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goldendynastys · 26 days ago

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wonderland (pt. 2) | cs

summary: being home alone with your pets has always put you on edge, especially at night when you get extremely anxious. you thought you were over it towards the end of your parents’ vacation, but when a random stranger breaks in one night and insists on taking you with him, everything you once knew had begun to change. you knew how your story would end, you just weren’t sure if it was for the better, or the worst.

pairing: choi san x fem!reader rating/genre: 18+, MDNI | yandere, angst, fluff, eventual smut word count: 10.3k warning/tags: yandere, kidnapping, manipulation, stockholm syndrome, obsession, somewhat toxic relationship, fast burn, reader is innocent, angst, arguments between san and reader, lots of fluff, pet names, i think that is it but please let me know if i missed anything (i’m new at this), i hope you enjoy reading! <3

disclaimer: all members of Ateez are faces and name claims for this story. this is entirely a work of fiction and by no means is meant to be a projection, judgment, or representation of real-life people. any scenarios or representations of the people and places mentioned in works are not representative of real life scenarios.

────────────────────── chapter two, echoes of the unknown (← previous | next →)

It had only been a week since you were taken by that thing (you hated calling San by his first name, he didn’t deserve it), and it had truly been the longest week of your life. He was constantly smothering you whenever he could, flirting and teasing you. How did he not see that this was wrong? How fucked up this situation was? It bothered you to no end, and you did everything in your power to avoid San as much as possible.

The first few days were easy; low and behold, he also had a Pitbull named Gunner and a German Shepherd named Tank, who required a good amount of attention. Thankfully, you opted to spend as much time with them as you could so San could “get a break” (when in reality, it was just so you didn’t have to spend time with him). Though San trained them in a way that would allow them to find you if you were to ever escape, they were quite sweet. Supposedly, he had rescued them from being forced into dogfighting three years ago, and they were with him ever since. You thought they deserved a better owner than him, but you were glad he didn’t treat them terribly.

The last two days, however, were the worst. San didn’t have any work obligations coming up, so he decided it would be best if the two of you spent time together. So, he nearly forced you to cuddle with him on the couch after dinner and watch television. His grip was tight, tight enough to keep you in place no matter how hard you tried to move. Though he didn’t say much, except for gently stroking your hair or kissing your forehead, it was still exhausting being in his presence. You wanted nothing more than to just punch him in the face and make a run for it.

Your plans to escape were delayed, but that was because of your revelation that you would get caught if you went too soon. Of course, it’s expected that the kidnapee wants to escape as soon as possible and they’ll take the first chance they get. If you wanted to escape successfully, you would have to wait a little longer. More than a few days, but not more than a month or two. Once you hit a month, you’d take an opportunity you were given to bolt.

For now, you waited. You waited and put up with San’s bullshit, no matter how much it made your skin crawl. Despite how evil and annoying you thought he was, he didn’t treat you terribly. He didn’t yell at you when you protested against him, he never physically hurt you, he always made sure you ate food. It was the bare fucking minimum, but it was better than being treated like actual shit. You could put up with this for a few more weeks, but that’s it.

This morning made it hard for you to stay put and do nothing. You had a dream while you slept, your first one since you got here. It was the weekend before Halloween, one of your favorite holiday’s of the year. Your family held a costume party for the Sons of Anarchy, where everyone would gather at your house and sit by the bonfire, or watch scary movies in the living room. It was just a peaceful night, sharing laughs with your family and singing old songs your parents and the older members loved. It was the first time you felt connected to the group, like you were actually one of them.

When you first woke up, you thought you were at home. You assumed your mother would be downstairs cooking breakfast while your dad read the paper, your brother groggily walking in to pour himself a glass of orange juice. You were waiting for your dog to break into your room and cuddle with you until you decided to get up for the day.

Your stomach dropped once you realized you weren’t at home. No, the sheets were rougher than normal, the material completely different than what you had on your bed. The sun hit your face less in this room, as compared to how hard it hit you in your’s. And as much as you loved having San’s cat, Pip, curled right next to your legs, your cat at home never slept with you, she preferred to sleep alone in her bed downstairs. All of this made you realize that you were no longer at home, and it was all just a silly little dream.

You could feel a pang of anxiety hit your chest, now wanting to stay in bed for as long as you could. You still had no idea what San was capable of, he was terrifying. He could be putting on this sweet and loving act to get you to trust him, and then bam! He would suddenly turn cold and treat you horribly. Everyday, you wondered what he was going to be like, and it was exhausting. You were growing sick and tired of being in this place, and he was making it harder for you everyday. You wanted to leave right this instant, but you knew you had to wait, and it made you angry.

Pip kept rubbing against you. It was cute at first, as all cats were, but you knew it was because she had to get out of the room, whether she was hungry or needed the bathroom. You knew opening the door would make a sound, therefore causing him to hear it and thinking you are awake, which would make him talk to you. And you were not in the mood to speak to him. You never would be, as a matter of fact. Carefully, you opened the bedroom door and helped his cat get out, quietly closing it so San wouldn’t hear you.

It didn’t take long for you to fall asleep again. Only an hour had passed, however, but you felt more awake than you did before. The house felt quieter, too. You could just sense it, there weren't a lot of sounds from downstairs and no music playing. San must’ve left for “work” or had to go out and run errands. You hoped he did, and you hoped he would be gone all day.

The cool air hit your legs as you made your way downstairs. Cold mornings were something you enjoyed, especially during the spring and summer months. It made you feel more awake, ready to take on the day. The weather seemed promising — if it stayed this way, you for sure were going to escape and find your way back home.

There were no sounds coming from the kitchen or living room. The house felt completely empty and a sense of relief washed over you. However, it was quickly crushed when you heard music coming from one of the rooms down the long hallway. Fucking hell. San must’ve been working out and just now decided to put on some music. At least you didn’t have to deal with him first thing in the morning, you at least needed an hour before you were “ready” to speak to him.

You planned on ignoring him until you heard laughter and some grunts. He wasn’t alone. It’s not like you cared or anything, you just wanted to know who exactly was in the same space you were also in. You wanted to make sure they weren’t more insane than San was, that they wouldn’t try to hurt or murder you for simply existing. It was a reasonable explanation for why you were going to see him. Nothing more, nothing less.

Silently, you made your way to the gym, walking gently so they wouldn’t be able to hear you. Once you got closer, you placed your hands on the wall and brought your ear closer to the door. In the gym was San, as expected, but there were two men that you had never seen before. One had short brown hair and was slightly buff (he reminded you of a brown bear), while the other was slightly taller and had long, black hair (and was undeniably gorgeous; perhaps it was the way he had half of his hair tied back in a ponytail). The two of them spotted San while he lifted some heavy dumbbells.

“So when are you getting your girl again?” San asked as he slowly lifted the weight up. “I think I’m good after this set, I’m just going to sit on the cable row machine.”

San swiftly moved from the weights to the cable row machine. As he began to pull back on it, you couldn’t help but notice the way his chest pushed out whenever he went back, and how big his muscles looked. You continued to stare at him while we worked back and forth (though you were mentally scolding yourself for looking at him that way).

The slightly buff man only shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know, I wanted to get her on Saturday, but Hongjoong was pissed off about it. He says that you and I doing it back-to-back wasn’t good for business. He says that we can take time off whenever we want, so I don’t get why he’s mad at us for going at the same time. Either way, I’m getting her soon.”

The way they spoke about this entire situation made you want to vomit. How could anyone say such terrible things? “Getting his girl” as in kidnapping her and taking her away from her family? How was this normalized between this group of men? Why was this normalized? There had to be a deeper reason for this, why they all collectively acted this way. You wanted to figure out why — maybe it could help you escape and get them thrown in prison.

The taller man shrugged his shoulders. “It’s because we have a lot going on these next few weeks. Drug deals, fights, meetings — we can do whatever we want, yeah, but Hongjoong and I want everyone there to make sure everyone knows what’s going on. It’s so we can all work efficiently, and when two people are out, it can cause a small problem.”

“Fair, but man do I want to go and get my girl. She’s so beautiful, I just want to bring her home,” he explained with a dramatic sigh. “Any advice on how to get her? How long will it take for her to warm up to me?”

San let out a laugh. “I can’t tell you that, Jongho. My girl doesn’t even like me, she’s still pissed off that I took her away. She refuses to look at me, and talks back whenever I try to have a talk with her. I’m not sure what your girl is like, but mine is kind of a brat. It’s hot, but she doesn’t go down without a fight. So I don’t know, you just have to go with the flow, I guess.”

“If she talks back, then why don’t you punish her? If you punish her, then she’ll stop fighting back and will actually listen to you,” the taller man suggested.

“No, I don’t think it’s smart. And it’s so old-fashioned, too. She’s not a dog, she can have reactions and thoughts about things. I’m not gonna punish her for that. Do I wish it was easier and that she was nicer to me? No shit. But that’s the way it is right now. When she’s fallen completely in love with me, it’ll be easier. Not sure when that’ll happen, since I think she literally wants to kill me, but it’ll happen one day. I just know it,” San explained.

“I think that day’s going to come sooner than you thought, Sannie,” the taller man interrupted with a smirk on his face, looking directly at you.

The other two turned their heads to see you standing in the hallway. A smirk rose on San’s face, while you immediately turned around and tried to sprint down the hallway. You were stopped, however, once Gunner and Tank came running towards you, happy as ever. They began to circle and sniff you as part of their morning ritual, and you weren’t able to move. Great.

You felt San’s arms wrap around your waist and turn you around. A wide smile was on his face, clearly happy to see you. “Good morning, baby. Did you sleep well?”

When he tried to give you a kiss, you immediately put your hand in front of your face near his lips. “Ew. Your breath stinks and I just threw up. It’s too early for this.”

A look of concern rose on his face, placing a gentle kiss on the palm of your hand. “Are you okay? Why didn’t you call me? Was it something you ate?”

You immediately got grossed out and wiped your hand on his black tank top, which you realized was covered in sweat from his workout. You were clearly seething, but you decided to keep your mouth shut. “I’m fine, I don’t need your help. In fact, it was actually the most peace I’ve felt since I was forced here against my will. I really wish I could have that peace all the time.”

Jongho couldn’t help but laugh at your words, the other man joining in as well. “When you said she was a brat, you weren’t kidding. You forgot to tell us she was funny, too.”

Your face scrunched up in disgust. You wanted to smack him in the head for his awful comment — everyone in the room, actually. Subconsciously, however, you noticed yourself shifting more closer to San, your hand now on his chest as you looked at the two other men. Perhaps it was because out of all of them, you knew San the best and wanted to be closest to the person most familiar to you. You still hated him, of course, you just wanted to be by him in case the other men tried to do something and you needed protection. Your hatred for Choi San would never change.

San chuckled. “She’s a comedian for sure.”

He then introduced them to you, telling them your name to be polite (even though they already knew who you were). He spoke your name again when it was your turn to meet them. “The man on your left is Jongho, and the other is Seonghwa.”

“Hi?” You introduced yourself, confused. “Not sure if I’m supposed to be happy about meeting you, given the circumstances.”

“Don’t worry, we know who you are. San over here wouldn’t shut up about you for months. We’re finally glad he got off his ass and finally made a move,” Jongho joked, making Seonghwa snicker at his comment.

You could see San’s cheeks turn pink as he said those comments, but remained collected nonetheless. “As if you weren’t all excited and annoying when you found your girl. You can’t stop talking about her! Is it wrong for me to praise and show off my girl?”

“Yes, on so many levels,” you cut in.

The men just stared at you, San rolling his eyes at your behavior. He just ignored your comment and focused on his friends. “Sorry, how else am I supposed to act when I’ve found the woman of my dreams?”

Seonghwa chuckled. “Okay, fair. I was the same when Hongjoong and I started going out. But that doesn’t mean that I wasn’t annoying.”

“It’s true. I seriously considered slapping you in the face to get you to snap out of it. And San, too,” Jongho joked. The thought brought a small smile to your face, but you kept to yourself.

San only shrugged his shoulders and pulled you into his chest more. “Love will make you do crazy things, I guess.”

“Indeed it does,” Seonghwa agreed. “But I do think Jongho and I have to leave now. We have to shower before our meeting and errands today. You’re meeting us in, like, two hours?”

“Yeah, I just need to shower and I’ll meet up with all of you. Thanks for coming out today, bro. I appreciate it,” San answered. The way we said that and the words he chose made you cringe. Maybe it was because you hated the way “gym bros” spoke to each other and how unintelligent they sounded. You knew it was bad to assume that all gym bros were unintelligent, but you weren’t entirely wrong. Especially with San and his friends — they certainly weren’t the kindest people and perhaps they weren’t the brightest, either.

Seonghwa nodded and turned towards you, and Jongho did the same. “Nice meeting you,” he started, saying your name at the end of his sentence. “We’ll probably cross paths multiple times in the future.”

“Thanks,” you responded curtly. You muttered I hope not very quietly so no one could hear you.

You immediately left San’s grip once the two men left. As you started to make your way upstairs, he called out to you, concerned. “Are you alright? You just got sick, you have got to be feeling lousy. Do you want some water, some advil? I can take your temperature and see if you’re running a fever—”

“No, no that’s okay. I don’t need anything, so I’ll just . . . go back to sleep, I guess. No need to bother me, I’ll just be resting and sleeping, and I have no idea when I’ll wake up! So, yeah. Bye,” you tried to make a run for it, but stopped yourself once San began speaking again.

“You should at least eat something,” he suggested. “I heard a plain piece of toast will help, it’s supposed to be light but help you digest better. I was going to make French toast and bacon, your favorite, but I can make it for dinner or breakfast tomorrow. I’ll make you some toast now.”

Before you could protest, he made his way to the kitchen and threw a piece of bread into the toaster. Gunner and Tank had reappeared, all happy that you and San were awake. They began to smell you, and you couldn’t help but let out a small laugh as you scratched their ears. You decided to only focus on them in hopes it would make all of this go away for a little bit.

“You’re both so sweet, tough but so so sweet. You’re too adorable, I already love you,” you spoke to them sweetly.

“I’m surprised at how nice they are,” San started. You wanted to roll your eyes in a very obvious way, but you chose not to. “They were going to be trained and used in dogfighting competitions, but the owner got arrested while they were puppies. My friend was able to hook me up and I took these two home. I have not regretted it at all.”

“Well, good, because it would be really sad if you did regret it. These poor dogs don’t deserve to be with you in the first place. If you hated them, I’d take care of them myself or find them a home with someone who would actually care for them,” you scoffed.

San nodded his head. “Good thing I care about them, then.”

You rolled your eyes this time. As if he could actually care about anything. He was a narcissistic asshole who only cared about himself, how could he care about animals? You began to wonder if there was something happening behind the scenes, if San actually treated them terribly when you weren’t around. No, they would be afraid of him if he did, and they seemed to be somewhat calm whenever he was around. Perhaps they did like him (but you hoped they would grow to like you better).

A plate being put on top of the kitchen table snapped you out of your thoughts. It was a plain piece of toast, looking as boring as ever. San sat down with his eyes glued to you. “Eat this, it should help settle your stomach.”

“I’m all set, thank you. Wouldn’t want to get sick again, especially all over you and the kitchen. Oh wait, actually . . . maybe I will eat then,” you joked slyly, your arms now crossed over your chest.

San chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. “I wouldn’t care, Princess. Your attempts to make me angry are so cute, but they aren’t going to work. Now, please eat before your toast gets cold.”

“You sure about that? I guarantee that if I vomited on your shirt, you’d throw a hissy fit and get all mad at me,” you protested.

“I really wouldn’t. I have plenty more shirts in my closet, and I can buy more at the store. Please eat your food.”

“Hmm, I don’t think so. You most definitely poisoned it and are either going to kill me, or make me be weirdly obsessed with you, so I’m all set—”

“I’m not going to tell you again,” San cut you off sternly, saying your name as emphasis to how serious he was. His demeanor changed — now he seemed angry, more annoyed at the way you were acting. “Eat your toast before it gets cold, now.”

As much as you wanted to fight back, you were scared. You didn’t know what San was capable of, and based on his sudden mood change, you didn’t want to risk it. So, you slowly made your way to the table and sat down in front of the toast. Reluctantly, you took a bite. It wasn’t bad, just plain toast. You took a few more bites before claiming you were full.

You pushed the plate back towards San, who was now sitting in the chair directly across from you. “That . . . wasn’t terrible. Thanks. But if I start coughing up blood or violently throwing up within the next hour, I’m killing you with my bare hands.”

San chuckled. “Thank you, baby. I’m glad you enjoyed your breakfast,” he smiled. “I’m sorry for getting angry with you. I just don’t like it when you don’t listen to me. It’s adorable and cute sometimes, but I have to remind you of who’s in charge. You must listen to me when I tell you to do something, it’ll only make this easier.”

Make this easier? Remind you of who’s in charge? Who the hell says that to someone they claim to be their romantic partner?

The confused look you had on your face remained; you couldn’t shake it off no matter how hard you tried. You hated this, you hated being treated this way. Especially by him. You had no choice but to play along, unless you wanted to be killed, so you stayed quiet. But that didn’t mean your facial expressions couldn’t change, however, and express what you were truly thinking at that moment. At least you had that.

Shrugging your shoulders, you stood up and pushed in your chair. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever, I’ll do what you say, within reason, and you’ll stay off my case. Sounds like a deal to me,” you proposed. “And, for the record, I didn’t actually throw up.”

San furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Then why did you say you did?”

“Because I didn’t want you to kiss me. Duh,” you answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

You could tell San was a little irritated, but he brushed it off. He really didn’t care, he just wanted to give you affection, and it made him sad when you rejected it (from what you could tell, because he supposedly really liked you). He just shrugged his shoulders. “Alright, it’s whatever. I’m just glad you had something to eat before I head out for the day,” he said. “I’m going to take a shower now . . . wanna join me?”

You felt your eyes fall out of your head as you processed the words he just said to you. “Um, no. No, I think I’m good, actually. I’d rather be bitten by a rattlesnake than ever do that. So no, no, I’m good. Please don’t ask me that question again. Like, ever.”

“Really? It could make up for the fact you wouldn’t let me kiss you earlier. I could use your help washing my hair and rubbing my sore muscles. Plus we’d be saving water, which is always a good thing,” San tried with a giant smirk on his face. He knew this would piss you off, and he did enjoy seeing you get a little angry.

“I’m sure you can wash your hair just fine. Truly, the environment will be okay if we don't save water. There’s plenty of other people who can help with that,” you explained.

He pouted his lip slightly, clearly upset by your choice. San stood up and slowly made his way towards you, his signature smirk now back on his face. “I’m hurt, Princess. I really wanted to spend some quality, intimate time with you before I left today. I won’t be late, so maybe we can spend time together then, yeah?”

“Again, would rather be bitten by a rattlesnake. Bye now,” you shooed him off in hopes to finally end the conversation.

He only chuckled and made his way towards you. Only, instead of heading right up the stairs, he approached you. As swiftly as ever, San wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you close to his body. He placed one kiss on your cheek, and then another one on the other. He smiled at you. “For not getting my kiss earlier.”

Your face was red, and you didn’t know if it was from anger or nervousness. Either way, the only thing you wanted to do was push San off you, which you did successfully. You immediately wiped your cheeks with your hands to get his saliva off your body. “I am going to kill you, Choi San. I don’t care how long it’s going to take, but I will kill you. Mark my words!”

San couldn’t help but laugh at your words. “Whatever helps you sleep at night,” he joked, making his way up the stairs and into the bedroom.

You wanted to scream. And you almost did, except you were reminded of the two dogs and the cat that lived here and you didn’t want to scare them. Instead, you took a pillow and screamed into it. It didn’t make you feel better, but it helped relieve the tension and anger building up inside you. You groaned as you sat onto the couch. Gunner jumped up next to you and rested his head on your lap. You couldn’t help but giggle at how cute and gentle he was.

“Don’t worry, I’ll get us all out of here soon, away from that evil man,” you spoke sweetly as you rubbed his ears. You sighed as you let your thoughts wander. You weren’t really sure how you planned on escaping, but you realized that it was going to happen sooner than you thought.

After all that happened this morning, it made you realize one thing: you needed to get out, and you would do anything to escape and get away from the devil that was Choi San.

──────────────────────

If there was one thing you loved to do in your free time, it was to snoop around the house. When you were younger, your family was secretive of all the work they did and what went on. It was in your own best interest to be kept away from it, mainly because of how dark and complicated it was. Your parents didn’t want you anywhere near that, but nonetheless, you still tried to find out as much as you could.

You’d look at their bills and other mail sent to them (which was completely boring — you didn’t understand it at all). Whenever your parents or brother would be out for a meeting or other gang-related stuff, you’d sneak into their office to see what else they were hiding. Even then, it was boring as well. Some of it was drug costs and how much profit the Sons of Anarchy were making, issues with land and other gangs coming in unprovoked. You didn’t understand it, nor did you know why they would keep all of this from you.

Nothing mysterious ever came up when you searched through the office or the mail. And, for a long time, it bothered you. In the movies, they talked about the gangs present and everything they did, the anonymous threats they’d received and what they did to stop it. The fights, the drug deals, the trades, it was all so elusive. So elusive that it kept the movie interesting. You honestly thought it was a direct reflection of real life, but perhaps it wasn’t. Or it was and you weren’t just seeing the behind the scenes. Either way, you were a bit aggravated. You honestly thought your parents and brother were much cooler than that.

Maybe it was because you were searching for something to keep you entertained. Every day was pretty much the same: wake up, go to class, do homework, relax, sleep, and repeat. The weekends were no different, except you could actually sleep in and you didn’t have anywhere to be. You didn’t have many friends, and the ones you did have were either busy with their lives or lived far away. You couldn’t go out on your own, except with your family, but that wasn’t the kind of fun you were looking for, despite having such a blast with them.

You figured if your parents or brother were doing anything suspicious, they’d keep it hidden. Then you’d find it on your own and begin to solve the mystery, or see if you could help. If you wanted them to actually see how great you were, why not try with something from the family business? But still, nothing. You tried all the locked cabinets and drawers in their office, but there wasn’t anything. Perhaps there was nothing to hide, and that was just how the Sons of Anarchy ran things.

The hankering for mystery hasn’t left you yet, however. Now that you were taken by San and brought to his house, you could scope around and see if you could get any answers. Why you were here, who San really was, what he was planning. Surely there had to be something hidden within the walls of his home, even if it was small. A simple piece of information could go a long way.

When he had left to meet Seonghwa and Jongho (and others who did not know of, you didn’t know how many members were in their group, and a part of you didn’t want to know), you knew you had to act fast. You didn’t hesitate to put on the clothes you wore when San first took you. Luckily, since you were smart about where you kept things, you managed to keep your phone hidden in the closet under some shoes. You charged it in increments when you were alone, just enough to ensure you could call the police.

His office was located downstairs, in the hallway past the gym. You felt intimidated at first, mainly because you had never been in a private office like that. You didn’t know what to expect, nor did you want to mess anything up and get caught. Slowly, you entered and began to look around. It seemed plain at first, with only a desk and a few papers here and there. But the drawers had more information, from what you could see with some papers sticking out.

Immediately, you opened it and began to rummage through. Most of it was just tax documents and bills San had to pay, he probably kept it for filing purposes. The drawer on the other side had more documents, but nothing out of the ordinary. That is, until you turned around and saw the other ones.

Information about Ateez, along with San and its members, were kept here. You didn’t hesitate to open up the files; you needed all the information you could so you could put a stop to this. From what you were gathering, San kept records of who everyone was and things happening in the other gangs. It didn’t take you long to figure out that a man named Hongjoong was their leader. The way he presented himself and all the notes San kept from meetings they had made it obvious. Seonghwa was his second-in-command, practically the same position as Hongjoong, only doing more behind-the-scenes work.

The others had mundane roles. Software, finance, business deals — each person had their designated thing they were good at. San, of course, was part of the business deals group (whatever that meant). That probably involved drugs, money, or weapons, which scared you. Who knows what could happen during those interactions?

What scared you the most, however, was the fact that there was a file with your brother’s name on it. Your chest tightened in fear as you slowly reached for it, scared of what would be inside it. An old mugshot of his was the first thing, one from a few years back. The cops had arrested him because of his involvement in a bar fight. It was quite ridiculous, in your opinion, since he left right before the fight broke out. Despite that, why would San have your brother’s mugshot? Let alone an entire file on him?

More information was in it, all about who he was and he was doing. Motorcycle registration, meetings with the Sons of Anarchy and other gangs, the mechanic shop your family owns. There were photos of him in there as well, at various public places. You were in some of them, but they weren’t too mysterious. It was just you walking out of the store with him or going to a bar with him and his girlfriend. They were from public security cameras, but even then, how did San manage to get these? Did he threaten the employees? Did someone on his team hack into the system?

While you kept thinking about that, small pieces of paper were hanging out from the files you had opened. You also noticed another one sticking out from your brother’s file. Curiously, you opened the one about your brother. On it was writing, but only a little bit. As you began to read it, you realized it wasn’t actually about him. No, it was about you.

1/21/24

I think I found her. I think I found the love of my life, and she’s absolutely perfect. She’s everything to me already. With all that’s going on with her family, I will make sure everything goes according to plan.

That was all that was written, but you were still taken aback by his words. What the fuck did he mean by that? Was it just his plan to get you, or was there something more? Why did he mention your family? Nothing major happened with the Sons of Anarchy that you knew of, so what was San implying? Did he know more than you? How was all of this possible? It made no sense, and you were starting to get more and more nervous that San had something else in store for you. You had to get out of that house and away from him.

Right before you were going to bolt for the door, your curiosity got the better of you, and you opened the other file to see what the other pieces of paper were. Rather than being paper, they were actually photographs. Your heart stopped, worried that they would be photos of you. As you inspected them, you realized they weren’t (thank God). No, they were photos of San and some other members of Ateez. Not recent photos, however, they were from a while ago.

Everyone looked so . . . different. It was from a long time ago, of course, but they looked so happy. Especially San, who did not look the way he did now. No, he was much smaller, not as buff as he was now. Despite his smaller physique, there was an extra layer of warmth within him that radiated in that specific picture. He was posing with someone you didn’t recognize, and he had this gigantic smile. Something must have happened that day, because the other person was just as happy.

Either way, San just looked so different. He seemed less cold, less tough than he was now. You wondered what made him change — was it the work Ateez did that forced him to be a different person? Was it just because he wanted to be stronger? You hoped it was the latter, because it would be sad to see if this lifestyle made him into someone he didn’t want to be.

You could hear a vehicle being pulled into the driveway. Shit. San was back home. Shit shit shit. All of his paperwork and files were everywhere, you had no time to organize it all. At that moment, you didn’t care. You didn’t want to get killed before you made a run for it, so you had to act fast. You quickly grabbed your brother’s file and the old photo of San as you ran out of the office. You pressed your back against a wall in the kitchen, right next to the living room and hallway that led to the front door and remained still.

“Let me get this straight: we found the guy, Hongjoong and Mingi tried to get something out of him, but he escaped. Why? Those two are great at keeping people from escaping, were they ambushed?” A familiar voice asked, which you recognized to be Jongho’s.

There was a brief second of silence before someone else spoke up, who you did not recognize. “No, the cops came around. The guy apparently is wanted for other shit he’s done, so he made a run for it before they or the cops could catch him. Fucking bastard, can’t even own up to what he did!”

“The guy’s a pussy, what can you do?” Another unfamiliar voice added with a laugh. “It won’t be hard to catch him again, right? Yunho and I were able to find out where he lives, unless he magically packed up everything and decided to leave. If not, then why don’t we pay him a visit tomorrow and tell him he needs to finish what he started?”

“Already got that covered,” San answered nonchalantly, laughing as well. The mere sound of him made you want to roll your eyes, that’s how much he irked you. “We’ll break in late at night. Get him to come out of his room and force him on his knees. Then, as he’s begging for us to spare his life and offering us money, boom. I’ll put a bullet right between his eyes. Perfect ending, if you ask me.”

And now, the mere sound of Choi San made you want to vomit and run for the hills. The way he just spoke made your blood run cold. You knew San was dangerous, but part of you believed it was your anxiety making you overthink. To hear him say those words confirming your worst fears to be true made you more anxious than ever. If he could speak so confidently about killing an innocent human, you had no idea what else he could do; to you or your family. You had to get out of there, now.

Immediately, you took as many photos as you could of the files you found. If the cops were to come back to a burned down house, you at least wanted to have photo evidence of what was found in his office. The photos wouldn’t be much, but it would be enough to question why San had those files with him and what he planned to do.

Their conversation continued while you took photos. You abruptly stopped, however, once you heard one of the unfamiliar voices begin to talk. You had a feeling they were close by, and you were right. Standing two feet in front of you was a man, with long but short dark hair. He was about the same height as San and Jongho, maybe a little shorter. There was a certain aura to him that you couldn’t describe, almost cat-like. It was intimidating, he intimidated you. But it didn’t matter because you would never see him again after today.

A subtle smirk arose on his face once he realized who you were. “Ah, so are we finally going to properly meet the girl you brought home, Sannie? We’ve met before, but I’m not always the nicest when I’m asked to do things in the middle of the night. Disrupts my sleeping time.”

You didn’t say anything. Frozen, you slowly backed away from the man, who couldn’t help but laugh at your antics. “Wait, she’s here?” San called out, confused. He even said your name softly to show how concerned he was. His eyes nearly lit up once he saw you, but faltered once he noticed your phone and the files in your hands. He looked more concerned now. A bit upset, even. He called your name once more. “. . . What is that in your hands?”

Jongho and another member had walked into the room, confused at the silence. Once they saw what you were holding, everything made sense. “You should keep your shit locked up tight, bro,” the other member told him, patting him on the back.

But San didn’t care for his comment. No, his eyes were on you. He looked gentle, but angry. “I asked you what was in your hands. Why do you have a phone and my files?”

You were trying to find the words to fight back, but nothing came out. “You’re a monster.”

The men loudly laughed at your words. Clearly, you weren’t as scary or intimidating as you thought you were. Damnit, I wanted to sound cool, you thought to yourself.

San took a deep breath in before addressing your comment, agitated. “Baby, I’m going to need you to give me your phone and those files. Now.”

“No,” you told him sternly.

They continued to snicker, entertained by your attitude and defiance against San, who was starting to get very frustrated. His cheeks were red and he had an awful glare, almost as if he was about to explode. The fear inside you grew and you worried that he was going to hurt you — or worse, kill you. He wasn’t above murder, so why wouldn’t he hesitate to kill you if you disobeyed him? You weren’t going to let him, however. Not without a fight.

“Put her in her place, San!” One of them exclaimed as the others continued to laugh.

You sent them a glare before focusing on San’s next moves. His angered demeanor was still there and wasn’t going away anytime soon. Trying to think of your next move, you couldn’t help but glance at the backdoor. It was a sliding one, and the thought of just pulling it open and making a break for it had crossed your mind many times. You wanted to wait until the right time to escape, hence why you didn’t try it before. But now was your chance; it was risky, but you had to do it. Anything to protect yourself.

You turned to San with a look of fear and anger on your face. “You want these files? Here, take them!”

With one swift motion, you threw the files against his chest and ran right for the door. Within seconds, you were flying through the backyard into the woods with no sense of direction. Nothing else mattered, you just needed to get out. Out and away from San, his friends, his world. If you kept running, surely you’d find a road or a run-down diner that would let you use their phone.

He wasn’t far behind you, you could hear him and his friends running towards you, along with their angered grunts. Man were they fast. You rounded a corner and hit behind a small bush. It wasn’t that big, but you hoped it’d be big enough so they wouldn’t see you and would go another way.

Their footsteps and shouts got louder. You swore you could’ve seen San with Gunner and Tank in your peripheral vision, and your heart stopped. You didn’t think about what would happen if he caught you; surely he’d be very angry, but would he be physically violent? Would he actually kill you? The man deluded himself into thinking you were soulmates, would this behavior make him see red and hurt you? You didn’t want to find out anytime soon.

Luckily, a small rock was sitting right at your feet. You threw it in the opposite direction as yourself and watched as it landed near another set of trees. All four men stopped in their tracks and tried to locate the sound. They collectively agreed to move towards it, a wave of relief washing over you.

Their voices and steps were quieter now. Slowly, you stood up and became aware of your surroundings. It was just the woods, trees and leaves everywhere. Not a person or animal in sight, with the setting sun shining nicely on you. It was still. The tension could be cut with a knife. You weren’t sure if it was peaceful or fearsome.

But you had no time to waste, you had to keep pushing forward. You were about to start running until your phone started to ring, and of course your ringer was on. Normally it was off, but sometimes you had it on because you liked the way it sounded when you typed. And you just so happened to have left it on and forgot to turn it off. Goddamnit.

You quickly hung up so that the sound would stop. With no hesitation, you began to run. It didn’t matter if you were going east or west or even near the end of the fucking woods: you needed to get away. Your life basically depended on it.

As you continued to run, however, you were suddenly interrupted by something getting caught on your foot. You flung forward and began to roll on the ground. Sticks and rocks hit your body and face as you rolled, your cries loud and fearful. A rock or branch of some sort must have been hidden by the leaves and made you trip. Eventually, you stopped and found yourself under the sun, your body covered in dirt and leaves.

The sharp pain you began to feel came from your ankle, a pain you couldn’t just shake off. You groaned in disbelief and began to inspect the wound, which honestly made you more panicked. Though there was little blood, it still hurt like a motherfucker. You could barely move it without wanting to cry. If you couldn’t move it, then you couldn’t run. If you couldn’t run, San would find you sooner or later and punish you for your actions, maybe even kill you.

In the midst of your panic, you looked up to see San staring at you and holding Gunner and Tank’s leashes. He looked angry, but it was quickly gone and replaced with a smirk. He couldn’t help but laugh at how pathetic you looked, from what you gathered. “It’s all right boys, I got her!” He shouted, his smirk still plastered on his face. “Gotta say, I give you credit for making it this far. You made it longer than I thought you would, especially with all the branches. But we can’t beat them all, can we?”

“Fuck off!” You snapped as you started to push yourself away from him. You winced in pain as you did, gathering small rocks in case you needed to throw some for self defense.

The three men began to pile in, some even laughing at your attempts to move. Your face grew hot, but you ignored them and kept going. “You aren’t going anywhere, sweetheart. It’s cute that she keeps trying. Take out your phone and get this on video so we can laugh at it later,” one of them snickered. Within seconds, you flung the rocks at all of their heads, in which they yelped in surprise. “Jesus, what the hell was that for?!”

“Get away from me!” You shouted and scrambled to find more rocks.

As you continued, San had handed off the dogs to the man with longer hair and crouched down at your feet. He took your swollen ankle into his hand and inspected it carefully, the pressure making it feel worse. You bit your lip to make the pain more bearable, though it didn’t help much. It wouldn’t be a surprise if San decided to break it all together and leave you to die in the woods. A simple accident, he would probably call it.

“There’s nothing you can do now, just stop fighting me. You’re making a fool of yourself, Princess,” San told you sternly but collectively. His words didn’t work on you, you kept pushing back. “Now, you can either ask me politely to carry you home, or I will drag you there by your feet. It’s your choice.”

It was silent for a moment as you comprehended his words. You couldn’t help but let out a scoff, “seriously? You’re going to drag me back to your house? You wouldn’t dare.”

San paused for a moment and then shrugged his shoulders. “All right,” was all he said. He gave a nod to his friends, who started to make their way out of the forest. He didn’t hesitate to pick up both of your ankles and begin to move backwards, your back being pushed against the ground.

Once you realized he was actually going to drag you, you knew you had to stop it. You hated the way it made you feel, but you couldn’t be dragged home. “No! Wait, wait! Stop!” You cried.

San let out an annoyed sigh and did not move any further. “Yes?” He asked with a cold stare.

“I . . . I don’t want to be dragged home. I want you to carry me,” you stuttered nervously, physically cringing at the words coming out of your mouth.

A subtle smirk rose on his face, so subtle that you could barely see it. He wasn’t satisfied with your answer, however, and wanted to hear more of what you had to say. “But why? You didn’t answer my question, you just gave me an attitude. You also didn’t say please just now, and I find that very rude.”

You bit your tongue and held back your screams. If you wanted him to comply, then you would have to be nice and polite (though you wanted to kill him). It took you a few moments before you could answer, too embarrassed at this entire situation. You let out an awkward cough. “Y-You startled me. I didn’t t-think you’d actually do it. Y-You say you care a lot about m-me, so I figured you were b-bluffing. You aren’t playing around, I k-know that now. Can you please carry me home, S-San? I’m tired and I don’t want to f-fight with you anymore. Please? I’ll behave when I get home, I p-promise.”

He seemed satisfied with your words, your face now burning a bright red color. A bigger smirk now rested on his face as he placed your feet on the ground. San put one of his arms under your knees and the other around your upper body, picking you up with ease. You immediately wrapped your arms around his neck to make yourself more comfortable, even though you didn’t want to.

“Good girl, I knew you would listen and answer me politely,” he told you, kissing your forehead. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you behave when we get back.”

The fear in your stomach grew. You knew this fight wouldn’t be over, he had more planned for you. You were going to have to act fast when you got back, you couldn’t let him hurt or make an attempt to kill you.

It was hard to look up when San’s friends were there. They’d make a mocking face at you and all you wanted to do was bite their heads off. So you kept your face buried in the crook of San’s neck. You could tell he was enjoying this by the way he was breathing whenever you got close to him. Only a few more minutes of this, you told yourself.

When you got back to the house, the three men piled into the living room. You and San were already making your way towards the upstairs bathroom. You didn’t want to admit it, but he was very strong. Not only could San carry you for what felt like fifteen minutes through the woods, but he could also carry you up a semi-big flight of stairs? That man had serious strength. You wondered how he was able to do it.

But you couldn’t think about that right now. No, you had to think fast. How was San going to kill you, and what could you use to defend yourself? If you knew those two things, you had a pretty good shot at getting out of this alive. Possibly getting him arrested and in jail for good.

San placed you on the counter of the bathroom, leaning over to grab something from the cabinet. He looked you right in the eyes once he found what he was looking for, angry. “What the hell were you thinking? Running away like that, disobeying me? If I tell you to do something, you do it. You don’t run away from me, you know not to try and escape. I thought I could trust you, but after that little stunt today, I’m not entirely sure.”

As he reached for the items he pulled out, you immediately grabbed the bottle of soap that sat on the counter and held it in front of you. San was taken back by this action and furrowed his eyebrows. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Look, if you’re going to kill me, you have no chance. I’ve seen enough horror movies to know how this ends and I will make sure I get out of this alive. You may think you know how to kill me, but you’re wrong.”

San looked extremely confused, with his eyebrows furrowed and a confused look on his face. “W-What? Baby, what are you talking about? Why on Earth do you think I’m going to kill you?”

“I overheard your conversation,” you confessed. “You were practically gloating about how excited you were to kill someone. You were happy at the fact that you were going to murder an innocent person for no reason. Between that and the files you had on the Sons of Anarchy and my brother, it all added up in my head. You were going to eventually kill me and my brother. I had to make a run for it before you tried anything. I wanted to find a police station and get you arrested. I have photos of everything on my phone, that’s why I didn’t give it up.”

He paused for a moment, trying to process your words. San ran his hands through his hair and sighed. He seemed very confused and startled at your words. When he looked up at you, there was a sense of hurt and sadness mixed within his face. “It all makes sense now,” he whispered. “Princess, you need to know that I would never hurt you. What I was talking about with the guys has nothing to do with you or your brother. Did you… did you actually think I was going to kill you?”

“Well, yeah. You kidnapped me in the middle of the night and are forcing me to be your weird little girlfriend slash housewife. I don’t know you or what you’re capable of,” you answered truthfully.

San sighed again, this time more upset than before. You could tell that this hurt him, the entire situation. It was a little weird, since this entire thing was his fault, but San was insane. The man deluded himself into thinking you and him belonged together; he probably deluded himself into thinking that he messed up and the only way you’d forgive him was if he apologized.

He finally collected himself and shook his head. “I knew you weren’t trying to run away from me. You were just scared, you wouldn’t have done that if I didn’t say those things,” he started. San reached for what you now realized was rubbing alcohol. “This might sting a little, but I got you. I won’t let anything bad happen.”

You grimaced in pain as he poured the alcohol onto your swollen ankle. Once he cleaned up the blood, he carefully wrapped your ankle in a bandage to ensure it would heal properly. It hurt like hell, but this would blow over in a few days. You’ve seen your dad and the other members of Sons of Anarchy deal with much worse, this was nothing. “There you go. You can’t do much, but I’ll be here to help. Let's get you to bed, yeah?”

He didn’t wait for your answer. Rather, he picked you up off the counter and carried you to the bedroom, whispering sweet nothings in your ear. He sat you down on the bed and gathered extra pillows so you could elevate your foot. San pulled out a pair of shorts and a t-shirt for you to change into. He tried to help you do so by grabbing the ends of your shirt, but you immediately stopped him. “No, no. I can do this myself, please. I don’t want you to see my body, I’m not ready for that. Nor will I ever be,” you told him softly.

He took a step back and nodded his head. “All right, but you need to keep your foot elevated so it’ll heal better,” he reminded you. “We aren’t going to have dinner tonight, I’ll bring some snacks for us once I tell the guys to go home. Go get some rest, you’ve had a long day and you’re really tired. I’ll be up in a few minutes so we can eat and go right to bed. That sound good?”

“Uh, yeah, sure. But uh, take your time when saying goodnight. You know, there’s absolutely no rush. Really, I’ll probably be asleep and won’t be able to talk to you. Kinda a win for me, if you think about it,” you reassured him.

A small laugh left San’s body as he leaned over to place a kiss on your forehead. He placed his hand against your cheek, looking at you with adoration while he rubbed his thumb against it. “There she is, I missed her today. Oh, and I’m going to need you to give me your phone now. I saw you move it to your front pocket when we got into the bathroom.”

You gave him a sad look, almost as if you were about to cry (you weren’t, you just didn’t want to give him your phone). “But I have cute pictures of myself on there! How else am I supposed to get those back?”

San only laughed but didn’t say anything. You dramatically sighed and hesitantly handed the phone to him. “Thank you. I plan on getting you a new one, so you can take plenty of pretty pictures for me,” he reassured you. “Go to sleep, Princess. You need it after the stressful day you had.”

And within seconds, he was gone. You rolled your eyes and groaned into the pillow. You were so close. You could have gotten away if you didn’t trip over that stupid branch. You were aggravated, to say the least.

But your suspicions of San were correct. You knew there was something off about him, you just couldn’t figure out what. Now you know that he enjoyed murdering people and has probably killed people in the past. That idea sent shivers down your spine, the fact that you were sleeping next to a killer every night. You had no idea why San would willingly do such a thing, to take life away from an innocent person. You knew Ateez were terrible people who did terrible things, but you didn’t realize this was the extent of how evil they were.

The note you had found in San’s office was unsettling, too. What did he mean by everything goes according to plan? Was he talking about how he was going to kidnap you and take you from your family? Or was there something else he had in mind? He said he wasn't going to kill you, but could you really trust him? The possibilities were endless, but you knew something was wrong. And you weren't sure if you wanted to find out.

You could hear San saying goodbye to his friends, which meant that he would be coming to bed soon. With a sigh, you quickly stripped out of your clothes and changed into his, even though you’d much rather be wearing something else. His clothes were comfortable, but they were his clothes and you wanted nothing to do with him.

You began to think about how you were going to get out of this. You weren’t going to give up, that was for sure, but you really needed to think about what you were going to do to escape. Today was unplanned, impulsive. It was unexpected, too, but now you know that you need to be strategic. You knew you could do it, it would just take more time and effort to do so.

Today taught you many things. One, start snooping immediately after San leaves. Two, do what San says within reason, even if you don’t want to. It’ll save you time and embarrassment; the more compliant you are, the sooner he’ll leave you alone. If you could do those things, you’d be safe from harm. You hoped, at least.

You didn’t know what Choi San or his friends were capable of. If you could keep your guard up, you’d make it through just fine (hopefully).

113 notes · View notes

goldendynastys · 4 months ago

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wonderland (pt. 1) | cs

summary: Being home alone with your pets has always put you on edge, especially at night when you get extremely anxious. You thought you were over it towards the end of your parents’ vacation, but when a random stranger breaks in one night and insists on taking you with him, everything you once knew had begun to change. You knew how your story would end, you just weren’t sure if it was for the better, or the worst.

pairing: choi san x fem!reader rating/genre: 18+, MDNI | yandere, angst, fluff, eventual smut word count: 8.4k warning/tags: yandere, kidnapping, manipulation, stockholm syndrome, obsession, somewhat toxic relationship, fast burn, reader is innocent, angst, arguments between san and reader, lots of fluff, pet names, i think that is it but please let me know if i missed anything (i’m new at this), i hope you enjoy reading! <3

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chapter one, always an angel, never a god (next →)

Growing up you always tried your best to stand out. Amongst your classmates, amongst your family. You did everything to make yourself unique, to be better. You wanted to be the best, and you tried so hard to achieve that. But in reality, you knew it was impossible, because there were a lot of people who were simply better than you. And you couldn’t compete with them, it was no use. So, you continued to be yourself, in hopes it would pay off and you would finally be the best at something, no matter what it was.

This notion of wanting to be the best most likely came from your family. It wasn’t anything your parents did per say, it was more your older brother. You loved him to pieces, but it seemed like he always got the most attention and adoration from your parents. You and your family’s lives weren’t normal (even though you hated saying those words, it made you cringe). Most families had lawyers, doctors, or strong business people within their families. Your family? Well, they were the leaders of the most popular biker gangs in town, known as the Sons of Anarchy. Yeah, not a typical job for most families.

Your dad had become the leader after your grandfather had retired, and your brother was next in line to take over once your dad was ready to retire, which was coming sooner than expected. Because of this, your parents focused more on him and making sure he was ready to take this on, as well as applauding him for his hardwork and dedication to the organization. Your parents still loved you and were so proud of you, but it was obvious they cared more for your brother than they did for you. You can take care of yourself just fine, your folks don’t need to worry about you. It’s your brother they gotta pay attention to so he doesn’t fuck all of this up, a member of the gang once told you when you were fourteen years old.

You assumed it was in that moment, you realized you had to stand out if you wanted your parents proud of you. You had to defy their expectations, work hard and try to be the best in whatever areas you could be.

And you did exactly that for the next nine years. You excelled in school, getting the highest grades on all of your assignments, exams, and classes. You found a small passion for tennis and excelled in that as well, even getting a scholarship for college that would cover both your tuition and dorm. When you got to college, you continued these same patterns (high grades on everything, being a great tennis player), and also got accepted to a master’s program for an additional year at no cost.

But even with all of this effort, it didn’t seem to pay off. They were proud of your accomplishments, but it was still evident that they favored your brother and focused on getting him ready to become a leader of their gang. It broke your heart that after all of this time and hardwork, they were still focused on your brother, but from another perspective, it paid off in many ways. You got high academic honors, multiple awards for tennis, and into a great master’s program. You gave yourself these amazing opportunities, opportunities that were going to help shape your future and make it bright.

Instead of letting it consume you, you let it fuel you as motivation to keep going. Someday, someone would be proud of everything you’ve done, put you first and appreciate everything about you. You were looking forward to that day, to be a goddess amongst someone instead of just being a pretty angel like everyone else.

Other than your family’s biker gang and your extracurriculars, you had lived a quiet life for as long as you could remember. Some of it was by choice, since you loved staying in bed and watching movies, but also because you were a lonely person. You had friends, friends that you adored of course, but they were always busy and never reached out to see if you wanted to go out. So, since you couldn’t go out by yourself (unless you wanted to be murdered), you were forced to stay inside.

There were days where you hated it, resenting your life and criticizing yourself so harshly for staying in. You often wondered if you would regret it later on, worried that you weren’t living your life to the fullest. But you knew that wasn’t true, there were plenty of occasions where you went out, whether that was with your family or on vacation. You realized those were more special, as opposed to going out every weekend. That gave you some peace and closure, but those negative thoughts always came back to haunt you, no matter how hard you tried to fight it.

But this weekend was different. Well, these past two weekends, actually. Your parents and your older brother were going on vacation. A trip to the mountains, to be exact. They said it was for business, given the other biker branches of Sons of Anarchy operating in the country and how they needed help from time to time. When you heard your parents and brother were going for work but also taking time for themselves to relax, it made your heart happy knowing they were getting some sort of a break. Despite your strange relationship, you still loved them and wanted them to rest and live their lives.

While they were away, you were asked to watch over the house and your pets, a dog named Spuds and a cat named Pumpkin. They required minimal care, since they were on the older side, but Spuds needed a little more attention than Pumpkin. You had to make his dinner, take him on walks and out to do his business, and sleep with him at night so he wouldn't get lonely (your dad and mom did all of this when they were home). All Pumpkin needed was to be fed once a day and have her litter box changed every couple days (you already fed her, but your dad was the one to change her litter box when he was home). So, your tasks for the pets weren’t hard to do, per se, it just prevented you from doing certain things for the week.

And you didn’t mind at all. You loved your pets and would do anything for them, but you also loved your parents and would do anything for them, too. They worked extremely hard and have given you and your brother a great life, so it was the least you could do. You often felt bad that you couldn’t pay them back in monetary ways to show how much you appreciate everything they did for you, but if there was anything they needed help with or wanted you to complete for them, you would do it in a heartbeat.

You wanted to give your family this, a week away from the chaos that was their life where they didn’t have to worry about anything. It made your heart happy knowing they were going on this trip. The only thing that seemed to bother you, however, was the nighttime and falling asleep.

Like the chronic overthinker you were, you were worried that someone was going to break into your house and hurt you. You put on the television and watched Bob’s Burgers in order to help you fall asleep and make sure the house wasn’t too quiet. Still, the little creaks and sounds you heard at night made your heart jump, worried that something bad was going to happen.

Nothing ever did, however. You were able to fall asleep and wake up in the early morning to everything the way that it was the day before. You were just hyper aware of everything and wanted to make sure everything was okay. So while your thoughts were too extreme and never manifested into anything bad, you kept telling yourself that you were okay and that nothing would happen.

You had almost gotten used to it towards the end of their vacation. You still played Bob's Burgers to help you fall asleep and add noise, of course, but you were much calmer than you were earlier in the week. In fact, you were getting excited to see your family again and for everything to go back to normal. As much as you loved having the house to yourself and sleeping next to your dog every night, you were ready to not be in charge anymore and just do whatever the hell you wanted.

The day had gone by as usual; you decided to get some groceries after your dad texted you that he and your brother needed stuff from the store. You went out in the early afternoon, going on a walk with Spuds earlier to get your steps and the dog’s exercise in for the day. You got yourself some treats while you were out that you could enjoy tonight, after you ordered in from your favorite restaurant. Additionally, you had enough money to treat yourself to some books and albums you wanted (thank God you had gotten paid a few days ago), and wanted to reward yourself for taking such good care of your pets and house for the week. The sun was out and the air was warm, making it a perfect day in your book.

After having your dinner and sweet treats, you found yourself growing tired and decided to go to sleep. You were happy it was the weekend and you didn’t have to worry about waking up early for work the next day. As usual, you put on Bob’s Burgers and fell asleep around eleven-thirty, a sense of happiness within you knowing your parents and brother would be home early tomorrow.

But you were awoken in the middle of the night to Spuds barking, which was something he never did. The TV had shut off due to the timer you put it on before you fell asleep, so it couldn’t have been another dog barking on the program you were watching. No, this was something else. Something that made your stomach drop with fear.

You immediately grabbed your phone and pressed your back against the door. Spuds wanted to go out and see who was downstairs, but you tried to calm him down. “Shh! Be quiet, someone’s here and I need you to stop barking,” you whispered in hopes Spuds would listen and actually stop (he did after you gave him a small treat).

You didn’t hesitate to call the police, your gut telling you this was an emergency and you desperately needed help. Once you dialed the number, however, you noticed your phone just kept ringing, no one was answering. You noticed that your phone wasn’t connected to the wi-fi, and your connection was extremely low. Odd. That never happened; even when the wi-fi was down, you were able to use the Internet and call people just fine. Why wasn’t it working now? Were the power lines destroyed by a large tree? It made no sense, but you kept calling in hopes that it would go through.

A loud sound could be heard downstairs. Someone must’ve broken down the doors, as you could hear muffled voices stepping over the damage they did and walking into your living room. Your chest tightened and you wanted to sob, but you had to remain quiet. You couldn’t let whoever was in your house know that you were here. That way, they would leave quicker and leave you alone. You placed a hand over your mouth to quiet yourself down, breathing in slowly to calm down and pull yourself together. Hopefully, they would realize no one was home and be on their way.

It wasn’t until you heard Pumpkin meow and someone speak up that you snapped out of your thoughts. “Aw, she has a cat. How cute, hi pretty kitty,” a soft voice spoke. “Will you let her take it home with you?”

“No, I already have a cat at home that she’ll love, she doesn’t need two. They wouldn’t get along, anyways. Pip hates other cats. Hell, she doesn’t even like Gunner and Tank, and they’ve been living together for years,” another voice answered. “It might be worth it to kill this one, it doesn’t seem friendly and if it stands in the way of me getting my girl, then by all means . . .”

You didn’t even think twice before opening the door and running to the top of the stairs. “No, no, don't do it! Please don’t!” You shouted.

A chorus of chuckles responded to your pleas, and your stomach dropped. You just realized you fell for their trap. They weren’t going to kill your cat, they were just doing it to lure you out of your room. And you fell for it, like a complete idiot.

Their laughter made you realize you didn’t want to cower in your room anymore. This was your house, they had no right to be there. You wanted to see why they were here, even if it got you killed or injured in the end, and you wanted to get them the hell out before you killed them yourself. Without hesitating, you grabbed a pair of scissors from your bathroom and made your way downstairs.

You were greeted by three men, all wearing ski masks to hide their identities. Your stomach dropped once more and your nerves increased again, but you kept your grip tight on your scissors. You weren’t going to let them win.

“Ah, there you are. We were wondering when you were going to come out,” the man in the middle spoke first. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t hurt your cat. You’re gonna love the one I have at home, and she’s going to love you.”

“What the fuck do you want with me, assholes?” You spat, holding up the scissors higher. “I won’t hesitate to stab you if you come any closer and I got the cops on speed dial.”

The third person laughed at your words. He was taller than the other two, his demeanor much different compared to them as well. His voice was deep and you could picture his sinister smile under his mask so easily. You seriously considered stabbing him right then and there. “You picked a feisty one, Sannie. I like her, do you think she’d be better off with me?” He questioned.

The man in the middle, who apparently went by the name Sannie (it must be a nickname), answered his friend bitterly. “You’re funny, Mingi. But you know she’s mine, everyone does. No one touches her but me,” the man explained. “Sorry about him. Mingi here likes to flirt with any girl that breathes, including ones that are taken.”

“What the hell– what the fuck is this? Are you here to kill me, sacrifice me to the woods, what the fuck?” You shook your head in pure confusion. “I’ll call the cops, I swear to God–”

“And what will that do, baby? We know how to outrun cops, they won’t get here until the time we’re about to leave,” he teased.

You froze at the nickname, a stern look now on your face. Who the hell does this guy think he is? You take a few steps back and hold the scissors out to stop them from coming closer to you. “My mom’s jewelry isn’t here if that’s what you want. She gave it to someone to keep it safe, and they live far away from here. I don’t have anything, only two dollars and a broken record player. I got nothing, nothing that you want.”

“Oh, but you do have what I want,” the man snickered. “Come with me and we’ll leave your house alone. Everything will go untouched.”

“That’s not gonna happen,” you spat.

“Ah, but it will,” he protested. He turned to his two friends, who stood quietly and waited for instructions. “You have her family’s location, right? Send a text to Cyrus and send his men to their hotel, give them a good scare and take everything they have.”

Deep down, you knew he was bluffing. He was just doing it to get a rise out of you, he wouldn’t actually hurt your family. But you couldn’t risk it, no matter how much your brain was trying to rationalize with you. You immediately stepped closer to all of them, a look of fear and worry now on your face. “No, no, no! Please don’t, don’t bring my family into this, they haven’t done anything. Just leave them alone! Don’t hurt them, please.”

“Then do as I say,” he spoke slowly and grunted. “Come with me and everything goes untouched, including your family and pets. Deal?”

You hesitated. You could feel the tears forming in your eyes as you stared at the masked men — you hated this, how much power they had over you. Breaking into your home in the middle of the night and demanding you leave the people you’re taking care of. You wanted to stab all of them and call the police to make them go away — but you knew you couldn’t take them all in a fight. It would end up with you and your family getting hurt, and you couldn’t risk that.

A small plan came to mind. You weren’t sure how well it would work, but there was a small chance it would. Your phone could still send text messages even if the connection was bad, a SMS message. Your brother was always up at this hour, he was a night owl who loved to stay up and play video games until he got tired. If you sent him a message telling him what happened and to call the cops on your behalf, surely they would get to your house on time and save you from this mess. He could even call the other members of the Sons of Anarchy and have them save you, they would be at your house in no time. If that didn’t work, then you could send your location to your brother and have him track you wherever you go. It was a longshot, but you had to try. Anything to get out of this and keep yourself safe.

“F-Fine, I’ll go with you,” you stuttered nervously. “But I need to change, it’s too cold for me to be wearing just a t-shirt. I’ll be right back.”

The man shook his head. “No, we’re going now—”

You cut him off instantly. “I need to change and you’re going to let me do so. Got it?”

The other men laughed at your comment, clearly not intimidated by your stern voice. The one you spoke to only sighed, rubbing his eyes in frustration. “Okay, sure. But you have five minutes. If you’re not back here, I’m coming up there to get you. Got it?” He mocked. You only sent him a stern look before trudging up the stairs. You instantly ran into your bedroom, your dog barking loudly while you whipped out your phone and started to text your brother. You began the message by addressing him by his name to show him how serious this was. I need you to call the cops, these men broke in and one of them is trying to kidnap me. Have them come to the house, I’m sending you my location in case they take me before the cops get here. Tell mom and dad what’s happening. See if Jeffery or the others can help. I love you so much.

The message wasn't sent until you sent it as an SMS message. You sighed in relief, hoping this would all be resolved within the next day or two. You closed your eyes to breathe for a moment, until you heard the muffling of shoes and voices downstairs, the sounds making you angry. “You got two minutes, Princess. Are you almost done?” The man shouted.

“Whatever!” You shouted back as you rolled your eyes. The nickname, the men, the one who wanted to kidnap you — it was all stupid. Stupid bullshit you had no idea why it was happening. You wanted to scream, but you hoped the cops would be on their way soon. You just hoped your plan would work to some extent. It didn’t have to be perfect, you just needed to be saved from whatever the hell this was.

You quickly threw on a purple long sleeve shirt and grabbed your phone, slipping it into your purse you decided to bring last minute. It had a taser and pepper stray, which would come in handy if any of them tried to hurt you. Hesitantly, you opened your bedroom door and made your way to the kitchen.

You could feel eyes burning into you as you walked downstairs. Someone whistled, which resulted in the man speaking to you hitting their chest harshly. He walked over to you and placed your hand into his, his grip strong but gentle. “You look beautiful, let's go home, it’s late and we both need to get some sleep, don’t you think?”

No words left your lips. Rather, you just remained silent as the man eagerly began to walk out of your house. Tears formed in your eyes once more as you got outside, scared to leave your home and family. You had no idea what the hell was going to happen, and the thought of never seeing them again made your heart shatter.

It didn’t take you long to reach the cars parked near the woods. One of them was a van, in which the two men entered and began the engine. They both fist-bumped the man you were with (you wanted to scream), congratulating him on “getting his girl” (whatever the fuck that meant). As the two drove off, you were thrown into the passenger seat of a nice pickup truck. The man didn’t say a word to you, he only got in and began to drive off.

You had no idea where you were going. If they were going to kill you, or worse. The fear kept creeping into your mind; you had to do something, but you felt frozen. Then, out of nowhere, you started to pull on the door handle harshly in hopes the door would open. Perhaps your brain finally came to its senses and told your muscles to do something.

“Let me go, asshole!” You told him aggressively as you continued to yank on the handle. The man only laughed, to which you sent him a pressing glare and widened your eyes. “I’m sorry? I’m fighting for my life against a stranger who kidnapped me and all you can do is laugh? What the hell is wrong with you?”

He continued to laugh and shook his head. “No, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. You’re just so cute when you act out, it’s just so adorable.”

This man is insane, you thought to yourself. Your jaw dropped and you immediately closed it before he could make another comment. An idea perked up in your mind and you sent a soft smile to him. “I can be extra cute, you know. Yeah, if you stop the car and let me out, I’ll act extra cute just for you. You’re going to love it.”

“Sure, baby. I’ll let you out in a few minutes,” he told you, his eyes still on the road.

You got excited. You were hopeful that he had fallen for your trap. You were starting to think that maybe he wasn’t as smart as he thought he was. That sense of optimism and hope you had was instantly crushed, however, once you realized you were pulling into a driveway. He was only going to let you out once you got here, so you wouldn’t be able to run away. Nice going, idiot, you thought to yourself.

The man had stopped his truck and jumped out to grab you. It didn’t take long before he was helping you out and walking you into the house with an arm around your waist. No matter how hard you tried to pull away, his grip remained firm. And you couldn’t fight back because of how strong he was. The muscles poking out of his t-shirt told you everything you needed to know.

The house was pretty big, with pretty windows and exterior design. A lake stood only a few feet away from the backyard, some fireflies flying over the water and area. You didn’t want to admit it, but the sight made you smile a little, but it faded away once the door opened and you were forced into the house by the man. Who knows what was on the other side.

The inside looked even prettier than the outside, which took you by surprise. You couldn’t help but stare in awe at the place, as it was the spitting image of your dream home. The furniture, the walls, the decor — it was everything you wanted in a house. For a split second, you had forgotten where you were or what was happening. It was honestly nice to just enjoy the scene in front of you, admire the house and pretend like everything was okay.

“Do you like it?” The man asked, pulling you back into reality. “I had it designed a few years ago, but added what you liked once I learned more about you. Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“I hate to say it, but it is. But there is one thing I’d take out that would make it absolutely perfect. I wonder what that could be . . . oh yeah, you,” you spat, crossing your arms over your chest. “So, what? Are you going to kill me in your basement, sell me or my organs to the black market? Sacrifice me to some cult you and your friends are a part of? You mind telling me what the hell is going on here? You’ve kept me alive this long, and if I’m going to die soon, I’d at least like to know what I’m dying for. And take off your mask, I’d like to know the face of the man I’m going to haunt for all eternity once I’m dead. Plus, it’s really stupid.”

He chuckled at your words. You could picture his smug smile under his mask, and it annoyed you even more. “Nah, none of the above, actually. I brought you here for a more special reason, and it has nothing to do with you dying or being sacrificed to Satan.”

“How unfortunate,” you muttered under your breath.

He didn’t say a word about your comment. Instead, he slowly removed the ski mask off of his face and set it down on the table. You stared at him, taking in his features. He had a sharp jawline, with brown eyes and red hair. Dyed red hair, obviously. You could see his dark roots under the red. He looked intimidating, but also . . . sweet? Kind? You couldn’t tell. He had an awful demeanor, given what he just did to you. He was strong, as you noticed the muscles standing out through his shirt from beforehand. Buff, if you will. But even within that, he didn’t seem too mean. There was something about him that appeared to be gentle, which made no sense given the context of why you were in his house.

He caught you staring at him and sent you a sly smirk. “Like what you see?”

“No,” you responded quickly and rolled your eyes. “Now answer my question: what the hell do you want with me? Why am I here?”

The man only sighed and made his way closer to you. He tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, goosebumps now evident on your neck. You gulped in fear, hoping he would stop and give you some space. “You’re here because I want you to be with me. My girlfriend, if you will. I knew the first day I saw you that you were mine. The boys kept telling me I had to give it more time to really make sure, but I didn’t agree with them. I made them help me make a plan to bring you home, and now here we are.”

“P-Plan? You had this entire thing planned, to kidnap me?” You asked. “W-What, this is so fucked up, I . . . wait, when did you see me? Because I’ve never seen you before in my life, you’re lying.”

“A few months ago, when you were working at the grocery store. You were too caught up in getting that order ready, but you gave me a soft smile, and I knew then that it was you. I did everything I could to learn more about you, and it didn’t take me long to concoct a plan to make you mine,” he explained.

You wanted to scream. Your chest was tight and you could feel your hands forming into fists. Tears began to prick in your eyes, but you wouldn’t let them fall, you didn’t want this man to think you were weak, or that you wanted his sympathy. “So you stalked me? You just gathered all the information that you could and stalked me?”

“Well, when you put it that way—” He tried to joke, but you only scoffed. He grabbed your arms in an attempt to help you not get angry. “Hey, hey — I know it sounds bad, but I did this for a reason. The men in my line of business, it’s just how we get our girls and make them ours. It helps us ensure that they stay with us and no one will take them away. I had to do this, to make sure you were safe. You’ll understand overtime.”

The man was rubbing his thumb over your arms to help you calm down, but you yanked them back and made your way to the other side of the living room, to get as far away from him as you could. “First of all, that is wrong on so many levels, I don’t even know what to say except that you’re crazy and that is not how you treat romantic partners. Second of all, you could’ve just asked me on a date like a normal person, I would’ve said yes.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, but where’s the fun in that? I’ll take you on a bunch of dates soon, Princess. It’ll be like you said and we’ll do anything you want. Anything to make my girl happy.”

“I’m all set, thanks. I’ll be getting out of here soon enough, so the dates aren’t gonna happen. Especially when you’re behind bars,” you reassured both yourself and him.

Your comment only made him laugh. “Sure, baby, sure. The cops won’t find us, I know how to outrun them and keep them off my back. You think I would just take you without thinking about the police first? They won’t know a thing, and they’ll never find you. Hell, they don’t even know what I look like, just my name. Even then, they fear me.”

“I’m not talking about the cops. My family and our friends know a thing of two about dealing with assholes like you. You’ll be lucky if they let you go in one piece, and even then you’ll be begging them to throw you in a jail cell,” you threatened. If there was one thing you knew for sure in this world, is that if you were ever in a crisis, your family and their motorcycle gang would be there in an instant to get you out. That was the only thing keeping you sane, knowing they would save you from this mess.

He couldn’t help but scoff at your comment. “Oh, really? You think the Sons of Anarchy are gonna scare me into letting you go? I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Princess, but I can outrun and outsmart your family and their little group. Once they figure out who I am, they’ll be scared shitless and won’t stand a chance against me and the boys. The cops fear me, they’ll fear me, everyone is scared of me. There’s no getting out of this, no matter how hard you try.”

“Yeah? And what’s your name if everyone’s so scared of you?” You joked, trying to irk the hell out of this man so he would eventually break and let you go.

“San. Choi San, if you want my full name.”

You furrowed your eyebrows. You heard that name before, a long time ago, but you couldn’t remember where. “Choi San . . . why does that sound familiar?”

“Probably heard of me on the news. The gang I’m a part of, too. Yeah, we’re on the news a lot for the shit that we do. Does the name Ateez ring a bell? Everyone says we’re dangerous and a threat to the city, but it’s a bunch of bullshit. We’re just doing what we love most. We’re strong, fast, and protect ourselves well. Where’s the harm in that?”

Your stomach dropped at the realization. You knew very well what Ateez was, they were the talk of the town for years, even now. You remember learning about them when you moved home for your master’s program, your family so horrified and disgusted with their actions. You didn’t like them, either, being extra precautious when traveling around town and when you were at school for the day. But you never thought you’d actually come face to face with one of the members; it was one of those things where you would never expect to run into them in real time, only in your imagination. To be in the house of a member was something you never expected to happen.

The room was silent as you stared at San. Your breath hitched as you felt your feet take you backwards, only a little bit. Being a member of Ateez only meant violence, danger, and you had no idea what Choi San wanted with you. You wanted to take out the can of pepper spray you brought with you. The lap in the living room seemed to be a better weapon, however. Anything to defend yourself against him in case things went terribly wrong. “Ateez? Yeah, I’ve heard of you. You’re criminals. You’re dangerous, violent, and cruel.”

“Ouch. That your opinion or what everyone else keeps telling you?” San bit back, taking a few steps closer to you, in which you kept backing up. “Whatever you think about us, it’s not true. We aren’t evil people, we work for what is ours and do whatever we need to do to get it. Yeah we’re involved in dangerous shit, but we can protect ourselves well. We know how to handle it.”

“Doesn’t negate the fact that you still work with illegal shit,” you spat, your arms now crossed over your chest.

San let out a small laugh. “Oh, and the Sons of Anarchy are completely innocent? They’re not the good people you think they are,” he said, saying your name at the end of his sentence to show how serious he was being.

“That’s different. The Sons of Anarchy have done some terrible things, yes, but they’ve changed. They aren’t the same people they were five years ago, my brother is changing it for the better. Unlike you and your friends, they actually care about people and don’t take them from their homes in the middle of the night,” you defended.

“Yeah, sure they have. Deny it all you want, but they are exactly the same as us. We are one in the same. You’ll see it soon enough and realize your family aren’t the perfect people you make them out to be,” San fought back, his jaw now tighter than before. Whatever you said ticked him off, perhaps at how naive you were being.

But you didn’t care. You stood by what you said — your family and the Sons of Anarchy were good people, they were changing for the better. No matter what San said, you wouldn’t let him get into your head. Especially after what he did to you.

A sigh escaped your lips as you ran a hand through your hair. You slowly started to put the pieces together to try and make sense of all of this. “Is that . . . is that why I’m here? Because you saw me and thought it’d be funny to rip a random girl away from her family? To upset her family who did nothing to you, all because you can? God, why can’t I just go home?”

You were about to cry, you could feel the tears welling up again and your voice getting weaker every time you spoke. As much as you wanted to hold them back, you just let them fall because you couldn’t take it anymore. You let the tears fall as you profusely wiped them with your sleeve. The night had gotten to be too much, between being taken by a random man after he broke into your house and the possibility of never seeing your family again. Your mind couldn’t take it anymore, it had to release its emotions.

San caught onto this and immediately rushed to your side, pulling your hand away from your face and wiping your tears with his thumb. “Hey, hey,” he cooed. When you tried to pull away from him, he gently grabbed your arm and brought you closer to his chest, your arm resting against it to create some distance. “I know this is a lot, this is a big change for you and it’s very hard to hear. But like I told you, I took you because I know you’re the one for me. I want to be with you,” he explained, whispering your name to show how serious he was about this. “My pretty little housewife, I just want to love and take care of you, Princess. This will be a hard adjustment, I know, but I can make you happy, give you a life that you deserve.”

“Wait, housewife? You just said girlfriend, you never said anything about me being a housewife. Jesus Christ, I don’t even know how to cook let alone raise a baby—” You started, your chest tightening in fear.

“Too much, that’s my fault,” San cut you off. He slipped his hand into yours, still holding you in his chest. “Let's go to bed, we can talk about this more in the morning after we’ve slept, okay?”

You didn’t say anything. You remained quiet as San guided you up the stairs. The second floor was even prettier than the first, with multiple rooms lining the halls accompanied with pretty colors and paintings. He took you to the end of the hall, which you assumed was his bedroom. And it was. In the center stood a king sized bed, with a flatscreen TV mounted to the wall. Dressers, a closet, and a master bathroom were a part of the bedroom. It was a nice room, especially with how big the windows were. You liked it a lot, despite the situation you were in.

You awkwardly stood in the middle of the room while San searched through his drawers. He came back to you, handing you a large t-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts. “These will do for the night, I didn’t get a chance to go shopping for your clothes this week, only some basic t-shirts. We’ll get you some more this week, but for now my clothes will have to do. You can get changed out here, I’ll just change while I brush my teeth. I have one for you, too. You can just come in whenever you’re ready.”

You only nodded your head, and he was in the bathroom within seconds. You quickly tore off your clothes quickly to make sure San wouldn’t come out and see you half naked. His clothes were big, but so comfortable (though you would never admit it). As you folded your clothes, you remembered your phone was still in the back pocket. As quickly as you could, you pulled your phone out to see if your message had gone through. SMS error, the screen read. Damnit, you thought to yourself. You hoped you’d have a second of alone time so you could try sending it again, now that you were in a different location.

You hid your phone under your clothes and kicked them into a pile once you heard San open the bathroom door. Once he walked out, you traded places and began to brush your teeth quickly. You liked how the bathroom had two sinks, a big shower, and a nice bathtub. You always liked bathrooms like that, for whatever reason. They just felt fancy, elegant.

San stood over the bed by the time you had gotten out, scrolling through his phone. He immediately shut it off and walked over to you. He couldn’t help but bite his lip as he admired you (probably because you were wearing his clothes), to which you rolled your eyes. “Sorry, Princess,” he chuckled. “You just look so good in my clothes. My pretty girl. Come, let's go to sleep.”

“Yeah, I’m not sleeping in the same bed as you. I’ll just sleep on the couch downstairs with some pillows and blankets,” you shook your head.

“It wasn’t a question, you’ll be sleeping with me from now on,” he told you sternly, his jaw tightening.

“And I told you I’m not going to,” you fought back. You crossed your arms over your chest. “I’m sleeping on the couch whether you like it or not, asshole.”

Before San could protest, you opened the door. Only, instead of going downstairs, you were stopped by a small cat sitting at the doorway. Once it saw you, it began to meow and rub up against your leg. You immediately fell in love with it; as much as you didn’t want to pick it up (because you weren’t sure if it liked being touched), you felt your arms reaching down and scooping it into your grasp. You immediately felt the vibrations against your hands, the cat now content with you holding it.

“Why hello there,” you cooed with a wide smile. “You are very beautiful, and very sweet. What’s your name? I absolutely adore you.”

“Her name is Pip. I rescued her from a shelter almost seven years ago—” San started to explain.

“I only asked for her name,” you cut him off, your eyes still glued to the cat. “Hi Pippie, that is such a cute name. I want to take you home with me so badly, you’d love my cat. But I guess we’re both stuck here with that thing in the corner, but we don’t have to spend time with him. Come, we’re gonna sleep downstairs on the couch.”

As you were about to leave the bedroom with Pip, San called out to you. “Wait!” he said.

You slowly turned around with the cat still in your arms. “Pip just told me she wants to go to sleep, so make it quick.”

His jaw tightened once more, the stern look from earlier was now on his face again. “The couch isn’t that comfortable to sleep on. It’s less comfortable than the bed. Sleep with me here tonight, and I’ll let Pip sleep right next to you.”

“I still don’t feel comfortable sleeping with you—”

“Pip never sleeps with me, I’ve tried so many times but she won’t budge. But with you, she might. Just sleep here with me, please,” San cut you off, his voice now tired. Clearly, he had enough of your behavior and wanted to go to sleep. You did too, but he asked for this after what he did. It was his own damn fault.

The cat kept purring against you, her head now in your neck. After thinking about this for a few minutes, you let out a sigh and groaned dramatically. “Ugh, fine. You win, I’ll sleep in your bed tonight. But I swear to God, if you try anything, I will stab you over and over again until you are dead. Got it?”

He chuckled with a smile. “You’re so cute when you act all bratty and tough.”

You rolled your eyes as you reluctantly dragged yourself to the bed. “I’m not a brat, you’re the brat,” you muttered. Once you sat down, Pip crawled out of your arms and planted herself on the end of the bed. Slowly and nervously, you laid down and pulled the covers over your body.

Without warning, San wrapped his arms around your waist and pressed your back against your chest. Your hand immediately went up to smack it. “Um, no. This is my half of the bed, you stay on your half. Did you forget about the invisible barrier that splits down the middle?”

“Really? There was? Hmm, guess I broke it,” San shrugged his shoulders. You tried to move out of his grip, but it was no use, he was much stronger than you. He tucked a strand of hair behind your ear and placed gentle kisses on your cheek and neck. “Goodnight,” he whispered your name, placing one final kiss on your neck.

But you didn’t wish him the same. Rather, you shut your eyes and tried to fall asleep. Pip’s purring and warmth kept you calm, but other than that, your mind was on fire. A million thoughts burned through it, you didn’t know where to begin or how to make sense of it all. Your life changed in an instant. One minute, you were happy living at home with your family and enjoying your small vacation. The next minute, you were kidnapped in the middle of the night by some creep who was a part of the most dangerous gangs in the area, claiming to be in love with you and making you his “girlfriend.” You had no idea why this was happening to you, why he wanted you, out of all people.

You always cringe at yourself whenever you think of yourself like this, but you weren’t special. You wanted to smack yourself in the head at how stupid you sounded, but it was true. You weren’t. You were just like everyone else, no matter how hard you tried to be different. Everything you did, from tennis to school, was the same as everyone else. There were people who were better than you, much better, you would never be on top. There was always someone who was more talented or more skilled than you. You were never enough, no matter how hard you tried.

Even with your friends and family, you were just normal to them. You knew it was different with your family, since they focused on your brother more and wanted to get him prepared for taking over the Sons of Anarchy when his time came. They constantly praised him and put all of their attention into him, so you expected them to not think of you as their favorite. Your friends were a different story, however.

Whenever you made a friend and became really close to them, you thought so highly of them. You thought they were your best friend, and that they thought the same. The one person they could go to for anything, their special friend. You always thought of your friends that way, but they never did about you. They always had someone they were closer to, someone they’d pick over you without hesitating. You’ve always wanted that, ever since you were younger and everyone seemed to not like you because you were “weird.” And everytime you thought you found that person, they never thought of you the same way.

It crushed you, but you knew that person would come into your life someday. You loved the friends you had and the memories you shared, but you just wanted a best friend. Someone who could count on you and would choose you first, and you the same. Someday you would find that person, you knew in your heart that you would.

You were used to never being enough, for anyone or anything. You had grown to accept that, and you thought you would be fine and that everything happened for a reason. But now came Choi San, a man who claimed to be “the one” for you and would put you first. Well, from what you gathered. You had no idea what he was capable of, if he was going to kill you in the middle of the night while you were asleep. But he seemed to really care for you, in his own sick and twisted way.

He certainly couldn’t be the person you kept praying about. No, this man was insane. He kidnapped you in the middle of the night, took you away from your family, most likely for good. One minute he seemed sweet, but the next, he could easily get angry and possibly hurt you badly. This couldn’t be it, this couldn’t be the person you were searching for your entire life. You deserved better, and this was a sick punishment you got for absolutely no reason. You weren’t perfect by any means, but you did not deserve this.

You were sure things would change in the coming days. You would figure out a way to get out of this hellhole and back to your normal life, even if it took some time. You were determined to be reunited with your family again, and you were going to make sure that it happened. It didn’t matter what you had to endure — as long as you could find a way out, you would do anything if it meant returning to the life you once knew and loved.

All your life, you had been an angel amongst gods and prayed one day you would become one. Now that you had that power, the ability to be seen as a god — you were starting to realize that maybe you were better off being an angel. Angels never got hurt, they cared for others but no one did the same for them. Perhaps you were better off as an angel, invisible amongst the gods where you didn’t have to worry about anyone but yourself.

Back then you had your freedom, but now you were trapped with the devil himself, and you didn’t want to be a god who would succumb to their worst nightmares just to survive. You couldn’t let yourself. And now, you would do anything to get your freedom back. Even if it meant sacrificing yourself to become an angel for as long as you lived.

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