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"There's a stranger here," he growls, face and body hidden in the corners of the room that the light of the fire couldn't reach. He was creeping around as the wolves had, Taeil noticed, and he finally understood the nickname given to the man. The gust of wind from the slamming doors seemed to put out everyone's spark, literally and figuratively. Jaemin relit his dimmed candles, his eyes pleading.
"Master, let me explain. He was lost and wet in the woods-"
The Beast hushed him with a soft laugh, one that would have been charming if it wasn't for the circumstances. Jaemin fidgets awkwardly, the dejection evident on his metal face.
"Master," Renjun speaks next, standing from the floor, "let me just say, I tried to stop them, but did they listen to me? No!"
Once again, the malicious giggle fills the room, terrifying the servants and Taeil himself.
"Who are you, what are you doing here?" The Beast seethes, stalking towards Taeil, but still keeping himself hidden. The man stands from the chair he had been lounging in, backing away from the monster. The situation evoked a strong sense of deja vu, one that Taeil knew linked back to the incident with the wolves.
"I was lost in the woods and," he stuttered, feeling his back hit the brick fireplace behind him. The man stepped from the shadows, his feet loud enough to frighten an elephant. His blonde locks fell loosely around his surprisingly attractive face, too long and scruffy for it to be intentional. His eyes bored into Taeil, the deep brown concealing a pit of flames, ready to watch the world burn.
"You're not welcome here!" He yells, aware of stares he was getting from his servants and from the intruder.
"What are you staring at?" He hissed, eyebrows furrowing in anger. Taeil would never admit to the monster that he had been staring at the scraggly scar that ran across his face like war paint, so he didn't, instead apologizing with a shaky smile.
"Nothing, I'm sorry!" Taeil searches the room for his coat and finds it hanging on the Coatrack by the door. "I'll just be going now," he replied cheerfully before scrambling to the door. His injured hip and lack of physical strength failed him as the Beast ran to the door almost twice as fast, blocking the entrance with his muscular frame.
"I meant no harm!" Taeil pleads, once again at the mercy of the furious and troubled man. He clutched his coat in his hands like it was gold, trembling ever so slightly. The Beast laughed at him, at the weakness the man had shown and the audacity he had to ask for mercy.
"I just needed a place to say," Taeil whispers, feeling very unsure of himself and his words. It felt like walking down a steep cliff, supporting yourself with nothing but nature. One wrong move, Taeil thought, and he'd slip into the rushing river below.
"I'll give you a place to stay," the Beast replied sweetly. So sickeningly sweetly that Taeil actually fell for it, lowering his guard and his jacket, and giving the man a grateful smile.
"Thank you, sir."
A large hand grasped Tail by the hip, swinging him over the Beast's shoulder like he weighed nothing more than a small dog, which to the Beast, he probably was. A dog, a trespassing dog, with no importance and no son to go home too. That alone frightened Taeil more than any Beast, leaving Jungwoo alone with no one. Sure, Jaehyun would see to it that he was well taken care of, but that wasn't what Jungwoo wanted.
"Please," Taeil tried again, heaving as he was slammed against the broad back of the Beast every step he took.
"I have a son at home, I can't leave him." Taeil wasn't quite sure who he was talking too, if he was trying to convince the Beast or himself that Jungwoo still needed him. The man let out a low grunt but gave no other reply. A door was creaked open, bothering Taeil and his inventor mind, before he was thrown to the ground, landing with a hiss.
"Please," Taeil looked into the eyes of the Beast, completely ignoring the scar, as tears fell from his own. "I'm all he has, he's all I have."
The Beast smiled, one that was creepily beautiful.
"Well, now I'm all you have." The bars slammed shut, and Taeil was plunged into darkness.
