Twisted.

Calm before the storm.

Minho's emotions tangled within him, torn between the complexity of his feelings and the rationality he knew he must uphold. Albeit, his treacherous heart yearned for 𝘏𝘺𝘶𝘯𝘫𝘪𝘯, returning to him was not an option he could entertain.

The thought alone was akin to willingly stepping into a 𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯'𝘴 den, fully aware of the impending dangers. Every grain in his body screamed at him to go back to Hyunjin, but it just wasn't right to. An undeniable sense of wrongness held him back.

And so he lived like a man in 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, hiding from someone he so badly wanted to see. He was trapped in a dance between desire and restraint, his heart tethered to a love he dared not pursue.

"𝘞𝘩𝘺... 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥?" He was tired, completely tired.

It was Minho's day off. He was supposed to be at home, not with the little girl clutched to his side. His boss's daughter. He thought he loved kids, until the eight year old started dragging him around like he weighed nothing. Of course he could put a stop to it, but except he can't because his boss's eagle eyes were glued to his daughter.

The once-familiar refrain of refusal had 𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥, leaving him ensnared in a web of acquiescence. His aspirations, reduced to mere survival in the relentless tide of existence, left little room for defiance. For Minho, the pursuit of solace had become a distant dream, eclipsed by the relentless demands of his circumstances.

"I want ice cream," chimed the little girl, her voice a melody of innocence as she tugged at the fabric of his sweater. Minho's gaze flitted briefly to the nearby ice cream stand, its colorful array of frozen delights beckoning like a siren's call.

With a resigned sigh masking his inner turmoil, Minho offered a placating smile. "Oh sure wait here, I'll get it for you".

With measured steps, he made his way towards the bustling stand. As he stood in line, he reached into his pocket, fingers brushing against the 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘳 contents within.

The notion of robbing a bank danced tantalizingly on the periphery of his thoughts, a daring escapade promising liberation from the suffocating shackles of financial hardship.

Yet, as quickly as the forbidden idea took root, a sobering reality reclaimed its hold. The 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 loomed ominously, casting a shadow over his fleeting reverie.

With a cup of strawberry ice-cream in his hand, Minho made his way back to the little girl. His heart quickened its pace as he scanned the surroundings, the 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 of the little girl stirring a tumult of anxiety within him. How could he have been so utterly 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘱𝘪𝘥? Of course the little girl wouldn't have stayed put.

"Oh fuck!" With his hands gripping his hair tightly enough to pluck his hair strands out, Minho was practically running. With every stride, Minho pushed himself harder, driven by the unyielding resolve to right his wrong at any cost.

Frantically scouring the bustling surroundings, panic seized Minho in its icy grip. The realization of his predicament dawned upon him with chilling clarity. His boss, the mere thought of facing his 𝘪𝘳𝘦 sent shivers down Minho's spine. How could he have been so reckless as to agree to watch over his daughter?

Each passing moment felt like an eternity, each corner turned yielding no trace of the missing girl. Dread coiled around Minho's heart, tightening its grip with every futile attempt to locate her. The weight of impending doom bore down upon him like a leaden cloak, the specter of his boss's wrath looming ominously on the horizon.

As he continued his frantic search, a sense of resignation settled over him like a heavy fog. In the cold reality of the moment, Minho knew that his fate was sealed. He was well and truly... 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥.

Exhausted and defeated, Minho came to a halt after a whole hour, his breaths ragged and labored. Despite his relentless efforts, the little girl remained 𝘦𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦.

With a heavy heart, Minho conceded defeat, the weight of his failure settling upon his shoulders like a burden too heavy to bear. He knew there was no escaping the inevitable reckoning that awaited him at the hands of his boss.

Resigned to his fate, Minho made his way back to his employer's abode, each step weighed down by the crushing weight of guilt and apprehension. As he prepared to face the consequences of his 𝘯𝘦𝘨𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, he resolved to accept whatever punishment awaited him with a humility born of remorse.

Minho's eyes widened in shock as he found the little girl settled in his boss's lap. He let out a sigh of relief. With a silent prayer of thanks to the heavens above, Minho felt the weight of the world lift from his shoulders, replaced by a profound sense of relief. The little girl was safe and sound. And as he stood there, basking in the warmth of newfound peace.

Minho's smile faltered as he took a step back, his back colliding with an unexpected 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, a hard firm chest. A startled gasp escaped his lips as he stumbled slightly.

Minho turned around to apologise to whoever it was. "I'm sorry", he began, his voice tinged sincerity, "I didn't know someone was behind me–" His words trailed off as he registered the identity of the individual before him, a flicker of 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 igniting within his depths.

"𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴... 𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘦?"

Author's note: Erm... Things are about to get complicated.