DISGRACE ✴ kim rian

55 ─── ᵒᵒᵖˢ

ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ

The evening sky had already darkened when Mi-hee left the school, disoriented and frustrated. She was still processing the events of the day— realization that Rian was still not aware of his actions and their consequenceson others, the fact that tomorrow would finally begin the court trial, and a little of the heavy weight that seemed to lift from her chest, because Rian needed to be on the receiving end.

As Mi-hee made her way home, the familiar hum of the city’s nightlife surrounded her. Her mind wandered to thoughts of future. There was still so much to be done, but finally in a while, she felt a glimmer of hope. Hope, that she was capable of surviving of this tsunami. That she had done the correct thing.

Just as she reached her car, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She glanced down—an anonymous number. Hesitant for only a moment, Mi-hee answered.

The voice on the other end was cold, mocking. "You think you can change anything, Mi-hee? You think you have the power to bring down people like us? You’re nothing without your family’s backing. And you’ll regret trying to expose the dirty little secrets of those who rule this city. Just wait."

The words stung, but Mi-hee's grip on the steering wheel tightened. She wasn’t about to let some faceless coward intimidate her, not after everything she had fought for.

"You don't scare me," Mi-hee replied, her voice clipped and steady despite the growing unease creeping up her spine. "I know what I’ve done, and I stand by it. Your threats don’t mean a thing."

There was a cruel laugh from the other side before the line went dead. Mi-hee stared at her phone for a moment longer, a chill crawling up her neck. She had expected retaliation, but this felt different. It wasn’t just a threat—it was a warning.

Shaking it off, Mi-hee started the car and drove through the streets, trying to push the conversation to the back of her mind. But as the road stretched ahead of her, the sense of unease grew.

Her head was spinning with everything—the danger, the fight, the fear of what would happen next—when a sudden blinding light flashed from behind her. Without warning, a car swerved into her lane at high speed, and Mi-hee barely had time to react before the impact hit.

The world around her shattered. The screeching of tires, the crunch of metal, and the searing pain engulfed her in an instant. Her head slammed against the side window as the force of the collision sent her spinning out of control. Everything blurred as the car veered off course, careening into a lamppost before coming to a violent stop.

In the chaos, Mi-hee barely registered the sound of her own heartbeat pounding in her ears. Her vision swam as she tried to make sense of what had happened, her breath coming in shallow gasps.

The last thing she saw before her eyes fluttered closed was the shadow of a figure standing just outside her car, their face obscured by the dim streetlights.

Then, everything went black.

ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ