The Villianess's Redemption (HYUNJIN ff) ✓

11.Shadows of Deception

Chapter 11: Shadows of Deception
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

The next day

Eliza's POV

I woke to the soft glow of morning light filtering through the curtains. My head ached, and my body felt heavy as if I had been submerged underwater. Blinking against the brightness, I slowly became aware of the worried faces around me-Isabella, Hyunjin, Seungmin, and Felix. Their concern was palpable, and it took me a moment to realize why they were here.

"Eliza, thank goodness," Isabella said, her voice trembling with relief. "How are you feeling?"

I tried to sit up, but the effort was too much. I settled back against the pillows, my mind foggy with fragments of memories from the previous night. "I'm......." I try to speak but my throat felt so dry.

Seungmin brings me a cup of water.
"Drink this. Don't force yourself to speak." He gave me a small smile.

"I'm okay, I think," I managed to speak up after drinking the cup of water. Eventhough I was not in the best condition, I did not say so. I didn't want them to worry about me.

"What happened?" I questioned.

Hyunjin's grip on my hand tightened. "You collapsed at the party," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "We've been so worried."

The events of the night started to come back to me-the party, the guests, the man in the bright-colored suit. "The magician." I whispered, the memory of his garish suit and charming tricks surfacing. "He gifted me a perfume and told me to take a sniff of it , to tell if I liked it."

Isabella's eyes widened. "A magician? What did he look like?"

I closed my eyes, trying to recall his features. "He was wearing a brightly colored suit, very eye-catching. It had some weird patterns on it too. He showed me some magic tricks, and then he offered me the perfume. It seemed harmless at the time, but as soon as I smelled it, I felt dizzy."

Hyunjin's face darkened with anger. "That man deliberately targeted you. We need to find him."

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

Y/N's POV

Eliza's account of the magician sent chills down my spine. The man in the bright-colored suit-he sounded exactly like the man I had encountered at the party. I had guided him to the restroom, thinking nothing of it at the time. My heart sank as I realized I might have inadvertently helped him get close to Eliza.

Just then, the door opened, and Jeongin entered the room, his expression a mix of concern and something else I couldn't quite place. "Eliza, you're awake," he said, hurrying to my bedside. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," Eliza repeated."Just tired."

He comes and hugs her."I was so worried about you. Sorry I was not there at that time. Something urgent came up"

"It's okay. I'm okay now........ nothing to worry about." She said with a small smile.

I don't know why but I still had this unsettling feeling about Jeongin's absence in the event yesterday but I shrugged it off.

"Eliza," I said softly, "I think I saw the same man. He asked me for directions to the restroom, and I pointed him in the right direction. I didn't think anything of it then, but now..."

Seungmin's gaze sharpened as he turned to me. "You saw him too? Why didn't you mention this before?"

"I... I didn't realize he was dangerous," I stammered, feeling a wave of guilt wash over me. "It seemed like a harmless encounter."