When the Clock Strikes|Pi Han Ul x Reader|

Chapter 9

I shouldn't have been here.

That was my first mistake.

I wasn't planning anything. I wasn't sneaking around or eavesdropping or whatever else people might assume. I just wanted a shortcut. The back hallway was always empty, always quiet. A perfect way to avoid people.

But the second I turned the corner, I knew I wasn't alone.

A presence. A shift in the air.

And then a hand-cold, rough-grabbing my wrist.

I barely had time to react before I was pulled backward, my back hitting the wall with a quiet thud.

"Well, well."

The voice was low, amused.

I blinked up at him. Not someone I knew by name, but I had seen him before. One of Han-Wool's guys. Always lurking, always standing just behind him like a shadow.

But right now, Han-Wool wasn't here.

And that scared me.

I tugged my wrist, but his grip tightened.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Walking."

His lips twitched. "Funny."
He sighed.

"You shouldn't be here."

I didn't respond. Didn't move.

I looked at him.
Am I going to get beaten in again?

Aah, I'm tired of it.
How am I going to make end to all these?

He tilted his head. "Are you deaf?"

"No."

"Then answer."

"I just did."

That made him pause. His grip loosened slightly, like he hadn't expected me to talk back.

But I was just telling the truth.
Did I say something wrong? He seems mad. Did I mess up?!
Shit.

Then, just as quickly, he recovered, fingers tightening again.

"I didn't like you from the start.
You were just getting on our nerve lately. And end up getting caught, but never learn". He pushed me.
"If you ever listened to what Han Wool said, you wouldn't be here today".

A flicker of something dark in his eyes. A shift in the way he stood. I didn't like it.

"You know," he said, voice almost teasing now, "Han-Wool doesn't like-"

The door cracked open.

The sound wasn't loud, but it might as well have been a gunshot.

The guy stilled.

And then-

Pi Han-Wool.

He stepped inside, Min-Hwan right behind him.

They weren't surprised. Weren't confused. They moved like they had already known what they would find here.

The temperature in the hallway dropped.

Han-Wool didn't say anything at first. He just stood there, staring.

The guy let go of me instantly, stepping back like a kid caught doing something he shouldn't. His entire posture changed-no longer amused, no longer confident.

"Hyung," he started, voice careful.

Han-Wool didn't acknowledge him.

His eyes flickered to me.