Broken Paths || Wen JunHui

Chapter 38: Fractured Promises

⋆˙⟡♡⚕🩺⊹ 🤍

The night was thick with silence, the kind that seemed to press down on everything it touched. Hyun-Woo sat alone in his family's grand living room, scrolling idly through his phone. The house was empty except for him; his parents were away at a late social gathering, leaving him to his own devices. He relished the solitude, unaware of the shadow that lingered outside the towering bay windows.

Jun had been waiting for hours, cloaked in the darkness that wrapped around the estate. The weight of his decision hung over him like a shroud, but his resolve remained unshaken. She'll be free, he told himself. She deserves to be free.

Hyun-Woo stood and stretched before walking toward the kitchen. The sound of his footsteps echoed faintly against the polished marble floors, a stark contrast to the nearly imperceptible sound of Jun slipping through the unlocked patio door.

Jun moved silently, his footsteps light and deliberate as he followed Hyun-Woo's movements. He felt an eerie calm wash over him, his mind laser-focused on what had to be done.

Hyun-Woo turned on the faucet, filling a glass with water. He didn't notice the shadow looming behind him until it was too late.

"What the—" Hyun-Woo began, but Jun's hand clamped over his mouth, silencing him. The glass slipped from Hyun-Woo's hand and shattered against the floor, water spreading in jagged rivulets across the tiles.

"Shh," Jun whispered, his voice steady and cold. "Don't scream. It'll be over soon."

Hyun-Woo struggled, his body twisting in a frantic attempt to free himself, but Jun's grip was unrelenting. He pressed Hyun-Woo against the counter, his face expressionless, his movements methodical.

"You've taken everything from her," Jun said, his voice eerily calm as he leaned close to Hyun-Woo's ear. "Her freedom. Her happiness. You don't deserve her."

Hyun-Woo's muffled protests grew weaker as Jun reached into his pocket, pulling out a slender blade he had kept hidden. The blade glinted under the dim kitchen light, a sinister gleam that mirrored Jun's intent.

"Do you feel it now?" Jun whispered, his tone almost tender as he pressed the blade lightly against Hyun-Woo's side. "The fear? The helplessness? It's what you've made her feel every day."

Jun's hand moved with precision, the blade slicing through fabric and skin in a deliberate motion. Hyun-Woo's body jerked, his eyes wide with pain and terror.

"It doesn't have to hurt more," Jun continued, his voice soft but firm. "But you need to know what it's like."

He pulled the blade back and made another calculated cut, slower this time. Hyun-Woo's breathing became ragged, his strength fading as blood pooled on the floor.

Jun stepped back, watching as Hyun-Woo crumpled to the ground, his body trembling as life began to slip away. Jun's expression was unreadable, his breathing steady despite the scene before him.

As Hyun-Woo's eyes fluttered shut, Jun crouched beside him, his voice barely above a whisper.

"She'll be safe now," he said. "She'll be free."

Jun stood and wiped the blade clean, his movements precise and unhurried. He left through the patio door, disappearing into the night as silently as he had arrived.

The house fell silent again, the stillness broken only by the faint drip of blood pooling onto the marble floor. Somewhere in the distance, the sound of sirens cut through the night, growing louder as they neared.

Jun walked away from the estate, his expression calm, almost serene. For the first time in weeks, he felt a strange sense of clarity.

She's safe now, he thought again, the mantra steadying him as he disappeared into the darkness.

⋆˙⟡♡⚕🩺⊹ 🤍