He dragged her outside, one hand gripping her arm so tightly she could feel his fingers dig into her skin. The night air hit her face like ice. It was dark- too dark. The air smelled of damp earth and rust, and the trees around them were pressed so close together that even the moonight couldn't slip through. She tried to look around, to make sense of where she was, but there was nothing- no sign, no sound of a road, just the faint, distant hum of the city.
Through the dense trees, she could barely make out distant lights- pale glows from streetamps or houses maybe- but none reached her. The shadow clung to them like smoke.
"Relax a bit, princess," Wonchan's voice cut through the dark, smooth and mocking. "It will take us while. Make yourself comfortable!"
He shoved her hard into the trunk of the car. The metal scraped her knees, and before she could steady herself, the door slammed shut.
The door sealed her in again- black, airless, tight. The only sound was her own ragged breathing echoing off the metal. She tried to calm herself, forcing slow breaths, but panic kept climbing her throat.
The, with a shudder, the engine came alive. The vibration beneath her made her dizzy; she had no idea which direction they were going, or how far. She tried counting seconds. At some point, she stopped.
After what felt like forever- but was maybe less than an hour- the car slowed. The engine died. Silence. Then she felt the weight shift, the doors creak open, footseps crunching on gravel outside.
Footsteps neared. The trunk latch clicked. Light exploded agains her face when the door lifted. A man stood there, grinning.
"You had it comfortable, princess?" His tone dripped amusement. Without waiting for an answer, he grabed her arm and yanked her out of the trunk. Her feet stumbled on the gravel, nearly giving out.
She fought back- kicking, twisting, hitting with what little strengh she had left. It was useless. Her body was weak from blood loss, her legs shaking under her own weight. Still, she tried. She didn't knw where she'd run, but anywhere away from him had to be safer than this. Maybe someone would hear. Maybe someone would help.
"Stop fighting, princess," he hissed, dragging her foward. "Or I'll give you something real to scream about."
He hauled her through a cracked doorway into a decaying warehouse. The air was thick with dust and the scent of oil long dried into the concrete. Rusted beams groaned under their own weight, and broken windows lined the high walls like shattered teeth. This place had been forgotten for decades- and now it would remember her screams.
"Hey, Youngmin!" Wonchan called out. "Take her upstairs. You remember the plan, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, WonWon. I'm not stupid!" the other man snapped back. He seized her by the arm, his grip rougher then necessary, and dragged her toward a rusted staircase. The metal creaked under their steps as they climbed to a narrow catwalk overlooking the ground floor. The railing there was half-broken, jagged edges ready to cut.
"And now.... we wait," Youngmin muttered, sighing as if bored. He shoved her back against the cold wall and forced her down by the shoulders until she sat on the grated metal floor. She could barely stay upright; the dizziness from blood loss kept tilting the room sideways. Her body finally gave in, slumping onto her side. Youngmin just watched her with irritation, like she was an inconvenience rather than a hostage.
"I still don't get it," he said after a beat, his tone curious and cruel all at once. "What is so damn special about you that Wonchan thinks you are worth all this trouble? You're just a scared little girl. Why would they risk everything for you?" He crouched, studying her face like she was some riddle he couldn't solve.
