Aelia knew Hyunjin was expecting her. She knew there was no way for her to sneak in, so she wouldn't even try. She parked the «borrowed» car down the street and walked up to the gates. They were ajar, and there were no guards to be seen. Not a coincidence, Aelia thought and slid in. She walked to the main entrance, which was locked. So was the kitchen entrance. Aelia kept walking around the house, into the garden. And that's when she saw what Hyunjin had planned for her.
«Seonghwa!»
Aelia ran to the man laying face down on the ground, under a large tree. His arms were chained to the tree, but he had some room to move. He didn't, though.
«Seonghwa, it's me,» she said as she sank down next to him on the gravel. She was scared to touch him. «Love, it's Aelia. Can you hear me?»
She got no answer, but she could see his back rising and sinking. He was breathing. She carefully stroked his hair out of his face, only to see all the scrapes and injuries up close. His right eye was swollen shut. Aelia couldn't hold back her sobs.
«What did they do to you?» she cried as she looked at his back, his shirt full of blood, ripped open by what looked like a whip. She didn't dare touch his back, but she gently held his hand, staring intently at his face. «Seonghwa, please,» she whispered, over and over again. «I'm sorry.»
She heard footsteps, but not for a second did Aelia think about running.
«I thought I'd end up seeing you here,» Hyunjin said, his voice warm and sickening. «Ever hear of Stockholm syndrome, babe?»
«You're sick, Hyunjin,» she cried, not even looking at him.
«Nope, that's you. It's not normal falling for your slave master. That's what's sick. But don't worry, we'll cure you from that.»
«You can't cure me from loving someone, Hyunjin.»
Aelia took her jacket off and put it under Seonghwa's head.
«Look at you, all caring for the man that raped you. Over and over again.»
«Fuck you, Jin! Take these off of him.»
She grabbed the cuffs and looked up at Hyunjin. Now she saw there were a large group of guards right behind him. She even recognized some of them. Members of the Butterfly movement.
«Sorry, I can't just let him go. He has done so many bad things. We'll have to state an example.»
«Stop it, Hyunjin! You've hurt him enough! Just let him go. I'm here now, and we can talk. Or whatever you need.»
She could tell he was listening to her, maybe even considering what she was saying, but one of the guards walked up behind him and whispered something to him. The guard was a smaller man, a lot shorter than Hyunjin, and it didn't take Aelia long to realize who was hiding behind the mask.
«Hongjoong?»
«Ah, what did I tell you, Youngie, she's a smart one, our Aelia,» Hyunjin chuckled. The other man pulled his mask down and looked at her with dark eyes. «Hongjoong was just telling me that it sounds like you're offering yourself up to me, in exchange for Seonghwa. Like a whore.»
Hyunjin alone had never really felt scary to Aelia. She had known him for so long, she felt she could deal with him. But seeing him next to Hongjoong made things different.
YOU ARE READING
Take Me Home // Ateez // Stray Kids
FanficAfter an unexpected escape from the Mansion, Aelia finds herself in a Safe House. Who is a friend and who has alternate motives? And what do the butterflies have to do with it? As a former slave, life looks empty. Aelia has to find her way in life...
