Caffeine || CHOI SOOBIN FF

ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝟛𝟜

~pleasee VOTE and COMMENTTT~

-Start of Chapter 34-

"Earth to Y/N? Hellooo?" Hana snaps her fingers in front of my face, dragging me out of my spiralling thoughts.

"Huh?" I blink, trying to focus on her. "W-What did you say?"

"I asked if everything's okay. You've been zoning out a lot lately." Hana says, her eyes filled with concern.

I force a smile, hoping it's convincing. "Yeah, everything's fine. Just tired, I guess."

She narrows her eyes, clearly not buying it, but she doesn't push further. "Alright, but if you need to talk, I'm here."

"Thanks." I mumble, turning my attention back to my surroundings.

It's been days since that incident. Days filled with sleepless nights and a constant knot of anxiety in my stomach. Tomorrow marks the end of the week, the deadline my father gave me. Dad... he won't do anything, right?

I've been getting messages from him, each one more menacing than the last. At first, I tried to ignore them, hoping he would just give up and leave me alone. But the final message chilled me to the bone:

Time is running out, Y/N. If I don't get the money by tomorrow night, the person you care about most will suffer. It will become ugly.

The words echo in my mind, a constant reminder of the threat hanging over me. I try to focus on anything but the fear that's been gnawing at me. But it's no use. Every time my phone buzzes, my heart skips a beat, terrified it's another message from him.

"Unnie, can you pass the remote?" Hana's voice snaps me back to reality again.

"Sure," I say, grateful for the distraction. I hand her the remote and sit back, trying to act normal.

The evening drags on, each minute feeling like an hour. My thoughts keep drifting back to the deadline, to the threats, to the image of my father's cold, calculating eyes.

As the night grows late, I feel a rising sense of panic. What if he actually does something? What if he hurts Seojun or someone else I care about?

"Hey, Unnie, you've been really quiet. Are you sure everything's okay?" Hana asks, her worry evident.

"I'm fine," I lie, trying to sound convincing. "Just tired from work."

She nods slowly, still not entirely convinced. "Alright. Just let me know if you need anything, okay?"

I nod, and we sit in silence for a while. The TV is on, but I can't focus on it. All I can think about is my father's threats and the looming deadline.

When Hana finally heads to bed, I collapse onto the sofa, staring at my phone. The last message still there, the words burning into my mind. Tomorrow night. What am I going to do?

As I lie there, fear and dread consume me. I know I can't give in to his demands, but the thought of what he might do if I don't... it's unbearable. I close my eyes, trying to block out the terror, but sleep won't come.

Tomorrow night. I have to figure something out before then.

~~~~~

I take another swig of beer, the bitterness washing down my throat. The deadline is tonight, and the fear gnawing at me has driven me to this. I barely notice the front door opening until I see Hana standing there, her eyes wide in shock.