Chapter 8: No Way Out

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The car's engine hummed softly, the only sound cutting through the thick, suffocating silence.

I pressed my hands against my lap, forcing them to stop trembling, but it was no use. My body refused to listen. My mind was spiraling, trapped in the chaos of what had just happened.

The gunshots. The shattered glass. The smell of blood.

And him.

Seo Joon sat beside me, one hand gripping the steering wheel, the other resting lazily on the gear shift, his knuckles still dusted with the remnants of the fight. He hadn't said a word since we left.

I didn't know if that terrified me more or less.

"You're shaking," he finally spoke, his voice deep, composed.

I turned my head sharply, meeting his gaze for only a moment before looking away.

I hated that he noticed.

"I'm fine," I said stiffly, staring straight ahead.

He chuckled—a low, dark sound that sent an unsettling shiver down my spine.

"Lying doesn't suit you, butterfly."

I swallowed hard. My breath was still uneven, but I refused to let him see how much he affected me.

Everything about him screamed danger.

The way he drove with controlled ease, the way his presence filled every inch of the car, suffocating, consuming. He was a force that couldn't be ignored, a man who knew he owned the world around him.

And he was looking at me like I was already his.

I forced my voice to stay steady. "Where are we going?"

"Home," he said simply.

Home. Whose home?

My chest tightened as my aunt's house came into view. Relief flooded through me for a brief second.

At least I wasn't being taken to his place.

The car rolled to a stop, and for the first time since we left the restaurant, Seo Joon turned to me fully.

His gaze locked onto mine, dark and unreadable.

"You're scared of me," he mused, his tone slow, deliberate.

I didn't answer.

A slow smirk tugged at his lips. "Good."

I gritted my teeth, anger sparking in my chest. "I'm not scared of you."

He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "Then why won't you look at me?"

My breath hitched.

I refused to let him play these mind games with me.

Gathering every ounce of courage I had left, I turned my head sharply and met his gaze.

His eyes—dark and unreadable—held something that made my stomach twist. Not just control. Not just dominance.

Possession.

Like I was already his.

I hated it.

I hated that a part of me wanted to run, but another part of me—one I didn't understand—was frozen in place, unable to look away.

Seo Joon's smirk deepened, as if he could read my thoughts, as if he knew exactly how much he was affecting me.

His fingers reached up, brushing a strand of hair from my face. "You can try to run, Unhee," he murmured, his touch lingering for a second too long. "But you'll always end up right back here."

My breath caught in my throat.

I hated that I didn't move.

I hated that he was right.

Before I could gather a response, the door beside me clicked open. One of his men stood there, waiting.

Seo Joon pulled back, his expression unreadable once again. "Go inside."

I hesitated.

Then, with as much dignity as I could muster, I stepped out of the car, not looking back.

But I could feel his gaze on me.

Watching.

Waiting.

I stepped inside my house and slammed the door shut behind me, pressing my back against the wooden surface, my chest rising and falling rapidly.

I should have felt safe.

I should have felt relieved.

But all I could hear was his voice in my head.

You can try to run, butterfly. But you'll always end up right back here.

The door clicked shut behind me, locking out the world. My chest rose and fell in shallow breaths as I walked toward my bed, my legs heavy, my body weighed down by something unseen.

I sank onto the mattress, pressing my hands into the sheets as if grounding myself. The room was dark, save for the dim light from the streetlamp filtering through the curtains.

But my mind was anything but dark.

It was alive. Raging.

Every thought, every memory from tonight crashed into me all at once.

The restaurant. The shattered glass. The blood.

Him.

Seo Joon.

His piercing eyes, his voice that lingered in my head like an echo I couldn't escape.

"You should be scared of me."

A shiver ran through me.

Was I?

I wasn't sure.

He was dangerous—I knew that. But then why did my fear feel like something else entirely?

Something unfamiliar. Something that made my pulse race for all the wrong reasons.

I turned onto my side, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Fly with the wings you have, butterfly… but remember, I can tear them whenever I want to."

His words coiled around my thoughts, refusing to let go.

I clenched my fists against the sheets, frustration bubbling inside me.

Why did he affect me like this?

Why did his presence feel like a cage and yet—why did it also feel like protection?

I hated him.

Didn't I?

My heart pounded, a war raging between my mind and emotions.

I closed my eyes, willing myself to sleep, to forget.

But Seo Joon's smirk, his gaze, his touch—they were already burned into my mind.

And I had no way out.

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Tears streamed down EUnhee's face as she lay curled up on her bed, hugging herself as if that could shield her from the chaos in her mind. The events of the night replayed like a haunting melody—Seojun's dark warnings, the gunfire, the shattered glass, and the look in his eyes that she couldn't quite understand.

She felt trapped.

In his world.

In his game.

A vibrating noise snapped her out of her thoughts. Her phone buzzed relentlessly on the nightstand, lighting up the dark room.

She wiped her damp cheeks, sniffled, and hesitated before glancing at the screen.

Sohyun calling.

Her roommate.

For a second, Unhee considered ignoring it. She wasn't in the mood for talking. But something inside her told her she needed a distraction before her thoughts completely consumed her.

With a deep breath, she picked up.

"Unhee! You better not tell me you're sleeping already!" Sohyun's voice was lively, dragging Unhee back into the real world.

Unhee forced a weak chuckle. "I was trying to."

"Oh, no, you're not. We're going out! A few of us are heading to the club, and you're coming too!"

Unhee frowned. The club? That wasn't her thing. She preferred books, coffee shops, and quiet nights over flashing lights and loud music.

"I don't know, Sohyun… I'm not really—"

"No excuses! You need to get out of that boring little world of yours and have some fun. Just for one night. I won't take no for an answer!" Sohyun insisted.

Unhee sighed, running a hand through her messy hair. Her heart still pounded from everything that had happened earlier. Maybe… maybe this was what she needed. A distraction. Something to remind her that she was still normal, that her life hadn't completely spiraled into Seojun's darkness.

"Fine," she finally said. "I'll come."

"YES! Get dressed! We'll pick you up in thirty minutes."

The call ended before she could change her mind.

EUnhee sat up, exhaling heavily. She wasn't sure if this was a good idea. But right now, she needed to breathe, even if that meant stepping into a world that wasn't hers.

She pushed herself off the bed and walked toward her closet.

She had no idea that this night… would change everything.

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