-: ✧ :-゜・．

-: ✧ :-゜・．

Aera stormed into the house, her mood already foul from the events at school. She was about to retreat to the sanctuary of her room when a soft, yet cautious voice stopped her in her tracks.

Rolling her eyes in annoyance, she turned to see her stepmother, Eunbi, standing in the hallway with an expression of forced concern.

"What now?" Aera snapped, her tone sharp and unwelcoming.

Eunbi took a hesitant step forward, her voice measured and calm. "Why did you fight in school today, Aera?"

Aera scoffed, her lips curling into a smirk. "And why does it matter to you?" she retorted, folding her arms. "It's none of your business."

Eunbi's expression didn't falter, her voice firm but kind. "It is my business. I'm your mother, Aera-"

"Stepmother," Aera cut her off coldly, the word slicing through the air like a dagger. "Don't fool yourself, Eunbi."

Before Eunbi could respond, a cold, authoritative voice thundered from behind. "Aera."

Aera froze, rolling her eyes as recognition dawned. She turned slowly, her gaze locking with her father's. Beom-seok stood there, his face a mask of disapproval and cruelty.

"What is it now?" she muttered under her breath, though her defiance faltered. Deep inside, there was still a small, trembling part of her-a little girl who feared her father's wrath.

Beom-seok's voice was calm but laced with venom. "I heard from Yumi that you caused trouble again. Fighting in school? Disgracing this family?"

Aera let out a dry laugh, the sound bitter and hollow. "Of course, Yumi would run to you. She's your perfect little angel, isn't she?" Her eyes narrowed. "Even though she isn't even your real daughter."

"Enough!" Beom-seok barked, his voice reverberating through the house. "Yumi is your sister, and Eunbi is your mother!"

Aera's eyes flared with anger. "They're not my family!" she shot back, her voice trembling with suppressed rage. "My mother is dead. She was my family."

The words hit a nerve. Beom-seok's face twisted with fury as he raised his hand and struck her across the face. The force of the slap sent Aera sprawling to the floor.

For a moment, there was silence, broken only by the faint sound of Aera's uneven breathing. She touched her lip, her fingers coming away smeared with blood.

Beom-seok leaned down, his voice dripping with cruelty. "Your bitch of a mother meant nothing to me. She was nothing but a worthless rag doll, good for one thing."

Aera's eyes darkened, her body trembling as rage consumed her. "Don't you dare talk about her like that," she hissed, her voice low and deadly.

Beom-seok straightened, his lips curling into a sadistic smile. "Oh? And why not? The mother you defend so fiercely? She's dead because of you. You killed her."

The words struck Aera like a physical blow. Her defiance crumbled, replaced by disbelief and horror. "No," she whispered, her voice shaking. "That's not true. I didn't-"

"Yes, you did," Beom-seok interrupted, his voice rising. "You killed her. You're a murderer, Aera. A killer."

"No! I didn't! I didn't kill her!" Aera's voice cracked, her pleas growing desperate as her vision blurred and her surroundings spiraled into chaos. Her breaths came in sharp gasps, the walls seeming to close in around her.

"You're nothing but a murderer," Beom-seok repeated, his words echoing in her ears like a haunting refrain.

Aera clutched her head, her knees buckling as she stumbled backward. "I didn't! I didn't! Stop saying that!" she cried, her voice breaking. Panic gripped her as she turned and bolted out of the house, her mind a whirlwind of terror and denial.

Beom-seok watched her retreating figure with a sadistic grin, his eyes glinting with satisfaction. Behind him, Eunbi sighed, shaking her head. "She's getting out of hand," she said softly.

Beom-seok's expression darkened, his voice tinged with an ominous finality. "Don't worry. I know how to deal with her."

Unnoticed by both of them, Yumi stood hidden in the shadows, her face pale and stricken. Her hands trembled as she clutched her shirt, guilt and sorrow etched across her features.

"She doesn't deserve this," Yumi whispered to herself, her voice barely audible. Her eyes filled with tears, memories flashing through her mind. She knew the truth. Aera wasn't the one who killed her mother.

It was her.

Everyone in the house knew the truth, but they had chosen Aera as their scapegoat, a convenient target to shield their own sins. Yumi's lips quivered as she bit back a sob, her silence a heavy burden.

But what they didn't know was that their lies wouldn't go unpunished. Karma was waiting for them, lurking in the shadows, ready to strike with brutal precision. And when it came, it wouldn't spare anyone.

__________

After 3 months...

The library was eerily silent, a sanctuary of solitude for Aera, who sat amidst towering bookshelves, her full concentration on the worn pages of a novel. Her expression was calm, almost serene, betraying nothing of the infamy that followed her at school.

Today, she was alone. Jimin, her ever-present best friend, was absent, and her stepsister Yumi hadn't shown up either-not that Aera cared. Yumi could vanish into thin air, and it wouldn't make the slightest difference to her.

Flipping another page, she felt the faintest movement near her chair. Her instincts sharpened, but she didn't flinch, her gaze firmly locked on her book.

Then came the voice, teasing and all too familiar.
"You really have no other work than ignoring me, do you?"

Aera's lips twitched slightly, but she didn't bother to look up.

Instead, she turned another page with exaggerated slowness and replied, her tone sharp yet composed, "And you have no work other than hovering around me?"

Yoongi chuckled, the sound low and amused as he leaned against the desk beside her. His dark eyes fixed on her with their usual intensity, a mix of mischief and something darker.
"You should be grateful, Aera. Girls would kill to have my attention, but here I am, wasting it on you."

With a sigh, Aera finally turned her head toward him, her expression devoid of any emotion. "Why are you here, Yoongi?" she asked flatly.

He smirked lazily. "This library, this school-it belongs to my family. I can go wherever I please."

Aera rolled her eyes, deciding not to argue over such a ridiculous statement. She began packing her belongings, ready to leave. She was used to Yoongi's games-three months of incessant teasing, calculated touches, and maddening smirks.

In those three months, he'd become the school's king, the center of every girl's attention. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, Aera always remained indifferent.

She stood up, slinging her bag over her shoulder, but Yoongi's voice stopped her. His tone was calm yet carried an underlying weight."Why do you always get away from me?"

Her eyes met his, cold and unyielding. "To get away from you, Yoongi, we would have to be in close connection in the first place."

Her words were like a dagger, piercing deep into his chest. His jaw tightened as rage flickered in his dark gaze. He stood up .

Before she could step past him, his hand shot out, gripping her wrist with brutal strength. He yanked her back, slamming her against the cold wall with such force that her breath hitched.

Yoongi loomed over her, his face a mask of anger and something far more dangerous. His grip pinned her hands above her head, his body caging hers completely.

Aera glared up at him, her fiery gaze meeting his stormy one.
"Let me go, Yoongi," she warned, her voice steady, devoid of fear.

But he didn't move. His lips curled into a mocking smile, though his eyes told a different story-a storm of emotions barely contained.

"No connection, huh?" His voice was dark, venomous. "Don't play dumb with me, Aera. You know exactly what I feel for you."

Aera smirked, knowing she had struck a nerve. "Oh, I know," she whispered, leaning closer just to taunt him. "I just don't care. My heart belongs to someone else."

Something snapped in Yoongi. He spun her around, pressing her back against his chest, his grip tightening around her wrists.

His lips brushed against her ear as he growled, "You think that matters to me? Do you think anyone can love you like I do, with this madness, this intensity?"

Aera's breath hitched for a moment as his warm breath fanned her ear, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Yes," she replied firmly, her voice laced with defiance. "Because my love isn't for sale, Yoongi. Not to you. Not to anyone."

Yoongi's jaw clenched, his anger palpable. His nose grazed the side of her face, his lips dangerously close to her skin.

"You don't get it, do you?" he whispered, his voice low and deadly. "You're mine, Aera. Whether you accept it or not."

He inhaled deeply, nuzzling into her hair, his voice dark and possessive. "I'll see just how strong your so-called love is. I'll make sure no one stands between us. Not even him."

Finally, Yoongi stepped back, releasing her, but his gaze stayed locked on her, wild and unrelenting.

Aera turned to face him, her glare sharp enough to cut steel. Without a second thought, she grabbed a glass vase from a nearby table and hurled it toward him.

Yoongi sidestepped effortlessly, the vase shattering against the wall behind him. A dark chuckle escaped his lips as he watched her.

"Careful, Yoongi," Aera said warningly . "Not every target will miss."

" and stay away from me," Aera hissed, her voice dripping with venom.

She turned on her heel, storming out of the library. Yoongi stood there, staring at the broken shards on the floor.

A dark smile played on his lips as he crouched down, picking up a jagged piece."Kim Taehyung," he muttered, his voice eerily calm. "So he's the one."

Without hesitation, Yoongi pressed the sharp edge against his palm, drawing blood. He watched the crimson liquid drip onto the floor, a twisted expression on his face.

"I'll show you, Aera," he murmured, his voice filled with quiet madness. "I'll show you that no one-not even Taehyung-can love you the way I do. And in the end, you'll realize there's only one place you belong."

He let the glass shard fall, his bloodied hand clenching into a fist. "By my side," he whispered, his eyes burning with an intensity that promised chaos. "Forever."

________

Aera's footsteps echoed faintly in the empty alley, her pace brisk as she tried to shake off the weight of the incident in the library.

Yoongi's voice, his dark gaze, his possessive words-they were like echoes trapped in her mind, refusing to leave her alone.

Her fingers curled tightly around the strap of her bag as she bit the inside of her cheek to push back the emotions threatening to surface.

"Calm down, Aera," she muttered to herself, her voice barely audible over the sound of her shoes against the pavement.

The alley was eerily quiet, dimly lit by a single flickering streetlight. The shadows seemed to stretch and twist unnaturally, almost as if they were alive. But Aera didn't care.

The darkness felt safer than the world she had to return to-her so-called home, a place she'd long since labeled as her personal hell.

Suddenly, a sharp, searing pain erupted at the back of her head.

She gasped, her hand instinctively flying to her scalp as her vision blurred. Warm liquid trickled down her fingers, thick and sticky.

Blood.

She stumbled forward, her knees buckling slightly as dizziness overtook her. Through her hazy vision, she brought her trembling hand to her face, staring at the crimson smeared across her palm.

Her heart raced, confusion and fear taking over as the world around her began to spin.

Before she could react or even process what had happened, another blow landed on the side of her head, this one harsher and more merciless.

The pain was blinding, her body collapsing to the cold, hard ground.

Her vision darkened, her ears ringing as the world around her grew faint. She could barely make out the sound of heavy footsteps approaching, the faint scrape of metal against the pavement.

The metallic scent of blood filled her senses, suffocating her.

Her fingers twitched weakly as she tried to move, to fight, to scream-but her body betrayed her. Darkness consumed her entirely, dragging her into an abyss she couldn't escape.

All that remained was silence.

__________

Aera's head throbbed as she slowly regained consciousness, the pain making her hiss softly. Her hands instinctively reached for her head, but the cold clink of metal stopped her.

She blinked, trying to adjust to the faint, oppressive darkness of the room. Her fingers brushed against the rough texture of a bandage wrapped around her head.

She looked down and saw she was lying on a wooden slab, its surface hard and uncomfortable.

Her wrists were bound in thick iron chains, their cold weight sending a shiver down her spine. The room smelled of damp wood and despair, and the silence was deafening.

Fear crawled up her spine. Where am I?What's happening?

Her throat was dry, and the pain in her head made her dizzy. But the growing panic pushed her to act. Aera pulled against the chains with all her strength, but they barely moved. She screamed, her voice cracking, "Let me out! Someone help me!"

Her cries echoed in the darkness, unanswered. Her throat burned, but she didn't stop. "Let me go! Whoever you are, I'll kill you!"

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps broke the silence. Aera froze, her body tensing as the heavy creak of a door opening sent a sliver of light into the room. She squinted, the sudden brightness blinding her.

A figure stood silhouetted against the light, and a soft voice, laced with pity, said, "Finally awake, are we? You've been unconscious for four days."

"Four days?" Aera's voice trembled with confusion and disbelief. Her mind raced. Four days? What's going on?

The figure stepped closer, and as Aera's vision adjusted, she saw a woman-dressed modestly but with a sorrowful expression etched across her face. The woman looked at her with a mixture of sadness and regret.

"Where am I? Who are you?" Aera demanded, her voice sharp but shaky.

The woman hesitated for a moment before answering, "You're in a brothel."

The words hit Aera like a thunderclap. Her blood ran cold, and her lips parted, but no sound came out.

"And you've been sold here," the woman added softly, her gaze avoiding Aera's.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

𝚃𝚘 𝚋𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎...