𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐘𝐎𝐔⭑.ᐟ 𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐔 (✔)

chapter 01

In the middle of no where, Japan.

A short distance drive.

The drive was filled with silence, the kind that sat heavy in the air and made every small movement feel louder than it should be. I turned my head toward the window, watching Tokyo blur past in streaks of neon and shadow, using it as an excuse to avoid looking at him. Still, I could feel it, his gaze drifting toward me every now and then, like he was trying to figure me out without asking. It made my shoulders tense. My mind, on the other hand, refused to stay still, running through possibilities, escape routes, backup plans. If this went wrong, and it very easily could, I needed to be ready. I had escaped one nightmare already. I wasn't about to walk blindly into another.

Somewhere in the middle of all that thinking, something painfully obvious hit me. I hadn't even asked where he was taking me.

"...Where are you taking me?" I asked quietly, my voice almost blending into the hum of the engine.

He didn't respond right away. His eyes stayed on the road, one hand loosely gripping the steering wheel as city lights flickered across his face. "Ever heard of Bonten?" he said finally.

The name made my stomach drop. I hesitated. "...Some dangerous criminal organisation in Japan?" I said, my voice trailing off as realisation crept in. Oh. Oh no. Yeah, I do not wanna be messing with ANY of them or my head is gonna be gone.

"I'm Bonten's number two."

Everything inside me went still. My fingers curled tightly into the seat beneath me, nails pressing into the leather as my heartbeat spiked so hard it hurt. Out of all the people I could've trusted, if trust was even the right word—I had gotten into a car with someone like him. Not just anyone. Number two? Was I insane? Am I going to be sold? How am I going to die? Or was this just how my life was supposed to go, straight from one dangerous place into another?

"Relax," he said, almost casually, like he could hear every thought racing through my head. "I'll take you to Bonten's headquarters. You can stay there." He paused slightly. "I think I know you from somewhere. I just forgot."

That didn't make me feel any better because of how casual he sounded. If anything, it made things worse. "...Okay...?" I said slowly, unsure if I should be relieved or even more concerned.

His eyes flicked toward me then, sharp and striking, that deep azure colour almost unnatural under the passing lights. "You're running away," he said, not asking, stating.

My throat went dry instantly. For a second, I thought my heart had stopped. How does he know that? What else does he know? I forced myself to nod, slow and careful, my lips dry as I pressed them together. "...Yeah."

"That's why I'm offering you a place to hide." A place to hide. The words echoed in my head, tempting and suspicious at the same time. It sounded too easy. Nothing in my life had ever been this easy.

I hesitated, my fingers fidgeting slightly before I spoke again, my voice awkward and unsure. "Uh... so... um... how do I say this..." I let out a small breath, already regretting this. "Are you gonna, like... sell me or something?"

The second I said it, I wished I could take it back. But instead of getting offended, he let out a quiet laugh—soft, amused.

"Nah bro."

Before I could say anything else, the car slowed down smoothly, then came to a stop. I looked up, my chest tightening slightly as I took in the building in front of us. Tall. Modern. Clean. But there was something about it that felt off, too quiet, too controlled, like everything inside it was carefully hidden.

"By the way," he said, already opening the door, "we're here." I pushed the car door open,  stepped out after him, the cool air hitting my face as I instinctively glanced around. No one seemed to pay us any attention, but that somehow made it worse. He didn't wait, just started walking.

"Walk," he said under his breath.

I followed immediately. "Faster."

Something in his tone made me listen without question. We entered the building quickly, the atmosphere inside just as controlled as it looked from the outside. People were there, but no one spoke, no one stared for too long. It was like they already knew better.

The elevator ride felt longer than it actually was. The silence returned, thicker this time, pressing in from all sides. I kept my eyes on the numbers above the door, watching them climb, trying to ignore the presence beside me.

"You're not from Japan, right?" he asked suddenly.

The question caught me off guard. I blinked, frowning slightly. "...That's kinda random," I muttered, but I answered anyway. Maybe because he had already helped me. Or maybe because I was too tired to keep everything locked inside.

"I'm half Japanese. Half Korean," I said slowly. "I escaped from North Korea a few hours ago." I paused, then added, "I'm not really a criminal, but like things just got complicated."

I let out a small, dry laugh, shaking my head. "It's honestly kind of creepy. I had no idea how they trailed me all the way to another country."

The moment the words left my mouth, I realised how much I had just said. To a stranger. A criminal. Nice one, [name].

But he just nodded slightly, a quiet sound of acknowledgment leaving him, like it wasn't a big deal at all. For a second, I found myself staring at his mask, curiosity slipping in despite everything. What was he hiding? His identity? Scars? Or was it just part of who he was?

Before I could think too much about it—

Ding.

The elevator doors opened. And I froze.

"...What?"

This wasn't what I expected. At all. It looked like a average living room.

A huge one. Clean, modern, almost too perfect. A large couch sat in the centre, facing a massive TV mounted on the wall. A chandelier hung above, casting a soft glow over everything, and the place smelled faintly of food, warm, fresh, comforting in a way that felt completely out of place here.

"Are you scamming me...?" I murmured under my breath as I stepped inside, my eyes scanning every detail.

It didn't feel like a criminal headquarters. It felt... normal. Too normal. And that was exactly what made it unsettling.

I was still taking it all in when I heard footsteps approaching from the side. My body tensed immediately as I turned toward the sound, my gaze landing on another man walking in.

"Wait hol up, Sanzu, I swear to God, if that's another who-"

He stopped mid-sentence. His eyes locked onto me. The air shifted instantly.

"...Who the hell is that?"

I didn't move. Didn't speak. My mind went completely blank for a second as the weight of everything finally settled in.

Because wasn't just some place to hide. This was something else entirely. Something I didn't understand yet.

And judging by the way he was looking at me, I knew I wasn't supposed to be here.

EDITED: 20/4/2026