Living Inferno

Eight 🔞⚠️

The hours in the van felt like an eternity. Seokjin had lost track of time, his wrists aching from the zip ties that bound him, his mind racing with fear and confusion. He tried to focus, to piece together what might be happening, but it was impossible. The men around him remained silent, offering no explanations, no answers. The only sound was the low rumble of the van as it sped through unknown roads, the world outside hidden from view.

Eventually, the van came to a stop. The sudden silence was deafening, and Seokjin's heart raced as the doors were thrown open. Harsh hands grabbed him again, pulling him out of the vehicle and onto solid ground. The cool, fresh air hit his face, and he squinted against the fading light of the late afternoon.

As his eyes adjusted, Seokjin's stomach churned with dread. They had brought him to a lake house—a secluded, eerie place surrounded by dense forest and towering trees. The stillness of the lake nearby seemed almost mocking, as if the world had gone quiet to witness what was about to unfold. There were no signs of civilization, no city lights in the distance. Just the endless stretch of forest and the dark waters of the lake. Seokjin's heart sank deeper as he realized how isolated he was.

He was led up the path toward the house, his footsteps heavy with dread. And there, standing at the entrance, was Jungkook.

Jungkook's eyes lit up when he saw Seokjin, and a smile slowly spread across his face—one that made Seokjin's blood run cold. It wasn't the smile of a friend, or even an enemy. It was the smile of someone who had been waiting, savoring this moment of control. He looked genuinely pleased, almost... happy.

"Seokjin," Jungkook said, his voice soft and smooth, as if they were old friends reunited after a long absence. "It's been a while."

Seokjin's body stiffened, his instincts screaming at him to run, but his hands were still bound, and there was nowhere to go. He was surrounded by Jungkook's friends—Jimin, Taehyung, and Mingyu—who stood nearby, watching with amusement. Their presence was just as suffocating as the isolation of the lake house itself.

"Did you miss me?" Jungkook asked, stepping closer, his eyes scanning Seokjin's face.

Seokjin flinched but said nothing. His throat was dry, and the words he wanted to scream were lodged somewhere deep inside, swallowed by the overwhelming fear that gripped him. He knew what Jungkook was capable of—he had lived through it before. And now, he was back in his grasp, with no one to save him.

Jungkook's smile widened as he closed the distance between them, reaching out to touch Seokjin's face. His fingers brushed against Seokjin's cheek, a touch that felt both tender and threatening at the same time.

"I've been thinking about you," Jungkook murmured, his voice low, almost affectionate. "I missed you. I missed the way you looked that night."

Seokjin's skin crawled at the words, and he recoiled from Jungkook's touch, but there was nowhere to go. The others watched silently, their expressions unreadable, but the atmosphere was charged with a sense of foreboding.

"Don't be scared," Jungkook whispered, his tone soft but laced with a chilling undertone. "You and I... we have unfinished business."

Seokjin's heart pounded in his chest, panic surging through him. He tried to pull away, but Jungkook's grip tightened, holding him in place.

"You thought you could hide from me forever?" Jungkook asked, his smile turning darker, more dangerous. "You thought you could get away with what you did?"

Seokjin's breath caught in his throat. He had tried to escape, tried to expose the truth, but now, standing in front of Jungkook, he felt powerless again. The weight of everything came crashing down on him—the torture, the abuse, the fear. And now, here he was, back where it had all started.