Behind the Veil: A Captive's Tale

5

The hours passed slowly, the tension in the mansion a palpable force pressing down on Hana as she sat alone in her room. The garden outside remained bathed in sunlight, but to her, it felt as distant as a dream. She could still see the boys out there in her mind's eye—talking, laughing, living their lives as if nothing had changed. As if they hadn’t ripped her from her own life and locked her away in this beautiful cage.

It was during one of these quiet moments, when her thoughts had started to drift into a haze of fear and confusion, that Hana noticed something—an opening. Her eyes scanned the room, and she saw it: a small window, high up on the far wall, partially hidden by the heavy curtains. It was small, but big enough for her to squeeze through if she tried.

Her heart skipped a beat as the possibility of escape flashed before her eyes. She could climb up, open the window, and slip out into the world beyond these walls. She could run far away, put as much distance between herself and these men as possible. The thought sent a spark of hope surging through her—a hope that she hadn’t felt since the moment they had taken her.

But almost as quickly as the hope appeared, it was smothered by the crushing weight of reality. Hana’s eyes darted back to the door, the memory of how easily they had found her when she tried to resist, the way Yoongi had snapped at her with such cold fury. Even if she managed to get out, how far would she really get before they caught her?

A shiver ran down her spine as she imagined the consequences of trying to escape. What would they do to her if she was caught? Would they punish her? Hurt her? She remembered Yoongi’s eyes—how they had burned with anger when she defied them. And then there was Jungkook, with his quiet but firm demeanor, and Taehyung’s soft smile that only seemed to hide something darker.

Hana shook her head, trying to push the thoughts away. She couldn’t take that risk, couldn’t afford to find out what they were capable of if she crossed them. The fear was too great, too suffocating.

She took a deep breath and turned away from the window, feeling her chest tighten as she did. The idea of escape had been nothing more than a cruel illusion, a mirage that vanished the moment she reached for it. There was no way out of this, no path to freedom. The mansion’s walls were as much a prison as any cell, and the men who had brought her here were its wardens.

Hana sat back down on the bed, her hands trembling slightly as she tried to calm herself. But the fear that had gripped her refused to let go, and before she knew it, her mind began to spiral down into the dark depths of her past.

A memory flashed before her eyes—sharp, vivid, and filled with pain. She was younger, maybe ten or eleven, standing in the living room of her old home. Her father loomed over her, his face twisted in anger, his hand raised high. She didn’t remember what she had done to provoke him, only that she had done something wrong, something that had sent him into one of his rages.

The first blow landed hard against her cheek, the pain radiating through her skull like a bolt of lightning. She had cried out, her small body crumpling to the floor as she tried to shield herself from the blows that followed. But her father was relentless, his anger fueling every strike. He didn’t stop until she was a sobbing mess on the floor, her body bruised and battered, her spirit broken.

Hana squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force the memory away, but it clung to her like a shadow, refusing to leave. She could still hear his voice, yelling at her, calling her names, telling her she was worthless, that she deserved everything she got. The words had cut deeper than the blows, leaving scars that had never fully healed.

She opened her eyes, staring blankly at the wall as the memories continued to assault her. They came in waves, each one dragging her deeper into the darkness. The nights when her father would come home drunk, stumbling into the house with the smell of alcohol heavy on his breath. The times when he would lock her in her room for hours, leaving her alone in the dark with nothing but her fear for company.