Hunted

62

Still, a compliment wasn't something I got often in this house, so my cheeks flushed red. Damn it, I always hated compliments. I laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of my neck as I stared at my lap and mumbled lowly under my breath. "You don't have to do this really..."

"So a huge part of my job was actually done by her. I think we make a flawless team."

"Then it's decided." Minhyuk clasped his hands together, making everyone stare at him confused. "The pair that will leave to Seoul this weekend will be Jennie and Soji!"

"What..?" I snapped my head in his direction. The width of my eyes explaining exactly how surprised I was with that information. "Are you sure, you're okay with letting me go as far as to Seo–"

"I trust you, kitten.." He cut me off. "I know what you're thinking. But after all you were never the one that betrayed me. You were just taken away from me." He voiced lowly, but with a visible pained smile. I gulped the weird lump that suddenly formed in my throat. But I did leave on my own free will back then. And his- what I thought was dying face was still visible in my memory.

You can never escape me, kitten... I'll always be there, in your pretty little mind...

Those words were hunting me for so long, even now the confidence in his barely audible voice was crystal clear in my ears. It was a curse he left with me for forever. No matter what happens I knew I wouldn't be able to ever forget that. Forget him and everything he's ever done to me. Forget everything he's done for me.

I didn't even realize how much meaning those words had to me. This time out of my control my lips lifted in a soft maybe too genuine smile. Maybe I was a little too happy about this. I stood up too and stepped closer to him. My lips sealed with his in a short soft kiss before I mouthed a "Thank you... for always believing in me..."

Somewhere deep in the back of my mind, I had had so much guilt pent up for leaving with Taeyong, even though that was what I had wanted to do for so long. That was exactly what I wanted to do now too- get rid of him for good; ruin him for ruining me; watch him burn the way he burnt my youth; I wanted him to perish. I wanted to watch him die, but this time I wanted to see his body burnt to a crisp and make sure his heart no longer beats, his lungs no longer breathe.

This time that dark desire was stronger than anything I've ever felt before. It was stronger than the codependency I felt when it came to him. He had a way of manipulating me into believing in his sick love. Actually it was true that he would have done anything for me and I knew that. As much as he hurt me, he had a sickly way of making me feel like a queen at the same time. But he wasn't aware that this time, everything he's done to trap me here resulted in only one thing- heartlessness.

Stripping me away from the happiness I just found in the little things with Jaemin, in that fake ordinary school life we barely had the chance to live just made me emotionless. Driving Haechan to a corner to betray me only made me stop feeling. I stopped caring. And I stopped trusting.

Now, later that night, when he was drunk enough, after celebrating the whole day, for the second time in my life I had the guts to lead him yet into another trap. But this time, as I pushed him down on the bed and got on top of him, as I stripped him naked and my feathery touch ran across his chest, I didn't tremble for a second. My heart beat so calmly and my brain worked flawlessly, aware of the power I had over him.

Being in the most vulnerable state a man could be, his eyes gave up everything he was feeling. And he indeed believed in me. For a manipulative someone who wanted to always be in control of things, giving himself up to me like that meant that he really trusted me. While I was preparing a beautiful way for betraying that trust.

• • •

"You done, Soji?"

I yelled a "Yeah!" to Jennie whose steps I heard rushing down the corridor in front of my room.

I packed a small black baggage of just a few pieces of clothes I would need. We would have been staying for a few days- a week the most, so I wasn't in need of a lot of things. Just the most important- mental stability.

I closed the baggage and sighed. My eyes closed as I waited for Minhyuk to approach me from behind. I had already heard his steady steps closing up to me, so it wasn't a surprise when his warm hands rested on my shoulders and slowly slid to my forearms. His lips leaving a soft kiss on the side of my neck after he gently moved my hair on the opposite side and in front of my other shoulder.

"I already miss you, kitten..." I hummed, painting a smile on my face as I spun around and faced him.

"It's not even a week long trip. I'll be back in no time."

He leaned in, capturing my lips with his and pulling me as close to him as humanly possible. His arms hugging my waist tightly and all I could do was give in to the act. My eyes slightly opened as I emotionlessly stared at his closed ones in between the kiss. My arms slowly raised up until I wrapped them around his neck to deepen the kiss. Fingers buried in the back of his caramel colored locks of hair.

I had become a pro at it. Acting the longing, emotional, what seemed like never-ending make out sessions with him. I tended to wait until he pulls away first, my enjoyment seemed more convincing that way. And I didn't mind kissing, at least it burns calories.

So at some point that always seemed like years later he would pull away. Now he was staring at me for a second with that annoying smile of his that looked too beautiful and innocent to belong to someone as cruel as him. Of course I would smile back.

"I know you're reported missing, but I also know you got people in Seoul's underground." I nodded. "Sunwoo will help you out, I want that mansion emptied, the old man killed, no traces left behind." I nodded again. "I leave this mission in your hands. Jennie and you..."

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To be continued. . .