BOUND BY OBSESSION|| L.HS X S.JY

F O U R

CHAPTER FOUR: PARK SUNGHOON

'AURTHOR'

Jaeyun stirred, still reeling from the previous night. His eyes fluttered open, but there was no warmth, no light—just the dull, oppressive atmosphere of the unfamiliar room Heeseung had locked him in. A wave of anxiety washed over him, but something new entered the air this morning—an unsettling sense that something even darker loomed beyond Heeseung’s control.

The sound of muffled voices caught his attention. One was familiar, Heeseung’s low, commanding tone. But there was another, sharper and colder—someone Jaeyun hadn’t heard before. His heart thudded as he strained to make out their conversation through the walls.

“Still keeping the little mouse alive, huh?” The unfamiliar voice was laced with mockery. “You’ve always had a strange way of handling things, cousin.”

Cousin? Jaeyun’s blood ran cold. He didn’t know much about Heeseung’s family, but something about this new voice set off alarm bells in his mind. He could hear the barely concealed venom in the man’s words.

Heeseung’s reply was steady, devoid of emotion. “Stay out of it, Sunghoon.”

Sunghoon. The name stuck in Jaeyun’s mind. He pressed his ear against the door, heart racing as he tried to eavesdrop further.

“Do you really think you can keep your empire intact by coddling a witness? This is why you’re weak, Heeseung. Always thinking you can control everything with your hands alone.” Sunghoon’s voice was sharp, filled with disdain, and it was clear he wasn’t just talking about Jaeyun. There was something deeper behind his words.

“I don’t need your advice,” Heeseung responded, his voice flat but carrying an undertone of irritation. “This has nothing to do with you.”

Sunghoon’s laugh was bitter. “Doesn’t it, though? You think you can run this empire, keep everything under control while you’re distracted by your little ‘hobby’? The others are watching, waiting for you to slip.”

There was a long silence, and Jaeyun could almost feel the tension seeping through the walls. He couldn’t quite understand the full scope of what was happening, but something told him that this Sunghoon was dangerous—perhaps more dangerous than Heeseung. The thought of there being someone out there who wanted to challenge Heeseung, someone who seemed so confident about it, made Jaeyun’s stomach churn.

Finally, Heeseung spoke again, his voice low, dangerous. “If you’re so eager to take my place, you’ll have to kill me first.”

Sunghoon’s response was a soft chuckle, and the sound of footsteps followed. “Maybe I will.”

The door closed, and everything fell silent once again.

Jaeyun backed away from the door, his mind reeling. Heeseung’s cousin wanted him dead. As if being trapped by a psychotic mafia king wasn’t bad enough, now there was someone else lurking in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. But what unnerved Jaeyun the most was the way Heeseung had handled it. He hadn’t shown any fear, any concern. Just cold, calculated indifference.

Was Heeseung really so powerful that he didn’t fear anyone? Or was he just as unstable as his cousin implied?

Before Jaeyun could process further, the door to his room swung open, and he tensed, expecting Heeseung. Instead, a new figure entered the room.

A young man, with sharp features and a focused expression, stood in the doorway. His dark eyes quickly scanned the room before landing on Jaeyun. He was dressed impeccably, his posture rigid, and though he wasn’t as intimidating as Heeseung, there was something lethal in the way he carried himself.

“I’m Kim Sunoo,” he said, his voice calm yet authoritative. “Heeseung’s bodyguard.”

Jaeyun blinked, not sure how to respond. Sunoo’s presence, while less terrifying than Heeseung’s, still put Jaeyun on edge. The way Sunoo studied him, with a calculating gaze, made Jaeyun feel as though he were being sized up.

Sunoo stepped closer, his movements deliberate, as if he was assessing a potential threat. “You should stay out of things that don’t concern you,” he said evenly, though the warning in his tone was clear. “Heeseung is unpredictable, but his cousin, Sunghoon… he’s a different kind of monster.”

Jaeyun swallowed hard, his throat tight. “Why are you telling me this?”

Sunoo’s expression didn’t change. “Because you’re now part of Heeseung’s world, whether you like it or not. And that makes you a target.” He tilted his head slightly. “Not everyone here follows Heeseung’s rules.”

Jaeyun’s heart raced as he processed Sunoo’s words. Heeseung’s world… it was full of dangers he didn’t understand, and people like Sunghoon—people who wanted to destroy everything Heeseung had built. But why was Sunoo warning him? Was this some kind of twisted loyalty to Heeseung, or was Sunoo trying to manipulate the situation for his own gain?

Before Jaeyun could ask any more questions, Sunoo turned on his heel and headed for the door.

“Heeseung will be back soon,” Sunoo said over his shoulder. “Stay quiet, stay out of sight, and maybe you’ll survive this.”

The door closed behind Sunoo, leaving Jaeyun alone once again. But this time, the silence was even more oppressive. There were layers to this nightmare he hadn’t even begun to uncover, and the players involved—Heeseung, Sunghoon, and now Sunoo—were far more dangerous than he’d realized.

As the minutes ticked by, Jaeyun’s anxiety only grew. Heeseung’s obsession with him was terrifying enough, but now there was a power struggle within the mafia itself. Sunghoon was waiting for the right moment to strike, and Jaeyun had a sinking feeling that he was somehow caught in the middle of it all.

Jaeyun leaned his head back against the wall, closing his eyes as he tried to calm the storm of fear swirling inside him. He didn’t understand Heeseung’s behavior—one moment he was cold and terrifying, the next eerily calm. And now, there was this cousin who wanted Heeseung dead, and Sunoo, who seemed to be watching Jaeyun like a hawk.

Everything was spiraling out of control.

And Jaeyun knew, deep down, that there was no way out of this unscathed.