17 DAYS TO GO | KWON SOONYOUNG

43

Kang Hana

Pain.

That was the first thing I registered.

A raw, scorching agony that pulsed through my body like wildfire. Every breath was torture, every movement impossible. The scent of blood, thick and metallic, coated the air around me.

I tried to open my eyes, but the world remained a blur of light and shadows. My head throbbed, my body pinned beneath an unbearable weight—my own limbs refusing to move.

Somewhere, a voice echoed. Low, mocking.

"Tsk, tsk. You should’ve seen this coming, little time traveler."

Havoc.

Even in my hazy state, I knew it was him.

I felt the shift in the air as he crouched beside me, his presence suffocating, as if the very shadows bent toward him. My body trembled involuntarily, though whether from pain or the sheer weight of his presence, I couldn’t tell.

"You look pathetic, Hana," he mused, his voice dripping with amusement. "I almost feel bad for you."

A hand gripped my chin—tight, bruising. He forced my head to the side, making sure I could see him. His eyes glowed like embers in the dim light, filled with an eerie sort of delight.

Almost as if he had been waiting for this moment.

"You thought you could change fate, didn’t you?" he continued, tilting his head. "Thought you could rewrite the story? Stop Soonyoung from falling?" He chuckled, low and dangerous. "But here you are. Bleeding out on the pavement. And where is he?"

I gritted my teeth, forcing my breath to steady.

"Go to hell," I rasped.

Havoc’s grin widened. "Oh, sweetheart," he cooed. "I am hell."

A sharp snap of fingers, and suddenly the pain tripled.

A choked scream tore from my throat as fire spread through my veins, my body convulsing as if I had been struck by lightning. Every nerve felt like it was being ripped apart, every breath clawing through my chest like shattered glass.

I couldn’t move.

I couldn’t think.

I was drowning in agony, trapped in a body that refused to obey me.

Through the haze of pain, I barely registered the sound of his voice again.

"You don’t get it, do you, Hana?" he murmured, almost gentle now. "I never cared about him."

I forced my gaze upward, the weight of his words pressing down on me like a thousand bricks.

"You were always the problem."

The breath hitched in my throat.

He leaned in, his face inches from mine. "You think this is about Soonyoung? About some tragic little love story?" He laughed, the sound sending chills down my spine. "No, no, no, darling. This is about you thinking you could stand against me."

His fingers brushed against my bloodied cheek, almost affectionate. Almost.

"You see, love never wins," he whispered, his voice like poison seeping into my skin. "Not during Death and Rose. Not with you and Soonyoung."

I wanted to fight back.

Wanted to scream, to curse him, to tear him apart—

But my body betrayed me.