Entranced

Clandestine

And I'm back, folks! Did you miss me? XD 

Things are getting a little more clandestine in this chapter, and there's some sadness that in the end, you never know if the person who helps you in your style can be the one who betrays you. 

Jaehyo, why, man, why.

Happy reading!

***

While the two walked briskly to the gates, Kyung demanded to know what had happened.

"So wait, what were you guys doing when he was with her?" Kyung asked, still a little at loss as to what was happening.

Jaehyo ran his hand through his hair in frustation. "I don't know, we were just supposed to freak her out a little, you know, pop up here and there," he explained, "But Jiho showed up and said we were taking too long...and he just asked me to lock her up with the girls and bring her to him."

Kyung's eyes widened. "Lock her up? What the heck, hyung, isn't that too harsh?"

"Well, I can't just let her escape when she's being changed, can I?" he snapped, "I'm a gentleman, for goodness' sake."

Kyung stopped. "What do you mean, being changed?" he asked softly. "She absolutely hates being touched. She always loooks like she's burnt all the time."

Jaehyo turned, and a heavy pause filled the silence between them.

And then a dark expression blanketed Kyung's face, the words not consensual richocheting in his mind as he turned and ran to the Dollhouse.

He never ran this fast in a long time. You're such a lucky girl, Mi-seol, he thought wryly as he tossed the scissors to the ground, pumping his fists as he sprinted on the gravel ground, I'm sacrificing my breaths for you.

Earlier, when he had delivered dinner to Jiho, the latter had been almost saccharine sweet in asking for a change in plans.

"Plan B would tell us so much about her," he had egged Kyung, "Don't you want to make her jump a bit, see how she reacts?"

Kyung had rolled his eyes. "First you scare her out of her wits, then you want to make her freak out for real? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Aww, come on, you know I didn't mean to make her cry," Jiho had said lazily, before looking down. "Did something happened? Taeil actually made three dishes?"

Kyung turned to leave. "Thank Mi-seol for that. If she weren't here, we'd still be struggling to pay for the cirque and the food at the same time."

"Whatever. So, you're up for it?" Jiho looked positively mad with his grin.

Kyung realized how much he had wished for his friend to smile, and couldn't help but cave in. "Promise me you won't lay a finger on her," he had told him.

Jiho kissed two fingers and placed them over his heart. "I swear I won't hurt her."

And now look, he was running top speed to protect Mi-seol from being eaten up alive.

He himself knew how Jiho was like when he was in control. He was arrogant to a fault, and he relished the thought of resistance. Sometimes Kyung wondered if Jiho was indeed a psychopath rather than a kid with a bloated ego, but with the life he used to lead, Kyung wasn't surprised if he had a little bloodlust inside of him.

Spotting the Dollhouse, he ran towards it. He spotted one of the girls, running down the steps and towards the other direction but he didn't think much of it.