twenty eight

The sun never rose for Y/N that morning.

She had left her dorm to meet Jisoo at the café around the corner, expecting coffee and lazy conversation. The street had been unusually quiet, a mist clinging to the pavement, casting the familiar in unfamiliar ways. She barely noticed the black van parked across the alley.

Until someone grabbed her.

A sharp sting at her neck, and darkness.

Rain lashed violently against the windows of the abandoned warehouse on the city outskirts, wind howling like a warning. Inside, the air was damp and metallic, lit only by a flickering fluorescent bulb swaying from the ceiling.

Y/N's hands were tied, wrists raw from struggling. Her heart pounded like thunder in her chest, every breath shallow. Across from her, Minjae paced slowly, methodically, as if savoring every second of control.

"You should've stayed away from him," he muttered, stopping in front of her. "You were supposed to be mine."

Y/N glared at him despite the fear coursing through her veins. "You're insane."

He crouched to her level, smile twisted. "No, Y/N. I'm just the only one who really sees you. Seong-je? He doesn't deserve you. He left you once. He'll do it again. But me? I'm here."

She recoiled when he reached to touch her face. "Don't."

His expression darkened. "If you scream, it'll be the last time he breathes. Got it?"

That threat settled like ice in her stomach.

Back in the city, Seong-je was tearing through the rain, soaked to the bone, fists clenched around the phone. Jisoo's panicked voice still rang in his ears:

"Minjae took her. I overheard him bragging at the bar. Seong-je—he said if she didn't love him back, he'd make her regret ever meeting you."

His jaw tightened until it ached. There was no hesitation. No second thoughts. Just fury. Pure, unrelenting fury.

When he reached the warehouse, he didn't knock. He slammed the rusted door open with a booted foot, metal shrieking as it bent. Inside, shadows danced.

"Y/N!"

Her muffled voice cried out, "Seong-je!"

Minjae stepped out from the darkness, blade in hand. "You should've stayed away."

"Let her go," Seong-je growled.

Minjae lunged without warning. The two collided like titans. Metal clanged to the ground as fists flew. Seong-je ducked a punch and drove his elbow into Minjae's ribs. The crack was satisfying. Minjae retaliated, slamming Seong-je against a support beam, fists hammering into his ribs.

"You always take everything from me!" Minjae snarled.

"You never had her!"

Seong-je headbutted him, sending Minjae stumbling back.

Blood dripped from both their mouths. But Seong-je moved like a man possessed. For every blow Minjae landed, Seong-je returned threefold.

Y/N struggled harder against her restraints, yelling, "Seong-je, behind you!"

Minjae had grabbed a rusted pipe, swinging it toward Seong-je's head. He turned just in time, catching it mid-air. The struggle turned brutal, wood splintering, metal groaning as the pipe was wrenched from Minjae's hands.

With a guttural roar, Seong-je slammed Minjae against the wall, fist connecting with his jaw in a sickening crunch.

"You touched her? You threatened her?!"

Minjae spat blood. "She liked the attention."

That was the final straw.

Seong-je tackled him to the ground, fists raining down in a storm of righteous fury. It wasn't just a fight, it was a war. Years of buried rage erupted.

Behind them, Y/N had managed to free one hand. She scrambled for a broken shard of glass and began cutting the rope.

Minjae, bloodied and dazed, tried to crawl away. But Seong-je grabbed him by the collar.

"If you ever come near her again—"

"You'll kill me?" Minjae laughed weakly. "Do it. She's already ruined."

That word broke something in Y/N. She screamed, lunging at Minjae, glass shard raised.

Seong-je caught her, pulling her into his arms.

"You don't have to be like him," he whispered.

She sobbed against his chest, trembling. He held her tighter.

Sirens wailed in the distance.

Jisoo had called the police.

Minutes later, flashing lights bathed the warehouse in blue and red. Officers rushed in, pulling Minjae away in cuffs, his head hung low, barely conscious.

Y/N stood in Seong-je's arms, safe but shaken.

"He won't hurt you again," Seong-je whispered. "I promise."

Her voice was hoarse. "You came for me."

He cupped her cheek, his touch gentle even though his knuckles were bruised and bleeding.

"Always."

She leaned into him, breath shallow. "Take me home."

He wrapped his jacket around her shoulders and led her out into the storm.

And this time, he didn't let go.