Chapter 11: A sudden twist

Sergei's entire body went rigid the moment Jiwon's spit landed on his cheek. For a second, the world around them stilled, the air growing thick with a tension that could snap bones. Sergei's fingers slowly rose to his face, wiping the wetness away with a calmness that was more terrifying than outright fury. His gaze locked onto Jiwon's with a burning intensity.

"You've got some nerve." His voice was low, dripping with venom.

Jiwon's chest heaved, each breath sending fresh waves of pain radiating from his mangled ankle. Despite the agony, his gaze never faltered. "You're a monster," he spat, eyes blazing with defiance. "Nothing but a sick, twisted piece of shit."

A dangerous smile curled Sergei's lips. "Monster? That's rich, coming from a coward like you."

Without warning, his fist shot forward, smashing into Jiwon's jaw. The force of the blow snapped Jiwon's head to the side, blood splattering from his split lip. The sting was blinding, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to cry out.

"What's wrong, Jiwon?" Sergei mocked, his tone sickeningly calm. "You were so brave a moment ago."

"Fuck...you," Jiwon hissed, his voice strained but filled with pure hatred.

Sergei's smile widened, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "You still don't understand, do you?" His fingers twisted into Jiwon's hair, yanking him forward with a vicious tug. "This is my game. And you? You're nothing but a broken toy I get to play with however I please."

Jiwon's breathing grew ragged as Sergei's grip on his hair tightened, his scalp throbbing with a cruel, unrelenting pain. The world swayed around him, his vision blurring at the edges from the overwhelming agony.

"Why...Why are you doing this?" Jiwon's voice was desperate, his words trembling under the weight of his own helplessness.

Sergei's eyes narrowed, his expression turning cold as ice. "Why?" His lips curled into a bitter smile. "Because you're indebted to my father, Mikhail."

Jiwon's stomach twisted. "Money...? This is about money?"

"Maybe once," Sergei admitted, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "But for me...this is personal."

"Personal?" Jiwon's confusion deepened, his mind spinning as he tried to grasp Sergei's intentions.

Sergei released his grip on Jiwon's hair, letting him collapse back against the ground like a discarded piece of trash. Then, with brutal precision, Sergei's boot pressed down on Jiwon's broken ankle.

"AAAAAGH"Jiwon's scream tore through the air, raw and guttural, the pain slicing through him like molten steel. His body arched instinctively, his hands clawing at the dirt as if he could somehow dig his way out of the nightmare.

"You have no idea how much I've been waiting for this," Sergei growled, his foot grinding down harder until Jiwon's vision started to go black at the edges.

Tears streamed down Jiwon's face, his breaths coming in shallow, broken gasps. His mind was a tangled mess of agony and fear, his thoughts scattering like shattered glass.

"You're..huff...insane..." Jiwon choked out, his voice barely more than a ragged whisper.

"Insane?" Sergei echoed with a dark chuckle. "Maybe. But right now, all I see is a worthless, broken man who thought he could cheat death."

He finally lifted his boot from Jiwon's ankle, but the damage was already done. Jiwon's entire leg throbbed with a pain so intense it made him nauseous. He wanted to vomit, to scream, to curse the man before him with every last shred of strength he had.

But all he could do was lie there, trembling and defeated.

Sergei stared down at him, eyes filled with satisfaction. "I'll leave you to think about your sins, Jiwon. By the time I'm finished with you, you'll wish you were dead."

And with that, Sergei turned his back and walked away, his footsteps were fading, his figure already blending into the darkness. But then—

"SERGEI! "

"..Ah... please... I'm in pain... help"

"Sergei I really can't... it hurts..."

The desperate, broken plea struck Sergei like a knife to the chest. His body stiffened, fingers curling into fists as his mind scrambled to process what he'd just heard.

His name. His real name.

It shouldn't have meant anything. Not from him. Not from that traitorous, filthy man who dared to spit on him. But the sound of his name tangled with Jiwon's raw, tear-laced voice triggered something primal. A twisted instinct to both hurt him more and... save him.

He swallowed down the irrational reaction, his expression hardening. Yet, before he could rationalize his actions, his feet were already moving toward Jiwon. His sharp breaths pierced the cold air, and the fury he'd been clinging to slipped away like sand through his fingers.

There Jiwon was, crumpled on the ground like a shattered doll. His thin chemise clung to his trembling frame, his body curled around his damaged ankle in a pathetic attempt at shielding himself from the torment. The tears streaming down his pale cheeks painted a grotesque picture of pain and helplessness.

Sergei crouched down, his cold gaze locking onto Jiwon's teary, pleading eyes. Without hesitation, he slid his arms beneath Jiwon's fragile frame and lifted him up. The weight in his arms was practically nothing. Weak. So damn weak.

Jiwon's arms instinctively wrapped around Sergei's neck, his fingers clutching the fabric of Sergei's shirt with a desperation that bordered on madness. His body trembled violently, his sobs muffled against Sergei's chest.

"It...it hurts...please..." Jiwon's words were a broken, fevered mess, pouring from his lips like a prayer to the devil himself.

"Stop whining." Sergei's voice was ice, but the command lacked its usual venom. Even he could hear the slight tremor in his tone. What the hell was he doing? Why was he holding this man as if he mattered?

He shouldn't have reacted. Should've let Jiwon rot in his misery. But something about the way Jiwon clung to him, as if he were the only anchor in a sea of unbearable pain, stirred something deep and unwelcome within him.

His mind screamed at him to drop Jiwon back on the filthy ground, to remind him exactly where he belonged. And yet, his arms tightened around the trembling man, securing him as if to protect him from the very suffering Sergei himself inflicted.

They remained like that for a moment—Sergei standing in the cold, oppressive darkness of the garden, holding the very man he swore to destroy.

The absurdity of it nearly made him laugh.

But instead, he turned on his heel, his footsteps steady as he carried Jiwon back toward the mansion. His jaw clenched, his thoughts a violent storm of rage, confusion, and something dangerously close to guilt.

By the time he crossed the threshold of the mansion, his expression was a perfected mask of indifference once more. Whatever weakness had gripped him out there would not be allowed to take root.

He'd make sure of that.