Whispers of the Underworld (SunSun)

Chapter 13

The night clung to me like a shroud as I left the facility, my mind still tangled in the memory of Sunghoon’s smirk and his taunting words: They’re playing you like a doll, baby. His voice grated against the walls of my mind, insinuating weakness where I allowed none to exist.

The ride back to the estate was a blur. My thoughts oscillated between rage at the wasted trip and a gnawing discomfort that I refused to name. Sunghoon’s presence, his arrogance, his patronizing tone—they infuriated me. But somewhere beneath my anger was something far worse: the faintest whisper of doubt.

Had he been right? Were the Kims using me?

I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, forcing my focus on the road ahead. There was no room for second-guessing. Not now, not ever.

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Flashback

I had learned the cost of hesitation young. Alone in a foreign country, weak and cornered, I had been forced to make a choice. A man—a faceless thug who had underestimated me—lay bleeding out on the cold cobblestones of some Italian backstreet.

His death had been my first, the blood on my hands both horrifying and transformative. In the days that followed, I had buried my fear, my guilt, and my innocence deep beneath the armor I now wore.

---

I pushed the memory aside as I pulled into the driveway. The towering estate loomed ahead, but instead of offering solace, its grandeur felt suffocating. The echoes of my footsteps followed me through the cavernous halls, the oppressive silence amplifying the turmoil within me.

The study was my refuge, the one place where I could think without interruption. But as I opened the door, I realized I wasn’t alone.

Sunghoon sat in my chair, his posture deceptively relaxed, like a predator waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

“Make yourself at home,” I said coldly, stepping inside and closing the door.

“I already have,” he replied, his lips curling into a dark smile. He twirled a glass of my finest whiskey in one hand, his other resting possessively on the arm of the chair.

“What are you doing here?”

He leaned back, his gaze trailing over me like a hunter assessing his prey. “You left too soon earlier. I wasn’t done.”

I narrowed my eyes, keeping my distance. “If you’ve come to waste my time again, I suggest you leave.”

He chuckled, the sound low and intimate, sending an unwelcome shiver down my spine. “Oh, Sunoo. Always so quick to dismiss me. But deep down, you know I’m right.”

“About what?” I snapped, crossing my arms. “Your baseless accusations? Your cryptic warnings?”

He stood, slow and deliberate, closing the distance between us in a way that felt suffocating. His hand brushed my shoulder lightly, the touch burning through the fabric of my shirt.

“About you being their puppet,” he said softly, his voice dripping with mock concern. “You think you’re in control, but they’re pulling your strings. The Kims are playing the long game, and you’re the perfect pawn.”

I jerked away from his touch, glaring at him. “I don’t need your condescension, Park Sunghoon.”

He stepped closer again, undeterred, his fingers ghosting along my jawline. “No, what you need is someone who sees you for what you are. A fractured little thing, piecing yourself together with power and vengeance because it’s all you’ve ever known.”