Boss of Me | Jikook

Chapter 7: Boss or Beast?

Blood trickles down his thigh, eradicating the clean look he was sporting with his perfectly fitted suit. I open my mouth to speak, both frightened and flabbergasted by the sight of my vulnerable boss, scowling in pain.

The air around me stirs, causing my breath to hitch with terror. I scan my eyes everywhere, turning, twisting and searching for the presence that is swishing around me, disturbing the peaceful breeze of the night. My exhausted eyes fix on Jeon's fingers wrapping around the antique dagger, jerking it out of his flesh to reveal the blade smothered in his blood.

He drops the dagger on the muddy ground of the orchard, immediately before a figure appears behind him. Next thing I'm aware of, the only sound buzzing in my ears is Mr. Jeon's scream of torment before he faces the shadow in a blink of an eye, shoving him with no mercy. Paralyzed with terror, my eyes widen at the grotesque sight of Jeon's back: his blazer shredded, exposing brutal gashes and the thick blood that is seeping through his peeled skin.

Distorted images of the brawl flashes through my hazy mind. My vision slowly loses its clarity before everything turns dark.
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A foul stench of decay, like dead rats that have been decomposing for years, passes my nose as my ears pick up faint, scattered voices playing in the background. Gradually, my eyelids lift, removing the blackness that was covering my vision. Although blurry, the rough sketch of the room appears before my half-opened eyes: grim, wooden walls dripping with water and a single light bulb hanging by a thread of wire to poorly illuminate the space.

None of this sinks to my brain until I attempt to move, only to be restricted by the ropes which have me bound to a chair. Driven by fear and hysterical with an overwhelming state of panic, I fidget, shake, jerk- anything to escape the thick ropes that are stinging my skin with every pull. A warm liquid dribbles down my wrist, every drop gliding down the palm of my hand, before it lingers at the tip of my nails, soon crashing onto the floor.  

Quick like a gunshot, my frustration builds up and so do the tears in my eyes as I slowly accept defeat against the ropes. They hold me back, tight and unwavering, unlike my determination to get out of them after all the futile effort.

My lips tremble, my ears intrigued and terrified by the creek of the door which opens in front of my blurred vision. A figure enters the room that will inevitably haunt my dreams for eternity, causing the pent-up tears to pour down my face, like a waterfall.

His unfamiliar face is revealed through the shadows created by the flickering light bulb as a demonic smile spreads across his face. He appears to be the perfect embodiment of a villain who does everything in his power to vanquish the protagonist, just like in movies. With every step he takes, the beat of my heart accelerates to the point where it's painful, due to its vigorous thumps against my chest.

"Look who's finally awake." He remarks, his voice daunting as he stands in front of me.

"Please don't hurt me." I whimper, chewing the inside of my cheek.

"Oh, come on sweetheart, why would I hurt you?" He bends, hands on his knees and staring at me with his deeply unsettling eyes.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" My lips tremble as I barely succeed at squeezing the words past my throat. My eyes widen as the fresh memories of Mr. Jeon getting attacked rushes through my mind. "Did you hurt my boss?"

"You're really cute, aren't you?" He chuckles, the sinister sound dispersing a malevolent echo. "Oh, this reminds me, Taeyang, call Jin-soo, tell him not to come today." He shouts towards the door.

"Please just answer me!" I snap, impatient for answers.

"Stop asking questions, you're starting to irritate me. Trust me, sweetheart, you don't want to irritate me."