tw // mentions and innuendo towards torture //
Nari's p.o.v.
A horrible ache in her head woke her.
Nari attempted to lift her head, only to stop in pain, moaning as harsh heat spiked through her skull, the back of her neck still sticky with blood. She would have moved her limbs, but they were tied to the chair she was currently sitting on.
Her knees jerked up reflexively, wanting to escape from their bonds. Breathing heavily through her nose, Nari attempted to remove the duct tape slapped across her mouth, licking the inside edges to soften the glue.
One corner came unstuck after a few tries, and she rubbed her cheek on her shirt, revealing one half of her mouth. Nari gulped in deep breaths, quickly observing her surroundings.
The chair she was sitting in was positioned in the middle of a very clean room, simply made up with red walls and a concrete floor. A singular covered lightbulb swung above her head, making her dizzy after watching it for a second too long. She couldn't see a door, which meant that it must have been on a wall behind her somewhere.
What really caught her eye was a small metal table set against one wall, far from her limited reach. On it laid many different tools: tweezers, needles, pliers, scissors, thin knives, scalpels.
Her stomach rolled, and Nari felt as though she was about to throw up, holding back a sob as she imagined what those horrible items were for. The idea... no, she couldn't even think about it.
A sudden noise pricked her ear. It sounded like faint yelling, the voices of a boy and a man intertwining. After a few minutes of the argument, or whatever it was, man's voice ceased, and the boy's rose to a wail, a scream so full of panic, pain, that Nari wanted to scratch her ears out. That poor soul, whoever it could be -
Nari's eyes widened, her horror beyond what she had ever thought possible. "Jeongin!" she shrieked, convulsing in the chair as she tried to get loose. The agonizing sounds only got louder, until she wasn't sure if a boy or a girl was screaming.
"Fuck!" she screeched, tears pouring down her face as she strained her limbs against her restraints. "Jeongin, no!"
The girl was bawling, jerking in her chair, trying to cry louder than the boy so she wouldn't have to listen to him.
"No!" she cried as her body gave out on itself, trembling from the amount of energy she had just spent, and weak from her injury.
After what seemed like an eternity, the screams died down to just sobbing. Nari let out her own cry of relief for him, hiccuping as she quieted down.
The closed door behind her opened without warning, and Nari didn't struggle, but froze, afraid to even raise her eyes. A light pair of footsteps stopped in front of her, and a hand grabbed her chin, forcing her gaze up.
A girl was holding her face, her sharp beauty taking Nari aback. Who was this girl? Would this be her torturer? The girl seemed to read the thoughts in her eyes.
She tsked, letting go of Nari and smirking, as though being responsible for causing Nari's pain was much too unimportant a task for her. "I'm not here to hurt you. He's coming later."
Nari bit her lip, swearing that she would not cry in front of this girl. If she stayed strong, she could make her leader proud, knowing that she had toughed it out even until the end.
The girl pulled a chair from behind Nari's field of vision and sat demurely, crossing her legs as she stared at the imprisoned girl.
"Lee Nari," the girl drawled out, startling said girl. "Both parents dead, brother missing, and lives with her uncle. Well, lived. Now she lives with the young gang, Stray Kids. As their... what? Pet? Maid? Slave?"
It took Nari a second to realize that they didn't know who her brother was, and the power that he held. His immersion into mafia life must have been seamless if they hadn't figured it out by now.
A little more hopeful now, Nari jutted her chin out, gazing steadily into her questioner's eyes. "I'm a member."
There was a moment of silence. Then the girl began to laugh, seeming so thoroughly amused by the thought that Nari was kind of offended. The girl placed a hand over her mouth, swallowing the laughter that was bubbling over.
"No, that's impossible," she gasped in a fit of hysterics, wiping her eyes. "There is no way that they would have allowed such a pitiful girl to join."
Nari simply smirked, waiting for the girl to get over her high and mighty attitude and realize that she was serious. Eventually, she did note the sureity in Nari's gaze, the proud way she held her head as she said their name.
"Ohhh, my dear little girl," the girl tutted, shaking her head. "You may have wanted to keep that to yourself. You heard your friend earlier, yes?"
Teeth bared, Nari jerked forward, wanting nothing more than to punch the girl's nose straight into her skull.
"I'll take that as a yes. Anyway, he wouldn't give us any details whatsoever about the workings of your gang. Not one security code, not one name," she said, resting her hands in her lap. "Even after several rounds. I have to admit, he's a strong one. So, what about you?"
Nari gritted her teeth. "What about me?"
The girl leaned forward, lips stretching in a sick smile. "Are you strong too?"
Other than the slight trembling of her chin, Nari didn't move, didn't answer the girl. The inquisitor watched Nari keep her face empty, emotionless, but could still sense what was underneath despite her efforts.
"Aww, you're scared," she cooed, stroking a finger down Nari's face. "Here, how about this. If you answer a few questions, we won't hurt you, and we'll let the both of you go."
That was the emptiest lie Nari had ever heard. Still, the girl waited patiently for her answer, eyes oozing confidence, knowing that she had Nari exactly where she wanted her.
Nari tilted her head and smiled cheerfully, eyes gleaming up at the expectant girl.
"Fuck you."
The light in the girl's eyes blew out, and her mouth opened slightly, not at all having expected that response. She stood angrily and kicked her chair to the ground, raising a hand in a blur to backhand Nari across the face, her head whipping to the side.
As Nari groaned, the girl collected herself, pulling her hair back from her face as she panted. Her gaze was full of resentment as she side eyed her prisoner. "I hope you enjoy pain, then."
After those words, she stalked out of the room, slamming the door on her way out. With her now gone, Nari allowed herself to break a little, just enough so that she wouldn't have to later. She let out a breathy whine of pain, already feeling the side of her face begin to swell.
A new pair of footsteps sounded down the hallway, and Nari sniffed, closing her eyes and preparing her mind for what was to come. She could do this, she could get through this.
The door swung open again, and a slow, heavy gait approached her, the person obviously trying to psyche her out with their entrance.
But Nari was ready. She would risk her life, endless agony and all, to save her family. She wouldn't give them a wisp of information. She would be strong, like Jeongin was.
The new arrival stepped around until they were smack in front of her, their legs brushing her own. The person's rough hands went to rest on her knees, still-drying blood staining them. Nari clenched her teeth, eyes trained on the dark liquid to remind herself of whom it had just been taken from.
The person knelt to the floor, heavy body sinking down slowly to Nari's level. She dug her nails into her palms, savoring the pain as it forced her to focus, keep her face devoid of emotion. A deep chuckle sounded from above her head, and she mentally froze, recognizing the timbre of the voice.
Though she didn't want to, Nari gradually lifted her head, making eye contact with the man sitting in front of her. The man who had brought her here.
"Well, well," he whispered, inky gaze running over her face, her body, unabashedly leering. Nari felt disgusted, but kept her eyes on him, refusing to give in to his dirty intimidation.
"Let's play, shall we?"
if you see the book updating a lot it's only because i'm putting this banner in every chapter haha
hope you enjoyed♡♡