Sacrifice || ENHYPEN FF

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 73

~ya''llll quick updateee. thank me.~

-Start of Chapter 73-

The night is thick with darkness, the air heavy and still. Everyone is preparing for the journey. Horses, tents, food, maps.

Aera and Suho stand at the gate, watching as we prepare to leave. Aera's expression is grim, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "This still feels like a mistake" she says, her voice low.

"Unnie, we don't have a choice" I reply, gripping the reins of the horse nervously. The leather is cool and smooth against my fingers, but the unease bubbling inside me is impossible to ignore.

Suho steps closer, his hand resting briefly on my shoulder. "Be careful, Princess Y/N" he says. His gaze flickers to Sunghoon, who is adjusting the stirrups on the horse. "All of you. The forest..." He trails off, his lips pressing into a thin line.

"We'll be back" Soobin assures him, already mounted on his own horse. His tone is steady, but the tension in his shoulders betrays his calm façade.

Aera's eyes linger on me for a moment longer before she nods. "Don't let your guard down. For anything. Or anyone." 

Behind us, Sumin's sharp voice pierces the moment.

"I still don't understand why she has to ride with my fiancée" she says, her glare fixed firmly on me. "There are enough horses for everyone to ride alone. Or is she just—"

"She doesn't know how to ride" Sunghoon cuts her off, his tone flat as he mounts the horse. He reaches a hand down to help me up. "Do you want her falling off in the middle of the forest?"

Sumin mutters something under her breath, but the venom in her words carries clearly in the quiet night. "I don't mind that."

Before I can process the audacity of her statement, Soobin's voice slices through the air like a blade.

"Think twice before talking like that about my sister ever again."

Sumin visibly tenses, her lips pressing into a thin line as she glares at the ground, too proud to apologize but not brave enough to retort.

I can't help the small smirk that tugs at the corner of my lips as I glance back at her. It's petty, but seeing her squirm under Soobin's glare feels... satisfying.

"My Lady" Sunghoon says, his hand still extended toward me. His voice is softer now. "Come on. Let's get going."

I take his hand, letting him help me up. The saddle is firm beneath me, and I sit stiffly in front of him, the closeness unavoidable.

"Relax" he murmurs, leaning slightly forward to adjust the reins. "I've got you."

The clinking of gear and quiet murmurs fill the tension-heavy silence as everyone makes their final preparations. The horses shuffle restlessly, their hooves scuffing against the ground as if sensing the unease that lingers in the air.

Sumin's grating voice slices through the stillness again.

"Be safe, my Sunghoonieee!" she calls out, her overly sweet tone making the hairs on the back of my neck prickle.

From my seat in front of Sunghoon, I can practically feel the exhaustion radiating from him. I glance back just in time to catch the faintest twitch of his jaw—the closest he'll come to an eye roll. True to form, he doesn't bother responding, his silence a pointed dismissal that leaves Sumin fuming.