Crazy over you || minsung

26~

Author's pov...

"So tell me why you called me here?" Jisung said, rolling his eyes at Sunho.

Sunho, Jung Sunho, was more than just a cousin; he was a figure cloaked in unsettling charisma. Their families had drifted apart, yet Sunho and Aera somehow always found a way to drag Jisung into their twisted games. The last time he had visited, he had left feeling more like prey than family.

"I just wanted to meet you. Now come on, let's gossip," Sunho replied, a glint in his eye that sent a shiver down Jisung's spine.

"Untie me from this rope and chair first," Jisung shot back, trying to mask his unease.

"Naah, I like seeing people struggle," Sunho said nonchalantly, leaning back with an infuriatingly casual grin.

"Here, I can feed my brother," Aera chimed in, her voice sweet yet laced with something darker as she approached with takeout food. Her smile was unsettlingly wide, and Jisung felt a chill. He had long learned to read the subtleties of their interactions; this wasn't a mere hangout. It was their version of a power play.

They ate in silence for a moment, the food almost tasteless in the tense atmosphere. Then Aera leaned forward, her gaze piercing. "The ring is beautiful. Did your lover give you that?" There was a bitterness in her voice that made Jisung uneasy.

"Yeah, it's just a promising ring," he said, trying to maintain a calm facade. Aera's reaction to anything remotely romantic was always unpredictable.

"Oh, that's nice. Is he your boyfriend? Do you guys love each other, or are you just friends?" Sunho's tone was light, but Jisung could sense the underlying scrutiny.

"We're married, actually. It was an arranged marriage, so I don't really know if he loves me or not, but I guess he's concerned like a friend?" Jisung forced a dry chuckle, trying to brush off the reality that he and Minho hadn't yet confessed their feelings.

"So he hasn't even said 'I love you' to you?" Sunho probed, his curiosity tinged with something darker.

"Nah, I don't even think he does," Jisung admitted, the tight-lipped smile masking his growing discomfort.

Aera's hand slammed down on the table, rattling the takeout containers. "Do you remember what I told you when you were little?"

"What?" Jisung's stomach twisted. He had always dreaded the moments when Aera's memories resurfaced, especially the darker ones.

"Nothing good ever comes from being vulnerable, ws have to-" she said, her voice icy getting inturrepted by jisung.

Jisung felt the weight of her words. "Anyways, we had a good hangout. I have to go. I got myself and my lover into an accident before coming here because I wanted him to stay hidden from this place."

"You could have brought him," Sunho said, a smirk creeping across his face.

"So you can kill him just for fun? No thanks" jisung said, eyes rolling in annoyance .

"Okay, but you can go now," Sunho added, his demeanor shifting from playful to something more sinister as he untied Jisung's ropes.

As Jisung stood up, the air felt thick with tension.

The garage felt like a dark labyrinth as Jisung stepped out, the shadows closing in behind him. Their laughter echoed, but it felt hollow, like a taunt rather than a farewell.

He stepped into the cool night air, heart racing. The conversation had left him feeling exposed, like he had just narrowly escaped a trap. Aera and Sunho weren't just family; they were threats wrapped in familiar faces, ready to exploit his vulnerabilities at any moment.

As he drove away, the weight of their words lingered, an ominous reminder that he could never truly escape their grasp. The night was quiet, but the echoes of their laughter haunted him, a dark promise of what was yet to come.

________________________________

Biee

-cherrybliss