CAGES OF LOVE || KIM TAEHYUNG FF

122. The breaking point

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The control room smelled like metal and sea salt. Screens flickered under dim lighting, the hum of the engine thrumming beneath the floor. Jackson stood at the center, arms folded, face hard.

"Where are we now?" he asked sharply.

One of his men pointed to the blinking dot on the map.

"About fifteen nautical miles from the southern coast of Hainan. We'll reach the private docking point in less than twenty minutes."

"And the plane?"

"Ready and waiting on the airstrip. Fuel is topped. The pilot is already in the cockpit."

Jackson nodded once, jaw tight.

"And still no sign of Taehyung?"

"No. Nothing since the Joonseok attack. Just that he was hospitalized after." The man paused.

"Park Jimin's still trying to track us."

"He is useless," Jackson clicked his tongue, eyes narrowing with a flicker of triumph.

"We're close. This better fucking work before he gets to us." He muttered.
One of the men looked up from the console

"Should we tighten patrols on the lower decks? The girl - She's on Deck 3 with the others now."

"She's no threat. Leave her." Jackson cut him off.

"But the ground deck's an easy escape route." the men tapped rapidly, bringing up the ship's deck layout.

Jackson leaned closer, eyeing the map before brushing it off.
"She's not going anywhere. I'll deal with her myself after takeoff."

He turned to the others. "Get the rest ready. I want every girl on board before the jet roars."

"Yes, boss."

Jackson gave one last look at the screen, where the coast loomed larger with every passing second.

"Let's finish this."

Meanwhile

Y/n stirred at the sound of approaching footsteps-sharp clicks echoing through the silence. Her eyes fluttered open, squinting against the slanting rays of sunlight slicing through the room. Her mind swam in exhaustion, but her gaze stayed alert.

The door creaked open, and two men stepped in without pause. They were tall-broad and heavy-built-enough to make her instinctively gulp, pulling her legs closer to her chest and sitting up straighter.

Neither men spoke. No words, no glances. Just one of them casually pulled out his knife from his back pocket without halting his steps towards her.

Y/n's breath stopped as the man gave her a look of disgust, dismissive before leaning over. She flinch back with a gasp. But he paid her no mind and cut off the thick ropes around her wrists one by one. She winced as the man snatched the ropes from her wrists, causing immediate sting.

"Get up," the other man snapped. He had a buzzcut, cruel eyes, and a gun strapped to his hip. He turned his back to her as if she were nothing.

Y/n glanced down at her wrists where angry red marks circled her skin. She rose slowly, hissing as she felt the blood begin to flow back into her limbs. Her legs felt too numb to balance her weight, her body ached but she stood up anyway.

"Follow us," the same man barked again.

"Shouldn't we tie her back up?" The other one, younger may be, asked, looking at his partner.