𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑼𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝑫𝒚𝒏𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒚

𝟒𝟔

Taehyung's voice broke the silence, soft and gentle. "Princess..."

The word slipped out before he could stop himself, and he immediately winced, wondering how she would react.

She froze at the sound of his voice, her hands clenching the sheets tightly. She could feel her eyes burn, the tears threatening to fall. Then his voice called her princess, and it hit her like a punch to the gut.

She drew in a shaky breath, her body almost tremulous with suppressed emotions, before she quickly wiped the betraying tears with the back of her hand and turned to face him.

"Yeah, let's find something," she managed to say.

Taehyung's gaze lingered on the remnants of tears visible on her cheeks under the soft moonlight filtering through the broken window.

He nodded, not saying anything further, and continued searching the room. He rummaged through the old drawers, pulling out old clothes, books, and papers, his mind half-focused on her.

Meanwhile, Jennie was sorting through a small bedside drawer. Her fingers trembled slightly as she pulled out an old picture frame, covered in layers of dust. She wiped it gingerly with the sleeve of her shirt, revealing the image that lay beneath.

It was a picture of him, taken years ago. He was smiling, his arms around Miss Kyung. Her heart ached at the sight, a fresh wave of pain rushing over her.

She gently ran her fingers over the dusty image. Every line of his face, every curve of his smile seemed etched in her memory.

Her fingers brushed against something small and wooden in the back of the drawer. Instinctively, she pulled it out, revealing a small wooden box.

It was old and worn, the wood smooth from years of handling.

A couple of old keys, a tarnished bronze ring, an old coin, and a folded piece of paper. She took out the paper carefully, her hands still trembling slightly.

The paper was age-worn, the creases almost brittle. She unfolded it gently, the sound of the paper crackling in the silent room. In a slightly shaky but still clear script, the words on the paper read.

"Princess, if you're reading this, it's crystal clear that you broke the promise. And I was damn sure you'd do that. But babes, without you realizing the three days were wasted."

She stared at the note, her body numbing by seconds. It was his handwriting, no doubt. But the words made her blood run cold.

"Oh no," she whispered, sweat shining on her forehead.

Taehyung looked up, noticing the note in her hand. He came closer, his eyes scanning the paper.

"What's that?" He asked deeply.

He moved closer to her, peering at the note over her shoulder.
She could feel his breathing right next to her ear.

"We... We were deceived," she whispered, biting her lower lip.

"What?!" His voice came out surprised.

"EXO set us up into this mess. It was all a trap."

...

"What?" Jisoo slammed her hand on the railing of the stairs she was standing on.

Her voice echoed in the empty house, laced with shock and disbelief, and it drew the others' attention. Jin appeared from one of the rooms, followed closely by Yoongi.

"What happened?" Jin asked, his eyes darting between Jennie and Taehyung, taking in their grim faces.

"EXO set us up." Taehyung said gruffly.