Crimson Strings [Yeongyu]

fractured sanity

Chapter 8: Fractured Sanity

Beomgyu’s POV

The key lay just inches away. 

So close. 

Yet— 

*"Pick it up, Beomgyu."* 

The voice slithered through his skull like a whisper of smoke, curling around his thoughts. 

He squeezed his eyes shut, *breathing through the panic*. 

It wasn’t real. 

It wasn't real. 

But when he opened his eyes— 

The key was **gone**. 

Beomgyu’s breath hitched. His hands flew to the floor, frantically searching, fingers scraping against the cold tiles. 

Nothing. 

The key was *just there*. 

It was *just fucking there*. 

A soft laugh echoed through the room. 

Beomgyu froze. 

The air turned suffocating. *Thick*. A weight pressing down on his chest, making it impossible to move. 

From the corner of his eye— 

A shadow **shifted**. 

He turned sharply— 

Nothing. 

His pulse roared in his ears, skin crawling. 

He wasn’t alone. 

Somewhere in the darkness, something **watched** him. 

*"Beomgyu..."* 

The whisper was right behind him. 

Beomgyu lunged for the nightstand lamp, flicking it on— 

The shadows recoiled. 

For a moment, silence. 

Then— 

A slow, deliberate *knock* on the door. 

Beomgyu went still. 

Another knock. 

Louder this time. 

His heart pounded violently. His throat felt like it was closing. 

Then— 

The handle twisted. 

And the door **creaked open**. 

A figure stood there, bathed in the dim hallway light. 

Yeonjun. 

Dressed in black, shirt sleeves rolled up, revealing lean forearms laced with delicate veins. His eyes, sharp and unreadable, gleamed in the darkness. 

He tilted his head, watching Beomgyu with something *dangerously close* to amusement. 

“You look scared.” 

Beomgyu’s breathing was erratic. 

“I—” His voice cracked. “Where’s the key?” 

Yeonjun took a slow step forward. 

Beomgyu instinctively backed away—until his spine hit the wall.