Taehyung stood before Miso, tension crackling between them like a live wire. His face was a mask of cold indifference, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of something deeper, something he himself hadn't fully come to terms with. He took a slow step forward, the question already forming on his tongue.

"Miso," he began, his voice low, calculated, "I need to know about this... little space of yours. How it started, what triggers it-"

She cut him off, her eyes flashing with a mix of anger and disbelief. "Are you serious right now?" Her voice shook with outrage, fists clenched at her sides. "You think you can just waltz into my life, treat me like one of your projects, and then expect me to open up about something so personal?"

Taehyung's jaw tightened, his own frustration barely concealed. He wasn't used to this-being questioned, being defied. But there was a part of him that wouldn't let this go, a part of him that needed to understand. "I've already asked your father, Miso," he admitted, his voice colder than he intended. "And I will do what I must to protect my own interests. Knowing your triggers could prevent... incidents."

Miso's expression twisted, her shoulders tense as if trying to hold back the torrent of emotions inside her. "You... asked my father?" She took a shaky breath, her eyes filled with a hurt that caught him off guard. "You went behind my back? Of course, you would. I should've known that a controlling tyrant like you would stoop to anything for his precious empire."

He took another step forward, his eyes narrowing. "Watch your mouth, Miso. You have no idea what you're talking about."

She threw her hands up, exasperated. "Oh, I don't know what I'm talking about? You really think asking my father to dig up my past and find out about my little space will somehow make me easier to control? That it makes me weak?" Her voice rose, laced with sarcasm. "I hate to break it to you, Taehyung, but I'm not some delicate thing that'll shatter just because you push me."

Taehyung's face hardened, though her words stirred an unsettling feeling in his chest. "It's not about control, Miso. I need to know everything about the people around me. It's just... business."

"Business?" Miso repeated, her voice a mix of disbelief and anger. "You think my trauma, my pain, my little space is just another part of your business?" Her eyes burned with barely concealed fury. "You're disgusting, Taehyung."

For a moment, he couldn't respond. Her words hit something deep within him, something he couldn't even name. He forced himself to stay detached, though he felt the sharp sting of her words like a wound he couldn't close. "Careful," he warned, his voice icy. "You're stepping out of line."

But Miso wasn't deterred. She took a step forward, her gaze challenging, even daring him. "You know what, Taehyung? I hate you." Her voice was unwavering, filled with a conviction that shook him in a way he hadn't expected. "I hate everything about you. I hate the way you think you can control me. I hate how you don't even see me as a person. I am not just part of your empire."

Taehyung's jaw tightened, and he tried to push down the strange, twisting feeling her words caused. "Enough, Miso," he said, his tone sharp. "Remember who you're talking to."

"Oh, I know exactly who I'm talking to," she snapped. "I'm talking to a heartless tyrant who only cares about himself." Her voice cracked, but she forced herself to keep going, her hands trembling as she tried to hold back the anger, the hurt that threatened to overwhelm her. "You think by learning about my little space you'll find some weakness in me. But let me make one thing clear: I'm not weak, and I am not broken."

Her words echoed in the room, and for the first time, Taehyung felt an inexplicable unease. He'd expected anger, resistance even, but this... this hurt that seeped from her every word was something he hadn't prepared for. His expression softened for a fleeting second, but he quickly forced himself back to his cold mask, unwilling to let her see the effect she was having on him.

"Then prove it," he challenged, trying to regain control. "If you're so strong, prove it by following orders. Stop fighting me on everything. I am the king in this world, and you're dangerously close to forgetting that."

Miso's eyes filled with unshed tears, though she kept her chin high, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. "You think I'm scared of you, Taehyung? I've survived things that would break you. And I don't need you-or your pity-to get through this."

He stared at her, feeling that uncomfortable ache in his chest grow stronger. He hated how her words affected him, how her defiance made him feel something he couldn't even name. "You're playing with fire, Miso," he murmured, his voice lower, rougher than before. "Don't test me."

But she just laughed, bitter and hollow. "Fire? I've lived through worse, Taehyung. You have no idea what real pain looks like."

A tense silence filled the room. Yin and Yang exchanged worried glances, and Miso's gaze shifted to them, her eyes filling with betrayal. "And you two," she spat, her voice shaking. "I actually thought... I thought maybe I could trust you, that you were different." Her voice cracked, and she quickly looked away, trying to hide the hurt that was all too visible in her eyes. "But I guess I was wrong. To you, I'm just another assignment. Just another project to monitor and report back to him."

Yin stepped forward, his face full of regret. "Miso, it's not like that-"

"Don't," she cut him off, her voice hard. "I don't want to hear it." She looked between them, her face set with a mixture of anger and sadness. "I was stupid to think you were anything more than his puppets."

Yang tried to reach out, his voice soft, almost pleading. "Miso, please, just listen. We were only trying to-"

She shook her head, taking a step back, her expression guarded. "No. I've had enough of being used, of being treated like some broken doll that needs to be fixed." She turned, her shoulders tense, and walked to the door, her steps unsteady but determined. When she reached it, she paused, glancing back at Taehyung with a look that was both defiant and heartbroken. "I hope you're proud of yourself, Taehyung. Because whatever trust I had gain... you've destroyed it."

And then she was gone, slamming the door with a force that echoed through the room.

Taehyung, Yin, and Yang stood there, a heavy silence settling over them. Taehyung clenched his fists, a hollow ache lingering in his chest as he replayed her words in his mind. He forced himself to remain composed, but deep down, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had lost something important. And he hated the fact that her anger, her defiance, her pain had managed to break through his walls.

In the quiet, he felt the weight of her words linger, her voice still echoing in his mind.

_______________________________________

Kim Miso

As soon as I slammed the door shut behind me, I collapsed against it, sliding down until I hit the floor. My head thudded back against the wood, and I took a shaky breath, trying to steady myself, trying to silence the chaotic storm inside me. But every time I thought I'd pulled it together, the memory of Taehyung's cold, unyielding voice came rushing back.

Why did it matter what he thought of me? I wasn't supposed to care. I've been through worse. Far worse. I've had people spit words at me sharper than knives, yet none of it had ever mattered. Their opinions didn't affect me. I had learned to stand tall, to let their words roll off like rain on stone. But this... this was different.

I let out a bitter laugh, my fingers tightening into fists on my knees. Taehyung, that heartless, arrogant king, thought he could just tear into my past, demand answers about my little space, and somehow, that wouldn't break me?

"Who does he think he is?" I muttered to myself, my voice trembling with frustration. "What gives him the right to dig around in my life like I'm... some problem he can solve?"

And yet, the rage I felt was tangled up with something more-a vulnerability I despised. He didn't know the weight behind my little space, didn't understand that it was my sanctuary, the one part of myself I had kept safe from the cold, cruel reality outside. But now, knowing he was determined to pull it apart, to study it, to understand... it rattled me in ways I didn't want to acknowledge.

I wanted to scream, to throw something, to punch the walls if it would make this horrible feeling go away. But all I could do was sit there, trying to contain the whirlwind of emotions clawing at me from the inside.

"Why is he so damn interested in me now?" I whispered, pressing my palms into my eyes, as if I could rub away the exhaustion that his interrogation had left in me. It didn't make sense. He had been the one who'd made it clear from the start-This marriage means nothing, he'd told me, his voice devoid of any warmth. I was just another pawn in his empire, just another deal he'd been forced into.

And yet now, he couldn't seem to stay out of my business. He'd gone behind my back, asked my father about my past as if he were entitled to know everything about me. The betrayal stung in a way I couldn't shake. I had always known what he thought of me, or at least I thought I did. But this... why was he digging now? Why couldn't he just leave me alone?

I closed my eyes, taking in a slow, deep breath. I knew what it would mean if he uncovered everything, if he managed to pry open the one place I had kept hidden. He'd see me as weak. A broken doll. And I wasn't about to let that happen.

But it was too late, wasn't it? He already knew about my little space. Already had his claws on a part of me I hadn't wanted to share. And if there was one thing I knew about Taehyung, it was that he didn't give up until he had complete control. He wouldn't be satisfied until he'd unraveled every single piece of me. The thought alone made my stomach twist in dread.

I gritted my teeth, the frustration bubbling up again. "What's his game?" I whispered, more to myself than anyone. "Why is he pretending to care now, when he's the one who told me I don't matter?"

Suddenly, the knock at my door shattered the silence, making me jump. I took a shaky breath, struggling to pull myself together. My heart raced as I heard a familiar, low voice on the other side.

"Miso," Taehyung called, his tone softer than I expected. "Open the door. We need to talk."

Talk? Now he wanted to talk? After all the venom he'd spat, after treating me like a mere inconvenience, now he wanted to have a conversation? I squeezed my eyes shut, the anger simmering beneath the surface. He was relentless, and I knew that if I let him in, he'd pick and prod until I was laid bare before him.

"No," I replied, my voice shaky but firm. "I don't want to talk to you, Taehyung. I have nothing to say."

Silence followed, and for a moment, I thought he might have walked away. But then, his voice came again, a quiet persistence that I couldn't ignore.

"Miso, please. Open the door."

The way he said my name-it made something inside me hesitate, a small flicker of curiosity breaking through my anger. I hated it. I hated that he had the power to make me second-guess myself, to make me doubt the boundaries I had so carefully built.

I stood, crossing the room and stopping just inches from the door, my hand hovering over the handle. But I couldn't bring myself to open it. Not yet.

"Why?" I asked, pressing my forehead against the door, my voice barely a whisper. "Why are you so obsessed with knowing about my little space? Why now?"

He hesitated before replying, and when he spoke, his voice held an edge of something I couldn't place. "Because... I need to understand you, Miso. I don't like feeling in the dark, especially when it comes to the people in my life."

I let out a bitter laugh. "People in your life? I'm only here because of a deal, Taehyung. Don't pretend like I'm anything more than that."

Silence. And then, "Maybe that was true once. But things... change."

His words struck something inside me, a small, unwelcome sliver of hope that I instantly squashed. I wasn't going to fall for his empty words, not after everything he'd put me through.

"Things haven't changed," I whispered, voice laced with bitterness. "You're still the same cold-hearted king who only cares about himself. And I'm still just a part of your empire, right?"

The silence on the other side of the door was deafening, and for a moment, I thought he might leave. But then he sighed, and I could almost feel his frustration through the door. "I just want to understand, Miso," he said finally. "I need to know why you retreat into that... that place. What happened to make you need that?"

His question hung in the air, pressing down on me with a weight I hadn't expected. And for a split second, I wanted to answer, to tell him everything. But then, I remembered who he was. Remembered that he was only digging for information, only prying so he could have control over me.

I straightened, the fire in my chest reigniting. "You don't get to know that," I replied, my voice steely. "You don't deserve to know that."

And with that, I turned away from the door, leaving him on the other side, wondering if he'd ever truly know the parts of me that I kept hidden.

************************************

Hey lovely readers!

First of all, thank you for sticking with this story through all the twists and turns! Chapter 17 was a bit of an emotional whirlwind, right? I know Miso and Taehyung are testing everyone's patience-especially each other's! Writing this chapter was like juggling dynamite, but I loved getting to explore Miso's raw emotions and seeing Taehyung's unexpected reactions.

I hope this chapter gave you some insight into Miso's inner world and why her walls are up so high. Trust me, there's so much more to come, and things are just starting to heat up. The next chapters are going to dive even deeper into their relationship and, dare I say, some unexpected feelings might start creeping up.

As always, thank you for reading, commenting, voting, and just being awesome! Your support means the world to me and keeps me inspired to bring Miso and Taehyung's story to life. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on this one, so drop a comment and let me know if you're #TeamMiso or #TeamTaehyung (or both!).

Much love and drama, StarlitWings ❤️