Whispers in the Dark

Seo-yeon remained still, clutching her phone in her hand. Joon-woo's words replayed in her mind.

"The ties that bind, Seo-yeon. They're stronger than you think."

She took a sharp breath, her eyes drawn to the wide cityscape outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. From here, the world below felt far away, as if it belonged to a dream. But hers was anything but a dream world. She was in the lion's den, and the best part? The door wasn't even closed. 

Her hand hovered over the screen of her phone. **Call Hyun-soo. Send a message. Do something.**

But fear set in.

How much did Joon-woo know already? Would he be watching, listening, if she called?

Seo-yeon faced the vacant penthouse, her eyes surveying her new surroundings with renewed suspicion. It was too still, too deliberate. Each element in the room—right down to the thoughtfully arranged books on the coffee table—was too carefully designed, too meticulously controlled.