PAID

And then, my gaze met Go Yohan’s eyes. His eyes were red, his face wet with tears.

When did Go Yohan start crying?

"…Do you even realize what you’ve done?"

Go Yohan glared at me.

It was the first time I had ever seen him cry. The moment I saw his tears, I couldn’t even bring myself to say his name. Just uttering it felt like it would shake that dazzling, sorrowful despair. It was too much—an overflowing cascade of emotions that I couldn't possibly withstand.

It felt like I would drown in it, that a single drop added to the weight of that water would be enough to submerge me completely, to kill me.

And that was when I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.

Even if I couldn't understand the humiliation he felt, I could at least understand the resentment he held toward me.

"Do you even know what you did!"

The flood of emotions pressed down on me.

Go Yohan sat up and reached out. His long fingers brushed against my arm. It was just the faintest touch, but it sent a sharp jolt through my nerves.

But my guilt and what was happening right now were two separate things.

Realizing what had just been happening to me, I quickly turned away, my face burning, and shot up from the floor. I had to get out of here. I had to get away from this situation no matter what.

"Okay, okay, I get it, so please…"

A situation I had never experienced before was making me uneasy. I needed time—to sort through this, to process everything that had just happened.

"L-let go."

The moment I said it, I regretted it. Maybe it was the lingering attachment I had to Go Yohan despite my guilt and his resentment.

Maybe it was the part of me that always wanted to avoid being hated, the last line of defense I had, that made me weak even when I didn’t want it to.

"No, you don’t understand."

"…Ah!"

Go Yohan suddenly yanked my arm, pulling me down. My body hit the floor with a dull thud. My pathetic attempt at escape had failed, just like that.

I didn’t even register the pain in my tailbone.

I lifted my head and found myself unable to look away from Go Yohan. His face was covered in tears, twisted with an expression that was somewhere between laughter and a sneer. His grip on my arm was tight, suffocating.

His cold eyes made me feel like I was burning alive.

I wanted to run.

I struggled to shake him off, twisting my body.

"You don’t know anything about me."

"Aagh!"

Pain ripped through me, forcing out a scream.

It hurt.

It hurt so fucking much.

Tears welled up in my eyes from the unbearable pain. A low groan escaped my clenched teeth, but Go Yohan, still kneeling on the floor, only tightened his grip and pulled harder.

Staring straight into my eyes, he spoke, enunciating every word.

"Don’t even think about running. If you leave, you’re finished."

His lips were bitten to the point of bleeding as he spoke.

Finished?

The worst part was that I understood exactly what he meant.

I knew all too well what Go Yohan was threatening me with.

He was making a deal with his own power, using it as leverage.

His words, his expression—this wasn’t some reckless bluff.

It was real.

And the worst part was, it was working.

I swallowed hard.@@novelbin@@

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