The moonlight filtered through the curtains of my room, casting soft shadows across the walls as I sat on the edge of my bed, heart racing. I had barely slept since my conversation with Yoongi by the lake, the weight of his words pressing down on me like a stone. The thought of running away—it was wild, reckless even. But the more I thought about it, the more it felt like my only way out.

I had paced my room for hours, thinking about everything he’d said. Could I really leave? Could I truly abandon the life I had known, leave my family, and disappear with nothing but the clothes on my back?

It was terrifying. But staying… marrying Taehyung… that was worse.

A soft knock interrupted my spiraling thoughts, and the door creaked open. Yoongi stepped in, quiet as always, his dark eyes scanning the room before settling on me.

“Are you ready?” he asked, his voice low.

I shook my head, the tension coiling in my stomach. “No… not tonight, Yoongi. The security’s tight, especially at night. They’ll notice if I leave.”

He studied me for a moment, his expression unreadable, but then he nodded slowly. “Alright. Tomorrow then. We’ll leave tomorrow.”

Relief washed over me, but it was fleeting. Tomorrow. The idea that by this time tomorrow, I could be far from this place, from Taehyung, from everything I’d ever known—it was both exhilarating and terrifying. I exhaled, trying to steady my breathing as Yoongi stepped closer.

“So, what’s the plan?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, afraid that even the walls would betray us.

Yoongi glanced out the window, his posture tense but composed, as if he had already thought through every detail. “You’ve got your engagement dress fitting tomorrow afternoon, right?”

I nodded. It was supposed to be just another step toward the inevitable, one more humiliating reminder that my life was no longer my own.

“Well, when you leave for the fitting, we’ll make our move. No one will suspect anything. We’ll head straight to the airport from the boutique. I’ve already arranged for transportation.”

I swallowed hard. “The airport? But… where are we going?”

Yoongi’s eyes softened slightly, a flicker of something tender, but his voice was firm. “South Korea. Your father’s homeland. It’s the only place where the Cosa Nostra won’t have as much reach. We’ll have a better chance of staying hidden there.”

South Korea. I hadn’t been back there since I was a child. It felt like a lifetime ago, a distant memory that didn’t quite belong to me anymore. The thought of returning, of hiding in a country that was still a part of my family’s history, felt strange. But it made sense. If there was anywhere we could go without being easily found, it was there.

“What about my passport?” I asked, the practical details beginning to overwhelm me. “Won’t they track me?”

Yoongi shook his head. “I’ve got everything covered. New documents, new identities if we need them. The less you think about it, the better.”

His calm, methodical planning should have reassured me, but all I felt was a tightening in my chest. I wasn’t just running away—I was running away from the mafia. My father. Taehyung. The thought of the consequences, of what could happen if we got caught, made my stomach turn.

I pressed my hands into my lap, squeezing them together to stop the trembling. “Do you really think we can do this?”

Yoongi’s gaze softened again, and he crouched down in front of me, meeting my eyes. “I wouldn’t suggest it if I didn’t think we could, Miso. But you need to be sure. Once we leave, there’s no going back.”

I stared at him, my mind racing. No going back. I knew that. If I left, I would lose everything—my family, my home, everything I had ever known. But what was left for me here? A life shackled to Taehyung? A life of fear and control?

No. I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t.

“I’m sure,” I said, my voice stronger than I expected. “We’ll leave tomorrow.”

Yoongi stood, a flicker of approval in his eyes. “Good. Get some rest tonight. Tomorrow, everything changes.”

I nodded, though I knew sleep would be impossible. Tomorrow would change everything.

________________________

The sunlight streaming through the dining room windows felt too bright, too harsh for the weight pressing on my chest. I sat at the long table, my breakfast untouched, eyes fixed on the untouched plate of eggs and toast in front of me. The clinking of utensils from my mother and the house staff echoed in the room, but all I could hear was the pounding of my own heart.

Running away. The thought was like a wild animal pacing in my mind, restless and full of danger. It felt surreal—like something from one of those crime thrillers Mo-eum liked to read. Except this wasn’t fiction. This was my life.

My fingers tightened around the edge of the table, a thousand possibilities racing through my mind. What if we got caught? What if they realized we were gone before we made it to the airport? My father wasn’t a man who tolerated betrayal, even from family. And Taehyung…

I swallowed hard, the knot in my stomach tightening. I hadn’t even met him yet, not properly, but from what Yoongi had told me, Taehyung wasn’t the type of man who let things slide. If we failed—if I failed—he wouldn’t just take it as a simple rejection. Men like him didn’t handle insults well, especially when it came to matters of power and control. He’d hunt me down. He’d make sure I paid for embarrassing him in front of the whole mafia world.

I pushed the plate away, my appetite long gone. The thought of Taehyung’s cold, calculating face sent a chill down my spine. Yoongi had been right. Taehyung was dangerous. More dangerous than I could’ve imagined. If he found me, there was no telling what he would do. And then there was my father. He’d see this as a betrayal too. Running away didn’t just mean defying the Cosa Nostra; it meant defying my family.

And if we didn’t succeed… if the plane didn’t leave fast enough, if someone saw us at the boutique…

I closed my eyes, trying to block out the images flashing in my mind. The consequences would be deadly. Yoongi would be punished—probably killed—for helping me. And Mo-eum… God, I couldn’t let her suffer because of my decisions. If Taehyung couldn’t find me, he’d go after her. Maybe he’d force her to marry him instead. My father had already made it clear that Mo-eum was the second option, the one I was protecting by agreeing to this engagement in the first place.

A wave of nausea hit me, and I pressed a hand to my stomach. This wasn’t just about me. My choices affected everyone around me—Mo-eum, Yoongi, even my mother. What if they hurt her to get to me? The mafia didn’t play by the same rules as everyone else. Family, loyalty, blood—those were the only things that mattered. Everything else was expendable.

I glanced up at the clock, my throat tightening. In just a few hours, I’d have to act like everything was fine, like I wasn’t about to disappear from this life forever. I’d go to the boutique, smile for the seamstresses, try on my engagement dress like a dutiful bride-to-be. No one would suspect a thing. They couldn’t.

But even as I thought it, doubt crept into my mind. What if someone was watching us? What if someone was already suspicious? My father had eyes everywhere. One wrong move, and this whole plan would come crashing down. And if it did, I didn’t know how we would survive it.

I pushed my chair back from the table, the scrape of wood against tile too loud in the quiet room. I couldn’t sit here any longer, trapped with my own thoughts. I needed air, space—anything to calm the storm raging inside me.

But as I stood, my mother’s voice cut through the room, cool and sharp. “Miso, you’ve barely touched your breakfast.”

“I’m not hungry,” I said quickly, trying to hide the tremor in my voice.

She frowned but didn’t press the issue. “Don’t forget, you have the dress fitting this afternoon. Everything needs to be perfect for the engagement.”

Perfect. What a joke.

I nodded absently, already moving toward the door. “I’ll be ready.”

But inside, I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be ready. For any of this.

________________________

As I sat on the edge of my bed, staring at the sunlight filtering through the lace curtains, the weight of my decision pressed down on me like an anchor. My fingers fidgeted with the hem of my dress, my mind spinning with the chaos of the last twenty-four hours. Yoongi’s plan was set in motion, and by after few hours, I was supposed to disappear, leave this life behind, and escape to a new one.

But it wasn’t just me, was it? It was never just me.

I’d been so caught up in the idea of running away that I hadn’t thought through the full extent of what it meant for Mo-eum. She was innocent in all of this, oblivious to the storm brewing behind closed doors. But if I ran, if I left without a word, Mo-eum would be the one forced into the life I was escaping. Our father had made that clear: if I didn’t marry Taehyung, she would.

I couldn’t do that to her. I wouldn’t.

I thought about her face, her smile—so carefree, so pure in a way I’d never been. Mo-eum wasn’t cut out for this world. She didn’t have the walls around her heart that I did, the ability to shut everything out and survive the darkness. She was too trusting, too kind, and too vulnerable. The mafia would swallow her whole.

A deep sigh escaped my lips, and I pressed my hands to my temples, trying to ease the pounding in my skull. I couldn’t let that happen. If I left her behind, she would pay for my choices. Taehyung would make her his next target, and I couldn’t live with that guilt.

No, I had to take her with me. Even if she didn’t know it yet.

The plan was already dangerous enough—Yoongi had been clear about that. But bringing Mo-eum along would complicate things further. She didn’t know anything about our escape, and she wasn’t prepared for what it meant. But I couldn’t tell her, not yet. If she knew, she’d panic, and panic would lead to mistakes. In this world, mistakes were deadly.

I stood up from the bed, pacing back and forth across the room, my heart racing as I thought about how to pull this off. I’d have to bring her to the airport without raising any suspicion. Maybe I could convince her that we were just going on a sisterly outing—shopping for the wedding, perhaps. Mo-eum loved shopping, and she wouldn’t question it if I made it seem normal.

But once we got to the airport… that’s when the truth would come out. I would have to tell her everything. She’d probably be furious with me for not telling her sooner, but it was the only way to keep her safe.

I stopped pacing and sat back down, my thoughts spiraling. Was this even possible? Could I really pull this off? What if something went wrong, and we both ended up captured? I knew what Taehyung was capable of, and if he thought I’d betrayed him before the engagement even happened, he wouldn’t just punish me. He’d make sure Mo-eum suffered too.

I clenched my fists, trying to push the fear away. I didn’t have a choice. This was the only way to protect her from the life our father was forcing us into. I couldn’t leave her to face Taehyung alone.

My gaze shifted to the door, and I knew I had to act quickly. Mo-eum was probably downstairs, completely unaware of the storm brewing around her. I had to make this seem like a normal day. I had to get her to the airport without anyone realizing what was really happening.

Taking a deep breath, I rose from the bed and walked toward the door. I’d have to keep calm, keep steady, and not let her see the panic rising inside me. Today was our only chance to escape. And whether she knew it or not, I was taking her with me.

________________________

Dear Readers,

THANK YOU for picking up BENEATH HIS DESIRE. I hope you love and enjoy it as much as I did while writing it.

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Love,
lavendermiso <333

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