The morning after the ruin...
Harsh sunlight slipped through the gap in the curtains, blinding me—dragging me from a short, restless sleep. I tried to raise my hand to block the light out of habit. But I couldn't.
Clink! The echo of striking metal dragged my consciousness back to a brutal reality.
I opened my eyes to the familiar penthouse ceiling. A place that was simultaneously a paradise and a hell.
But what had changed was my own condition.
I lay vulnerable on the wide, crumpled bed, the tangled sheets a brutal reminder of last night's destruction. Black, padded handcuffs bound both of my wrists.
Chained to the headboard. A thin, gleaming silver chain bound my left ankle securely to the leg of the bed.
I tried to move. Pain spread through my body. The aftermath of his claim still burned under my skin. And my wrists, bruised and raw from thrashing last night.
"Are you awake?"
A deep, authoritative voice echoed from the armchair in the corner.
Ren sat with his legs crossed. Staring at me.
He was still wearing the same clothes from last night. The once-pristine white shirt was now disheveled and ruined. Dried blood crusted on his knuckles, the only thing he hadn't bothered to clean.
A black handgun rested silently on his lap.
"Are you thirsty?" he asked flatly. Like discussing the weather. Even though the atmosphere in the room was so heavy I could barely breathe.
I stared at him, trembling in sheer terror. The events of last night flashed through my mind on a loop...
The frantic sprint for my life. The tiny phone I chose to hurl away mid-run to sever any tracking signal. And the endless, agonizing punishment that lasted all night.
"Ren... let go..." My voice was a broken, unintelligible rasp. My throat ached fiercely.
"Please let me go... I won't run anymore... Hic! I'm scared..."
Ren stood. He approached slowly, his footsteps heavy like an executioner. He picked up a glass of water from the nightstand.
"Open your mouth."
I clamped my lips shut, shaking my head in paranoia.
"I said. O-pen."
His large hand seized my jaw with an uncompromising, bruising grip, forcing my mouth open. He poured the water down my throat so aggressively I choked. It spilled over my neck and cascaded down my chest.
"Cough! Cough!"
"Drink. So you have the energy to keep screaming."
He set the glass down and sat beside me on the bed. His long fingers trailed over the bite marks and dark purple bruises painting my skin. The horrific art he had crafted with his own hands.
"Do you know I had a nightmare last night?"
He spoke softly. His gaze drifted, vacant and detached.
"I dreamed you escaped. I dreamed you left with him and abandoned me alone in this wretched world."
"I..."
"But when I woke up. And saw you chained up like this." He smiled. The most twisted, horrifying smile I had ever witnessed. "I felt so damn happy."
He leaned down. He pressed a kiss to my forehead.
"From now on, this is your entire world."
"No company. No work. No friends. And no 'Zen'. There will only be you and me in this room."
"You can't lock me up like this!" I gathered my final shred of strength and screamed in his face.
"I am a human being! Not a dog! You have no right to do this!"
Ren scoffed. A merciless sound. "Right?"
He grabbed the remote and turned on the massive TV at the foot of the bed.
"Look at the news."
On the screen... The morning broadcast reported the scandal of the year. Footage of the ruined engagement. Guests fleeing in panic. And a massive, red headline:
'SHOCK! Trusted Secretary Embezzles Tens of Millions from Varis Enterprise, Attempts Fleeing Mid-Engagement!'
My eyes widened in horror. I tried to shoot up, but my body refused to obey. I screamed.
"What is this... I didn't do it!"
"I leaked the story myself." Ren shrugged casually, completely unfazed.
"Right now... society has branded you a thief. An ungrateful rat biting the hand that feeds."
"The police are hunting you down. There's a nationwide arrest warrant. But luckily, I am a generous man. I told the police... You fled overseas."
He smirked, his eyes glacial.
"Legally and socially, Yurin has vanished without a trace. The person lying here is merely a faceless ghost. Therefore, I can do whatever I please with my ghost. Isn't that right?"
I was shocked. My mind went entirely blank. He destroyed my life. He annihilated my identity while I still drew breath. Just to keep me as his plaything.
"You are insane. You are a psychopath."
Tears streamed down my face in utter despair.
"Yes, I am," Ren admitted easily. "Insane because of you."
He stood. He walked to the bedside drawer and pulled out a small syringe.
"You thrashed all night. You must be exhausted. Get some rest... good boy."
"What is that?! Don't! Stop!"
I thrashed wildly, scrambling backward until my back hit the headboard. The chains and handcuffs rattled deafeningly.
Ren grabbed my arm, pinning it to the mattress with effortless strength. He plunged the needle into my flesh with terrifying precision.
"Just vitamins mixed with a sedative. So you don't overthink." He murmured slowly, his voice laced with ice
The cold liquid invaded my veins. Within seconds... The room tilted.
"Sleep..." Ren's voice grew faint and distant.
"When you wake up, we can play 'house' again."
My consciousness faded. Plunging into a darkness that felt infinitely safer than the brutal reality standing before me.
…
One week slipped into the next.
Clink... Clink... The metallic rattle of the chain striking the floor became the background music of my life.
I sat hugging my knees on the bed, drowning in an oversized silk pajama shirt.
My vacant eyes stared at the window.
The massive glass pane was permanently sealed and coated in blackout film. It severed the outside world completely. Only a murky sliver of light bled through, barely enough to distinguish day from night.
I was nothing more than a broken doll. My frame was emaciated, my collarbones protruding against pale skin. Hollow circles framed dead eyes. Like a plucked flower shoved into a vase, merely waiting to wither.
"Time to eat."
The heavy security door disengaged. Ren walked in carrying a food tray.
The savory aroma of shrimp porridge drifted into my senses. The exact dish Zen had once prepared for me. Yet today, it triggered no hunger. Only a sickening wave of nausea.
Ren set the tray on the nightstand and sat beside me. He unlocked one of my cuffs, granting me just enough mobility to eat.
"Open."
His command was gentle. Stripped of its usual brutal edge. He brought the spoon to my lips.
I obeyed. I chewed and swallowed the tasteless mush. A hollow machine programmed strictly for survival.
"Good boy."
Ren smiled, satisfied. He reached out, stroking my hair.
"Eat up. You need your energy. I want to play that position again tonight."
Bile rose in my throat. But I kept my expression entirely blank.
I had learned my lesson. Resistance yielded pain. Tears fueled his sadistic high. Total, absolute submission was the only way to keep breathing. To endure while hoping for a miracle.
"I'm full."
I pushed the spoon away after forcing down half the bowl.
"Eat a little more. You are practically bones. There is nothing left to grab."
"I can't... I will throw up."
Ren sighed. He yielded, setting the spoon down. He picked up a linen handkerchief and gently wiped my mouth.
"Let's take a bath then. I will wash you."
He scooped me off the bed. I weighed nothing to him. He carried me into the opulent bathroom and lowered me into the jacuzzi, pre-filled with warm water and essential oils.
Ren stripped. The faint scratches I had clawed into his skin the night before were fully exposed. He stepped into the tub with me.
He pulled me flush against his muscular chest. His large hands lathered soap over my skin, claiming every inch, every crevice.
"Your skin is healing. The bruises are fading."
He pressed a kiss to my shoulder, trailing his lips over the phantom marks.
"You see? Staying with me is the best choice, Yurin. No one can hurt you here. No one can take you away."
I sat motionless. I let him do whatever he pleased. My mind was a hollow void.
Mr. Zen...
Where are you now? You must have fled far away. You must have already forgotten the pathetic fool who ruined your plan...