the town nearby,” you blurt out, feeling the way his hands go rigid on your body. His breath that fans your skin is all you feel from him, lips withdrawn as he takes in your words, “It’s suffocating in here.”

You’ve hit a nerve, you realize, watching the way he slowly straightens up, eyes hardened as his brow quirks mockingly. Attempting to hold your ground, you don’t look away, unable to hold back the way you gulp from the tension that fills the room.

“Really? You’re still on this?” Beomgyu says, straightening up as he swiftly begins to loom over you; you shrink under his hard gaze. “I don’t think you understand, ___; there’s a reason why we don’t want you to go.”

“And why is that?” You ask, attempting to keep your voice stern as you frown at his words; it’s not working, your unfazed act falling apart the longer he looks at you. You can feel your resolve shaking, the need to back down and leave subtly itching at your mind.

“Do you really think you could handle something like that? Being surrounded by so many strangers? You can barely handle being alone.” It’s not what you expected, and it feels like a slap in the face to have him remind you of your weaknesses in such a way. Roughly, you push away from him and stand, unable to defend yourself as he watches quietly— the worst part is that he’s right. How could you handle going to public places when months ago you could barely step out your front door? Your brain still feels like it’s in danger, constantly on edge and only getting worse at this new change in behavior that the two men have exhibited; but that only makes you want to leave more.

It’s sick, but Beomgyu almost begins to enjoy the way you fight back tears; he thinks you look cute as you try to seem strong, to seem as if you’re not ready to fall apart at the seams. As he watches you walk away, biting back a smile at the small jingling that comes from your every step, he knows that it won’t be long before you try to do something reckless again. But this new curiosity you’ve gained, constantly asking to go out, to leave, only gives Beomgyu more motivation to try harder.

Maybe, if you’re broken again, he can make sure that when you’re put back together, you’re perfect.

-♡♡♡-

Yeonjun has been your friend for years; surely, he’ll have a soft spot for you— right?

“Yeonjunnie,” you mumble, sneaking up behind where he sits as you rest your chin on his shoulder, peeking at his computer screen to see what he’s working on. Your voice is sweet as candy, hands wandering down his shoulders and to the expanse of his chest as you feel him tense under you. You’re whiny, calling out his name until he finally gives in to you.

“I’m so bored,” you sigh out, burrowing your face in his neck and leaning onto him as you hear the smooth rumble of his chuckles underneath you. Going around the couch, you lay down, head landing on his lap as you interrupt his work— he sighs, putting his laptop to the side before he’s looking down at you, a fond smile on his face as he plays with your hair gently.

“Well, what do you want to do?” Your clinginess is welcomed, you notice, the drastic change from your usual bratty behavior not being a rare sight. You hate to admit it, but you can’t bring yourself to hold grudges against these two when they’re all you have.

“Could we go on a walk?” You ask, eyes full of hope as you look up at him, “Just us?… Please?”

Yeonjun simply rolls his eyes at your question. You’re stumped knowing that he’s getting ready to lecture you by the way he sits up, tugging you up with him as you pout solemnly. Running a hand through his hair, he shakes his head, a disappointed sigh escaping his lips as he looks at you.

“___, what’s going on?” He says, watching the way you’re fiddling with your hands nervously. He’s irritated, the way his eyes are filled with anger unnerving you as you glance at the door behind him. “You’ve been asking Beomgyu the same thing too. Can’t you see that you can’t leave?”

“Why?” You say, standing up abruptly as Yeonjun watches you closely. You’re shifting on your feet, mind racing as you try to remember if the door is locked; you try to not make your constant glances at the door obvious.

“You keep me trapped here, I can’t even step outside for a second!” You yell, stepping back the moment Yeonjun also stands.

“It’s like you’re keeping me trapped, I—“ you pause, gulping as you take in the way Yeonjun is looking at you— it’s unfamiliar, this glint in his eye that tells you that he knows something you don’t. That even if you continue to struggle it doesn’t matter— he’s already won.

“You’re hiding something,” you whisper, palms sweaty as he tilts his head curiously at your words, “There’s something else, isn’t there?”

Yeonjun hums, his voice low as he fights back a smile.

“Where were you the night Soobin ‘disappeared’?” Yeonjun asks, his tone mocking as he speaks. Snapping, his face lightens in realization, “oh, right!”

“You were the last person who saw him. You were working with him, so of course, there will be footage of that,” he frowns, placing a hand on his chin as he pouts, “Then he went missing. As a matter of fact, you did too. Those text messages you told me about wouldn’t help your case much either.”

You shake your head, eyes widening in disbelief as it all starts to click.

“They’re looking for you, ___,” Yeonjun says, watching the way you shake your head in denial,

“Soobin’s killer.”

Your mind is muddled and panicked as you push Yeonjun with all your might, catching him off guard as you bolt to the door; the only thing on your mind is the need to leave, to get fresh air for a second.

Yeonjun is quick to go after you— but it doesn’t matter, your clammy hands manage to open the door as you bolt outside, sock-clad feet coming in contact with the snow as you run out carelessly. You can hear Yeonjun calling after you, your adrenaline only causing you to push harder as you run into the woods, attempting to lose him as you take twists and turns.

Something’s wrong. This can’t be right, why are they acting like this? The bell on your neck jingles like an alarm, slamming against your neck as you pant heavily, the cold air biting your tear-stained cheeks. You can no longer hear Yeonjun behind you, an uncertain glance finally confirming your suspicions as you allow yourself to slow down— but you don’t dare to stop.

When did this all begin? They weren’t always like this, their eagerness to keep safe and happy a genuine priority when it all happened. Your chest heaves, lungs burning and head aching as you remember the first time you tried to leave— the first time they truly got mad at you.

After that, they didn’t dare to leave your side; the collar, the cameras, the constant watching, and the overbearing feeling as they didn’t even let you step out into the backyard. Your stomach sinks, and your feet begin to sting as they become soaked with snow.

They don’t want you to leave.

But why?

You don’t know how much longer you walk, but it’s enough to make you wary and paranoid once more by the time you’re found, unable to back away from Beomgyu and Yeonjun as the cold takes your strength quickly. It feels like there are needles attacking every inch of your skin, the feeling of Yeonjun and Beomgyu’s nails digging in only making things worse as you thrash around weakly in their grip.

“Let me go!” You cry out, your pleas falling on deaf ears as they echo throughout the endless woods. Your screaming is quickly cut short as Yeonjun slaps a hand over your mouth, fingers digging into your cheeks as he turns your head to face him roughly.

“Shut the fuck up,” he growls, face close to yours as his glare is enough to quiet you down, “you’ll only make shit worse for yourself.”

“Tch. Fucking crybaby,” you didn’t notice the moment tears began to run from your eyes again, but Beomgyu is quick to notice as he scoffs at your weak state— you’ve really angered them now.

Against your will, you feel your body slowly becoming weaker, slumping down in their grips as your vision begins to become spotted— you must’ve been out in the cold for too long. Your fight quickly dies down at their cruel words, your body too weak to resist as you let them take you back to the cabin; back to your personal cage.

-♡♡♡-

“She needs to be fucking punished.”

Beomgyu is first to suggest the idea, the anger inside him yet to quell down as he stares down at your sleeping form— you’re running a fever, your body shivering as you’re bundled safely under the covers of your bed. He doesn’t care how this comes across anymore; Yeonjun’s incredulous glance at him does nothing to deter his statement, watching you stir restlessly on the bed with cold eyes.

“I don’t think we need to go that far—“

“Really? Because it seems to me that the only reason she managed to pull that stupid stunt was because of you,” Beomgyu sneers, reaching out to play with the bell on your neck absentmindedly, “you’re lucky we managed to track her down with this.”

“You think I’m too soft on her?” Yeonjun says, running a hand through his hair as he listens to the bell— the tracker— jingle softly. Beomgyu nods immediately, not bothering to spare him another glance as you whimper softly in pain.

“What,” Yeonjun gulps, mind racing as he forces himself to get the words out, “what did you have in mind?”

-♡♡♡-

The door is locked.

As a matter of fact, the doorknob has been changed.

Your fever is long gone, and you stand in front of the door as you wiggle the doorknob curiously— but it won’t budge. There’s no way to unlock it, and you realize miserably that you’re locked inside.

Not even the window opens.

This must be because of what you did, you remember, falling back onto the bed with a huff. Staring at the ceiling, you try to listen for any activity outside when you spot it— the camera left in plain sight. It seems as though they want you to know they’re watching; the sight of it is enough of a warning for you as you wait for them to come in, to make you apologize so they can finally let you back out.

But nothing happens.

Minutes pass. Then an hour. Then another one— actually, you’re not sure how much time has passed, the room devoid of anything to entertain yourself with as you’re left to stare at the empty walls around you, the echoes of Soobin’s voice laughing at you appearing ever so often. How much time has passed? The sun is beginning to set, and you can feel your stomach growl for the umpteenth time as you conclude that they won’t be coming anytime soon— you have yet to eat anything, your body feeling nauseous as you curl up into a ball, the singular pillow and thin blanket you were left with your only comfort.

The thought of calling out for them crosses your mind— but you resist, not wanting to give into their games so easily as you stare at the camera dejectedly; on the other side, they watch you, laughing cruelly at the way you continue to seem strong.

Eventually, Yeonjun comes in to feed you; you don’t bother looking at him, refusing to eat until he walks up to you, grabbing your face roughly as he brings his face dangerously close.

“If you don’t eat, I’ll chain you to the bed and feed you myself.”

That seems to do the trick.

-♡♡♡-

You’re not sure how long you were left in there.

But by the time they let you out, you don’t seem to remember why you wanted to leave in the first place.

The cabin is so nice— it’s so nice to eat whenever you want, to watch shows and read as you curl up to Beomgyu’s side, his hand playing with your hair as you finally enjoy the touch of someone else again. It’s nice to have someone else lay next to you, after spending all that time alone in an empty bed and empty room. They seem nicer to you, constantly apologizing and telling you that “they had to do it” and that “they did it to keep you safe, to make you realize that leaving wouldn’t be worth it.”

And after a while their words became believable.

The thought of leaving seemed scary to you— though you didn’t realize why. But deep in your mind, you knew the truth.

It wasn’t because you were better off here, wrapped around their finger as you clung to them helplessly. No, it was because your mind knew the truth; you couldn’t escape, and any attempt to do so would only lead to punishment.

Unbeknownst to you, another month had passed— and instead of the scared, worried mess you had been when you had been brought here, you had been turned into a cute obedient pet for them, pleasing their every desire in the subconscious fear of being treated like nothing more than a prisoner again.

-♡♡♡-

Everything feels like it’s going back to normal again— they’re trusting you enough to leave you alone, the front door locked every day and cameras left installed to make sure you didn’t leave; “it’s your fault we had to come to this,” they would tell you, noticing the way you frowned as they were getting ready to leave, “you’ll just have to earn our trust back if you want them gone.”

Though they told you that, there was no chance that they would ever take the cameras down; if anything, they would only go back into hiding again, all whilst telling you that there was nothing left to surveille you anymore. How could they ever trust you again, when the inkling of doubt has already been planted?

The cameras were mostly for show; if anything, they only checked on you every once in a while, making sure that you were there before they continued with their inconspicuous lives; the threat of the police looking for you had been nothing but a lie— all footage with you and Soobin the night of or prior had been swiftly tampered with by Beomgyu, the said man spending hours to make sure that there was nothing there; even the records to your workplace were changed, stating that you had called off on your shift while Soobin spent the night working alone.

But it was a good tactic to keep you close to them— after all, your intentions were innocent. You were driven to that point, simply injuring the man on instinct as he threatened your precious friends. Though the two men had been worried about Soobin telling you the truth before they could prevent it, it seemed as though nothing had changed, your suspicions of them nonexistent as they allowed themselves to use your murder as an excuse to keep you chained to them.

And yet, they can’t predict everything— sometimes, even the smallest mistakes bloom into disasters.

-♡♡♡-

You think you’ve found a new place where you can hide— though, you don’t remember this room being in the house.

You had simply been searching for a place where you could be alone, doing your best to avoid all the cameras as you accidentally leaned against a bookshelf— and, like a scene of a movie, it slid to reveal a door behind it. Carefully, you moved it, eyes widening as you hesitantly twisted the doorknob— and to your luck, it opened.

With your heartbeat quickening, you quickly open the door, the curiosity getting the best of you as you step inside. Your hands are careful as they glide along the walls, blindly feeling around the dark as you feel around for a light switch— finally finding one, you flip the switch, squinting as the room is filled with bright, white light.

And you regret doing so immediately.

The room is empty, save for a desk with an elaborate computer set up against one of the walls— the multiple monitors are left unlocked as it allows you to see everything. Stepping slowly towards it, you feel your mouth dry as you notice more and more familiar items shoved into a box under the desk; you reach for that first.

Yet you’re distracted by the tabs that were left open on the computer, the items inside the box long forgotten as you squint, trying to decipher what the blinking red dot and strange floor plans in front of you may be— it doesn’t take you long before it finally clicks.

The collar you have on.

That wasn’t a bell hanging around your neck.

You think back to the day in the woods, how Yeonjun had been so quick to give up his chase on you; yet he had been just as quick to pinpoint the exact spot you ran to. The times when they would call out your name teasingly, finding you within seconds as a cruel smile ran across their face— you never knew how they found you so accurately and quickly. Next, you realize, is another surveillance camera— the screen is black, and you’re wondering what it might be until you read the label; your eyes drift down to the box in front of you in horror.

And just as suspected, your laptop is hidden in the box of items; opening it, you gasp as you find the camera on the computer immediately turning back on, showing you the mirror of your horrified face as you realize that they’ve been watching you— and for a while, too.

The botanical gardens, you think biting at your lip as you remember meeting Beomgyu there, the said boy allusive whenever you asked why he was there— it was no coincidence, that’s why.

Your phone is in there too, unable to find the energy to gasp once you notice that the device also has a tracker on it— digging around more, you find Soobin’s phone inside too. You drop it immediately, hissing as if the device had burned you. Why would they have Soobin’s phone?

“Those text messages you told me about wouldn’t help your case much either.”

You never told Yeonjun about the texts Soobin sent you.

Oh god. Oh god. Your hands are shaking violently as you empty out the box, your movements frantic as the items inside only get worse.

The same stationery your stalker used. The pendant. Copies of the pictures from your letters. Your fucking evidence box.

Everything was there and intact— your alibi, your only chance at proving your innocence, taken away from you and fucking hidden as you were left to be isolated and go insane instead.

All by the people who swore to protect you.

“It wasn’t, I’m not the one who—“

Soobin wasn’t the one behind this— they were.

They had lured you into their trap, leaving you in such a broken state that you had no other choice but to depend on them— Your whole life was in the palm of their hands.

Fuck, you realize, shoving everything back inside and making everything seem untouched as you stumble out of the room, these were the same people who swore up and down that they loved you. That they would never hurt you. These were the people you fell in love with.

You feel sick— you feel used, your emotions nothing but a carefully fabricated web of lies, all of the events in your life leading up to this; their big rescue, seeming like nothing but angels as you let yourself rely on them— broken, haunted you, forced to live with the fact that you killed a man.

You killed a man— and they let it happen.

How much of it had been fabricated by them? Was Jaemin a part of the plan too? How long had they been planning this? How far were they willing to take this?

You’re unsure of the answer to those questions, but there is one thing you know for sure— you need to leave.

And this time, you won’t stop fighting for a second.

“___, where are you?”

Speak of the devil.

Your heart is pounding erratically, blinded by rage as the need to leave, now, is overtaking your mind. You won’t take this anymore, you refuse to let them think they’ve gotten away with everything for even a second longer.

You reach for the first thing you see— a random vase— and quickly swing it at the man who enters the doorway, uncaring of who you hit, focused more on hitting either of them in general. The vase is fragile as it smashes into pieces, knocking the man back and hitting the doorway as well as it shatters in your hands. The noise is enough to alert the other culprit, the sound of their hurried steps giving you enough of a warning as you’re scrambling to grab another weapon.

“No—!” You’re cut off as you’re tackled to the ground, chin banging on the hardwood floor as you let out a yell in protest. You’re fighting the man above you, barely able to recognize him as Yeonjun as you thrash and kick under him. “Let me go! Let me go!”

“What the fuck has gotten into you?!” Yeonjun yells, using all his body weight to pin you down as you continue to fight him, throat raw as you spew insults and curses at them.

“Yeonjun, the bookshelf.”

They go silent as you continue to kick violently under them, the now strength of two men rendering your movements useless as they look at the bookshelf— at the way the door peeks behind it, usually not visible at all as they hide it meticulously.

There are drops of blood falling in front of you, and you realize they’re coming from Beomgyu as you look up, the wound on his forehead no joke as he grabs a fistful of your hair. He’s tugging your head up, the yelp of pain you let out doing nothing for him as he only grabs on tighter, moving your head violently as he talks down to you.

“You fucking idiot, you should know your place by now.” Beomgyu sneers, the blood dripping onto you as you beg him to let you go, “now we’ll isolate you again, but this time, don’t even think you’ll get any food.”

You’re sobbing hysterically at the painful way Beomgyu is handling you, the two men above you beyond furious as you continue to spew out insults to them, ever so persistent as you scream at them to let you go.

“I fucking hate you! Let go of me, you sick bastards! You’re sick! I hate you, I hate—!”

“Shhh,” Yeonjun is the one to speak up this time, hand covering your mouth like a habit at this point. His nails dig deep into your skin, the feeling bringing out a low groan from you as he forces you to look at him, the awkward angle hurting your neck.

“You’ll make things worse for yourself, darling. You don’t mean that, right?”

Letting go of your face, he waits for you to respond, watching tentatively as his eyes seem to warn you; but you ignore it, spitting at him as you proceed to sneer cruelly.

“I never loved you.”

The words are a message to both of them, but Beomgyu is first to act on it as he shoves Yeonjun off you, pulling you up with inhuman strength as his patience is snapped in half.

“Listen to me closely,” he says to you, shoving you against the wall harshly as he wraps a hand around your neck. Your eyes widen as he begins to squeeze, the man towering over you as he looks at you coldly— it’s almost as if all his love for you was long gone.

“Maybe, if you stop being such a fucking brat and apologize, I’ll let you go,” you’re clawing at his hands as he presses harder, your panicked eyes looking around for anything that can help you as you try to inflict more pain on the man above you— but it doesn’t work, the blood from his other wound dripping into his eye as he squints, a crazed smile breaking from his features as he watches you become helpless.

“You can die for all I care.”

The scariest part is that he means it. You know he does, if the way your vision spots and your gaping lips struggle for air is enough of a warning for you— eyes catching with Yeonjun’s, you gasp, whimpering out his name in a final hope that he’ll open his eyes and realize that you’ll die at any second.

“Yeonjun,” you gasp, reaching out to him as you make eye contact with him. You’re crying, the face of your best friend morphed into something darker as you he watches you silently. Your feet are kicking about underneath you, attempting to reach the man you once called your best friend as you cry out once more.

“Junnie!”

Beomgyu was never the one to deal with being put second— he was. Beomgyu didn’t have to deal with cruel and endless years of pining, but Yeonjun did. Every promise to stay by your side, to protect you, to put you first pops back up in his mind— and he shoots up from where he was seated, bolting towards Beomgyu as he reaches into his pocket.

Beomgyu didn’t deserve you. Neither did Jaemin. Nor Soobin.

What you deserved was someone who knew you better than you knew yourself— someone like Yeonjun.

Beomgyu’s fingers grow stiff on your neck.

One look into his eyes is all you need to know; his eyes are frozen, staring right back into yours as his mouth opens in disbelief. His lips move to utter your name, but all he can muster is a cough as Yeonjun steps back.

Blood splatters against your cheek.

And though Beomgyu falls back, although he groans as a pool of blood begins to form under him, you can only watch with horror as Yeonjun straddles the injured man, as he raises the pocketknife again, only for it descend back down, his body twitching and a small groan coming from him as the knife seeps into his skin.

Then Yeonjun does it again. And again. And again.

You’re not sure Yeonjun even remembers why he’s doing this. He’s hunched over Beomgyu’s body, head ducked down as he continues to stab every surface, every place he can find, Beomgyu’s cries quickly die down as blood continues to seep out and spread everywhere. It’s almost rhythmic as you slowly step around him, as you wait for him to look up and make you the next target— but he’s gone, lost in his own world as he continues to stab, and stab, and stab.

The squelching sound is too much for you as you make your way back to the front entrance, surprised to find Beomgyu’s coat and the door left ajar— you slip it on, feeling the heaviness of the material as you slip on a random pair of shoes.

It isn’t until you hear the wood creak that you take off running.

“___!” Yeonjun’s voice is harsh and raw as he yells for you, running after you as his footprints bleed from red to white, his shoes being cleaned as he continues to scream your name.

“___, listen to me! I don’t want to hurt you!”

His statement is a bit hard to believe as you glance back with uncertainty, following along the fresh tire tracks etched in the snow.

Yeonjun’s eyes are wide, and, much like you, he seems terrified; like he couldn’t believe what he had done. His hair is pushed back, the usual blonde now mixed with red as his face and clothes are splattered with the matching color. The path before you is too simple, too easy as Yeonjun quickly begins to catch up to you, his sudden speed giving you no other choice but to run back into the woods— you slip at the sharp turn, kicking up snow behind you as you hear him call out your name again.

“Please, listen to me!”

Lies. It was all lies. The man that chased after you was not the same man who took care of you when you were sick, who walked with you everywhere, who comforted you with ease when you missed your home— you refused to believe it.

The man who chased you, quickly gaining speed, was your stalker. He was the one who isolated you from your friends and family, who caused you to kill a man who, in the end, was innocent. Your life was ruined, and it was all his fault.

But it isn’t long before you’re growing tired, unable to continue to push yourself as the winter air stings your skin and burns your lungs. Even when you feel your legs going numb, you still attempt to run, stumbling and grabbing onto trees as the collar continues to jingle, almost as if it were mocking you as you feel yourself slow down involuntarily.

Even when the image of Beomgyu comes back into your mind to try to keep you going, the reminder of watching your lifelong friend continue to stab into him still seems to do nothing for you as your legs scream at you to stop. But you refuse to listen, the pitiful cries of Yeonjun slowly becoming louder and louder as you try to make as much distance as you can.

Unfortunately for you, your legs give out in protest.

Your knees sting as they dig into the jagged rocks and sticks hidden under the snow, unable to muster a reaction as you hear Yeonjun catch up to you. Slowly, you stand back up, the heavy jacket swinging around you as you wrap it tighter around you for protection.

“___, please,” he pants out, just as tired as you as he drops the knife in the snow. You shake your head, taking a step back as he reaches out to you, eyes filled with pain and regret as he takes in the fear that paints your face.

“How could you?!” You cry out, voice hoarse and thick with emotion as you let your arms fall to your sides. He shakes his head, attempting to grab your hand in comfort before you swat him away.

“Why?” You sob, your voice breaking off as you attempt to keep your composure. He says nothing, taking another step towards you instead, only to have you back away immediately.

“Why, god damn it?!” Your hands are wandering along the jacket in a sad attempt to soothe yourself, smoothing over the material and pockets as you demand an explanation. “You— you let me kill him! Why?!”

“Because I’m in love with you!” His excuse is ridiculous, even to him, but he has nothing else to lose as Yeonjun finally decides to tell the truth.

“I’m— fuck, I’m so in love with you,” he cries, voice breaking as he reaches down for the knife— you stumble back, breaths quickening as you watch him play with the blade. “I have been for years. I’ve watched you fall for others and push me aside. I tried to move on, I really did. But nothing ever worked, and Beomgyu was the one to suggest all this.”

He waves the knife around and you step back again, the hurt flashing across his face the least of your worries as he continues.

“I didn’t want it to happen this way, I really didn’t!” He looks sad as he tells you this, as if he genuinely believed he was innocent, “all this— this, this fucked up shit, it was not my idea!”

Bullshit. That’s a lie and you both know it, judging by the way his lips tremble and his eyes are flooded with tears as he hopes that you’re able to forgive him.

“Leave me the fuck alone,” you say quietly, hands digging into the jacket pockets as you walk backward, much too afraid to take your eyes away from him for even a second.

“No,” Yeonjun is exasperated as he begins to chase after you, hands reaching out as he shakes his head in denial, “you don’t mean this. Don’t.”

“Leave me alone! I don’t want to see you ever again!” Your steps are frantic as you keep your eyes on Yeonjun, unable to notice the tree root that your foot catches on, tripping on it and landing on your back harshly, the snow around you puffing up as you scramble to stand— but you hiss, your ankle twisted as it throbs in protest.

“Please!” Yeonjun gasps out, falling to his knees as he reaches out for your injury. You’re quick to tuck your leg back underneath you, shaking your head as you scoot back instead. He’s pathetic, crawling to you as he pleads for you to forgive him, clearly out of his mind as he babbles on and on about his love for you.

“I saved you!” He says, hands landing on your calves as he pulls you back to him. You shake your head, pushing against his chest as you scream at him to let you go. “Beomgyu— it was all him! He was horrible to you—!”

“YOU’RE JUST AS BAD!”

He seems to freeze at that, his eyes glazing over as the foreign concept dawns on him— you won’t forgive him. But he refuses to believe it— he saved your life.

“I saved your life…” he echoes, hand reaching back as you realize exactly what he’s reaching for.

“You’re so ungrateful…”

The bloodied knife greets you, looking for its new target as Yeonjun stares down at you, tears falling onto your face as he mumbles incoherently. His hand shakes, the hesitation in his motions your last opening as you let out a scream of terror.

And you pull the trigger.

The gunshot echoes throughout the woods, your brain mortified at the feeling of Yeonjun falling on top of you, wet, messy, dead.

There was a reason why Beomgyu’s jacket was so heavy.

Yeonjun’s body is cold and stiff by the time you gather the courage to push him off, his disfigured face bringing about a wave of nausea that you can’t control, your stomach lurching as you vomit into the snow. Tears and blood fall into the pure white substance as you pat his jacket, hands shaking as you finally find what you want— the keys to his car.

Limping, you make your way back, following the footprints in the snow, watching as they become redder and redder the closer you get to the cabin. The car comes into sight, and you feel a slight tinge of relief as the keys in your hand unlock the vehicle before you.

It hurts to drive, but as you slowly follow the tire tracks that were set beneath you, you know that there’s at least one police station in that quiet and quaint town. The rough path soon becomes a road, the empty road soon showing a welcome sign and streetlights.

Glancing into the mirror, you watch the cabin on the mountain become smaller and smaller;

It looks like you’re finally out of the woods.

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