Natalie’s POV:

“Wait…? What are waiting for? LET ME GO!” I snarled.

“Ah patience, dear. We’re waiting for your savior. Once he arrives, I’ll know exactly who betrayed me. And by that time, you can die together under my hand and to go hell with your dog parents,” he smirked.

I glared at him with animosity burning from within.

Whoever you are, please don’t show up…

“Any last words, princess?”

“Yeah, I do actually. YOU,” I cursed and spat into this face. He blinked a few times in embarrassment as he wiped my spit off his upper cheek with a white handkerchief.

“Alright, you wanna play it the hard way, huh? Beat her,” he commanded. The same swarm of men surrounded me—all of them holding a bat in their hands.

I squeezed my eyes shut and waited.

“She’s in there!” I heard a distant voice call out.

“Ah, perfect time to kill two birds with one stone,” the masked man smirked as he pulled out his gun, aiming straight at the entrance.

A swarm of policemen broke in—all of them properly armed.

“DROP ALL WEAPONS AND PUT YOUR HANDS ONTO YOUR HEAD—NOW!” the police officer standing in the very front commanded, pointing his gun directly at the masked man.

I let out a sigh of relief.

“What the hell? This wasn’t supposed to happen…” he cursed under his breath before obediently dropping his gun and surrendering along with his men. He eyed me suspiciously before turning back towards the front.

Suddenly, GiKwang pushed through the crowd of policemen.

“G-GiKwang?” I cried.

“NATALIE! That’s her!” he pointed at me eagerly. A few policemen escorted him over and untied me.

“Alright, you’re coming with us, Jin. You never learn from your mistakes, do you?” a police officer walked over and handcuffed the masked man—apparently named “Jin”—along with his other men.

“WHO ORDERED YOU?” Jin bellowed at GiKwang before being pushed through the door. It slammed shut behind him, and the place was quiet once again.

GiKwang turned to face me. Grabbing me firmly by the shoulders, he looked me in the eyes and asked, “Are you alright, Natalie?”

But before I could answer, I felt my body crumbling down to the ground. My vision completely out and I forgot everything that happened after that.

GiKwang’s POV:

I heard a few shuffles, causing me to stir awake from my slumber. Opening my eyes, I found Natalie struggling to get out of bed without awaking me—although she didn’t do a very well job. I smiled at her clumsiness when I noticed her stumbling over her own feet, but quickly frowned when I noticed the rope burns marking her smooth porcelain skin from earlier.

“Natalie,” I called out, hoping that she would turn around. She didn’t.

Not knowing what else to say, I quickly wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her in close to me. I rested my chin onto her shoulder and whispered, “I was so scared…”

She wiggled out of my grasp—as if she was uncomfortable—and smiled wearily, “I’m sorry for making you worried.”

I grabbed ahold of her hand and leaned in for a peck on her forehead.

“It’s okay. You’re okay now, and that’s all that—“

She coldly pulled away and turned around.

“What’s wrong?”

“GiKwang, I appreciate you for helping me, but I think you need to leave now,” she stated icily.

“Natalie, there’s something wrong. What happened? Why are you acting like this towards me?” I tried to reach for her hand, but she pulled away once again.

“I told you, you deserve better. We’re not meant for each other. You’re not supposed to be here. Please leave, you’re only making things harder for the both of us,” she confessed.

My heart stung.

“Alright. I don’t want to argue with you today, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want an explanation. Call me as soon as you’re better. I left some food in the fridge for you, just in case you get hungry,” I whispered as I made my way towards the front door. Natalie followed right behind me.

“Wait,” she called, “can you please let me know who told you I was trapped there?”

“I don’t know,” I truthfully replied. “It was a man. He just told me you were in trouble and told me about the whereabouts of the place. So I just followed his instructions and found you there.”

“Oh… I see. Thank you for everything. Good night, GiKwang.”

Getting into my car, I caught a last glimpse of Natalie standing alone on her porch before I drove back home.

Natalie’s POV:

I stood there, watching GiKwang back out of the driveway and drive off into the distance. Although I felt extremely guilty for having to act that way towards him, I knew there wasn’t much I could do.

I exhaled loudly and sat down on my porch.

Who could it be…? Who told GiKwang about my whereabouts? And how did they know I was there?

My train of thoughts was disrupted by the sound of a snapped branch. I attentively looked up to find a black figure standing under the tree in front of my house.

“Y-Yah! Who is it?” I shouted as I stood up and nervously began walking towards it.

No reply.

By the time I got to the tree, the figure was already gone.

GiKwang’s POV:

I slipped my shoes off and weakly greeted my parents, who were seated at the dining table eating dessert.

“Hello sweetie how was your day? You don’t look too well,” my mother cheerfully chirped as she plopped a fresh grape into .

I nodded solemnly as I began making my way upstairs.

“Did you see that wretched girl again?” she hollered.

I froze.

“How did you know about her?” I questioned suspiciously.

She blatantly avoided my question and went on, “Stop seeing her. She doesn’t deserve someone like you. She’s nothing but a piece of—“

“UMMA!” I bellowed angrily. “Did you say something to her?!”

“Yah, calm down! How could you yell at your own mother over someone as useless—“

“No wonder why she acted so cold towards me,” I mumbled frantically, darting my eyes back and forth before looking back at my mother.

“Mother, please stay out of my business and leave Natalie alone. She’s already going through enough hardships,” I warned before stomping upstairs.

“YAH! COME BACK DOWN HERE YOU UNGRATEFUL SON OF A !” she screamed.

I slammed the bathroom door shut behind me before slipping into the shower.

I won’t give up on you Natalie.