Tangeled in shadows | Min Yoongi

Chapter 9: Blurred Lines

The night air was cool against Yoona's skin as she wandered the empty streets, her thoughts swirling like smoke in her mind. She had fled the safe house, desperate to distance herself from Yoongi and the storm of emotions he had stirred in her.

"Smoke"—that's what they called her in this life. A wraith, always slipping through fingers, always elusive. It was fitting, considering how she felt now—scattered, uncertain, slipping away from everything she thought she knew.

She had been raised for vengeance. Her father's death had been her driving force for so long, and now, standing at the edge of that mission, she found herself unable to follow through. Her hand had trembled when the knife was in her grasp. She had been inches away from killing Yoongi, but something—something deep within her—had stopped her.

Agust. The name sounded strange in her head now. Once, it had only been associated with hate and anger, but lately, it had become tangled with something more complicated. His words replayed in her mind on a loop, mixing with the confusion she felt.

"You don't have to do it alone."

She slowed her pace, her breathing steadying as she leaned against a brick wall, the rough surface biting into her back. What was he doing to her? Why couldn't she shake him? Every time she thought she had hardened herself against him, he found a way to slip through the cracks.

Just like smoke.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sudden buzzing of her phone in her pocket. She pulled it out, glancing at the screen. A message from him.

Agust: "Don't disappear again, Smoke. We need to talk."

Yoona's grip on the phone tightened. She wasn't ready for this, wasn't ready to face him again. But the pull was there—an invisible thread tying them together. No matter how far she ran, she couldn't escape him. Not really.

She hesitated, staring at the message, her mind at war with itself. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she typed a reply.

Smoke: "I need space, Stay out of my way."

Back at the safe house, Yoongi read the message, a frown tugging at his lips. Yoona was running, but not for the reasons she used to. He could see it—see the confusion in her eyes, the way her hand had trembled when she held that knife. She was fighting an internal battle, one he understood all too well.

He ran a hand through his hair, staring at the phone for a moment longer before pocketing it. She could try to push him away all she wanted, but he wasn't going to let her slip out of his grasp so easily. He had already let her go once, and that was a mistake he wasn't going to repeat.

Agust, they called him. The ruthless leader. Cold. Calculated. But Yoona had seen past that, hadn't she? She had seen the cracks, the vulnerability that few others noticed.

Yoongi's jaw tightened as he stood from the chair, his eyes narrowing as he glanced out the window. She could run, but he'd find her. And when he did, they were going to talk—whether she liked it or not.

Hours passed, and the city streets began to empty as the night deepened. Yoona had found herself at a quiet corner of the city, far from the safe house, far from the chaos of her life. She sat on a bench, the streetlights casting long shadows across the pavement.

For a moment, she allowed herself to just be. To breathe. No more running, no more plotting, no more thinking. But even in this stillness, she couldn't escape the storm brewing inside her.

The sound of footsteps approaching broke through her thoughts. She didn't need to look up to know who it was. His presence was unmistakable.

"Smoke," came Yoongi's voice, low and calm. "We need to talk."

Yoona's chest tightened at the sound of his voice. She kept her eyes forward, refusing to meet his gaze. "I told you I get out," she said, her voice colder than she felt.

"I gave you space," he replied, stepping closer, but keeping his distance. "But I'm not letting you disappear."

Yoona let out a bitter laugh. "Disappear? That's rich, coming from you. You've been playing me this whole time. One moment you save me, the next you're telling me to kill you. What do you want from me, Agust?"

His silence stretched between them, heavy and unspoken. Finally, he sighed, his voice softer than she expected. "I don't know."

She stood up abruptly, turning to face him, her eyes blazing with the confusion and frustration that had been eating at her. "I can't do this," she said, her voice shaking. "I can't keep playing these games. I can't keep pretending that everything you've done doesn't matter. You killed my father."

Yoongi's expression hardened, but he didn't move. He let her words hang in the air, like a blade ready to fall. "And I'll never ask you to forgive me for that," he said quietly. "But your father wasn't the man you think he was, Yoona."

"Don't call me that," she snapped, her voice sharp. "Don't act like we're friends."

Yoongi's eyes darkened, but he didn't break. "Fine. But don't stand there and tell me you haven't started to question things. Don't act like you didn't hesitate back there when you had the chance to kill me."

Yoona's breath caught in her throat, her mind flashing back to that moment. She hated that he was right, hated that she couldn't deny it. She had hesitated. But why?

"I don't know what's happening to me," she whispered, her voice barely audible, as if admitting it would make her even weaker.

Yoongi took a step closer, his voice low, controlled. "You're starting to see the truth, Smoke. Your father... he made deals with people far worse than me. He put you in danger."

"No," she shook her head, backing away. "You don't get to twist this. You killed him, Agust. You took him from me."

"I did," he said, the weight of his words heavy between them. "And I'll never ask for your forgiveness. But your father's enemies wouldn't have stopped at him. They would've come for you next."

Yoona felt the sting of tears in her eyes, but she blinked them away. She couldn't let him see her break again, couldn't let him see the cracks in her resolve. She had to stay strong, had to keep her distance. But the pull between them—the strange, magnetic force that drew them together—was becoming harder to resist.

"You don't know me," she said, her voice tight. "Don't pretend like you care."

Yoongi's eyes softened, just a fraction, but enough that she noticed. "I've always cared, Smoke. That's why I let you live."

The confession hung in the air, wrapping itself around them like a thick fog. Yoona's heart pounded in her chest, her mind reeling with the weight of his words. She had always wondered why he hadn't killed her when he had the chance, why he had spared her that night when everything had fallen apart.

And now she had her answer.

She took a step back, trying to put more distance between them, but it wasn't enough. The pull was still there, unrelenting. "I can't do this," she whispered, shaking her head.

Yoongi moved closer, closing the gap between them, his eyes locked on hers. "You don't have to do this alone, Smoke. Let me help you." He repeated his words.

Yoona's breath hitched, her walls crumbling faster than she could rebuild them. She wanted to scream, to push him away, but all she could do was stand there, torn between the hatred she had carried for so long and the confusing emotions that had begun to take root.

And then, before she could stop herself, she whispered the one thing she had been afraid to admit.

"I don't want to be alone."

His expression softened, his hand reaching out slowly, cautiously, as if testing the fragile ground between them. "Then don't be."

Yoona hesitated, her heart pounding in her chest, before finally allowing herself to close the distance between them. She didn't know what this was—didn't know how to explain the strange connection she felt—but for now, she was done running.

She wasn't alone anymore.