This is just a draft chapter. I'll polish later
Jae-Hyun didn't feel the impact when his foot slammed into the door.
He heard it.
A crack—loud, violent, splintering through the quiet hallway like a gunshot.
The lock gave way.
The door burst open.
He didn't stop.
Didn't look back.
Didn't think.
Kendella.
That was the only thing in his head.
He ran.
Through the dark living room. Past the shattered porcelain. Past the gramophone still spinning that cursed, haunting melody like it was enjoying the show.
His eyes flicked once—sharp, calculating.
Someone had staged this.
Not random.
Not sloppy.
This was deliberate.
His jaw tightened.
"Wrong girl," he muttered under his breath.
Then he was moving again.
Fast.
The stairwell door to the rooftop slammed open under his hand.
Cold air hit him instantly—sharp, biting, violent.
And then he heard it.
A scream.
Kendella.
Jae-Hyun's heart dropped straight into hell.
⸻
Above.
Kendella's fingers were numb.
Her wrists burned.
Every small movement sent a jolt of pain shooting up her arms as the rope cut deeper into her skin.
The wind howled around her, dragging her body slightly side to side like she weighed nothing.
Like she was already dead.
"No… no…" she whispered, her voice shaking.
Her eyes stayed locked on the man above her.
The mask.
That stupid, horrifying clown mask.
He tilted his head slightly, watching her like she was entertainment.
Not human.
Not worth anything.
Just… something to end.
The knife pressed harder against the rope.
Another thread snapped.
Kendella screamed.
"PLEASE!"
Her voice cracked, raw, desperate.
"I'll give you anything—money—power—just—please—"
The man didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Didn't react.
That scared her more.
Because this wasn't about money.
This wasn't about ransom.
This was about sending a message.
Her chest tightened.
Acid.
The attack.
Her father.
"…oh God…" she whispered.
This was bigger.
She wasn't supposed to survive this.
⸻
"HEY!"
The voice cut through the wind like a blade.
Jae-Hyun.
Kendella's head snapped up so fast her vision blurred.
"Jae—"
Her voice broke into a sob.
Relief hit her so hard it almost made her pass out again.
He was here.
He came.
He—
"Stay still!" Jae-Hyun barked.
His voice was different.
Not playful.
Not teasing.
Sharp. Commanding. Dangerous.
The man in the mask slowly turned his head.
Their eyes met.
Even through the mask, Jae-Hyun could feel it.
This wasn't just a thug.
This was someone trained.
Someone calm.
Someone who wasn't afraid.
Bad.
Very bad.
Jae-Hyun straightened slowly, his hands lifting slightly—not in surrender, but in control.
"You cut that rope," he said quietly, "and you die before she hits the ground."
The man tilted his head again.
Almost curious.
Jae-Hyun took one step forward.
Measured.
Careful.
"You don't want noise," he continued. "You don't want witnesses. So let's not make this messy."
Silence.
Wind.
Kendella's broken breathing.
The knife shifted slightly.
Another fiber strained.
Jae-Hyun's pulse spiked.
Think.
Think.
Think.
He glanced—quick, precise—at the rope.
Industrial.
Strong.
But already weakening.
Time was running out.
"Let her go," he said.
The man finally moved.
Not away.
Closer to the rope.
Kendella whimpered.
"Jae-Hyun…" she whispered, tears streaming down her face.
He didn't look at her.
He couldn't.
If he did, he'd lose control.
And control was the only thing keeping her alive right now.
⸻
Then—
Jae-Hyun moved.
Fast.
Too fast to track.
The man reacted instantly, dragging the knife hard against the rope—
SNAP—
Kendella dropped.
Her scream ripped through the night—
But she didn't fall.
Jae-Hyun had already jumped the railing.
One hand caught the rope.
The other shot down—grabbing her wrist.
The force nearly dislocated his shoulder.
Pain exploded through his already injured back.
He gritted his teeth.
"Got you," he hissed.
Kendella sobbed, clinging to his arm like it was the only thing in existence.
"Don't let me go—don't let me—"
"I said I've got you," he snapped.
Above them, the masked man stepped forward again.
Jae-Hyun looked up.
Their eyes met.
Something dark flickered in Jae-Hyun's gaze.
"You picked the wrong target," he said softly.
The man paused.
Then—
He stepped back.
Turned.
And disappeared into the shadows.
Jae-Hyun didn't chase.
He couldn't.
Not now.
Not with Kendella hanging off him twenty stories above the ground.
"Focus," he muttered to himself.
His grip tightened.
"Kendella, listen to me."
She was shaking violently now.
"I'm here," she whispered. "I'm here—please don't let me fall—"
"You won't fall," he cut in sharply. "But you need to help me."
Her breathing hitched.
"I can't—"
"You can," he said. "Look at me."
She forced her eyes up.
Met his.
And everything else faded.
The wind.
The height.
The fear.
It was just him.
"Wrap your leg around the rope," he instructed. "Now."
She hesitated.
"I can't—"
"Do it."
Something in his voice snapped her into action.
She moved.
Slow. Shaky.
But she did it.
"Good," he said immediately. "Good. Keep going."
He shifted his grip, ignoring the tearing pain in his back.
"On three, I'm pulling you up. You hold on to me. Not the rope. Me."
Her fingers tightened around his arm.
"Okay…" she whispered.
"Don't let go."
"I won't."
"One… two…"
He adjusted his stance.
Muscles screaming.
Vision sharp.
"Three."
He pulled.
Hard.
Kendella cried out as her body jerked upward, her arms wrapping around his neck instinctively.
He hauled her up over the railing, both of them collapsing onto the rooftop floor in a tangled mess of limbs and broken breaths.
Silence.
Just the sound of them breathing.
Alive.
Kendella didn't move.
Didn't think.
She just clung to him.
Her face buried in his chest.
Her entire body shaking.
"I thought I was going to die," she whispered.
Jae-Hyun closed his eyes for a second.
Just one second.
Because hearing that?
It did something to him he didn't want to name.
"You're not dying," he said quietly.
Her grip tightened.
"You left," she said suddenly.
The words hit differently.
Not angry.
Not accusing.
Just… hurt.
Jae-Hyun stiffened.
"Kendella—"
"You left," she repeated, pulling back just enough to look at him. "And then I almost died."
His jaw clenched.
"That's not—"
"Don't," she cut him off. "Don't lie to me right now."
Silence stretched between them.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Real.
Jae-Hyun looked at her.
Really looked.
Messy hair.
Tear-streaked face.
Red wrists.
And eyes that were still choosing him.
Even now.
Even after everything.
That was the problem.
That was always the problem.
"You should hate me," he said quietly.
Kendella blinked.
"What?"
"You should hate me," he repeated. "It would be easier."
"For who?" she asked.
He didn't answer.
Because the truth?
For him.
And that made him the worst kind of man.
Kendella stared at him for a long second.
Then—
She leaned in.
And kissed him.
Not soft.
Not hesitant.
Desperate.
Like she had just come back from death and needed to feel alive.
Jae-Hyun froze.
Again.
That same war inside him.
Promise.
Lie.
Marliese.
Protection.
Distance.
But her hands were gripping his shirt.
Her lips were trembling against his.
And for one weak, selfish second—
He kissed her back.
Hard.
Like he'd been starving.
Like he'd almost lost her.
Because he had.
Then he pulled away.
Breathing hard.
Eyes dark.
"Don't do that," he said.
Kendella stared at him.
"Why?"
He didn't answer.
Because the truth would destroy everything.
And he was already doing enough damage.
⸻
Boom.
A distant sound.
Jae-Hyun's head snapped up.
Footsteps.
Multiple.
Security.
Too late.
Way too late.
His expression darkened.
"This isn't over," he muttered.
Kendella followed his gaze.
"Who was that?"
Jae-Hyun didn't look at her.
"That," he said quietly, "is someone who knows exactly who you are."
And for the first time—
Kendella felt it.
This wasn't random.
This wasn't over.
This was just the beginning.
Jae-Hyun didn't slow down.
The door slammed open behind him, wood splintering as he tore through the penthouse like a man possessed. His eyes scanned everything in a single sweep—the broken vase, the overturned chair, the gramophone still spinning its eerie tune.
"Damn it…" he muttered under his breath.
His instincts screamed.
Up.
He bolted for the staircase leading to the rooftop, taking the steps two at a time despite the sharp protest in his back. Blood seeped faintly through the bandages beneath his shirt, but he didn't feel it. Didn't care.
All he could see was her.
Hanging.
Breaking.
Gone if he was even a second too late.
The rooftop door burst open with a violent shove.
Cold wind slammed into him.
And there—
The masked man.
The knife.
The rope.
Kendella.
Jae-Hyun's voice dropped, low and lethal. "Let her go."
The man tilted his head slightly, amused. Like this was all a game.
Another strand of the rope snapped.
Kendella screamed.
Jae-Hyun moved.
Fast.
He closed the distance in seconds, grabbing the man's wrist just as the blade pressed deeper into the rope. The two struggled violently, the knife glinting between them as it nearly slipped.
"You picked the wrong woman," Jae-Hyun growled.
The man laughed—low, distorted behind the mask—then drove his knee into Jae-Hyun's side.
Pain exploded.
Jae-Hyun staggered.
The knife slipped.
Another snap.
The rope gave way halfway.
Kendella dropped—
"JAE—HYUN!"
Her scream tore through the night.
And that was the moment something in him broke completely.
Not the controlled, calculating man.
Not the liar.
Not the bodyguard.
Just a man who refused to lose her.
Jae-Hyun lunged again, this time with pure, reckless fury, slamming the attacker against the railing with enough force to make the metal groan.
"YOU DON'T GET TO TOUCH HER!" he roared.
The knife clattered.
But the rope—
Was still fraying.