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dollyyun · 2 days

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𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥'𝐬 𝐤𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬' 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐲 | 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟔.𝟑

SYNOPSIS: Just when you think that everything has fallen back into place as it was before, a twist of fate leads you to be thrown into a shocking revelation, one that results in the breach of trust once more, and this time, the damage is completely irreversible. Being broken beyond repair, you agreed to embark on a new journey for the sake of your sanity, burying the bittersweet yet painful memories in the wreckage of your mind. But perhaps there is another twist from fate that you won't be expecting in the midst of your new blissful journey.

PAIRING: non!idols enha hyung line x fem!reader

GENRE: 18+ (mdni), semi-college au, adulthood, reverse harem, dark themes.

WARNINGS: mild smuts, implied threesomes, explicit themes, profanities, heavy angst, violence, blood, manipulation, corruption, toxicity, mentions of sex tapes, lots of crying, slut-shaming, cyber bullying, depression, mentions of suicide, mentions of death.

WORD COUNT: 23.5k

FEATURING: enha maknae line, txt, stray kids, le sserafim, ive, aespa.

DISCLAIMER: this fic is inspired by devil's night series written by penelope douglas! also, i am not a Christian, and i didn't bother to do thorough research on the religion, so pardon any false facts or errors.

PLAYLIST: supernatural - Ariana Grande, breathin - Ariana Grande, Close To You - Gracie Abrams, I Hate It Here - Taylor Swift, Lose You To Love Me - Selena Gomez, Softcore - The Neighbourhood, 3 Strikes - Terror Jr, You Broke Me First - Tate McRae, Beautiful Mistakes - Maroon 5 ft. Megan Thee Stallion, Lovesick Girls - BLACKPINK

RUBY'S NOTE: yall are most prob gonna hate me after this....

PREV (PART 6.2) | NEXT (PART 7) ✘ SERIES MASTERLIST ✘

The faint sound of water running and the coldness from the air conditioner kissing your foot rouses you from the deep slumber, sending shivers through your body as it aches tremendously with every single movement you make, and just like that, the event that transpired before you lost consciousness instantly replays itself in your mind.

You force your heavy eyelids to pry open, only to squint at the luminance casting a gentle glow that allows you to see the unfamiliar suite you have been sleeping in. The bedding beneath your nude body doesn’t feel as drenched as you recall, to which your cheeks warm with the shade of faint pink at the uncountable times you’ve squirted, but it does seem that they’ve moved you to a different suite for you to sleep comfortably.

Even if their thoughtful consideration does make your heart flutter, it doesn’t expunge your disappointment at having awakened without any of them in bed with you. Determined to search for them, you move your aching limb slowly as you lift the fleecy duvet from your body, only for you to gasp softly upon seeing fresh hickeys across the expanse of your chest.

You barely manage to wrap this sight around your head when the door suddenly swings open, eliciting a squeal from you as you quickly shield your nudity with the duvet, your widened eyes staring at Jake, whose charming countenance has amusement written all over.

“Don’t act all shy on me now, sweetheart.” Jake muses, a simper smile spreading across his face as he strides towards you. Your eyes roam around him with the butterflies in their wake, admiring how gorgeous he looks in a man bun again while donning a simple tank top that displays his prominent muscles. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before. Besides, you weren’t this shy last night.”

“It’s different.” You retort, still clinging to the duvet as you slowly force your body to rise, but you cave in to your exhaustion once more as you fall back on the mattress, while the sight of you pouting and giving him your doe eyes greatly amuses him. “I’m sore, Jaeyun, and it’s all of your faults.”

“I know. That’s why I’m here.” Jake says with a mirthful chuckle, bending down to slide his arms underneath your body after you hesitantly expose your nudity to him before he carries you with ease and brings you to the bathroom, where the door has been left open ever since.

“Where are the others?” Just as you ask him, your eyes trail over to a shirtless Jay, who has been filling the massive bathtub. Your eyes manage to feast upon his glory as he faces you before noticing the look in your eyes that brings a smirk to his lips.

“Slept well, baby?” You nod your head meekly, shying away as Jay’s eyes feel invasive in the way they roam around your nudity, with Jake stopping in front of him. Goosebumps arise on your skin as Jay caresses your calf. “Damn, baby. You look good with our marks on your body.” He says huskily, leaning down to press a sensual kiss on your leg.

“She does, doesn’t she?” Jake looks down at you with a suggestive smirk, sending your heart to leap as you recognise the familiar desire glinting in his eyes. “You don’t mind us joining you in the bathtub, sweetheart?”

“No.” Even if you did mind, it isn’t like you have a choice, considering his tone indicates no room for objections as he carefully settles you in the water-filled bathtub. As your body fully dips, the perfect temperature of the water draws out a pleasurable sigh from you as the warmness seems to alleviate the soreness in every part of your body.

“Just no funny business. I can’t handle another round.” You tell them and look away as they get rid of their shorts, your cheeks flushing pink. You attempt to scoot further just as they dip themselves into the bathtub, but Jay grabs a hold of your legs and pulls you to him while the abrupt movement causes the water to ripple violently as it splashes.

“Yeah, you can, because you’re just that perfect for us.” Jay coos as you feel his hands spreading your legs wide and positioning them over his thighs, while your breath hitches at the thick sensation of Jake’s girth pressing against your lower back as he settles behind you, his hands seizing your hips to press himself into you.

“I thought we were just going to take a bath.” You gasp at the intrusion of Jay’s fingers wiggling their way into your sopping cunt while Jake’s fingers stimulate your clit, arousing the bundle of nerves to go aflame.

“We are, but you look so fucking good, angel.” Jay murmurs as he leans down to capture your nipple with his ravenous mouth, eliciting a moan from you at the sensitivity and causing you to arch your back with your lidded eyes swirling with a haze of lust.

“Feels good, love?” Jake asks lowly, his husky voice only seems to amplify your raging arousal in your core, while his gentle ministration on your clit is a skillful precision that has your eyes rolling to the back, working in an addictive tandem with Jay’s fingers into your cunt.

“So good.” You moan out softly, your head going dizzy at how gentle they are with you as they take their time in pleasuring you, causing you to grip Jake’s thigh next to you while your other hand goes winding in Jay’s slightly dampened hair as he continues to give equal attention to your nipples and kiss around your mounts.

“M-More, please.” Just as you plead, Jake seizes your jaw to turn your head sideways and captures your lips in a passionate kiss that has your toes curling, while Jay traces his tongue across your skin and finds its way to dominate his licks and kisses on your neck.

Jake greedily swallows your moan and holds down your twitching body as soon as you feel Jay’s fingers curling and hitting the familiar g-spot. “That’s your spot, yeah?” Jay rasps against your moist skin, his fingers relentlessly thrusting into you while you struggle to rock your hips, wanting to feel him deeply.

“Come on, sweet angel.” Jake is just as relentless as Jay, his fingers rubbing your clit with a sense of urgency while the overall stimulation hurls you at the precipice of your impending climax.

Switching roles, Jay turns your head to smash his lips into yours, silencing your moans and kissing you sloppily, while Jake reaches up to roll and pinch your perky nipple with his fingers. The water around you ripples violently as it splashes onto the tiles from their hands with their biceps muscles flexing.

With one precise yet hard thrust from Jay’s fingers alongside Jake pinching your clit, you break the kiss as you lean your head back on to Jake’s broad shoulder with a loud moan leaving your lips, feeling your pulsating cunt release the familiar fluid as you squirt.

“Damn, baby, you squirt so easily. I fucking love that.” Jay groans, pumping his fingers into your gushing cunt while his lips ghost your panting lips. “Think you can handle our cocks like last night?”

“No, please, no.” You whimper, shaking your head languidly in protest, but you can’t deny the persisting arousal in your core as Jake rubs your sensitive clit again.

“Yes, sweetheart. You can handle us.” Jake nips at the shell of your earlobe, his voice lacing with unmistakable affection. “Because that’s how perfect you are for us.”

As soon as you feel the swollen head of Jay’s cock gliding across your slits, there is no doubt that you will be in here with them for an hour or so.

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Embarrassment floods across your cheeks while you avoid having to make eye contact with the bustling professional crew members in your vicinity as you slowly make your way to the top, recalling Jay’s words earlier to meet them there, but your sore legs impede you from walking as normally as you can. Thankfully, these crew members seem to disregard you, as they are immersive in their jobs.

“Princess.” Sunghoon’s deep voice next to your ear startles you, nearly sending you to tumble forward if it weren’t for his hands steadying your body. Butterflies swarm around at the sensation of his lips kissing your bare shoulder as you are adorned in your previous short sundress. “Is my pretty princess having a hard time walking?”

“Sunghoon.” You murmur, your rosy cheeks feel warmer, and you feel conscious of your eyes looking at the two of you being blatantly intimate out in the open with his arms caging your waist and his lips peppering kisses on your exposed skin. “Not here, please.”

Obliging, Sunghoon takes you by surprise as he manoeuvres you in a bridal style, prompting you to latch your arms around his neck instinctively and flushing red at the eyes of the crew members on you as Sunghoon, with the most nonchalant demeanour, proceeds to make his way towards the flight of stairs with you in his arms.

“Where are the other guests? Or is it just us?” You inquire after the realisation of your prior observation and even notice that the other three yachts are not anywhere in sight as soon as you reach the top, where Jay, Heeseung, and Jake are lounging on the couches.

“They’ve gone back to the marina while you were still asleep earlier. So it’s only us, princess.” Sunghoon says, casting you a smirk as he heads over to his best friends. “Don’t worry about your friends. They were more than fine when I told them about you staying here a little longer with us.”

Reaching them, diffidence washes over you at their full attention, causing you to look away from them with your rosy cheeks warming as you remain shy away from them, and it is even flabbergasting when Sunghoon decides to settle you down on Heeseung’s lap.

Before you can even move, Heeseung’s arms cage around your waist, preventing you from any form of escape. Your heart pounds harder against your chest as Heeseung plants a sensual kiss on your exposed nape, while his bulge beneath your buttocks feels prominent with each passing moment. Your eyes follow Sunghoon’s figure as he walks over to Jake and settles across from him, just next to the couch that you are on.

“Pretty girl.” Heeseung lulls captivate your attention on him, his lips ghosting your skin across your shoulder while you remain transfixed, your eyes meeting Jay’s from across you, whose lips curve into a smirk as he is completely laid-back on the couch, watching you with a burning cigarette stick in between his fingers.

“Seungie.” You whisper, your pulse drumming in your ear as you feel his fingers tracing circles on your inner thigh, dangerously close to your core, and his lips planting a wet kiss on your shoulder.

Heeseung hums against your shoulder, sending vibrations through you. “Hungry, my beloved? We have plenty of food to feed you.” With one arm remaining locked around your waist, he uses the other to reach out for a fork and stab it into a grilled sausage before giving it to you. “Eat as much as you want, pretty.”

“What about you?” You direct your question to all of them, feeling self-conscious of their eyes staring at you before you try your utmost to ignore them and proceed to indulge your grumbling hunger.

“We’ve eaten while you were busy getting ready.” Jay says after puffing out the grey as it wafts in the air. “If you want more, we can ask the kitchen crew to cook some more.”

“It’s fine. I don’t want to be greedy.” You reassure him with a small smile, your eyes darting down on the table at the nearly full platters of a variety of food that have your mouth salivating. After the energy that was lost last night, this is very much needed for you.

The next few minutes or so, the four of them engage in a collective conversation about something that you don’t bother to be curious about, especially since you are too preoccupied stuffing yourself with the delectable food, and almost half of the platters are now empty.

Throughout the whole time, Heeseung occasionally gives you affectionate kisses on your shoulder in the middle of their occurring conversation with his fingers caressing your inner thigh, which feels oddly comforting. Eventually, you lax and allow yourself to lean back into him, earning yourself a kiss on the cheek from him.

For a moment, you silently bask in this newfound sense of tranquilly of being surrounded by these four dangerous men with distinctive dark allures, unfurling a discreet yet soft smile on your lips and feeling the love you have for them in your beating yet fluttery heart.

But then, a certain recollection shatters the tranquilly, bringing a frown to your lips. Though you no longer feel resentful towards them, a part of you nudges you to exercise prudence, wanting to know if they still keep them.

“Can I ask you something?” You speak up, your tone drawing their attention to you as they desist from their conversation. You bite down your lip unintentionally, causing their eyes to darken at the sight, but they abstain themselves upon seeing your face conveying a certain sombre.

“What’s wrong, princess?” Sunghoon decides to put an end to your resounding silence, prompting you to look up to see the encouragement on their faces as well as Heeseung’s comforting caress on your thigh.

“Tell us.” Heeseung’s breath tickles you as he whispers in your ear. “What is bothering our sweet angel? Hmm?”

“It’s about the pictures and videos you took of me at the church.” You blurt out before you can even stop yourself to reevaluate your decision. Your eyes remain fixated on the table, uncertain of what expressions they display in their demeanour, but you can feel Heeseung’s arms around you tighten. “Please, I want you to delete them─”

“They’ve been deleted.” Heeseung interjects, his mellow voice a soothing balm to your frayed nerves, and yet you can discern something so guileful that belies his benign disposition, but Heeseung allays your qualm as he presses a deep, affectionate kiss on your cheek. “You don’t have to worry about them anymore, pretty girl.”

“Yeah, they’ve already been deleted since you left the palace that night.” Jake adds, wanting to ease your perturbing state of mind upon seeing your expression, before he quickly shoots knowing glares at Jay and Sunghoon. “Isn’t that right, guys?”

“Oh, totally.” Jay places his empty glass on the table, his emphatic eyes meeting yours that convey such assurance amidst the palpable adoration he always has for you. “We didn’t want you to be mad at us any longer, so we did what you wanted.”

“Sunghoon?” Heeseung clears his throat, drawing all of your attention to the silent male who seems to be brooding. Your eyes follow the taut movement of his chiselled jaw clenching while his eyes remain fixated on the breathtaking horizon.

“Dude.” Jake calls for his best friend in a low murmur as he raises his eyebrow at the latter, and you notice that there seems to be unspoken conversation exchanging between them by the look in their eyes.

Sunghoon draws in a sharp inhalation before turning to the side to direct his attention to you, but seeing your expectant eyes that hold such innocence causes his tainted heart to clench while his jaw tightens for another measure.

Still, Sunghoon musters the most sincere smile he can, hoping that he’s not grimacing in the slightest to give away suspicion. “Yes, princess. You can rest assured that they’ve been deleted. Now you don’t have to worry about your pretty head, yeah?”

“Thank you.” You breathe out the remnants of tension, giving them a soft smile that oddly gives them a sense of guilt while their demeanour remains neutral. You turn your head to press a soft kiss at the corner of Heeseung’s lips, to which he smirks lightly at your rare display of affection in front of the guys.

“So did you manage to find your phone that went, apparently, mysteriously missing last night?” Jake shifts the air of conversation to another topic, his question directed at Sunghoon as the latter downs his glass of tequila.

“Yeah, I did. It was placed back where it was originally.” Sunghoon fishes out his phone from his pocket, scoffing in disbelief as he recalls. “It was more than obvious that it went missing on purpose. Whoever took it must’ve thought that I wouldn’t notice or something. Fucking stupid.”

“Probably it was Kang, who obviously had his other rebellion to fuck things further.” Jay’s eyes go ablaze with an unmistakable anger, sending shivers down your spine. But confusion swirls in your head, because the only Kangs on campus you know are you and Kang Taehyun.

“Right. Speaking of, pretty love?” Jake’s tone shifts into a familiar affection as he calls out to you, causing your heart to swell as you meet his adoring eyes. “Thanks to Sunoo and Riki’s assistance, we’ve finally discovered the identity of your anonymous texter.”

“We were right about putting him as our first suspect after the remark he made.” Sunghoon’s tone is dripping with venom, causing you to feel the instinctive need to recoil, but as if sensing your disquietude, Heeseung presses his lips on the back of your shoulder with a familiar reverence. “There is no doubt that he was one of the responsible ones behind the incident.”

“Who is he?” You ask, your heart thrumming in anticipation with dread crawling on your skin. Somehow, you fear hearing their answer.

They exchange meaningful glances before Jay decides to reveal, “Kang Taehyun.”

It is as though needles are piercing into your bleeding heart while you remain frigid, your eyes widening in the slight fractions. You refuse to believe that the guy who had been nothing but amiable to you based on your past encounter with him is your anonymous texter, but the sombre casting shadows across their countenance counter otherwise.

“But why?” You begin to voice out your muddling thoughts, a frown tugging at your lips. “Why would he want to squander his time to pull off something like that? And what are his motives? I thought he was nice.”

“Yes, we’ve been wondering the same, but unfortunately, he didn’t attend the party last night, so we found another alternative.” Sunghoon says before looking at Jay with a smirk that denotes purpose, which strikes a curiosity in you. “Bring him up here.”

“Him? Who?” You ask with your eyes, following Jay until he descends the stairs, your eagerness eliciting endearing chuckles from them. You huff lightly, your eyes narrowing at them. “It isn’t funny. I genuinely want to find out why Taehyun did what he did and if he really was the one behind the incident.”

“We do too, but we couldn’t get him, so we got his best friend instead.” Jake wears a mirthful grin, yet his eyes gleam with depravity that sends an unpleasant shiver through you. But wait, his best friend?

On cue, the sound of steps ascending to the rooftop shifts your attention towards the source, and alas, Jay returns with a certain someone that has your heart nearly falling to the pit of your stomach while your eyes widen in bewilderment.

Surely, he can’t be Taehyun’s accomplice, even if they are best friends. Just like Taehyun, he has been nothing but nice and kind towards you, with an air of amiability that often radiates from him.

As you examine the state he is in, a grimace etches on your face, feeling bad for him. He looks like he has been through hell ─ there is a cut on his bottom lip, a faint bruise at the corner of his right eye, and his lidded eyes keep fluttering, almost as though he is half asleep. You shudder at the thought of their violence, and you have an inkling that they decided to show mercy on him instead.

Without any ounce of mercy, Jay forces him down to his knees before standing behind him, and that is when you finally notice the metal baseball bat that Jay has been clutching from the moment they arrived.

“Sorry for the damage on your face.” Jake does not sound the slightest remorseful, cruelty shines through his smirk as his dark eyes penetrate into him. “But you do realise that it is natural for us to assume that you’re Taehyun’s accomplice.”

“No hard feelings, Choi.” Sunghoon says, leaning back leisurely as he brings his half-filled glass of Bourbon to his smirking lips. “I’m sure you’ll understand why we’re doing this. Besides, things have always been similarly done this way.”

“Let’s get straight to the point.” Heeseung’s flinty voice cuts through the crisp air, nearly causing you to cower, but you can barely move when his arms tighten around your waist like steel. “What are Kang Taehyun’s motives, Choi Beomgyu?

Beomgyu spits the blood out of his mouth, breathing raggedly while his eyes flicker at you, but you look away from him, unable to see the state he is in, even if he is Taehyun’s accomplice. “I fucking told you that I didn’t know anything.”

“You’re lying.” Jake tuts, his head tilting to one side while his smirk widens. “Choose your next words carefully, or your own house leader will show you no mercy.”

“Come on, Choi. We don’t have all day.” Sunghoon heaves a sigh as he rises from the couch to make his way to you, only to caress your cheek lovingly. “Don’t keep us waiting. We still have the remaining time to spend on our girl.”

“Your girl?” Beomgyu nearly growls out, earning inquisitive eyebrow raises from the four leaders.

Sunghoon taunts him with a smirk on his lips before seizing your chin to force you to look at Beomgyu in the eyes. Your breath hitches at the predatory glint in his eyes fleetingly before something entirely different, almost like a face, casts over his features.

“Yes. Our girl.” Sunghoon finds great delight in flaunting you to Beomgyu. “Your best friend should’ve known better than to fuck around with our sweet angel, and now you will be the one to face the consequence instead since your best friend didn’t show up.”

“It was almost as if he knew that we were already onto him.” Jay swings the baseball bat mindlessly, and yet you can see how he seems to be handling it in a professional way. “So what’s it going to be, Choi? Are you going to tell us the truth, or do I have to beat the truth out of you?”

“I’m telling you guys the truth! I don’t know what his motives are or why he did it!” Beomgyu finally snaps, veins protruding in his neck, while there is a genuine plea of desperation in his conveyance to prove his innocence. “I didn’t even know that he had been texting Y/N through anonymity! It isn’t my fault for not having the slightest clue that he had been a freak!”

“Are you guys buying any of this?” Sunghoon inquires, looking at his best friends. “No? I’m the only one, then?”

“Yeah, I don’t believe him either. Well, there goes your chance, Choi.” Jay smirks as he raises his metal baseball bat with the intention of swinging it to his back, but you can’t stand for such violence, even if they are in the wrong.

And so, against your better judgement, you stop Jay. “Don’t!” Your preventative exclamation earns you disbelieving stares from the four of them, whereas Beomgyu looks at you as though you are his guardian angel, but you ignore his gaze. “Just please, don’t hurt him.”

“Oh, but we do, pretty.” Heeseung whispers darkly in your ear, his arms tightening around you with each passing second. “I know you don’t like seeing violence, so either you’re going to look away or I’ll close your eyes for you.”

“There is no need for violence because I believe him.” You assert yourself strongly, despite your unwavering resolve. As you return your gaze to Beomgyu, you can see the stark sincerity in the way his eyes glisten. “He’s telling the truth. He doesn’t know anything about Taehyun’s doing.”

Heeseung refrains from displaying his frustration towards you. “Beloved─”

“You trust me, right?” You turn your head to meet Heeseung’s steely eyes, and he softens at the firm resolution hardening in your eyes. “Then trust me on this. Beomgyu is innocent. Besides, when we get back, you guys can confront Taehyun instead. He’s the bad guy, not Beomgyu.”

“Thank you, Y/N.” Beomgyu speaks to you softly, but Heeseung only seems to get angrier in the way his hold on you feels dangerously possessive. Beomgyu offers you a faint smile, but you quickly look away from him, uncertain why your turmoil persists even after your declaration of his innocence. “You were always the nicer one.”

Jay clenches his jaw, as does his clutch on the baseball bat. “That’s it. We’ll throw him out into the ocean and feed him to the sharks.”

“Jay!” You exclaim in disbelief, but Jay simply ignores you as he looks at his best friends for expectant agreement.

“Heeseung, I thought you were my close friend.” Beomgyu begins to speak up, his tone is filled with bitterness, while his glaring eyes glisten with betrayal that you know too well. “Out of all people, you should’ve been the one to believe in my innocence. You know that I would never do anything to betray you.”

Heeseung tightens his jaw, feeling a foreign emotion hitting him in the gut. Although Beomgyu is not exactly his best friend, Heeseung regards the male as his only close friend whom he trusts other than the three of his best friends. Heeseung has always felt a profound sense of camaraderie since the day when Beomgyu was a new student enrolled in the second semester and the latter needed help in understanding one of the modules, which he was more than glad to provide him.

A tinge of guilt in his chest ─ that’s what has been churning unpleasantly in him, and fuck, he has never felt such sentiment. Heeseung heaves a sigh, caving into the sentiment, which throws the others off guard with his change of heart. “Like what Y/N said. Beomgyu’s innocent. We can confront Taehyun once we head back.”

Knowing that neither of them can do anything to persuade Heeseung whenever he has made up his mind, they acquiesce, but that doesn’t mean that they completely trust Beomgyu. No, they’re doing this because of you. Their faith and devotion to you are parallel to the newfound trust they have in you.

“Get one of the crew members to attend to him.” Heeseung orders, to which Jay grabs Beomgyu’s arm to assist him in getting back on his feet while Jake makes his way towards them.

“Consider yourself lucky that Y/N is able to see through you, or else you would’ve met your demise along with your best friend.” Jake speaks venomously to Beomgyu, who has his head lowered as both Jake and Jay assist him, leaving you alone with Sunghoon and Heeseung.

Just like that, the sizzling tension dissipates, replaced by something that feels rather titillating, especially in the way Heeseung begins to trail wet kisses across your shoulder while Sunghoon cradles the back of your head to tilt it up for him to kiss you squarely on the lips.

With Heeseung’s fingers tracing dangerously close to your core, your stomach feels taut in anticipation, causing you to mewl into the messy yet heated kiss against Sunghoon’s lips.

“We can’t, not here.” You gasp as soon as Sunghoon pulls away from your lips, feeling Heeseung’s fingers slithering underneath your underwear to rub your clit tantalisingly. “Someone might come up and see us.”

“Then we’ll be giving them a show as we reenact last night’s event.” Sunghoon smirks down at you, seeing as you struggle to refrain moans from escaping as you arch in Heeseung’s magic touch. “I know you love the idea of someone else watching you get fucked by us. Nasty girl, aren’t you?”

“N-No!” You cover your mouth with your palm after an accidental moan manages to escape you at the sensation of the padding of his fingers rubbing your clit with skilful precision, but Sunghoon grabs your wrist to prevent you from covering the sweet sound, rendering you helpless between these two men.

“Pretty girl is so fucking wet.” Heeseung scoffs out a smirk, his fingers moving at an unrelenting pace, before he abruptly comes to a stop, eliciting a whine from you. He seizes your jaw, turns your head for access, and captures your lips in a searing kiss.

“You’re going to take our cocks again, pretty girl.” Heeseung rasps against your lips, smirking as you whine softly into the kiss. “Damn right, we’re going to fuck you right here and now.”

“Scream all you want. We’re not done with you until you satisfy us.” Sunghoon stands in front of you as he slowly unzips his pants, smirking down at you. “Now be a good girl and open that sweet mouth of yours, princess.”

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The once-bleak atmosphere that permeated every part of the palace has been enlivened by your arrival three days ago upon your agreement to return to the palace that you have missed roaming around uninhibitedly, but it seems that it has missed you too, because your mere yet jaunty presence often brings life to this magnificent yet lonely palace.

Eventually, the five of you have returned to a familiar normalcy, falling into the normal routine of either of them barging into your room to wake you up and taking turns to sleep with you despite having their own rooms to seek slumber, amongst other routines of which involved getting immensely physical, but other than that, everything else is normal.

Though your best friends remain sceptical of the leaders, they seem to be slowly accepting that the leaders have now become a major part of your life. The guys, on the other hand, are not exactly fond of your best friends either, but they refuse to restrain you even when their possessiveness adamantly desires to keep you all to themselves. Well, what matters most to them is that, as long as there are no guys in your vicinity unnecessarily,.

They can’t imagine how many pairs of eyes they would need to gauge out for daring to look your way, especially when you are dolled up all gorgeously in a simple purple crop top and a white pleated skirt that reaches way above your thighs, displaying your legs they find extremely alluring while you are busily applying mascara in the vanity mirror.

Apparently, there is a massive funfair that is organised by your own university, and it is not only open to its students but to the public as well. Initially, you had no plans on going and would like to spend the night with the guys, but upon the relentless persuasion from your best friend through calls and texts, you eventually acquiesced.

“So? What do you think?” You ask chirpily, redirecting your focus on them as you do a little twirl, allowing your skirt to flare while the sight of you in your own little world amuses them. You look over at each of them for their responses.

Heeseung is standing by the doorway, leaning sideways against the frame with his arms folded across his chest. Jay, who has been a pleasant help in choosing your outfit, is seated by the window sill with a cigarette stick rolled between his fingers. Sunghoon and Jake are lounging on your bed, their hands mindlessly playing with your plushies in their lap.

Warmth weaves across your cheeks as their eyes are filled with unmistakable adoration yet arousing lust. Right, it feels odd to you that they seem more than comfortable being openly and blatantly intimate with you in front of each other, despite the occasional passing jealousy that doesn’t go unnoticed by you. Nevertheless, you can’t deny the fact that you love having their undivided attention.

“Our girl looks beautiful, just as she always does.” Jake shoots you a boyish grin, putting aside your plushie to clasp his hands together and lean his head on the back of his palm.

“Jake’s right. I’m glad I chose the outfit for you.” Jay says, his dark eyes raking all over you while a smirk plays on his lips. “But you’d look even better without them, baby.”

“You’ve read my mind.” Sunghoon exchanges chuckles and smirks with Jay, causing you to roll your eyes at them before tying a mini side braid on your hair to enhance your overall look. “Roll your eyes again, and I’ll give them something else to roll from, princess.” You huff lightly in response.

“Pretty girl, are you sure you want to go?” Heeseung inquires for another time, and his worry is evident in the mellowness in his voice. “We won’t be coming to the fair, you know?”

“What? Why?” You jut your lips into a pout and look over to him. “But I dressed up prettily for you.”

“You are always pretty, my beloved.” Heeseung ambles towards you, his lips unfurling a small smile before it falters. “But we have some unfinished business to settle with Taehyun.”

“Apparently, he went back to his hometown, but Jungwon told us that he’s back. So it’ll make our job easier since we know where his apartment is.” Sunghoon informs, his eyes softening at your crestfallen countenance. “You’ll be okay, princess.”

“Yeah, and if there is spare time left after we finish with our business, we’ll come to the fun fair and be sure to find you.” Jake reassures you with his boyish grin again, sending flutters to your heart.

“Okay.” You reciprocate with a soft smile before it turns sheepish, your eyes fleetingly dart at the four familiar yet distinct masks laid out on your vanity table. “Now, can we please take a picture before I go?”

You have been meaning to snap an individual picture with them and post them on Instagram story as it has been more than awhile since you last posted something. Plus, you are not ashamed to admit that you have developed something that is borderline obsession or perhaps even kink whenever you fantasise about them wearing their mask as they send you into a state of ecstasy.

“Princess, must we do this?” Sunghoon groans, obviously reluctant but nevertheless, he complies with your wish, making his way towards the vanity table to grab his designated mask. He looks at it for a good minute before casting you a suggestive smirk. “You know, we should definitely try fucking with our masks on.” He drawls attractively, moving closer to you with a seductive purpose while butterflies swarm in your tummy.

But you refuse to ruin your makeup and clothes, and so you shoot him a scowl before pushing him in the chest gently away from you. “Not a chance.”

It isn’t long before Heeseung, who insists on going first, adorns the white mask as he sits on the chair before pulling you down on his lap, eliciting a startled squeal from you as you instinctively hook your arm around his neck, enjoying the closeness a little more than you intended. His arm slithers its way around your waist while he faces the vanity mirror, watching as you proceed to snap a picture of the two of you with a dimpled smile.

Giggling as something so delightful bubbles in your chest, you slowly get off his lap before looking away from your phone to meet their eyes as you adorn a sweet smile on your glossed lips. “My next mask man, please.”

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The luminescences deriving from the resplendent fairground lightings, which encompass the stupendous funfair, illumine towards the starless empyrean above the multitude of people that are bustling across the various forms of entertainment while their ebulliences in the glow of their demeanour enliven the atmosphere, including yours.

Your eyes sparkle with merriment while your laughter is accompanied by squeals as soon as your bumper car collides into Wonyoung and Yunjin’s, causing your body to jolt forward due to the impact, whereas the other girls are too preoccupied to either chase or elude from each other in your background. Music reverberates throughout the bumper section, intensifying the adrenaline rush in your body as you attempt to make a drift.

It isn’t long before you and your friends avidly rove across the throng of people in a harmonious hilarity with not a single scowl in sight. You recognise some faces from the same university you are at, and whenever you pass by, you offer them a small friendly smile, but in return, they reciprocate with a distinct yet patent odium in the way they stare at you, which genuinely confuses you.

Nevertheless, you refuse to allow anything or anyone to ruin this night of jollity, or maybe even your mind, which has been in a state of disquietude ever since you stepped foot into this festivity, but throughout the remainder of your time here, your golden demeanour doesn’t betray your inner turmoil.

A part of you fears the possibility that the guys’ impersonators might orchestrate another of their attacks on you at any moment of time, but you find it absurd that they would dare to bestow terror in the eyes of the public.

A nudge to your shoulder from your best friend pulls you out of your perturbation, prompting you to look at Wonyoung as she grabs your hand to eagerly advance forward as it is now your turn to ride the famous astroglide slide.

The other girls have apparently gone their separate ways, some headed for the restroom while others decided to take a snack break, leaving you with Wonyoung to entertain yourselves, but all of you have collectively agreed to meet at the ferris wheel later.

Exchanging nods with Cheshire smiles plastered on your faces, both you and Wonyoung finally cascade down the bumpy slides while the mats below you provide smooth friction for easy gliding. Just like that, whatever causes your state of mind to worry is incessantly dispelled by the adrenaline that rushes through you once more. Shrill laughter and squeals emanate from the two of you as the speed increases, causing the chilly wind to smack you in the face.

Eventually, you reach the bottom, nearly tumbling forward if you hadn’t controlled your stability. Wonyoung’s delightful giggles mingle with yours, even after the two of you have departed from the astroglide.

“I would ride the slide again if the queue wasn’t long.” You tell her as soon as the two of you have simmered down from the adrenaline. Your eyes follow the queue of people with a pout on your lips.

“Well, we could try other rides! We haven’t tried the pirate ship yet!” Wonyoung voices out her suggestions, her bubbly tone bringing a smile to your lips.

“It’s fine. I’m feeling a little beat.” You politely decline as the fluctuation of your vitality beckons you to find some place to rest and dehydrate yourself. “Besides, we agreed to meet the others at the Ferris wheel.”

Not too long later, you stumble upon Karina and Yunjin, who apparently went on the slingshot ride before heading to buy some water, to which Yunjin generously offers you a bottle. The four of you decide to settle at the wooden bench adjacent to the photo booth sections, where there are long lines of people queueing.

Mentally disassociating yourself from your best friends, your eyes trail across the couples entering and exiting the photobooths, and you swear something painful tugs at the strings of your heart. Although they have yet to ask you to become their girlfriend despite their obvious adoration and affection for you, you yearn to do normal fun couple stuff like the others.

You still feel a tad sullen that they probably won’t be coming to the funfair due to their pursuit of hunting down your anonymous texter, who turned out to be the one you didn’t expect most, since neither of them has yet to reply to your texts a few hours ago. Odd.

“We should get going.” Yunjin announces as she checks her phone, a frown slowly tugging at her pink lips. “Chaewon just texted me that they’re on their way to find us? And they have something urgent to tell us.”

The four of you stand in the middle of the bustling crowd, exchanging confused yet curious glances. Before any of you can speak up, a bunch of guys whom you vaguely recognise from your university in the senior batch brazenly push their way into your group, earning eyebrow raises from you and your friends.

“There she is! Our favourite Catholic girl! The new star!” The four of them break into a collective intimidation of howls, drawing attention from the other guys in your vicinity, whom you also recognise as your fellow Crescents, and encouraging them to join in the derision that is obviously directed to you, as evident in the vice of lechery they gaze at you with.

“More like a Catholic slut!” The one in a snapback cap sneers at you, causing you to flinch at his hostile degradation. “Yeah, you are one, aren’t you? Dirty, naughty angel, that’s what you are.”

“Don’t insult her, or else she’ll get turned on.” His friend smacks him in the shoulder playfully, chortling with the others around you as though his remark is extremely hilarious.

This time, you feel as though something hard smacks you in the face as you stagger back while your heart is pumping harder with each passing second. Your skin is crawling with dread due to the predatory yet derogatory eyes that latch on your figure, while your ears are burning at the sound of their piercing laughter.

Please don’t tell me what I think it is…..

“Excuse me?” Wonyoung is spurred into taking action by her instinct to protect you, stepping forward with an air of icy intimidation. “I don’t know who you think you are, but if you cherish your sacks enough, you better get down on your knees and apologise to my best friend.”

“Why should we apologise when we only stated the truth?” The one in blond highlights retorts, his lips curling into a condescending sneer.

“What truth?” Yunjin’s figure is imposing as she glowers at the guys, her eyes going ablaze with the same simmering anger as Wonyoung and Karina’s.

“Oh, come on! Don’t tell us that you girls haven’t watched your best friend’s amazing performance? No?” His tone drips with mockery that feels as though acid is thrown at you. “We’re lucky enough to be able to stream those videos online for free.”

“Hey, Y/N? Do you think that if I fuck you good, will you call me your God too?” The shortest member of the group asks with a gleeful grin. “Awww, come on, pretty girl. You love cocks, don’t you?”

“You fucking asshole!” Karina nearly lunges forward, her sharp, acrylic nails extending to claw him, but Wonyoung and Yunjin immediately hold her back from each side. “Release me! Let me at him!”

Amidst the rapid rise of chaos, you remain deadly silent, unable to hear anything other than the sound of your loud, pumping heart in your ear while your figure goes transfixed. It feels like the jeering crowd is closing on you, suffocating you as your breathing gets progressively uneven while your chest painfully tightens, and you want nothing more than to hide yourself from the world.

“What do you say, Y/N? Wanna get baptised again?” They continue to taunt you despite your best friends’ oozing ire dominating your vicinity. “I’m sure your pussy has room for more after getting fucked loose by the leaders.”

“Flash us those tits, slut!” You hear the crowd in your vicinity, mainly the ones from your university, begin to throw crude remarks at you, shooting like bullets with wanton howls and indecorous whistles.

It is as if something inside you snaps, and before you know it, you pivot on your heels and dash forward, pushing your way through the crowd haphazardly without any regard of their glare at your discourtesy while your best friends promptly chase after you right after they shoot withering glares at the crowd.

“Y/N! Wait up!” Karina’s voice fades into oblivion as you can only focus on the sound of your ragged breathing and your thrumming pulse in your ear, and maybe the sound of your heart that is slowly shattering into pieces too.

A part of you adamantly refuses to believe that the ones you hold dearly in your heart would pull such deplorable stunts. Maybe those four guys that taunted you back there were bluffing. Maybe they purposefully decided to humiliate you in public for reasons beyond your comprehension.

No, Heeseung, Jay, Jake, and Sunghoon would never─

“Y/N! We’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Winter, Chaewon, and the other girls immediately obstruct your path. The look on their faces only seems to intensify your inner turmoil, while there is a suspension in the air. “Oh, thank God all of you are here.” Their comment is also directed at your best friends from behind you.

“What’s going on?” You ask, and your voice surprisingly manages to come out strong while your tenacity for maintaining equanimity is teetering.

“It’s not good, Y/N.” Winter is carefully treading with her words, her eyes flashing with prudence. “Even if you had consented for those pictures and videos to be posted online─”

“Oh my god.” Karina’s loud gasp interjects the suspension that only seems to transition into a foreboding tension, drawing your attention to her and seeing the horrifying contortion on her countenance as she looks down at her phone screen.

“Wait, Y/N, you shouldn’t─” Just before Chaewon can stop you, you move towards Karina and snatch the phone from her hand.

As soon as your eyes latch onto the phone screen with such obscenity being displayed starkly, your surroundings fade into insignificance while time seems to be holding still, and only the sound of your heart shattering into pieces is all you can hear.

“Y/N!” You hear muffled shouts from your friends as soon as your buckling legs have finally given up on you, causing you to fall to the asphalt ground on your knees while Yunjin’s phone slips from your weak grasp.

“I need you to breathe, Y/N!” Wonyoung cups your cheeks as she kneels down in front of you, but your blurry eyes deprive you of focus while only the constricting pain in your chest is palpable, causing you to feel unbearably suffocated.

“I want─” Your hyperventilation affects your ability to articulate your feelings. You clutch onto Wonyoung’s shirt as you finally manage to breathe out, meeting her concerned eyes with shaky pupils. “I want to go back, please.” You whisper brokenly.

As you recall seeing the awfully familiar username, you were gravely mistaken for thinking that they wouldn’t, because they did. You thought that they wouldn’t ever hurt you in a way that sent you into physical affliction, but it turns out there was another way for them to hurt you after all.

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In the quiet confines of your room ─ your old, homey room, which has now become a sanctuary ─ the soft glow of the moonlight filtering through your window casts a dim illumination on you amidst the darkness as you lie in bed with the fleecy duvet enveloping your dejected figure.

Countless crumpled tissues are scattered across your bed, which you used to clear and wipe your mucus after bawling your eyes out, and the worst part is that you don’t know how many times you have broken down for the past two days ever since the appalling revelation that still renders you revolted.

“Y/N, please, open the door. We’re worried about you.” You hear Yunjin’s voice pleading out to you as she knocks on your door, which you have locked as you refuse to see any of them, only wanting to wallow in despair in your sanctuary, where no one can hurt you nor hidden cameras can film you.

You merely ignore your best friend, your hollow eyes staring into oblivion, while your mind begins to drift to the late victim who went through the same betrayal as you. Jinae. You recall when anonymous, or rather, Taehyun, divulged to you the details of her death and before that.

Similar to what Jinae had gone through, the four of them posted explicit pictures and clips of you when you were at the church on their Instagram stories, and they even inserted their captions on their stories, such as ‘our good obedient whore ‘worshipping cocks like the hungry Catholic slut she is’.

Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, they uploaded individual sex tapes, which they apparently had cameras hidden in their rooms, on their Devil’s Knights social media accounts across Twitter as well as their official website, allowing users from across the campus and beyond to have access to free porn.

A muscle pulses in your jaw, hating yourself for not being prudent enough to see this coming when you should have known better and realised it sooner when Heeseung first knew of your intrusion into his office ─ because he had implemented a hidden camera somewhere inside.

Your eyes begin to sting. No, you are the one who is now going through the same betrayal as the girl whose only sin was loving the four leaders, which led her to her death by their very hands. Now you are left wondering if they do have plans to kill you next.

The incessant buzzing from the nightstand draws your attention to your phone, to which your stomach churns again while your heart goes into palpitation as you hesitantly reach out for your phone and grab it with a trembling hand before forcing your reluctant body to rise from the bed.

Your mind is beseeching you to put your phone away for the sake of your sanity, or whatever is left, which is teetering dangerously at the precipice, but against your better judgement, you decide to indulge your niggling curiosity.

Just as you expected, your phone is bombarded with notifications from Instagram, Twitter, and even messages. It has been this way ever since the funfair night. Your DMs are always flooded with different users, many of whom you recognise from your fellow Crescents, sending you either revolting insults or crude messages that feel vulgarly invasive.

The perpetual cyber harassment has been causing such mental distress on you that even in your staggering sleep, you can hear their voices in your head haunting you with their dehumanising words, even as you are reading them now. Each word embeds in your disoriented mind, and somehow, each of them manages to stab you in the gut with the knife twisting deeper and deeper. But what stands out amongst them are the recurrent messages that most seem to share a correlative sentiment.

‘Kill yourself, you greedy slut.’

Alas, rivulets begin to descend on you, your body racking with the onslaught of devastation. A loud sob comes from your throat as you throw your phone elsewhere, unable to read the remaining messages any longer that only seem to carve the wound deeper in your bleeding heart.

And the worst of it all? Neither of the four of them has ever bothered to reach out to you after what they have done. Not even a single call.

The betrayal and heartbreak are palpable as they manifest in the uneven rise and fall on your heaving chest, while the volume of your cries seems to have reached outside, as evident in the hurried knocks on your door from your best friends as they call for you, but you are too consumed by the pain ─ pain that feels profound and unlike any other.

“Y/N! Please! Let us in!” The desperate plea of Wonyoung’s voice only makes you bawl your eyes out as you clutch your pounding head with your hands, tears dripping and dampening the bedding for another time.

You don’t even know how to show your face to the world, especially to your parents, if news has already reached them. There is no doubt that those intimate videos and your stark display of vulnerability have reached the public from beyond the university, spreading like wildfire.

The damage they did is beyond repair ─ it’s completely irreversible. It is crystal clear to you that they had intended to destroy you from the inside out since the moment they began to approach you, but you were blissfully ignorant as you allowed yourself to fall deeper for their dark allures, desperate for even the scraps of their affection.

The worst of it all is that you were more than ready to spend a lifetime with them, even if people were against you. You even bare your heart and soul to them, for them to take and consume you, even if it means that you might lose yourself in the process.

You sob harder, clutching your aching heart with your fingers fisting the material of your top. You hate them for not reaching out to you despite the damage they have done. You hate those cruel users who have ruined your mental state.

Most of all, you hate yourself while a part of you vehemently agrees to the dehumanising insults that have been engraved in you. Perhaps they were right ─ you are nothing but a greedy slut who has no dignity left and is utterly worthless unless you spread your legs for more.

Maybe you should kill yourself.

Before you know it, you barge into the bathroom, your teary eyes blazing with resentment as they search for anything solid enough to break the mirror. You are stuck in a stupor ─ your mind is in a tempestuous streak of their words tormenting you, and your heart is bleeding from the unabating heartbreak, but you are conscious enough to desire for your misery to end.

“Y/N! Don’t do anything stupid!” Wonyoung’s voice can still be heard from the outside, but her words don’t deter you, not when you finally find the solution to break the mirror with a ceramic cup that you often use to gargle your mouth after brushing your teeth.

With a strangled cry, the ceramic cup hurls towards the mirror before it shatters completely from the impact while the sound reaches the ears of your best friends, causing more panic for them.

“Hurry!” Karina says, watching with impatient eyes as Yunjin fumbles with the keys to your door before the latter finally unlocks it and pushes the door open, wasting no time to follow the source of your cries that lead them to the bathroom.

The three of them gasp in horror at the sight of you on your knees as you grip a shard of glass from the pieces of the broken mirror that lay scattered across the toilet tiles while blood begins to seep out of your palm due to the pressure you apply.

You can barely feel the pain in your bleeding palm, let alone the arrival of your best friends, as you are set to end your misery with a single slit, and so you raise the sharp-edged glass to your neck, your eyes completely hollow.

“Y/N!” With full force, Yunjin grabs you by the arm just before the glass can even touch your skin. Having been pulled out of your stupor, you begin to thrash and struggle in their grasp, screaming and wailing in incoherency while Wonyoung tries her utmost to get the mirror away from your bleeding hand, holding back a sob of her own. They all do.

“Let go of me! You don’t understand anything!” You sob out, finally relenting as your body feels the exertion from everything. With your loosened grasp, Wonyoung snatches the blood-stained glass away from your hand and tosses it aside. “You don’t even know how I feel! All of them were right! I should just kill myself─”

“Stop it! You’re not going to kill yourself!” Wonyoung snaps, her teary eyes match yours as they trickle down her cheeks. “You think that killing yourself will solve your problems?!”

You remain unmoving, falling weak against Yunjin as she supports you from behind with Karina. You sob out, fluttering your eyes closed. “At least it’ll free me from my misery.”

“What about us? We’re your best friends, Y/N.” The tone in Karina’s voice makes your heart clench, because you have never heard her so heartbroken except when she broke up with her ex three years ago. “What about your parents? If you can’t think of us, then think of them.”

“They don’t care. Why would they, after knowing how their Catholic daughter turned out to be a huge disappointment and a greedy slut?” Your sobs begin to quieten while your body slowly starts to feel the throbbing pain in your seeping, wounded palm.

“Please, Y/N, we can’t lose you.” Yunjin cries softly behind you, joining the other two as they collectively break into tears, wanting you to share your pain with them so it’ll burden you less. “Your life is precious, Y/N. You still have a lot more to explore. You promised that you would travel abroad with me one day.”

“Your life is precious to me, beloved.” Heeseung’s words serve as a haunting playback in your mind, eliciting more forlorn sobs from you while the tears on your cheeks are unrelenting.

“I’m tired, but I’m scared to go to sleep.” You sound languid, sleep is beckoning you as your eyelids feel heavier. “Because they’ll haunt me again…” Alas, you have fallen into the realm of sleep. The three exchange glances with an unspoken understanding.

Within the same night when they nearly lost you, Wonyoung and Karina are wrapped in cold silence, the latter driving them to their destination, whereas Yunjin is overseeing you back at the dorm, taking such prudence as they don’t want to risk anything.

It isn’t long before they are being greeted at the familiar sight of the grand palace, the golden gate slowly opening for their further pursuit, but frankly, out of the two of them, Wonyoung’s ire is overpowering, even in the way she storms over to the familiar seven faces in the opened garage while Karina quickly trails behind her.

Jungwon, who has shared an intimate history with her, immediately hinders her from aggravating the sombre situation further as he blocks her way, his lips adorning a nervous yet crooked smile. “Hey, babe─”

But Wonyoung, having been possessed by the feminine rage, easily pushes Jungwon aside, her icy glaring eyes set on the four figures whose demeanours are infuriatingly cryptic, before storming towards them with the intention to give a good punch or two.

“Wonyoung, wait─” Just as Karina is about to stop her, she watches in complete shock when the latter delivers a punch to Sunghoon’s cheek, while the male doesn’t seem to be affected despite his head being turned sideways from the impact.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?!” Wonyoung is about to lunge for Jake next, but Riki and Sunoo immediately restrain her by the arms. “Preying on my best friend for the sake of your twisted tradition is one thing, but to post your sickening sex tapes that you filmed without her consent at all?!” She is stark raving mad, thrashing and struggling valiantly in their captivity. “Haven’t you had enough after destroying Jinae the same way you do now to Y/N?!”

“Calm down.” Sunoo’s remark earns him a withering glare from the raging woman.

“Don’t tell me to calm down when my best friend almost tried to kill herself because of the constant cyberbullying, and whose fault was that?” Wonyoung’s tone is dripping with venom, and her eyes are maintaining icy contact with the four leaders. “Yours! I fucking knew that the moment all of you suddenly approached Y/N, you had ulterior motives!”

Although their demeanour remains cryptic, Karina can see it in the way they flinch lightly when Wonyoung mentions you, and for a fleeting moment, equal worry flares in their irises.

“I don’t know what your endgame is or if you’re planning to haunt her even till the end, just like you did to Jinae, but thanks a lot.” Karina speaks up, her tone mirrors Wonyoung’s with a tinge of sarcasm. “You guys got what you wanted, and that is to break Y/N, right? Then congratufuckinglations! You guys are officially the fucking worse.”

“Y/N wouldn’t come out to eat for days.” Wonyoung says so spitefully before finally breaking herself free from Riki and Sunoo’s grasp. “Whatever your next moves are, we’re not going to let you go near Y/N. You’ll have to kill me to get to her.”

“That’s fine with us.” Jay shrugs his shoulders; the nonchalance on his display doesn’t betray the feelings that lie beneath the facade. “You ladies have always loved to underestimate us, so maybe it’s time we show you no mercy, yeah?”

“Jay, don’t.” Jungwon steps forward, feeling a natural protective instinct to shield Wonyoung from Jay’s path of destruction. “Just tell them the truth.”

“What truth is there even to tell us?” Wonyoung eyes Jungwon with exasperation, while the latter looks at her with softened eyes. “We’ve already seen enough─ Y/N have seen and known enough to realise that your amazing leaders uploaded those unconsented pictures and videos by their own hands!”

“Yeah, we’ve known enough.” Karina grabs Wonyoung by the hand, her eyes glaring at each of them for another time. “We’re here only to tell you to stay away from Y/N. She doesn’t need any of you to break her even more.”

With that, Karina and Wonyoung depart from the garage as they make their way back to the car, while Jungwon stares at them from afar before heaving a sigh as he turns to look at the four leaders. “You should’ve told them the truth.”

“What difference would it make?” Jake scoffs, his jaw tightening. “You’ve already seen the look in their eyes. Besides, no one ever believes us, just like three years ago.”

“Well, we believe you.” Riki offers them some form of support, and a rare smile plays on his lips. “You have us.”

“Seven against the world?” Sunghoon chuckles as he shakes his head while rubbing his sore cheek. “We’re so fucked.”

“Heeseung?” Sunoo, who has been observant enough to notice Heeseung’s eerie silence, “What do you want to do now?”

Despite the nonchalantness of his demeanour, storms are raging silently in Heeseung’s dark eyes. “Do what we do best at; continue the hunt.”

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Never have you ever felt utterly defeated to wake up to the next sunrise, as it only means another day of misery, and you were right, because your phone is once again bombarded with notifications from those who wish to see you in unending agony.

At first, you wallow in utter despair, still refusing to get out of your room and to eat something despite being coaxed by your best friends, but soon, it is coupled with fury that courses through your vein, spurring you into taking action, which has your best friends beseeching you to reevaluate your resolution.

Hence, you are presently in the car with them, waiting for the familiar, opulent gates to open for you. The temperature in the car doesn’t bother you in the slightest, despite the coldness increasing tenfold due to the torrential rain pouring down outside. You sit in silence while the suspension hangs in the air.

“Maybe we should head back. We’v been waiting for quite some time.” Karina breaks the ice; hesitancy flows in her tone. “Plus, I don’t think they’re at the palace.”

Before any of you can say anything, your eyes capture blinding lights in the rearview mirror while the sound of motorcycles revving stridently startles the girls except you, because the moment their vehicles are nearing from behind, you take your girls by surprise when you exit from the car in haste, ignoring their calling.

Not even a minute passes by when you have become wholly drenched from head to toe, but your resolution remains unwavering as you storm with purpose towards the four bikers, whose body languages you are unable to construe while the dark visors completely obscure their countenance, but you can feel their gazes burning straight into you.

Your mind is in a perpetual tumult with a cacophony of thoughts and emotions, each vying for dominance, that overwhelms you. Your eyes are blurring with each blink, uncertain whether it’s the effect of the unrelenting downpour that wets your lashes or the tears that are accumulating in your waterline.

They dismount their bikes just as you close the distance, and you follow the path of your ire to the first person near you — the one who is wearing a necklace with your purity ring resting on his chest.

“Y/N─” Heeseung is cut off by the impact of the shove of your hands into his chest, but he swiftly regains stability.

“Is this really your endgame?! To humiliate me and expose my vulnerability to everyone?!” Like a thunderstorm, you erupt into a torrent of outbursts, pushing Heeseung in the chest again, but he is unaffected by your strength as he remains rooted to the ground. “Because of what you all did, I couldn’t sleep at night without their words haunting me! I couldn’t even look at my phone without receiving another message telling me to kill myself. Why? Because I’m a greedy fucking slut for the four of you!”

The other three attempt to step forward to stop you, but Heeseung subtly makes a hand gesture at them, prompting them to stay where they are and allowing you to continue as you throw weak punches to his solid chest while uncontrollable sobs leave your lips.

“That day, I told you to delete them, and you lied to me! You all lied to me!” You nearly go hysterical as you don’t relent from hitting him. “I even told you in the first place! But you refused, all because I broke your rule! You shouldn’t have even thought of filming and snapping pictures of me back at the church just because you were pissed off at me!” You cry out in defeat, your body heaving with sobs. “You should’ve just killed me instead.”

“Don’t fucking say that!” Sunghoon nearly growls out, catching you off guard when he steps forward to hold you by the shoulders. His voice sounds deeper due to the helmet. “We know we fucked up, but you shouldn’t even think that we would do anything to hurt you like that!”

Seething with anger, you shove his hands away from your shoulders as you push him. “But you did! You did hurt me in the most agonising way, which I never would have thought you would do to me! Just like you did to Jinae!”

You clench your fist with your injured hand, applying pressure to the wound that is slowly reopening. “Like a fool I was, I chose to ignore the fact that all of you weren’t sincere with me when you first approached me. I chose to ignore the fact that you were only preying on me as part of your tradition and allowed you to fuck me up all over.” A palpable heartbreak punctuates your declaration as you continue to cry out. “And like a fool I was, I bared my soul to you and gave you my heart, only for you to break me when I'd fallen hopelessly in love with you.”

“You’re in love with us?” You can hear Jake’s muffled voice, but you ignore him and remain focused on pouring out your pent-up emotions.

“For you, I was willing to do anything you asked me to, and I’d give up everything if it meant to be close to you and stay by your side, but your intentions are now clear to me that I meant nothing to you because I was only meant to satisfy you as your slut and for you to break me apart if I ever crossed you!” With your clenched fist, you deliver one last hit to Heeseung, now torn apart from the inside as you break into hysterical sobs. “How could you do this to me?! I did nothing but love you and want to be loved by you.”

“Y/N, stop.” Heeseung grabs you firmly by the wrist, holding you closer to his chest and looking down at your bandaged hand. “You’re injured. You’ll reopen your wound if you don’t stop.”

“Don’t touch me!” You quickly yank your hand away from him, his touch feels familiarly scorching on your skin. “Don’t hold me like that! Don’t─” A sharp sob leaves your lips, your eyes glistening with unmistakable heartbreak that punches them in the gut. “Don’t act like you care when you don’t give a damn about me! Not after what you did! And for that, I hate you!”

“You don’t mean that.” Jay’s voice cuts through the air stridently, followed by a rumble of thunder in the dreary skies.

“I do. I hate you.” You say spitefully, glaring at them with a teary gaze as you latch your arms around your now-shivering form. “Consider this the last time you’ll ever see my face, and consider my love for you dead, not that you cared in the first place.”

“Don’t leave─ Fuck, baby─” Jay sounds torn, almost as if he is the one hurting instead of you. “We’ll make things right, just don’t leave us.”

“Y/N!” You hear Wonyoung calling out for you from behind, but your attention remains fixed on them.

For a moment, the desperation emanating from him as well as the other three stirs something in the sensible part of you. Even if you can’t see the clear contortion of their countenances, you can feel their gaze burning into you with a passion for longing. But what they did is beyond justifiable ─ their stark betrayal is unforgivable, no matter the love that still beats for them in your bleeding heart right now.

“You can’t make things right. The damage is irreversible, and for that, I won’t forgive you.” Your voice trembles, slowly getting overwhelmed by the tumult of emotions whirling in you. “Congratulations, though. You’ve succeeded in your twisted tradition of preying on an innocent girl once again.”

By the time you have delivered the last of your words that pierce into their hearts, Wonyoung appears next to you, holding an umbrella that shelters you from downpour any longer, her comforting arm around your shoulder before you finally turn around and head back into the car, leaving the four of them under the pouring rain with your words embedded in their minds.

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They did not upload those pictures and videos. Apparently, they have been hacked and even tried to log into their social media accounts, but it seems that their credentials have been unauthorizedly changed by their foes, who clearly possess the abilities and competencies in the cyber field.

But it doesn’t mean that they are free of guilt, especially when they acknowledge that they lied to you about having them deleted, and they had every intention to do so until Sunghoon’s phone went missing on that yacht party, after which they concluded that it must’ve been one of those fuckers who managed to transfer those pictures and videos of you into their possession.

Still, they know well enough that they are partially responsible for this. Your words are a haunting playback in their minds since you left them in the cold yesterday, causing their inner turmoil to increase tenfold while a foreign emotion sends an unpleasant sensation through them. Guilt.

For as long as they can remember, they don’t feel guilt, and they have never either. Even after the passing of their first prey, Jinae, they didn’t feel the slightest remorse and instead felt resentment towards those who didn’t believe in them and the truth only they held in their grasp.

Guilt is not something that they feel naturally on instinct, but then you came. You managed to ignite something in them despite the unyielding darkness, and now they have been hit with immense guilt while their corrupted mind is in a dangerous tumult.

Thus, they have collectively agreed to put a permanent end to this prolonged hunt and eradicate their foes, who were responsible for orchestrating the destruction that has already been wide-spread beyond their radar.

Hence, Sunoo and Riki, who are quite literally the cyberpunks, have been working tirelessly for them and leaving no stone unturned as they demolish every firewall and destroy data after data, including deleting those uploads. Jungwon, whose specialty is obviously not in the hacking field, can only offer his presence as his two best friends’ moral support while he hangs around in the background with either snacks or drinks in his hands.

“Are you guys sure that they’re in there?” Jake inquires to Sunoo and Riki as he has them on speaker mode, allowing his best friends to hear their conversation as well. Presently, they remain seated in Jay’s Maserati that is pulled over by the curb, awaiting their next move on Jake’s command.

“Are you doubting our skills now? After everything we’ve done for you?” Jake simply rolls his eyes at Sunoo’s melodramatic antics before he briefly casts a glance at the window to examine the establishment for another time. “Anyway, hacking into their security system was a piece of cake.”

“They’re in there, but better be quick.” Riki interjects, his voice sounding gravelly deep. “It looks like they’re about to leave soon. Oh, an advice; enter from the backdoor instead.”

Once the call ends, the four leaders waste no time exiting the car, recalling Riki’s advice as they make their way around the establishment, where the backdoor is. Each of them wields different weapons yet bears the same amount of lethality ─ brass knuckles, metal baseball bats, and a melee knife. Tonight, their foes won’t be able to leave unscathed.

Just as they nearly arrive, the backdoor swings open, followed by chatter and laughter before they are greeted by the sight of familiar faces who turn out to be their foes. But the thing is, neither of their foes look entirely surprised. Taehyun, Soobin, and Hyunjin.

“So, you’ve finally caught me, huh?” Taehyun taunts them with a pleasant smile, his hands sliding inside his pockets. “I must say, I felt satisfied for outsmarting you, which was why you couldn’t find me anywhere. As our leaders who should be better than us, you’ve disappointed me.”

Jay steps forward, a smirk playing on his lips while his menacing aura is infused with the foreboding atmosphere. “As your house leader, I have a gift for you, and that is meeting your demise tonight.”

“But before we get down to business, we want to know why.” Sunghoon demands, struggling to maintain his composure and gripping the brass knuckle adorning his fingers. “You guys took the knight’s oath on the day you were accepted into the fraternity. You knew what would happen if you went against the rules, and we don't take betrayal lightly.”

“Oath means nothing to us for as long as you reign supreme in our fraternity.” No one is as staggered as Heeseung upon hearing a familiar voice approaching from behind Taehyun, his eyes trailing to his once-close friend, whose demeanour is uncharacteristically callous.

“I fucking knew it.” Jake grits his teeth, seething with anger as his eyes harden. “Fuck. I knew you were on it, but our girl’s good heart chose to believe that you weren’t─”

“Your girl?” He intervenes, releasing a cold, derisive chuckle as he leisurely advances forward while keeping a safe distance between them. “It’s quite bold of you when you know that you’ve already lost your girl after what you’ve done.”

“You mean, after what you and your little rebellion did!” Jake retaliates, clutching his brass knuckle. “We didn’t do shit! You had your loyal dogs do your dirty work!”

“But that doesn’t change the fact that you guys took those pictures and videos at the holy church. I only contributed to implementing those hidden cameras in your rooms and the places you guys fucked her.”

“You? So you were the true mastermind instead of Taehyun, isn’t that, right?” Heeseung’s tone sounds lethally soft, his lips unfurling a smirk while his eyes remain in unwavering eye contact with him. “Choi Beomgyu.”

Beomgyu breaks into a cold smile, his eyes holding an unmistakable hatred for him. “I would’ve applauded you for solving the pieces, but you solved them too late. Just like how it’s too late for you to reverse everything with Y/N. Oh, and by the way, I’ve got to give credits to y’all for giving free porn content.”

The tension in the foreboding air is thickening with each passing second as they await each other’s next move. Beomgyu continues to smile, taunting Heeseung with each step forward while his eyes gleam with wicked delight. “But I would’ve fucked her better than you did.”

The trigger in Heeseung’s head is pulled, spurring him into retaliation, deftly aiming his melee knife towards Beomgyu, possessing such an almost-inhuman agility that even takes his best friends by surprise before they manoeuvre towards their foes expeditiously. Alas, violence is set ablaze under the starry night, the once-comradeship amongst them has effaced, but they share the same resolve ─ no one shall leave unscathed.

The four leaders move with harmonious precision in countering attacks from their opponents, wielding their weapons and putting them to good use as they manage to spill their blood, but their opponents are filled with equal ferocity as well, refusing to relent.

“I trusted you.” Heeseung tightens his jaw, breathing harshly while he clutches the melee knife handle that stains with Beomgyu’s blood as he manages to cut him in the arm with one swift slice. “I thought you were my close friend. All those years we’ve spent, and it took just one girl for you to pull a dick move?”

Beomgyu spits the blood out of his mouth as he slowly rises from the ground, his eyes flaring with such intense hatred that Heeseung swears the latter looks awfully similar to a certain dead- person in this light. “I’ve never regarded you as my friend, not after you’ve killed my sister!”

Heeseung feels his stomach starting to churn unpleasantly as he slowly puts the pieces together in his mind, filled with a cacophony of thoughts and theories, his hand lowering the knife. “Your sister?”

Beomgyu scoffs in disbelief, wiping the blood that trails down from his nostril. “Oh, come on, now. You can’t be that stupid and slow to realise it by now. I’ve already given you the clue.”

For the first time, Heeseung feels staggered, his eyes widening in disbelief as he scrutinises Beomgyu’s features. It is no wonder why he looks familiar from when Beomgyu first approached him after his late enrollment in the university, especially in the way he smiles.

“No, you can’t be….” Heeseung's transfixed figure captures Jake’s attention, spurring the latter to quickly knock Taehyun out cold as he lands on the hard ground with a loud thud while Jay and Sunghoon exchange meaningful nods before they render their opponents wholly unconscious, uncaring whether they’re breathing or not.

“What the fuck is going on, and why is he not dead yet?” Sunghoon asks annoyedly, stepping forward with his bloodied knuckles preparing to strike, but Heeseung holds him back, earning Heeseung a bewildered look from Sunghoon. “Heeseung, what the fuck?”

Beomgyu chuckles, drawing their attention to him. “Oh, you wouldn’t want to kill me, especially when I’ve waited long enough to reveal who I really am.”

“All I know and care about is that you are going to be a dead man tonight.” Jay nearly growls out as he swings the baseball bat expertly. “I'm going to enjoy crushing your bones.”

“Wait, I want to hear what he has to say before we end him.” Jake tells Jay before shifting his attention to Beomgyu, sighing impatiently. “Well? Who are you, then, oh mysterious one?”

Something dark cast a shadow over Beomgyu’s countenance, his eyes blazing with a patent ire, triggered by Jake’s mere derision. “Everything is a joke to you guys, right? Just like how you enjoyed killing my sister, her death was a joke to you.”

Jay shoots him a scornful glare, his patience running thin. “Who the fuck is your sister?”

“Jinae.” The name leaving from Heeseung’s lips hits the three of them like whiplash, and when they look at him, his eyes are burning through Beomgyu’s glaring ones. “His sister. Choi Jinae.”

“Ah, crazy pants.” Sunghoon smirks, not a single trace of sympathy on his face, despite feeling a tinge of surprise at the revelation. “Your sister was a real pain in the ass, by the way. Thank fuck, she’s dead.”

“Take that back, you fucker!” Seeing absolute red, Beomgyu charges towards Sunghoon with malice coursing through his vein, but like a bolt of lightning, Jake embodies a shield and promptly seizes Beomgyu by the collar shirt before bringing down his brass-knuckled fist into the side of his face, the impact sending him plummeting to the ground with blood spluttering from his mouth and nostril.

“What difference would it make if I took back my words?” Sunghoon asks with a sardonic smile, revelling in the brutality displayed by his best friend as the latter delivers another punch to Beomgyu’s face. “Because it definitely won’t bring back your sister from the dead.”

Seeing how evidently weakened and languid Beomgyu is with his head flinging forward, the corner of Jake’s lips curves into a smirk as he scoffs out a chuckle before grabbing Beomgyu by the hair and pulling it to the back roughly to force him to look at them despite struggling to keep his eyes open. “Quick question: why did you choose to reveal that you’re her brother now?”

“It’s all part of the plan. The plan that you’ve ruined.” Beomgyu’s voice sounds hoarse, and his breathing is ragged. “I had intended to reveal myself after delivering your precious Y/N’s pretty head in a box. Oh, what a shame that you’ve all rescued her that night before I could have a taste of her─”

Filled by an immense rage coursing through his veins, Jay swings the bat and aims it at Beomgyu’s stomach, resulting in the latter coughing out more blood with his body hunched over, but with Jake’s tight grip on his hair, he is being forced to look back up.

“Keep Y/N out of this!” Jay roars out, intending to swing again, but Heeseung stops him as the latter desires to get the truth and answers from Beomgyu.

“We’re giving you two options. The first option is that you tell us the truth and basically everything we want, and the second option is, well,” A smirk touches Heeseung’s lips, his imposing figure towering over Beomgyu’s, bending down slightly only to cut his cheek in a swift slice with his knife, eliciting a pained growl from the latter. “You know what will happen. But we might reconsider letting you live if you choose to comply with us.”

“Don’t be dumb and choose your option wisely, Choi.” Sunghoon crosses his arms over his chest, mirroring Heeseung’s devilish smirk as he stands next to him. “Let’s start off with Y/N. Why did you target her? And for what purpose did you have with your diabolic plan, which you’ve failed at?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I had to find each of your weaknesses, and Y/N turned out to be your ultimate weakness, even if she meant to be your prey just as my sister once was.” Beomgyu says spitefully, blood spitting from his mouth while seething anger glares in his eyes. “Oh, but Y/N has everything to do with this. Unlike my poor sister, Y/N has had the privilege to earn your affection without having to try hard to gain your attention, which I didn’t understand because why were you treating Y/N better than you treated my sister?”

“Let’s just say, Y/N is not crazy pants like Jinae.” Sunghoon says, still taunting Beomgyu with his smirk, before the latter continues.

“Then I realised that you guys are disgustingly obsessed with Y/N, which also explains why you didn’t kill her off like you did to my sister. So I decided to take matters into my own hands and executed the plan to kill Y/N, since after all, she’s your sweet angel.” Beomgyu sneers at him, like a dog baring its canine teeth. “If I can’t kill you, then I’ll kill the girl you seem to care about most.”

“Disgustingly obsessed, you say? Maybe we are, but I’d say that the description fits your sister perfectly just the same.” Jake lets out a sardonic chuckle as he tightens his grip on Beomgyu’s hair to yank his head to the back and lean down with a menacing glare while his lips curl into a disdainful sneer. “I hated your sister. Bitch was always there wherever I went, and I couldn’t get the fucking hint that I wasn’t into her.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Beomgyu asks roughly, his voice completely hoarse after coughing out blood another time. “Before you guys killed her, she sent me a message, telling me about how all of you were obsessed with her but then tossed her aside after you were done fucking around with her, and because of what you did, my sister was devastated. She did nothing but only wanted to be loved. You sick, heartless fucks.”

“So I was right. Your sister was indeed batshit crazy, which is why we call her crazy pants.” Sunghoon scoffs out a chuckle. “I really gotta commend your freak of a sister, though. She managed to fool everyone, including you, into thinking that she died because we killed her.”

“That’s because you guys did!” Beomgyu growls out in sheer anger, regaining a moment of vitality. “The evidence was there! Your handprints were the evidence!”

“It seems that you don’t know the truth about what really happened three years ago and who your sister really was.” Heeseung says, his voice sounds gravelly deep, which matches the shadow cast on his countenance. “We didn’t kill her. She killed herself.”

The fury in Beomgyu’s eyes slowly diminishes, confusion blends in with the fire. “You’re lying. She wouldn’t do that to herself, and she most definitely wouldn’t kill herself on our birthday.”

“Our birthday?” Jay raises his eyebrow inquisitively.

Beomgyu clenches his jaw. “We’re fraternal twins.”

“Believe what you want, but the truth is, your psychotic sister was a cunning bitch who had a diabolical plan that obviously involved her planned death, and her plan succeeded when everyone believed that we were the ones who killed her, considering that she was found dead in the palace.” Sunghoon divulges, his tone indicating the gravity of the recollection, to which Beomgyu begins to feel conflicted.

“We don’t have anything concrete to prove our innocence, but we do have a certain group of people who can attest to our innocence since we were with them on the day Jinae decided to kill herself.” Heeseung unfurls a cynical smirk at the corner of his lips.

“Even if you didn’t kill her, what you did is still a contributing factor, which made sense why she killed herself.” Beomgyu says with conviction, his tone dripping with venom. “Because you fuckers uploaded those sex tapes you recorded of her.”

“If she hadn’t pissed us off in the first place, then we wouldn’t have done what we did.” Jay shrugs his shoulders, appearing nonchalant. “Besides, it was her idea in the first place to be recorded, and she even consented herself.”

“Oh, she pissed us off, alright.” Jake chuckles lightly, without any mirth. “She was obsessed with me, mostly, and she couldn’t get the fucking clue that I wasn’t into her, but I thought to myself, why not fuck around with her and let my best friends have their fun with her as well?”

“You really are a bunch of sick fucks!” Beomgyu attempts to lunge forward while remaining on his knees, but tumbles forward instead. Unbeknownst to them, tears begin to fill his waterline. “My sister told me about how much she loved all of you. She often called me to tell me about her day with you all excitedly before you decided to toss her aside.” Beomgyu clenches his fist. “All she ever wanted was to be loved by you.”

“Yes, she indeed pissed us off by beating the shit out of any girl who got close to us and threatening to kill us, even held Jake at a knife point, forcing us to love her the same.” Heeseung bends down to tilt Beomgyu’s chin up with the edge of his knife, penetrating his eyes into the latter’s. “Love can never be forced upon you, but unfortunately, your sister couldn’t understand that.”

“You could’ve tried to learn to love her.” Beomgyu spits out, his body trembling with tumultuous emotions that threaten to consume him. “What does Y/N have that my sister didn’t? What made you love Y/N when you couldn’t love Jinae?”

“It’s simple, really, because Choi Jinae was not and never will be Y/N Kang.” Heeseung answers neutrally, but his eyes flicker with palpable sadness and yearning for you before they are eclipsed by the familiar callousness. “Great news. We’ll be sparing your life.”

“Wait, we won’t?” Jay blurts out in disbelief. “But he betrayed─”

“I know what he did.” Heeseung cuts him off calmly, trailing his eyes back to Beomgyu. “Instead, I want you to confess the entire truth to Y/N without leaving out any details. Tell her that you were the mastermind all along. If you fail to comply, you and your little rebellion will be facing a sequence of agonising pain that leads you to your death.”

“Even if I did confess the truth to her, it wouldn’t change the fact that guys did record those contents without her consent, which is why she’s hating you right now, am I right?” Beomgyu adorns a lopsided grin, displaying his glee despite the patent wrath emanating from them. “At least my plan B of ruining your relationship with her worked. She’s far from your reach now─”

Having had enough, Heeseung socks Beomgyu in the face with his knee, rendering him unconscious as his limp body falls to the ground with a thud.

“Did you record everything?” Heeseung turns to look at Sunghoon, who fishes out his phone from his pocket with the screen displaying the ongoing voice recording before he presses the stop button. “Good. Send it to Riki.”

“What about them?” Jake asks, his eyes scanning the mess with four unconscious bodies scattered around and definitely not unscathed. “After what they did to our girl, I still feel that they deserve to die.”

“Leave them to rot or whatever, I don’t care.” Heeseung mutters under his breath, running his fingers through his tousled locks. All the while, he has been battling an internal battle that wages between his mind and heart. One yearns to return to you, while the other refuses, as it knows you need space.

“Agreed.” Jay heaves a sigh, his hand sliding into his pocket to retrieve the e-cigarette before inhaling the flavour aerosol and puffing it out, watching the grey wafts in the air. “Tonight has been a long one.”

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Days passed by like a blur since your confrontation, but the weight on your shoulders remains a burden that, coupled with the unabating turmoil in you, deprives you of the much-needed solace you have been seeking.

You genuinely thought that after your confrontation, you would feel a little lighter and perhaps the cyberbullying that centred around you would wane, but you were gravely mistaken when your phone would sporadically buzz with incessant notifications that mostly contained demeaning words.

As a result, your mental health is deteriorating with each passing minute, as it also affects your appetite. Even when one of your best friends tries to feed you, you can’t help but puke up after two spoons. Sleep is no different either, as whenever you try to close your eyes, all you can see are those words with different malign voices speaking to you as though to haunt you.

Heck, you don’t even feel safe in your once-sanctuary that used to be filled with comfort and security, because in every space in your room, you feel as though someone ought to get you, completely paranoid. Of course, you are. Some of those words included them desiring to eradicate you, simply because you have earned a newfound reputation as the Catholic worthless slut of Crestview Meadows.

Your best friends have offered consolation and advice, including to deactivate or delete your socials permanently, but you don’t have the heart to do that, especially when those socials contain memories. Although you rarely post your own pictures, you often capture precious moments with your friends, family, and even yourself and post those moments on social media. You wish to look back at those moments if there is ever a time you miss them, giving you nostalgia. After all, you are a sentimental person.

“Y/N! Are you done packing the last of your boxes?" You hear Karina calling for you from the living room, pulling you out of your thoughts once more. “We actually should get going if we don't want to get stuck in a traffic jam at peak hours.”

“In a minute!” You reply to her, surprising yourself with the volume of your voice since you barely make any sound unless your best friends ask you questions or attempt to strike up a conversation while you remain holed up in your room.

You look down at your bandaged hand, curling and uncurling your fingers to test out the tolerance of your pain now before you bend down to grab the brown box by the handles with ease. As you look around your room, which is now bare of any ornaments and familiar embellishments that used to offer you a minuscule sense of comfort, you feel the strings in your heart tugging painfully.

It is indeed a bittersweet feeling to permanently leave your room that is filled with memories, be they the bad or the good ones, and you don’t take any of them for granted, knowing that each memory, in some way, has moulded you into the person you are now who is never ready to face the outside world just yet.

It turns out that all seniors residing in the dormitory have to comply with the mandatory clearing and moving out of their allotted dorms by tomorrow, since, after all, all of you seniors are the graduating batch, and your graduation will commence in just a few days.

All of the other seniors, including your best friends, are evidently excited for graduation day to arrive after gruelling years of academic torment, and some have already planned a celebratory party, but you feel entirely numb despite knowing that you survived and did exceptionally well throughout your years here. Mainly, you are not ready to receive your degree once you enter the stage with judgmental eyes on you.

“Y/N, what is taking you so long─” Karina enters your room and stops mid-sentence upon seeing a tear trickling down your cheek. “Are you okay?” She asks gently.

“I’m just going to miss this room.” You tell her in a splintered whisper before sighing softly. “I know, I’m being dramatic about this.”

“No, babe, your feelings are completely valid.” Karina places her hand on your shoulder to give it a comforting squeeze. She offers you a gentle smile, her eyes mirroring the reminiscing sentiment in yours. “I’m gonna miss my room too. I’m going to miss our dorm. We really did make a lot of great memories, well, minus the bad ones, of course.”

You take another glance around before drawing in a sharp breath, your firm eyes meeting hers as you give her a head nod. “Let’s go. The longer I’m here, the more I have the urge to burst into tears. I’m tired of crying.”

“And I’m tired of carrying the boxes down into my car.” Karina shoots you a playful scowl as you find yourself lifting a small smile. “You’re lucky that you’re my passenger princess.”

Princess.

It’s a mere endearment that is common everywhere, especially in books and televisions, but it is enough to send you a wave of emotions, and it is an endearment you wish to hear again from him. You swallow down the emotional lump in your throat thickly that is threatening to implode.

“Wonyoung and Yunjin?” You inquire to Karina, now standing outside of the apartment door while the latter is busily adjusting to covering your head with the hoodie that you are adorned in, as you requested her assistance since you refuse for anyone to catch a glimpse of your face.

“Their chauffeur arrived earlier. Don’t be too sad. You’ll be seeing them again soon, you know that, right?” Karina gives you a knowing look as you proceed to advance forward in the direction of the elevator.

You reciprocate with a small smile that doesn’t reach your eyes, recalling your conversation with, particularly, Yunjin two days ago. “I know.”

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Sleep didn’t beckon you throughout the two-hour journey, or perhaps it did, but you were too preoccupied by the incessant unpleasant churn in your tummy. Your nerves have been in an unabating jitter ever since Karina drove through your hometown, even as you now arrive outside of the place you grew up in.

Your breath hitches as you spot your father descending the porch steps, ambling in the direction of where Karina pulled over directly in front of your humble abode. His face shows no signs of exhaustion or tensity, but still, the wariness in you remains niggling in the back of your mind.

You haven’t been contacting your father or even replying to his messages ever since the day you bumped into him after confronting your mother about her infidelity and moral compass. It isn’t that you hate him, no, you have always been known as Daddy’s girl since you were an infant, but rather that you don’t know how to face him without bearing the guilt on behalf of your mother.

As for your mother, neither of you bothered to reach out and make some sort of amendment or even forgiveness.You are sensible enough to realise that you should not have said those words that hurt your mother, but you were too caught up in your retaliation, wanting to hurt her just as she hurt you after condemning you.

“Come on, I’ll help you out with your father.” Karina pulls you out of your thoughts with a shake on the shoulder before the two of you exit the car.

Mustering courage, you turn to face your approaching father with a half-crooked smile, your eyes searching for his. “Hi, Dad.” You greet him softly, feeling the gravitational pull towards him just as he invitingly opens his arms before you crash into him. Your arms latch around him as you seek the familiar comfort in your father’s warm embrace.

“My one and only baby girl is finally back.” Your father attempts to lighten the sombre mood with his mirth, his chuckles sounding rich in your ears while you remain in his embrace, not wanting to pull away or else tears will burst out.

“I’ve missed you so much, Dad.” You mumble, your throat hurting from the inhibiting emotions. “I’m sorry for not calling or texting you.”

A soft smile unfurls on his lips before he plants a kiss on your crown. “It’s okay. I’ve missed you too, sweetheart.” He pulls away from the hug with his hands on your shoulders and examines you, noticing your disheartened spirit even when your demeanour is neutral. “Come. Let’s not make your friend wait anymore. Karina, right? I remember you.”

“It’s good to see you again, Mister Kang.” Karina, who has been watching the endearing moment between you and your father silently, greets him with the same pleasantry as they exchange for more short, polite talks before the three of you proceed to carry out the boxes from the trunk and bring the boxes inside.

It isn’t long until Karina finally departs from your home, leaving you to deal with your quandary, as not moments ago, you stumbled upon your mother in the kitchen, but of course you fled from her before she could even say anything. You have no idea whether or not your father knows about your mother’s infidelity, but if he does, then he is doing a great job at putting up a front.

Deciding to distract yourself, you open one of the boxes, only to be met with familiar plushies, which Jake and Sunghoon won for you at the palace’s arcade. Your heart aches as you slowly reach out for one, tears filling your waterline before you can even control your emotions, and alas, you break, hugging the plushie close to your chest while the memories torment you in an agonising playback in your mind.

Despite the resentment burning in your heart, you can’t deny the palpable longing for them, throwing you into a whirlpool of conflicting emotions that threaten to drown you. You choke back a sob as soon as you hear someone knocking on your ajar door.

“Y/N, honey? Are you okay?” Your mother’s voice causes you to halt your emotional breakdown as you quickly wipe away your tears when the door slowly pushes open. You remain seated by the edge of the bed, looking away from her and becoming mute. “Honey, talk to me─”

“I don’t want to talk to you, let alone look at your face. So please, get out of my room.” You cut her off weakly, your voice a silent plea. “I’m tired, and I can’t deal with arguing with you again.”

“Your mother means well, Y/N.” This time, your father manages to draw your attention to him as he ambles towards you and stands next to your mother. The look on his face tells you everything you need to know that your father already knows about your mother. “Do forgive your mother.”

“And you have?” You blurt out disbelief. “I don’t understand. How are you okay with this after knowing what she did?” You can see it in your mother’s eyes; the way you convey your resentment hurts her.

“Because I allowed her to meet them.” He tells you calmly, the stark honesty in his eyes only seems to stagger you further, to which he sees and releases a soft sigh before settling down next to you. “I know it’s hard for you to understand why, but they loved your mother the same way I do. I couldn’t refuse them when they reached out to me and asked me for my permission to meet her, because after all, they had been my good friends since university.”

“But they’re not good people.” You retort vehemently. “If you knew what they did and how they treated their sons─”

“I know, honey, but I couldn’t forget their good deeds, no matter how much they’ve changed since they entered fatherhood. One of them even helped me secure my employment in law enforcement.” Your father sighs. “No matter what, forgiveness and letting go are easier than holding such resentment.”

His words hit you so hard that you can even feel them deep in your heart because of how fitting they are to your current predicament. Forgiveness is one thing, but letting go of them? And just like that, you return to the reeling of your torrential emotions as you look down, not bothered in the slightest, even when your mother sits next to you.

Your parents exchange worried glances upon noticing your deadly silence before your mother musters the courage to speak, hesitantly placing her hand on your back. “I know what I did is still morally wrong, and I’m so sorry for condemning you─”

A forlorn sob leaves your lips, startling them with your sudden outburst as tears cascade down your cheeks. You slowly lift your head to look at your mother through the tears, wanting her comfort despite feeling resentment towards her.

“Baby girl, what’s wrong?” Your father’s gentleness, which reminds you of Heeseung, only seems to hurl you to the edge as sobs rack through your body.

Your mother can’t stand to see the sight of you bawling out tears, especially when she recognises the agony of heartbreak written across your features. “Oh, honey, come here.” Following her motherly instinct, she pulls you into her embrace, which you can’t refuse, not when you have dearly missed being comforted by your mother.

“I loved them, Mom.” You manage to utter in between sobs as you cling desperately onto her, her arms enveloping your trembling body. “I really did, but after what they’ve done─ I can't forgive them.”

Instead of prying and demanding an elaboration from you, your parents choose to offer you more comfort, with your father now enveloping you and your mother nestling closely with each other. They allow you to release the uncontrollable, prolonging waterworks, and their presence provides you with some form of moral support.

You have lost track of time since the moment you decided to break down in front of your parents, but maybe long enough for the rays of the sunset now filtering through your window. Your sobs have finally quietened as you bask in the oddly comforting silence, remaining in their embrace.

Sniffling, you lift your head to look at them with swollen eyes and streaks of tears staining your cheeks. “Mom, Dad, there is something I have to tell you, and it is something that requires your blessing, which I hope you’ll allow me.” And so, you begin to reveal what you and Yunjin have discussed to your parents as they listen with an open mind.

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You can feel judgmental eyes latching onto your figure, unnerving you as most of the seniors occupying the seats across the wide-stretch field are highly responsible for tearing you down through the cyberharassment, which thankfully has dwindled, but there are still a few bad apples that are relentless.

Still, you can’t allow any of them to prevent you from feeling the same triumphant joy of successfully surviving four years of university as you now receive your degree on stage alongside a special reward for making it onto the director’s list due to your outstanding performance. Plus, your moral support is here ─ your parents, Wonyoung, Karina, Yunjin, the other girls, and just the few ones whose loyalty lies with you and still sticks by your side till the end.

The air is teeming with jubilation, with your peers around you rejoicing with their loved ones as the graduation ceremony is officially over. You can’t help the chuckle leaving your lips as your friends’ enthusiasm is infectious. You're now huddling with them in a group hug. You even join in with your friends and peers to throw your graduation hat in the air at the same time.

“Girls! Look at the camera here!” Your father waves to the bunch of you for attention, with your mother standing next to him, both adorning proud smiles on their faces. Erupting into fits of giggles as you all huddle, you begin to pose for the camera before your father snaps a picture of you and your friends.

“I’m so going to miss you.” Winter engulfs you in a tight hug before you eventually engage in a hugging session with the rest of your friends, all teary-eyed as you exchange words of farewell and well wishes.

Yet, in the midst of it all, your eyes sweep across the seniors in your line of sight, searching for specific individuals. You saw them earlier, and God did they look sinfully handsome even in their graduation gowns while their hair was styled impeccably, which accentuated their features.

Of course, you immediately looked away from them and used your father’s figure to shield yourself from them despite his genuine confusion at your behaviour, and thankfully, they seemed to be too occupied with the other knights to even notice you.

Your heart begins to ache, recalling their faces in your mind as you know that this will be the last time you’ll ever see them, before getting pulled away from your pensive thoughts as your father calls for you, wanting you to pose for the camera with the small bouquet of flowers and your degree in your grasp.

Minutes have stretched into hours, and instead of heading back home with your parents, you find yourself in the passenger seat while Karina drives you to the unknown destination with Wonyoung and Yunjin settled in the backseat, uncertain of where they decide to bring you, but nevertheless, the duration of the ride doesn’t last for an hour.

“Why are they not coming with us?” You inquire to Wonyoung with a frown before casting a look over your shoulder at Karina and Yunjin as they remain in the car before the two of you proceed to enter the café establishment.

“Because they’ve already heard the truth, just as I have.” Wonyoung shoots you a small smile upon seeing the confusion in your eyes. “There are two people who wanted to meet you.”

Just as Wonyoung says, you have reached the table with two vaguely familiar faces. The two of them greet you with smiles of recognition, and like a switch in your brain, you finally recognise them. Julie and Belle, who were close friends of Jinae back then.

“It’s been a long time, Y/N. You look beautiful since the last time we saw you.” Belle offers you a dashing smile as soon as you and Wonyoung take your seats across from them.

Your cheeks flush pink. “You remember me?”

“Of course. Besides, your face is hard to forget.” Julie tells you, mirroring Belle’s smile, but a peculiar emotion flickers in her gaze before her smile falters. “The real reason we wanted to meet you is to give you some form of clarity, because we’ve heard of what happened to you.”

Your eyes go crestfallen while a sad chuckle leaves your lips. “You probably saw those videos, and for that, I’m sorry, just as I’m sorry for the loss of your friend. Jinae.”

“Don’t apologise. You’re a victim just as Jinae once was.” Julie says firmly. “But to tell you the truth, Jinae wasn’t exactly innocent either.”

“What do you mean?” You frown at this, and soon anger simmers within you as you feel compelled to defend the Jinae. “She very much was, especially after getting those sex tapes of her uploaded on social media. So I know how she felt, and what’s worse is the fact that they killed her after humiliating her.”

“That’s the thing, Y/N, they didn’t kill her.” Belle says quietly, her eyes turning crestfallen. “Yes, the leaders did upload those sex tapes back then, but they didn’t kill her. She committed suicide.”

“Wait, what?” Your eyes widen in sheer disbelief before they dart at Wonyoung, who, in return, nods her head sullenly. You redirect your attention to Julie and Belle, confusion swirling in your eyes. “I don’t understand. I thought they killed her. Someone also told me that there was evidence that they were the ones responsible for her death.”

“We have no reason to lie, Y/N. I don’t know who told you about the evidence, but the same evidence was part of Jinae’s twisted plan.” Julie heaves a sigh as she runs her fingers through her hair. “Listen, Jinae was really a good friend to us, but she got progressively worse after the whole obsession with the leaders. She would go batshit crazy whenever any girl approached the leaders, because that's how obsessive she was. We tried stopping her from assaulting those poor girls, but she adamantly refused. She wanted the leaders all to herself.”

“Maybe I’m being a heartless bitch, but I’m glad Jinae isn’t here to witness you being intimately close to the leaders, who know what would’ve happened to you, knowing Jinae’s nature.” Belle shudders at the thought. Her kind eyes meet yours, seeing apparent bafflement in your contortion, to which she offers you a small smile. “I know it’s hard to believe, especially when what you’ve gone through is similar to Jinae in some way, having your vulnerability uploaded on social platforms for the world to see, and because of that, Jinae committed suicide.”

“Jinae told us all of her plans, including her planned death, which was in retaliation against the leaders. Hence, she managed to make everyone believe that the leaders killed her.” Julie adds, and a small, wistful smile appears on her lips. “We tried stopping her, but she didn’t want to live any longer due to the humiliation, not before seeking revenge against the leaders for what they did.”

“We even reached out to the leaders themselves on the day Jinae committed, despite the fact that we felt resentment towards them. We wanted to warn them about Jinae’s plans, and if there were even some humanity left in them, we hoped that they would work with us in stopping Jinae, but it was too late by then.” Belle continues to divulge, reminiscing about the past, which only daunts her further, as evident in the shadow cast over her delicate features. “Hence, me, Julie, and our other two best friends were the concrete evidence that can attest to the leaders’ innocence.”

“Did you two ever inform the law enforcement officers about the truth?” Wonyoung decides to ask as she sees how stunned you are, her hand reaching out to rub your back soothingly.

“Oh, yes, we did, but we didn’t have concrete evidence on our hands because Jinae only verbally told us about her plan, so it was futile.” Julie rubs her face, visible lines of exhaustion are evident. “Besides, they found the leaders’ handprints all over the knives, of which Jinae was the one to use them on herself.”

“Despite how diabolical she was, she crafted her plans well. I guess her revenge worked, seeing that everyone believed that the leaders were her murderers.” Belle pauses herself, her eyes carefully studying the expression on your face. “It’s a lot to take in, I know. But I hope that you won’t pursue the path Jinae did. You should firmly trust that there are better days ahead, and all of this will pass soon.”

“Thank you.” You can only utter your gratitude while soaking their words into your brain, unable to articulate your feelings that are influenced by the tumultuous emotions within you.

Julie and Belle decide to dispel the gloomy atmosphere with another topic, to which Wonyoung goes with the flow, whereas your mind drifts off elsewhere as you try your utmost to keep up with the conversation.

Sure, a part of you feels relieved to hear that the leaders didn’t kill her, but that doesn’t mean they were entirely innocent and change the fact that your vulnerability has been exposed to the world, which was the same tactic that they pulled with Jinae.

And so, with a heavy heart and a resolute mind, you expunge any lingering hesitation as you await the day for your departure to arrive.

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A familiar normalcy returns to your humble abode, or perhaps just a semblance of it since you still feel awkward around your mother despite the fact that you have forgiven her for the sake of your sanity. Other than that, your father has been spending more time with you as he was granted annual leaves for the past few days, but even you know that the reason behind this is because you’ll be leaving tomorrow.

Just last night, you had a talk with your parents and cried in their arms, apologising profusely to them for the firm decision you made, but as saddened as they were, your parents understood and wanted you to be happy, even if you decided to seek happiness elsewhere beyond their reach.

“Y/N, honey!” You can hear your mother calling for you from the living room, her voice manages to reach your room, where you left the door wide open.

“I’m still packing, Mom!” You tell her exasperatedly, expecting that she is going to nag at you again for packing your clothes and other necessities into your luggage the day before.

Placing your hands at your hips, you look around at the mess you have made, your lips pursing. Clothes, shoes, and other necessities are strewn across the floor while your luggage is positioned in the middle of the room, having been opened with only two medium zip-lock bags, which you stuffed your clothes inside so your luggage will have more space for you to put other things.

Honestly, you don’t have to pack a lot of things, especially clothes, since, according to Yunjin, you’ll be going shopping with her for famous designer clothes by using her card. You were appalled by this, because no matter how immensely wealthy she is, you hate for her to spend her money on you. Of course, Yunjin simply dismissed your refusal and adamantly wanted to shower you with her wealth.

“Hey, kiddo.” You shift your attention to your father, who is standing by the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest and leaning against the frame. His eyes are dancing with amusement, yet there is a glinting curiosity. “Your mother called for you.”

“Tell her I’ll be quick.” You wave your father off, bending down to pick up your sweaters with the intention of stuffing them into a zip-lock bag.

“I doubt that you’ll be able to pack that quickly, baby girl.” Your father muses, his eyes following you, as you prance around with your hands full. “Besides, you have visitors.”

You halt your steps, slowly turning around to look at him with genuine confusion. “Who? Are they people I recognise?”

“I don’t know, but those boys look around your age.” Your father informs you, causing you to go frigid at the possibility of them being the ones that you don’t wish to see. “The blond one got along well with your mother, though. But honey, is there something you’re not telling me?”

“I don’t have a boyfriend, Dad, nor am I interested.” You huff, ambling towards him. “But I think I know who they are.”

With your father trailing behind you as you descend the stairs, you are greeted by the sight of three familiar faces in the living room with your mother, conversing amiably politely with her, and they even managed to make her laugh. But pure confusion is on your face.

“Y/N!” Sunoo beams with a smile as soon as you enter the living room, prompting Riki and Jungwon to shift their attention to you.

“Y/N, you didn’t tell me about these friends of yours before.” Your mother says, smiling lightly and completely oblivious to the way you tense up. “They’re here for you.”

“Your lovely mother is correct.” Sunoo tells you, a knowing glint in his eyes as he examines you while the smile on his lips persists. “How have you been doing?”

“Just peachy.” You clip with a tight smile while your icy glare burns into them. “Let’s talk outside. Mom, Dad, I’ll be back.”

You don’t wait for any of their responses as you walk briskly past them, reaching the main door and pushing it open. You hear their footsteps approaching from behind you as you guide them to the front porch.

“You know, your house is actually pretty cool. It feels homeier than mine.” Sunoo, as always the chatty one out of the trio, invites himself to take a seat on the creamed wooden swinging bench, whereas Riki takes a seat on the porch step and Jungwon is next to you. “You look a lot like your mother, but your father is quite intimidating.”

“Just cut to the chase. What do you want?” You lean your lower back against the balustrades in a self-defensive stance with your arms folded below your chest, while the scowl on your face shows a distinct hostility towards them being closely associated with the leaders. “Are you here to torment me with your goading just like the others? At least you have the audacity to do it in my face.”

“Woah, relax. Don’t get your pants twisted.” Sunoo puts his hands up in a mocking surrender, earning a head shake from Riki at his usual antics. “I thought we were friends, darling. So why the hostility towards us?”

“What Sunoo meant to say instead is that there is something important you should know.” Jungwon intervenes as he casts a brief glare at his best friend before looking at you, his eyes hold such solemnity that it compels you to listen. “They didn’t upload those pictures and videos.”

A scoff leaves your lips before you can stop it. “Do you really expect me to believe that? When they themselves uploaded those contents to their own social accounts?”

“Yes, because it wasn’t their fault. Their accounts were hacked.” Jungwon bites back, his feline-like eyes glaring intimidatingly into your icy ones. “They’ve been framed and backstabbed by their trusted knights. They would never have hurt you in any way.”

“He’s right, Y/N.” Any traces of whimsicality are erased from Sunoo’s countenance; his tone sounds as sombre as Jungwon’s. “Hell, I don’t know anything about love, or maybe they’re just obsessed with you, but I know for a fact that you mean a lot to them.”

You unfold your arms and allow them to fall to the sides, your fist clenching as you try your utmost to control the tumultuous emotions that have roused from the bay while tears prickle in your glaring eyes. “I don’t believe you. Even if they weren’t the ones who uploaded them, it doesn’t change the fact that they lied to me when I already told them that I wanted those to be deleted in the first place. So whatever you have to say to me, I’m not listening anymore.”

You pivot on your heels and brush coldly past Jungwon with the intention to head inside your house, but Riki’s tall, imposing figure startles you as he blocks your way, his callous eyes penetrating into yours while he takes intimidating steps towards you, causing you to back away from him.

Before you can make your next move, Riki halts his steps to retrieve his phone from his pocket and swipes on the screen busily with a monotonous countenance before looking back at you. “Listen.” He commands lowly, giving you his phone, which you hesitantly grab from him.

You swallow harshly, feeling defeated as you make your way to the bench, while Sunoo pats on the empty seat next to him delightfully, causing you to roll your eyes at him. As soon as you are seated, you look at Riki’s phone with a curious frown before pressing on the play button and listening to whatever has been recorded.

Let’s just say it takes you longer than intended to listen to the entire recording, especially when you need some interval for their words to absorb into your pounding head before continuing to listen with the strings in your heart tugging in such a way.

But the revelation that shocks you the most as it sends you a jarring sensation is the true mastermind for the mayhem since the night you were captured by the ones you never would have expected.

Another slash on your wounded heart while tears prickle in your eyes, hearing his voice that is filled with such profound hatred. Pushing his betrayal aside, you begin to put the right pieces together as soon as the recording ends, prompting you to return the phone to Riki.

“I can’t believe that Beomgyu would do this.” You speak up after a couple beats of silence, blinking away the tears in your eyes and releasing a shaky breath.

“We couldn’t believe it either after we discovered that he also turned out to be your anonymous texter, but he used another of Taehyun’s devices, which was why we initially thought that Taehyun was the one instead of Beomgyu.” Sunoo says, and a scornful scowl etches on his face.

As you recall the past interaction you had with anonymous, who is Beomgyu, it finally makes sense why he seemingly appeared as the good guy with the pure intention of wanting to lead you astray from the leaders when, in actuality, it was all part of his plan to influence and poison you with ill-thoughts so you would develop such mistrust towards them while he was waiting for the perfect time to strike.

What’s even more revolting is the fact that he and his rebellion had hidden cameras implemented perfectly in their rooms and other parts of the palace, which was why he had the upper hand because he was always watching your every move.

But then, as another thought comes to your mind, your eyes turn crestfallen. “Why didn’t they come and reveal the truth to me instead?” You ask while the tremor in your voice is a palpable pain.

“Because they knew that you needed space, even if the distance was killing them.” Jungwon answers sombrely, standing from across you as he leans back against the balustrade. “Besides, if they had come to you instead, would you have even listened to what they had to say?”

You look away from Jungwon’s knowing gaze, only to meet Riki’s sharp ones. “After what happened to you, your feelings are valid, and I agree that they shouldn’t have lied to you.” Riki, once again, takes you by surprise as he finally speaks more than one word to you. His eyes soften just slightly upon seeing the heartache shine in yours. “But please don’t hate them any longer.”

You look down at your curled fists on your lap, silence engulfing you while your mind is once again in a tumult with a cacophony of thoughts, and your beating heart has a palpable yearning despite the wounds it bears. But you have long since made up your mind.

Mustering courage, you return your gaze to their attentive ones. “Tonight’s my last night in Seoul.” As soon as those words leave your mouth, the three of them look equally bewildered, their eyes widening at the slightest fraction.

“What do you mean?” Sunoo scoffs out in disbelief. “Listen, I know that they’ve hurt you, but you don’t have to─”

“It’s not just about them, Sunoo.” You cut him off sternly, distracting yourself from the palpable heartache in your chest as you try your utmost to be strong-willed. “Being back with my parents is great, and I love them, but I can’t stay here any longer. I need a new change of scenery and to find new happiness somewhere else that doesn’t require me to depend on anyone. I want this. This is for me.”

“Y/N…” Jungwon sighs, but you intervene, your now-teary eyes conveying a silent plea that has his eyes softened.

“I’m begging you. Please don’t tell them.” You look at each of them while they exchange wary glances. “I know I don’t mean anything to you, but please don’t ruin this for me by telling them.”

“Just tell us one thing.” Sunoo’s stern eyes capture yours in unwavering contact. “Are you moving far from here? Or will you be anywhere in Sokor?”

“Yes and no.” You answer steadily. “I won’t tell you where exactly I’m going, but it is where I’ve always dreamed of travelling to.”

“Alright. We won’t tell them. You have my word.” Riki reassures you, giving you a small smile before his eyes trail to his best friends, hardening with resolve. “We won’t tell them, right?”

“Yes, yes. Don’t need to look at us like that.” Sunoo rolls his eyes at him, whereas Jungwon gives a reluctant nod. “By the way, before we go, we have a surprise gift for you.”

“And since you’re leaving, call it our farewell gift.” Jungwon casts you a grin, causing you to feel wary as you see a gleam of devilry in his eyes.

Soon enough, the three of them guide you to Jungwon’s car as you trail behind them like a clueless duck, wondering what sort of gift, or maybe a prank, since they are also known for being pranksters.

“Wait here.” Riki murmurs to you just as you stop behind the car.

You watch with curious eyes as the three of them head over to the right side of the car before Sunoo opens the door wide, only for Jungwon and Riki to work in tandem as they reach out for something, or rather, someone.

Your stomach begins to churn unpleasantly while your heart rate is going rapid at the sight of a familiar face as he is being held captive by Jungwon and Riki at each side. Your eyes widen at how his once-charming face is ruined by the ugly bruises and even scars. His eyes, which once held such warmth and kindness, are now filled with malevolence as he struggles in their hold, despite how evidently weak he is.

“I’ll fucking punch you if you don’t stop struggling.” Jungwon coldly snarls at him, his demeanour is so callous that it sends you shivers.

“On your knees.” Riki uses his foot to push the back of his knee, resulting in the latter falling to his knees from the impact, while Jungwon moves over to your side in case he decides to attack you unexpectedly. “Now apologise to her.” Riki says in a low rumble.

“You guys really are just a bunch of loyal dogs to your leaders, aren’t you?” He retaliates with a nasty snarl, his glaring eyes burning into theirs, and yet he doesn’t seem to be able to meet yours. “You follow your leaders blindly, even if they tell you to kill yourself.”

“And here I thought I yap too much.” Sunoo groans loudly, closing in the gap as he stands next to him, now being surrounded by the four of you. Sunoo’s fox-like eyes are glaring icily into his, with no traces of mirth on his face. “Look at her and fucking apologise. You owe her that much.”

“That’s okay if he doesn’t want to apologise. I don’t expect much from someone like him anyway.” Your voice draws his attention, and as his eyes finally meet yours, a muscle pulses in your jaw as you see no remorse in his eyes. “But I just want to know one thing. Do you feel satisfied now that you’ve ruined my reputation and my dignity, Choi Beomgyu?”

You feel your skin crawling with dread as you notice the way his eyes darken with a palpable desire, completely enamoured by you, while a sickening smile of delight smears across his bruised lips.

“You’re still beautiful as ever, Y/N.” Beomgyu says softly, his deceptive tone only intensifies the unpleasantness churning in your tummy. But then something so dark and sinister cast a shadow across his face. “But you would’ve looked even more beautiful bathed in your own blood.”

“Why this bastard─” You prevent Jungwon from delivering any punches to Beomgyu as you raise your hand, while your eyes hold no sympathy for the latter.

“You know, I would’ve felt sympathetic for your loss if it weren’t for the fact that you’re just as detrimental as your sister.” You say coldly, and you can see it in his blazing eyes that your remark provokes him. ”Even if you had apologised to me, I wouldn’t forgive you. You aren’t worthy of my forgiveness.”

Beomgyu scoffs, his lips curving into a devilish smirk, and it is as though he is wearing an entirely different mask as he leers at you. “I don’t need forgiveness, especially from someone like you.” His tone drips with venom, conveying his contempt for you. “You’re nothing but a worthless Catholic slut who spreads her legs for anyone who gives you the slightest bit of affection. It’s really pathetic how desperate you are─”

The three of them never see this coming, because one moment you are staring down at Beomgyu with an air of eerie calmness, and the next, you land a hard punch to his face, sending his head flung to the side from the impact while the rest go flinching.

You remain composed despite your knuckles aching. “You might want to say that to your dead sister too. But the only difference between me and her is that I didn’t get batshit crazy if they didn’t give me attention.” A smirk touches your lips while your eyes glint with an unfamiliar cruelty. “So, who really is the desperate one now?”

“You fucking bitch!” Like a rabid dog, Beomgyu lets out a loud snarl, nearly lunging for you if it weren’t for Sunoo and Riki holding him down from each side. “Just wait, Y/N Kang! I’ll finish where I left off, and I will succeed in killing you!”

“Not on our watch, you won’t.” Jungwon smirks before landing a punch to Beomgyu’s face, and this time, knocking him out cold as he falls to the ground with a thud.

“Don’t worry. He won’t be able to touch you, let alone find you.” Riki reassures you after seeing a flicker of concern in your eyes. The small smile on his lips alleviates your perturbation as he pats your shoulder. “Wherever you go, we wish you the best in your future endeavours.”

“Thank you, Riki.” You take him by surprise when you give him a friendly side hug, to which he briefly reciprocates before you shift your attention to a pouty Sunoo and Jungwon.

“So, this really is a goodbye, huh?” Sunoo says, his tone sounding foreignly sincere, as does his softened gaze. “It was nice knowing you, Y/N.”

“It won’t hurt for you to come back to Seoul for next year’s Devil’s Night hosted by us since we’re going to be the official leaders soon.” Jungwon smirks, his dimple becoming prominent on his cheek.

“No thanks. This year’s Devil Night was already traumatising enough.” You politely decline, earning you whines from them, even Riki. “Guys, I’m sure by then you’re going to forget about me, just as they’re going to.” You say shakily, swallowing a painful lump in your throat at the thought.

“Are you kidding? No way. You’re unforgettable, darling.” Sunoo sends you a flirtatious wink with a boyish grin on his lips, causing you to roll your eyes at him. “But seriously, Y/N, I don’t think they would ever forget about you.”

You don’t respond, uncertain of what to say. After giving each of them friendly hugs, including Riki, who bashfully claims that your hug feels comforting as he looks away from your eyes, you watch as they enter the car with an unconscious Beomgyu in the trunk before they speed off from your neighbourhood street.

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The day you have been waiting for has finally dawned, and a new adventure awaits you in just a few hours. The entirety of Incheon International Airport is bustling with both citizens and foreigners as soon as you arrive alongside Yunjin, your parents, Wonyoung, Karina, and a few of your inner circle. Despite how early it is for them, they wish to send you and Yunjin off and bid their last farewells.

Families and friends in your vicinity are bidding heartfelt farewell to their loved ones, including yours. Although no tears are shed this time, an air of melancholy that accompanies the bittersweet feeling is palpable as it brings heartaches, or perhaps the wisdom behind this is not only because you are leaving your family and friends, but because you will be leaving the four men who have ever made you feel special and loved in this lifetime, even if it’s the intoxicating kind of love.

Once again, your heart and mind are in dissonance, causing you to feel a weight on your shoulders as your steps begin to slow down before you look over your shoulder to see your parents and friends waving at both you and Yunjin with big smiles on their faces, but you can’t seem to lift a smile of your own.

Naturally, your eyes begin to sweep across the bustling crowd for specific individuals, to which your rationality is berating you for hopelessly searching for the ones who turned your life upside down and led you astray from the path you had already created for yourself at the start of university, the ones who have changed you, and as a result, you have willingly allowed a transformative change in you for the worst.

But you can’t deny the fact that they added colour to your life, and in a way, the change in you is a blessing as well. Perhaps it was the consequences of allowing them to influence you with their intoxicating ways, but you feel as though there are two contrasting sides to you: light and darkness. The light is a beacon to guide you to the right path and inspire you to act virtuously, while the darkness is an abyss where ignorance, depravity, and other qualities that often tempt you to become the worst version of yourself lie. It is a perfect balance.

“Y/N?” Yunjin’s voice draws your attention as you force yourself to tear your gaze off the surroundings while disappointment seeps through you before you silently berate yourself for it, because after all, they had no idea that you would be leaving for good.

“Are you okay? Do you have second thoughts about it?” Yunjin asks gently, her kind eyes balming your frayed nerves, but it can’t be said the same for the tremendous ache in your heart that still bears the wound caused by them, yet it yearns for them.

Your eyes harden with resolution as you shake your head, clutching the telescopic handle before you pull your luggage to advance forward, now falling in the same steps as her. “No, I don’t. I was just looking at my parents and our friends for the last time.” You answer in a neutral tone, reassuring Yunjin with a small smile.

What are you doing? And more importantly, why are you even thinking of them to the point where it almost has you in a moment of reconsideration? You wanted this, and you were adamant about it. You didn’t want to be in this environment any longer, knowing that they could easily reach out to you again.

So for the sake of your sanity, you gladly embark on a new journey as you and Yunjin now enter the departure hall to get to the right terminal, anticipating what future awaits you in your new life at the place you have dreamed of living ever since.

As you finally settle in your allotted seat, which is next to the window, your eyes follow the movements of the raindrops cascading down in droplets on the window. You lean your back comfortably in your seat while the commotion from the other passengers alighting and settling in their seats fades out in the background as you mentally dissociate yourself from reality for some inner peace.

But soon enough, the semblance of tranquillity immediately shatters when their faces appear in your mind once more, and this time, your eyes spring up with uninhibited tears before they trickle down your cheeks as you grieve in complete silence.

Perhaps it’s a positive grievance that you are no longer tethered to them and have no reason to look back now. You are finally free ─ free from heartbreak, free from your past, free from them.

Tears continue their descent on you as you bury the bittersweet painful memories in the depths of your mind, or at best, erase them from your memory after you have the mental capacity to do so.

As the plane finally takes off, you bid a silent goodbye to them. A wistful smile touches your lips faintly as you shed the last of your tears in silence.

Goodbye. All of you were the most wonderful experiences I’ve ever had in this lifetime.

However, little do you know that fate has something twisted in store for you once more.

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