He stood up abruptly, pulling her up with him thanks to the handcuffs, and pinned her against the wall. His grip on her wrist tightened.
Ni-ki leaned in closer, his voice a cold whisper. "You're playing with fire, angel. Don't think for a second tha...
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THANKFULLY, RHAINE SPOTTED JUNGWON IN THE CROWD, AND SHE MADE A BEELINE TOWARD HIM. Relief washed over her as she finally escaped the overwhelming sea of unfamiliar faces and suffocating luxury.
Jungwon greeted her with a warm smile as usual. Somehow, even though they didn't know each other for long, she found comfort in his presence.
"Hey! I thought I'd never find someone I'm comfortable with here," Rhaine sighed, standing next to him.
Jungwon laughed, shaking his head. "You lost your boyfriend already?"
"More like he ditched me," she muttered. "What's new, right? He's pretty confusing. One second, he wants to be as close as possible. The next, he seems like he wants to be away from me."
Just as Rhaine was about to vent more of her frustrations about Ni-ki, Jay appeared out of nowhere, sliding into their conversation with his usual playful energy.
"Hey, Rhaine! Jungwon!" Jay grinned, tossing an arm around Jungwon's shoulders. "You're here without Ni-ki? That's new. Thought you two were attached at the hip these days."
Rhaine rolled her eyes, feeling a hint of panic rise in her chest as she tried to maintain the fake story. "Oh, you know him. He's probably off doing... whatever Ni-ki does."
Jay raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Really? You don't seem too bothered. I thought couples hated being apart at these kinds of things."
"You said it yourself, we have been attached by the hip. We're trying to separate now, you know? Something new," she attempted to sound natural.
"Alright, then. So, how's it going with you?" Jay asked, flashing his usual charming smile.
"Me?" Rhaine forced a smile in return, glancing briefly at Jungwon for support. "Oh, you know... it's, uh, going great. Just enjoying the party."
Jay raised an eyebrow. "Right. You sure?"
"Yeah," she said awkwardly, her voice a bit too high-pitched. "Totally fine."
"She's a newbie at these types of things, hyung. Don't press her too much," Jungwon finally came to her aid.
Just then, Jay caught something weird in the corner of his eye. "Is that... Rei?"
Jungwon looked in the same direction. "Oh, shoot. It is."
Ni-ki and a girl were deep in conversation, and they both seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was the first time Rhaine had seen Ni-ki smile so genuinely.
"Who's that?" Rhaine asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Rei is his ex-girlfriend," Jungwon explained. "They dated for a couple of years in high school. She's from a rich family like the rest of us are."
"Oh, I didn't know." What she really wanted to say was: Oh, I didn't know a girl could actually tolerate this prick, let alone date him.
Jay glanced back at Rhaine, eyebrows raised. "You didn't? They were super in love. I mean, like, power couple status—everyone knew about them. They were the talk of the school back then. Paparazzi loved them."
