Beauty and the Beast • Namjin AU

Chapter Three

Seokjin hurried up the stairs, out of breath with the lit candelabra in his hand. He reached the top of the spiral porcelain stairs and spotted his mother. She sat behind steel bars, so she couldn't get out. ''Eomma!'' Seokjin said full of suprise and fell on his knees on the other side of the bars. They intertwined hands and Seokjin was on the verge of crying. ''Mother, I was so worried! What are you doing in this ice-cold cell? I need to get you out of here right now and get you home with me, then you're safe!'' Seokjin exclaimed and his mother violently shook her head. ''Seokjin please, go and leave me here. But go out of here now, before he finds you!'' She answered and when she called her son by his real name, he knew she was serious. ''What are you talking about? Who finds me?'' The black-haired male asked his mother and right when he said that, he heard something. A low growl, which came from next to Seokjin. He looked up, his brown eyes widened while he searched for the person who made the noise. He saw something stood in the shadows, out of Seokjin's reach. He couldn't quite see what it was and even with the lit candles of the candelabra, it was dark. When Seokjin saw it move, he stood up. ''Who's there? Who are you?'' He asked, making the creature stop growling. ''Who are you, intruder?'' The creature in the shadows asked. Intruder? Seokjin wasn't an intruder, he just wanted to save his mother. ''I'm not an intruder.'' Seokjin defended himself and angrily clenched his hands into fists. ''Your name.'' The creature growled, not coming any closer. ''Kim Seokjin. Now tell me, why have you locked up my mother? She hasn't done anything!'' . ''She stole a rose from my garden. Your mother is a thief and I will keep her locked up forever.'' The creature snapped and Seokjin shook his head in disbelief. ''I asked her for the rose, lock me up instead.'' He suggested which made his mother loudly protest, but he ignored her. It was for her own safety. He squinted his eyes and tried to look at the creature in the shadows, but it was too dark. ''Come into the light.'' Seokin said and grabbed the candelabra. He stepped towards the creature and gasped in suprise as the light revealed it's face. Long horns were grown into it's head, it was all covered in brown wavy fur and it also had deadly claws. It was a beast. Seokjin took a step back and almost dropped the candelabra in his hands. ''Leave.'' The beast growled, but Seokjin shook his head. ''Let me stay here instead, I'll take my mothers place.'' Seokjin suggested to the beast who slighty tilted his head and squinted his eyes. ''Why? You'll be locked up forever'' . ''For a rose?'' Seokjin asked irritated, not knowing why someone is so cruel to lock a woman up just because she plucked a rose. ''Yes, for a rose. Now, do you still wish to take your mothers place?'' The beast asked and Seokjin couldn't even answer, because his mother got his attention. ''Seokjin, please don't! Just go back to the village and forget about me, okay? I lost your father, I'm not willing to lose you too.'' She begged and it hurt Seokjin to see her like this. ''Atleast let me say goodbye.'' The black-haired male said to the beast. At first it looked like the cruel beast wasn't going to give in, but then he started to walk and passed Seokjin. He was so tall, Seokjin thought. The beast grabbed a key and unlocked the cell door. ''Once this cell closes, it never opens again.'' The beast growled, but Seokjin didn't care. Seokjin opened the door and ran into the arms of his mother. He was taller than her, she wasn't short, as a full-grown twenty-two year old young man, he was just tall. He wrapped his arms around her and dug his head into her shoulder. Her body was shocking; she was crying. ''I love you, Seokjin. Take good care of yourself.'' She said and the male nodded. ''I love you too. And I promise I'll escape.'' He whispered and her body stiffened. ''What do you mean?'' She asked in a soft tone. Then, Seokjin let her go, shoved her out of the cell and closed the door with a slam himself. Now Seokjin was in the cell instead of his mother. ''You took her place.'' The beast exclaimed and the black-haired male could see the beast was suprised, even though he tried to act like he wasn't. He didn't expect Seokjin to take his mothers place. ''Ofcourse, I would do anything for her.'' Seokjin nodded with his head and his hands were around the steel bars of the cell. ''You're a fool. And so is she.'' The beast growled, grabbed Seokjin's mother and dragged her down the stairs. ''Seokjin!'' She called him and he pushed his body against the bars to see his mother one last time. "I'll come back!" He yelled, his voice echoeing against the stone walls. When he realised he was alone in the castle tower, he huffed and sat down on the dirty and dusty ground. He pulled his knees to his chest and hid his face in them. That's it, he couldn't escape. He would forever be the prisoner of the horrible beast that lived in this castle. But atleast his mother was safe. Well, he hoped, he didn't know what the beast would do to her. But the beast wanted a prisoner and it didn't matter who it was, Seokjin or his mother. The beast would let her go, Seokjin hoped he would. He couldn't imagine to spend the rest of his life in this dusty and ice-cold cell, but here he was. Seokjin closed his eyes, knowing that he couldn't get out. The beast had the key and Seokjin knew he was too harsh to let him out of the cell. The black-haired male exhaled and eventually fell asleep.