Yellena_a

•~Character Guide
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Jiwon Schmidt (33yo) – South Korean-German, Former Lawyer, Now a Wanted Man
Once a hopeful and ambitious lawyer, Jiwon built a life based on control and reason—until one mistake shattered everything. Now, his past has caught up to him in the worst way possible. With sharp brown eyes, tousled black hair, and a lean but resilient build, he looks every bit the man who has fought to survive. But survival becomes much harder when he’s kidnapped by the ghost of his past.

Sergei Mikhailovich Valery Karpov "Smert" (22yo) – Russian, Ruthless Mafia Enforcer
At sixteen, he was abandoned. At twenty-two, he is a man shaped by cruelty and revenge. The underworld knows him as "Smert"—Death itself. With an imposing presence, silver-blond hair, and icy blue eyes, he hides his fury behind a cold, calculated mask. Raised under the iron fist of the Russian mafia, Sergei has become one of the most feared enforcers in his organization. And now, he has the man who betrayed him right where he wants him.
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Jiwon Schmidt never expected his past to come back in the form of a nightmare. Kidnapped and dragged into the mansion of Sergei [Smert] Mikhailovich Valery Karpov, a man feared for his ruthlessness, Jiwon soon realizes he’s at the mercy of someone who holds a deep, personal grudge against him. What he doesn’t know is that Sergei is the very boy he abandoned years ago—now a merciless beast, forged by betrayal and fueled by vengeance.

Trapped in a cruel game of power and retribution, Jiwon must figure out why he's been targeted before it's too late. But Sergei’s hatred is tangled with painful memories and twisted desire, making him an unpredictable captor. As their past collides with the brutal present, obsession, revenge, and long-buried emotions ignite a deadly dance—one that neither of them may survive.
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|Sergei’s rage is only beginning when the truth is revealed, will Jiwon survive?|

{Some wounds never heal… and in the final chapters, you’ll see just how deep they go.}

BENEATH THE COLD

Sergei stood there, motionless, his eyes never leaving Jiwon's sleeping form. His chest still rose and fell unevenly, the remnants of the nightmare clawing at his sanity. It was madness, the way his feet carried him to the edge of the bed, his knees sinking into the mattress before he even registered what he was doing.

Jiwon looked so small and fragile, his face relaxed in sleep but marred with faint traces of pain. The bruises Sergei left on him were still vivid, ugly reminders of the cruelty inflicted. And yet, even in this state, Jiwon looked peaceful.

Something twisted painfully in Sergei's chest, an ache that felt both foreign and infuriating.

He approached the bed, his shadow looming over Jiwon's vulnerable form. His breathing hitched. What the fuck was he doing here? What was he trying to prove?

But his body moved before his mind could make sense of it. He sat on the edge of the mattress, the creak of the springs deafening. His gaze never left Jiwon's face, studying the way his chest rose and fell with each shallow breath.

Then, without thinking, Sergei reached out. His hand hovered over Jiwon's shoulder before he finally allowed his fingers to touch the warmth of his skin. Jiwon stirred, a soft whimper escaping his lips, but he didn't wake.

"Just this once," Sergei whispered, though he couldn't tell if it was meant for Jiwon or himself.

He slid onto the bed, his arms looping around Jiwon's trembling frame and pulling him into his chest. It felt wrong. It felt right. Like he was trying to cling to something that had already shattered beyond repair.

Sergei lay there, his gaze fixed on the darkness as if it held the answers he sought. His grip remained firm, his body curled protectively around the one person who shouldn't matter. And, for the first time in years, sleep came to him

In the morning .Jiwon woke up to a dull, throbbing pain in his legs, his body weighed down by exhaustion. His vision was hazy at first, his mind struggling to piece together where he was. But the moment he shifted, a sharp sting shot up his muscles, forcing him to suck in a breath.

Then, the memories of last night slammed into him.

His chest tightened as the images flashed in his mind—Sergei's cold voice, the cruel touch, the suffocating powerlessness that had swallowed him whole. He forced himself to take slow breaths, trying to push down the nausea crawling up his throat.

He turned his head slightly, almost expecting to find Sergei there, watching him like a predator waiting for its prey to wake. But the bed beside him was empty. The room was silent.

Jiwon didn't know why that realization made something inside him twist. After everything, he should be relieved. But instead, there was only an unsettling emptiness, a quiet reminder that he was still trapped.

He clenched his jaw. His last escape attempt had been reckless—driven by desperation rather than strategy. He wouldn't make that mistake again. If he wanted to get out of here, he had to be patient. He had to be smart.

For the moment, Jiwon decided to walk out of the room, his bare feet pressing against the cold floor as he stepped into the dimly lit corridor. The air was thick with silence, the kind that made his own breathing feel too loud.

He didn't know if he was allowed to roam freely in the mansion, nor did he care. Right now, he just needed to move—to clear his head, to regain some sense of control over himself.

The hallways were grand, stretching endlessly with towering walls adorned with expensive paintings. Each step he took felt like an intrusion, yet no one stopped him. No guards, no servants—nothing but the weight of the place pressing down on him.

In front of him stood a massive door, different from the others he had passed.

Chapter 13 :the urge to not give up