Her mouth went dry.
She licked her lips. Forced herself to breathe.
The silence pressed heavier than the heat.
"Haejin," she said softly. Almost against her better judgment.
"Were you… harassed? Back then? As a trainee?"
She paused.
"That's what you meant, isn't it? The unnamed others. They tried things. You didn't want it."
The words tasted dangerous.
His head jerked toward her. Eyes flashing in the glow of his dimmed phone screen.
"Don't."
Soorin flinched.
"Don't what? Pretend you didn't basically admit—"
"I said don't."
His tone was sharp. Final.
Like a blade slamming into the ground to draw a line.
His jaw was tense. Eyes shadowed.
"You don't know me. You don't know what I've been through. And you don't get to ask."
Her lips parted.
She wanted to argue. To push.
But something in his voice stopped her cold.
The ambiguity. The edge of something rawer than his usual coldness.
"I wasn't trying to—"
"Exactly." He cut her off.
"Stop trying. Stop forcing yourself into my life like some parasite. It never ends well."
His words struck harder than she expected.
For a moment, sympathy had crept into her chest.
For a moment, she'd seen cracks in his armor.
But now? Now he shoved her right back out. Colder than before.
Her fingers curled into fists.
The sting settled into familiar irritation.
'Right. This is my bias. The man I once plastered posters of on my wall. What a joke.'
She forced a shrug. Voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Fine. You win. I'll stop trying. I've got better things to do than worry about a dragon who thinks the world revolves around his ego."
His glare didn't waver.
But he didn't respond either.
★☆★☆★☆
She sat back against the mirror wall. Arms folded.
"Still, one thing doesn't add up. If you didn't send that message, then who did?"
Haejin frowned. Brows knitting.
"Jiwon, apparently. But why would she drag you here in the middle of the night?"
Soorin snorted.
"Sabotage vibes. Maybe someone thinks it's funny to lock us in a dark room together."
"Not funny." His voice was low. Dangerous.
"Calculated."
She blinked.
"Calculated? For what? A cheap scandal? A tabloid photo of us in the same room?"
He didn't answer right away.
He just paced to the door. Tugged the handle one more time.
Still locked.
His fists clenched at his sides.
"Tomorrow," he said finally. "We confront Jiwon. I want to know exactly why she sent that message."
Soorin tilted her head. Studying him.
"You really think she'd risk her job pulling something like this?"
"I don't trust anyone," he muttered.
'No kidding,' she thought. Rolling her eyes.
★☆★☆★☆
Time crawled.
Their phones dimmed to save battery. The small lights barely piercing the heavy dark.
The room grew hotter by the minute. Thick air pressing against their lungs.
Soorin tugged at her damp camisole. Fanned herself with a hand.
"If we die of heatstroke, I'm haunting whoever cut the power."
Across from her, Haejin shifted.
His gaze flicked away quickly when her top dipped lower.
"You're insufferable," he muttered.
Though his voice sounded tired more than angry.
She snorted.
"Better than being two-faced."
Silence again.
Only their breaths. The faint drip of sweat hitting the floor.
Minutes turned to an hour.
Neither had signal. No footsteps came down the hall.
Haejin closed his eyes. Posture still straight but less tense.
"Repairs will come. They always do."
She huffed.
"Glad you're so zen about being trapped. Meanwhile, my brain is spiraling through every horror movie I've ever seen."
"That explains the drama," he murmured.
Her glare was wasted in the dark.
Eventually, her head grew heavy.
Her phone slipped in her hand. She yawned. Too exhausted to fight anymore.
When her head tipped sideways, it landed against something solid.
Warm. Firm. Steady.
Her eyes cracked open.
Haejin.
She jolted—then froze.
He hadn't moved. Hadn't shoved her away.
His head leaned against hers. Both of them too worn down to care.
Against all odds, the tyrant dragon had allowed her close.
Sleep claimed her before she could think too hard.
★☆★☆★☆
Soorin woke to the faint sound of something sharp.
Click.
Her eyes fluttered open. Vision blurred with sleep.
She shifted groggily. Head still resting against Haejin's shoulder.
For one surreal second, she forgot where she was.
Then—another click.
Her eyes shot wide.
A figure stood at the far end of the room.
A shadow. Half-lit by the faint emergency light now glowing faintly overhead.
A camera glinted in their hand.
Before she could process, the shutter clicked again.
Flash.
"Hey!" she shouted. Scrambling upright.
The figure spun. Bolted for the door.
And this time—the lock released.
The electronic beep sounded. The door sliding open just enough for them to slip through.
The slam echoed as it shut again.
Soorin's chest heaved.
Her pulse thundered in her ears.
"No, no, no—"
Beside her, Haejin stirred. Blinking awake.
His eyes sharpened instantly as he registered her panic.
"What happened?"
"Someone was here!" She pointed toward the door. Voice cracking.
"They took pictures. Of us. Sleeping. Together."
His expression barely shifted. Only his jaw tightening.
"Calm down."
"Calm down?!" She shot to her feet. Hair a mess. Voice high.
"Someone just snapped us in the most compromising position possible, and you want me to calm down?"
He stood as well. Movements deliberate. Voice steady.
"The networking team will handle it."
Her eyes widened.
"Networking team? That's it? Someone could be leaking those pictures right now, and—"
"I wouldn't be caught dead with you."
His words cut. Flat. Cold.
"If those pictures get out, they'll erase them before they spread. No one will believe it anyway."
Her chest squeezed.
The sting hit harder than she expected. Sharper than she wanted it to.
She swallowed. Throat tight.
"Right. Of course. You'd rather die than be seen next to me."
He didn't reply.
The dim emergency light hummed back to full power.
The air conditioning clicked on. Blowing cool relief through the vents.
The building returned to life—as if nothing had happened.
But Soorin knew everything had changed.
Someone had been there. Watching. Waiting.
And they had proof.
Soorin froze. Blood roaring in her ears.
His words twisted with the echo of the camera shutter.
Paparazzi? Stalker?
Or worse—someone inside the company?
Her heart pounded with one thought:
Who wanted to trap me in this mess?