Pick Your Poison (HIATUS)

chapter eight-

chapter eight

tw: strong language and violence.

Han Seo

I sit across Han Seok in my dimly lit office. With the blinds and the doors shut, I'm starting to feel a little claustrophobic; maybe it's the sheer terror of being in the same room with the devil himself. Speaking of the devil, he's leisurely seated on the couch, one hand clutching a wine glass and the other on his phone. I watch him intently, still in awe of how much he's changed ever since he got back from the US. Don't get me wrong, he's still horrible, only much smarter and more vicious. He takes great pleasure in being a wolf in sheep's clothing, and that's exactly what he is: a monster hiding in plain sight.

"We are losing millions of dollars in stocks with every second of delay," He speaks into his handphone through gritted teeth. I stay perfectly still in my chair, hoping he wouldn't direct his anger towards me. "Who's causing the setback anyway? "

A long pause ensues. Han Seok's mouth twitches into a smile before turning to face me with a menacing glint in his eyes, "Alright, we'll deal with her tomorrow."

A sudden feeling of dread weighs on my chest. Han Seok hangs up and takes a long sip, prolonging my agony.

"Han Seo, you will get rid of Dr. Bae Jae Hee immediately. Understood?"

"I-I thought you were friends? Didn't you go out with her?" I try to ask calmly. He chuckles and rolls his eyes.

"I just wanted to see if she's someone smart enough for us to use. Turns out she's a dimwit AND she's slowing down operations. I don't understand why you like her so much."

I don't answer. I just stare at him with my mouth gaping open in disbelief. He stares back at me, bemused, "What, you think I don't know your dirty little secret?"

My heart sinks in my chest as he laughs maniacally. He gets off his seat and strides to where I'm seated, immediately grabbing my collar before I could react.

"I will give you another chance, brother," he spits the word out like venom, "to get rid of your whore. If you don't, I'll get rid of her myself. Understood?"

I could only nod, and he lets go. He takes one last scathing look at me and leaves without another word.

I loosen the tie around my neck and try to control my breathing as my eyes shoot daggers at the back of his head. I think of Jae Hee and suddenly, it's difficult to breathe again. I knew she was too naïve to be caught up in this mess, but I was too slow to do anything about it. I curse at myself, one of many times throughout the day, for being so brainless. I bury my face in my hands, trying to come up with a solution. Jae Hee is no longer safe here, that's for sure. But where would she be? Han Seok has eyes and ears everywhere.

A sudden idea came into mind, although somewhat ridiculously dramatic. Nonetheless, my brother loves making a spectacle out of things, and my plan might just be the thing that might appease him.

If this is the only way to pacify the devil, then I'll hand it over to him in a silver platter.

Jae Hee

Two days have passed since my ordeal with Hyun Woo and it has surprisingly been quiet. It seemed that everyone left me at peace to tinker about in my lab because oddly enough even my supervisor didn't bother me anymore. Nevertheless, I received either dirty or pitiful looks and occasional whispers from my fellow researchers. I guess no one wanted to be associated with the rebel, except Kyung Soon who stayed by my side and even brought me food when I forgot to eat.