The Strings She Pulls

Chapter 29: If I Can't Have You

The metal of the handcuff bit into Seulgi's wrist as she worked the paperclip, her fingers trembling from adrenaline. Every second stretched, each click of the makeshift lockpick hammering louder in her ears. Finally, with a sharp snap, the cuff loosened and fell away.

Seulgi didn't waste a moment.

She slid off the bed, landing soundlessly on her feet. The room was colder now, emptier. Like it was waiting for something terrible to happen.

She crept to the door and cracked it open.

The hallway beyond was dark, save for a few flickering lights. The walls were cracked, mold creeping into the corners. It wasn't an apartment or a hotel. This place—this prison—was something abandoned, secluded. An old building that no one would think to check.

Her heart hammered as she slipped into the hall, careful to move silently. Every step echoed too loudly in her mind. She could almost feel Jaeyi's gaze on her, even though the halls seemed empty.

Claustrophobic.

The walls seemed to close in tighter with every step, the air thick and suffocating. But Seulgi pushed forward, keeping to the shadows, praying she could find a way out.

And then—

A beep.

A red sensor blinked to life on the corner of the hall she had just crossed.

Her stomach dropped.

Sirens wailed suddenly, jarring and loud, shattering the suffocating silence. Flashing lights illuminated the hallway in frantic bursts of red.

"No," Seulgi gasped, turning to run.

Too late.

From the far end of the hall, footsteps echoed—calm, measured.

Jaeyi.

She didn't look surprised. She didn't look broken. She simply walked forward, like she had been waiting for this.

"You really thought you could get away?" Jaeyi said softly, almost amused.

Seulgi backed up instinctively, her hands shaking. "Stay away from me."

Jaeyi tilted her head. "I was hoping you'd try. Really. It proves how much you still care."

"You're insane," Seulgi spat, her voice cracking.

Jaeyi's eyes glinted under the flashing alarms. "Maybe. But I'm yours."

Seulgi bolted down another hallway. Doors—locked. Windows—barred. The building was a maze, and Jaeyi was her shadow, unhurried but unrelenting.

Finally, Seulgi found a fire escape door. She shoved at it, only to find it chained.

Jaeyi's voice drifted up behind her.

"Did you really think I'd make it easy?"

Seulgi turned to face her, chest heaving.

Jaeyi approached slowly, her expression utterly calm. Too calm.

"Please," Seulgi whispered. "You don't have to do this."

Jaeyi's mask cracked—not into sadness, but into something worse.

Cold. Calculated.

"You still don't get it," Jaeyi said. "I tried letting you go. I tried changing for you. But you—" her voice sharpened, "—you kept slipping away."

She stepped closer.

Jaeyi wasn't crying. She wasn't pleading. The softness had been peeled away, leaving something raw and terrifying underneath.

"You think the world out there will understand you like I do?" Jaeyi hissed, her voice almost tender. "You think they'll love you better? They won't. They'll hurt you. Leave you."

Seulgi fought to keep her voice steady. "You're wrong. I deserve better than this."

Jaeyi smiled then—empty, chilling.

"You deserve me."

She lunged.

Seulgi ducked, shoving Jaeyi away with all the strength she had. Jaeyi stumbled but caught herself immediately, laughing breathlessly.

"I should've known," she said, almost gleeful. "You're still fighting. That's what I love about you."

The door behind Seulgi shuddered with her weight. She twisted, rattling the handle uselessly.

"You can't keep me here!" Seulgi screamed.

Jaeyi's smile thinned.

"I can do anything, Seulgi. For you, to you—whatever it takes."

The words hit Seulgi like a slap.

She saw it clearly now. No more delusions of saving Jaeyi, of reasoning with her. Jaeyi didn't want a partner. She wanted a possession.

Jaeyi circled her like a predator. "You'll see. Eventually. I'm the only one who's ever really loved you."

Seulgi shook her head, a desperate laugh bubbling from her chest. "No. You don't love me. You love owning me."

For the first time, Jaeyi's face twisted with something ugly.

"You're mine," she spat. "You always have been."

Instead of tears, instead of heartbreak—

There was only fury.

Cold, terrifying fury.

The mask she had worn so well slipped away, revealing something raw and feral underneath.

Jaeyi's smile vanished.

She lunged forward, slamming the door shut with a deafening bang, trapping Seulgi inside. Her hands braced against the wood, caging Seulgi in.

"You think you can just leave?" Jaeyi hissed, her eyes burning into hers. "After everything we've been through? After everything I've done for you?"

Seulgi's body pressed flat against the door. "Let me go."

Jaeyi leaned in close, so close Seulgi could feel her breath on her skin.

"If I can't have you willingly..." Jaeyi whispered, her voice almost tender, almost loving, "I'll make sure no one else ever will."

Seulgi's stomach twisted into knots. Panic clawed at her chest.

Jaeyi's hand reached out, brushing Seulgi's cheek almost reverently—then gripping her chin, forcing her to look into her eyes.

"You belong to me," Jaeyi said, each word sharp enough to draw blood. "You always have."

For a split second, Seulgi thought this was it—that Jaeyi would snap entirely.

But then, just as suddenly, Jaeyi let her go.

She stepped back, hands raised in a mock surrender.

Her smile returned—but it was wrong, twisted, empty.

"Go ahead," she said softly. "Run."

Seulgi didn't wait.

She yanked the door open and fled, her feet pounding down the hallway, lungs burning.

Behind her, she heard Jaeyi's voice float after her, quiet and bone-chilling:

"You'll be back, love."

Seulgi didn't look back.

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