When he finally decreased the pressure he was applying on Yeuna’s windpipe, she gasped for air, choking as her chest rose and fell erratically. Blackness fading from the edges of her blurry vision, her lungs burning.

He moved to grip her trembling shoulders tightly in his rough hands; pressing his nose into her hair, he inhaled deeply.

“Mmm, you smell so good babycakes~” his lips murmured against her black locks. Jerking away suddenly, his heavy footsteps swiveled around to stand before her broken form, fingers gripping her chin so tightly that it was sure to leave bruises. His bright eyes didn’t seem so nice anymore, and his smile had distorted into an eerie facade that chilled Yeuna to her brittle bones.

“You smell like fear.” He pulled back,  pushing her chin out of his hands. “I like that~”

Crossing his arms, he began to hum a bright, happy tune to himself as he observed her with an amused glint to his pitiless brown orbs.

Yeuna wanted to disappear. He undressed her under his carnal gaze, eyes stopping at her chest. Under his scrutiny, she felt as if he would swallow her whole. Right now, she’d much rather be staring down the barrel of a gun.

“Ah!” he said suddenly, clapping his hands together.

Yeuna flinched.

“I know Namjoon hyung told us to wait for Jungkookie, but that sounds boring.” He broke out into a grin, yanking on a fistful of her black locks. Pupils dilating as he leaned in, hot breath fanning over milky white skin. “So how about we play a game, sweet cheeks?”

“ off,” she managed to spit.

He put a hand to his chest, feigning hurt. “Ouch, you’re so feisty,” his tongue flickered across his bottom lip, “I like that.”

And then he kneeled down, fingers eagerly working at untying her restraints. Once her legs were free, he was quick to work at her bruised wrists. Yeuna could only furrow her eyebrows in confusion. Was he saving her?

“Here’s the deal,” he breathed from behind, snaking his arms loosely around her shoulders. “I’m going to be nice and give you a chance to get away, because I am a generous person.” He brought a hand up to lightly wisp along the side of her face. “If you’re able to find your way out of this place, I’ll let you go. But if catch you,” he brought a finger to glide across her neck in a cutting motion, “I’ll kill you.”

Yeuna swallowed, trembling under his touch. Was he being serious?

As if he could feel her hesitation by the way her breath hitched, he pushed her out of the chair. She stumbled forward, unsteady on feet that had lost their feeling for quite some time.

“Go,” the man growled behind her. And that was all it took for Yeuna to right herself and bolt through the open door.

She found herself stumbling once again as she entered the dimly lit hallway. The walls were cracked concrete, and the air smelled musty. But then she was running again, the bare flesh of her feet cutting into broken cement. She didn’t know where her black heels had gone and she didn’t care, the adrenaline pushed her through any pain she was feeling.

Was the man chasing her? She didn’t know. She couldn’t see anything but the space in front of her through her tunnel vision.

“Keep running, babycakes~”

The hall ended abruptly, a junction coming up. Yeuna couldn’t stop herself from colliding with the hard wall before pushing herself off.

Right? Left? Right? Left?

She chose left.

“You better run faster before I catch you, noona!”

Where was his voice coming from? Yeuna didn’t know. His cruel laughter seemed to blend into the air around her, threading its way into the space around her. She didn’t dare look back.

So she ran.

She ran even when her legs burned like a forest fire, and even when her lungs felt as if they were about to collapse in on themselves. She ran through bleary vision and bleeding feet. Her head was pounding painfully again and she felt like she was going to die. How did he expect her to run faster?

Yeuna had no idea where her legs were taking her as they turned corner after corner. The place was a maze. She couldn’t even let out a choking sob, the only sound her mind registered was her shallow gasps for air as sticky perspiration dripped from her forehead. Or was that blood?

He had to be far behind her, right? He was no longer c