The door opened, and light spilled into the dark room like an unwanted guest.
Hyunwoo flinched, squinting as his eyes struggled to adjust. He was still tied to the chair. Wrists burning. Shoulders stiff. His mouth sealed with tape that tasted of glue and fear.
A man entered, holding a food tray.
Hyunwoo's heart dropped. It had been more than 36 hours since he'd been dragged here, no sense of time. No answers. Just this room and the sound of his own breathing.
The man came closer and ripped the tape off his mouth.
Hyunwoo gasped, lungs starving for air. "Who are you?" he shouted hoarsely. "Why are you keeping me tied here?"
No response.
The man suddenly grabbed a fistful of food and shoved it into Hyunwoo's mouth.
Hard.
"Mm—!" Hyunwoo gagged. The food clogged his throat. Panic exploded in his chest. He coughed violently, choking, eyes watering as half-chewed food spilled down his chin onto his shirt.
The man clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed.
With a rough grip, he tilted Hyunwoo's head and forced water into his mouth. Hyunwoo coughed again, chest heaving, face flushed red from the lack of air.
"Look," the man said coldly, wiping his hand on his coat. "Don't create a scene. Eat quietly if you don't want me to force it down again."
Hyunwoo stared at him, eyes bloodshot, tears clinging to his lashes. His throat burned. His pride lay somewhere on the floor with the spilled food.
"Why are you doing this to me?" he asked, voice cracked and low now. "Who are you? What did I ever do to you?"
Silence.
Then—
"How are you, Hyunwoo?"
The voice came from behind.
Smooth. Familiar. Chilling.
The sharp echo of heels followed, each step deliberate, unhurried, slicing through the room.
Hyunwoo's breath stuttered.
That voice.
He knew it.
The woman stepped into the light. Perfectly dressed. Calm. Eyes cold enough to make his skin prickle.
Hyunwoo slowly turned his head toward the voice.
The moment he saw her, his lips curved into a small, broken smile. Not relief. Not happiness. Something closer to bitter confirmation.
"So it was you," he murmured, almost to himself. "I knew it would be."
Yerin stepped closer, removing her goggles with deliberate grace. Her expression was calm, composed, untouched by the chaos she had created.
"How are you doing, Kang Hyunwoo?" she asked coolly.
Hyunwoo let out a low chuckle. "I expected this. Just didn't think it would happen this fast."
A smirk tugged at Yerin's lips."Oh really?" she said lightly. "Then why did you try to betray me when you knew exactly what the consequences would be?"
His smile vanished.
He looked at her now, eyes dark with something raw and ugly."Betray you?" he repeated, the laugh that followed sharp and hollow. "That's rich."
He lifted his chin despite the ropes biting into his skin."It was you who betrayed everyone," he said quietly. "You destroyed my sister's life."
Yerin's gaze hardened. The room seemed to tighten around them.
"Oh?" she replied coldly. "Since when did you start caring about your sister?"She tilted her head, studying him. "As far as I know, you're the most selfish person I've ever met."
She stepped closer, heels stopping right in front of him."And let's be clear," she added flatly. "You're the one who ruined her life. Not me."
Hyunwoo clenched his jaw. His hands strained against the ropes.
"You think kidnapping me will bury the truth?" he shot back. "You think you can silence me and walk away as if nothing happened?"
His eyes burned into hers. "This isn't going to end the way you think it will."
Yerin's lips curved into a slow smirk.
"Who said I'm planning to keep you alive forever?" she said casually. "You tried to betray me. So you'll disappear. Nobody. No trace. And I'll make sure everyone believes you ran away… just like your coward sister."
Hyunwoo's glare wavered. The moment she mentioned Hauen, something inside him cracked. Guilt surged back, sharp and suffocating. His eyes burned, vision blurring.
"Then kill me," he said suddenly.
Yerin paused.
"Kill me already," he continued, his voice breaking. "I can't live like this. I can't breathe knowing I joined hands with someone like you and destroyed my own sister's life."
His shoulders trembled despite his restraint. "I don't even know where she is. If she's alive. How she's surviving. What she's going through because of me."
Tears slipped down his cheeks.
Yerin's expression hardened. Her jaw clenched. She hated it. Hated it when anyone showed even a trace of sympathy for Hauen. That hatred had taken root long ago, deep and stubborn, curling around her thoughts like poison ivy.
Her lips parted slowly.
"I wish she were dead by now," Yerin said, her voice chillingly calm.
"Miserably."
Hyunwoo's breath caught.
"She deserves it," Yerin continued, eyes burning. "To die pathetically. To suffer till the very end."
She leaned closer, eyes burning. "She stole my Suho from me. She deserves to rot. She deserves hell."
Hyunwoo stared at her, shattered. Something deep inside him bled quietly, beyond repair.
"My sister is an angel," he said, his voice steady despite the tremor in his breath. "She deserves every good thing this world can offer."
His gaze bore into Yerin, dark and unflinching.
"Snakes like you?" He gave a bitter chuckle. "Belong in hell."
Yerin stiffened.
"You think getting rid of my sister will bring Suho back to you?" he continued, each word deliberate. "Keep dreaming. You've already lost him."
He leaned back as much as the restraints allowed, exhaustion etched into his face.
"He's beyond your spell now. And you know why?" His lips curved faintly. "Because you were the one who threw him away the moment he became inconvenient."
Silence cracked between them.
"It was my sister who rebuilt him," Hyunwoo said quietly. "No matter how hard you try, you'll never win his heart again."
His eyes glinted for a split second.
"Because Hauen lives there."
He looked back at Yerin, with a mocking smirk, voice turning razor-sharp.
"You don't matter to him even when you're standing beside him. He lives for Hauen… even when she isn't around."
The last word struck like a slap.
Yerin's restraint snapped. Her vision blurred with fury as she grabbed the bowl of soup from the table and flung it at him. The scalding liquid drenched his face and chest.
Hyunwoo screamed, his body jerking violently as the heat burned into his skin. He thrashed, chains rattling, desperate for release.
"Starve him," Yerin said coldly, wiping her hands. "Not a drop of water. Not a crumb of food."
She turned and walked out without another glance.
Hyunwoo's cries echoed in the room, raw and broken.
The man said nothing. He simply shut the door.
And left Hyunwoo alone in the dark, suffering in silence.