Don't Call Me Angel || VMIN

δέκα

A thick silence engulfed the room, snaking its way into every nook and cranny, over every surface, until everything was tangled in its suffocating grip. The kind of quiet that pressed at a person's skull, squeezing their chest so tightly it was nearly impossible to breathe. That was the case for Jimin, who felt tears sting his eyes when he finally managed to even out his breathing, stemming his futile gasps for air and regaining a sense of what was happening.

The several pairs of footsteps turned out to belong to only three burly men, all of whom looked to be associates of Sunwoo's. They were dressed in various suits with tailored trousers and waistcoats and were sipping glasses of a fiery, auburn liquid that screamed expensive. One of them was staring with interest at the desk that the dancer had been unceremoniously dropped in front of. Well, at the figure seated behind it.

Jimin's boss furrowed his eyebrows, glaring daggers at the poor boy. He sat, tight-lipped with his arms folded over his chest and a dangerous shadow darkening his features. As each second passed, the ravenette felt the room around him grow icier, to the point where he was unable to work out whether his shivering was due to nerves or some other reason. He continued to look at the floor, although his eyes were unfocused and his mind was elsewhere, frantically willing himself out of the situation.

It was when a snicker sounded out that the younger's head finally shot up and he noticed the others had taken up residence in a few of the brocaded armchairs, sharing entertained glances with one another. They were actually enjoying this. How messed up did their brains have to be that they got a kick out of watching someone suffer?

Sunwoo cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention, par Jimin's, who resumed his previous position and curled in on himself. The other leaned forwards to peer at the dancer's trembling form. He was balled up, both arms wrapped securely around one of his legs. The silk on his body had torn further along the back from when he had been manhandled and was now barely clinging to him. His tattoo was now on full display, the inky wings a stark contrast to his paling skin. This only added to how vulnerable he appeared, but the elder didn't care about that in the slightest, in fact, the expression donning his taught face revealed that it pleased him to see the ravenette so broken. He must have thought it was well deserved after all the damage he had inflicted upon his reputation.

The boards moved beneath him and Jimin shrank further into himself as Sunwoo walked over, a menacing thud resounding with each footfall. The elder stopped mere inches away and his shaking intensified when he felt a finger brush his chin. His head was forced up roughly, his jaw bruising from the tightness of the grip. However, he refused to flinch and cower back from the pain, not wanting to give the other any more pleasure in knowing he was the cause of it.

"Do you understand what your selfish actions have cost me?" he didn't speak loudly, it wasn't necessary, no one missed a syllable, "Your little escapade very nearly pissed off one of my main vendors and I certainly can't be dealing with that."

There was an eerie sense of calm in his tone, a steadiness that could only have been masking the real threat. It was a perfect example of the saying 'the calm before the storm' and Jimin could not have been at all prepared for what this storm was going to bring.

The pressure on his jaw was released and Sunwoo drew back, standing to his full height and resting against the mahogany surface of his desk.

"I don't think I made myself clear enough when we had our first little chat, so for your sake, I'm going to reiterate everything. I own you now, your dear mother sold you to me, which means you have to do everything I ask. I didn't want it to come to this," he began, but the sneer on his lips said otherwise, "However, you've left me with no choice. I'm only going to say this once so listen up: you are to do everything I ask with no complaints, no whining or moaning, no mistakes, or I'll be paying that sister of yours a visit."