It is getting rather irksome at this point. The stark image of your glistening eyes as they brimmed with tears and the distinct heartbreak contorted in your face remain unabating in his mind, as though to taunt him and evoke a sympathetic chord in him, which is nearly impossible because he is not a man of deep benevolence.

If anything, the sight of you in tears should have gladdened his tainted heart. He should be deriving great delight from your unveiling woe, but instead, a certain chord that feels foreign strikes him in the chest, and he doesn’t like it. Not one bit.

Park Sunghoon despises you.

No, you didn’t commit any wrongdoing towards him. He simply hates you and your whole being. Even the mere glimpse of your face is enough to kindle the burning hatred he has always harboured for you.

Sunghoon can’t exactly pinpoint the very moment he started hating you, but it was around the first half of the semester during freshman year.

Initially, you were a nobody ─ just a girl who managed to enrol in this prestigious university thanks to scholarships. You’re not a Chaebol like him or like most of the student body here. Usually, a student like yours with no status rank or whatsoever would be an easy target for the delinquents to tyranny with their corruptive tendencies and, essentially, to bully.

However, unlike the other delinquents, Sunghoon didn’t want to squander his time tyrannising students like you. He really couldn’t care less since, at that point in time, he was busy targeting and luring girls to his bed, since he used to be a fuckboy after all.

Truth be told, Sunghoon didn’t know of your existence in this school until one day, when your name reached his ears from the nebby peers of his. Words spread throughout campus like wildfire within one day ─ about you being a devoted Catholic girl, the professor's pet, and other things that were rather unpleasant from the mouths of his peers.

Sunghoon really didn’t want to get caught up by the tattles, but his interest piqued when a specific yet cliché moniker was accorded to you by most of the student body.

Crestview Meadow’s official good girl ─ Y/N Kang.

Hence, from there, you earned quite a reputation amongst the Crescents here. But Sunghoon firmly believed that the only reason you had a reputation was solely because of the it girls of Crestview Meadows ─ the very same girls are actually his kind of girls to be associated with, whereas you are every bit of a girl he has no desire to fuck.

Sunghoon thought that you didn’t deserve to have a reputation, albeit your reputation was meant to be disreputed, considering almost everyone dislikes you except the it girls, three of whom are your best friends and roommates, all because you’re the epitome of a good girl, a good daughter, and the ideal student that professors prefer to teach.

Oh, how he hates the way your eyes sparkle with fascination and your animated face that displays dimples on your cheeks whenever you smile or laugh, and even the sound of your laughter and chuckles irks him greatly. He also finds you tedious with how you are known to be loyal and often abide by the rules, and with how you dress so modestly that even your shortest skirt length reaches approximately four inches from your knee.

Not to forget the annoying satin bow piece that you often tie your hair in a half-up-do with and your thigh-high socks clad, as though you are gatekeeping your long porcelain legs from any prying eyes, since after all, you gain negative attention to your thick thighs.

Getting a little sidetracked, his mind briefly drifts to the plush of your thighs. No doubt, anyone who meets you for the first time will notice your thighs at first glance. His pulse starts to drum in his ears the longer the image of your thighs, which he finally saw how smooth and flawless your skin was on Devil’s Night, remains abating in his mind.

Fuck, even to this day, he still can’t remove another image of you in that skimpy, tight dress from his mind. He ignores the way his dick twitches as he subconsciously fantasises about you ─ his nails digging into the plush as he holds your thighs, his hand moving to your neck and giving it a good squeeze while he fucks his hatred into you.

A muscle pulses in his jaw before his hand reaches out to snatch the bottle from his best friend’s grasp and pours himself another glass of Bourbon, in dire need to drown his amorous thoughts about you. He disregards his best friends’ collective odd expressions that are directed at him by the table.

Sunghoon finds the whole concept of you being the renowned good girl on campus utterly absurd. There is no fucking way that you are entirely pure. Surely, beneath that pristine facade of yours is someone who is waiting for the right moment to spread her legs for anyone to give her a good fuck just like the other girls he had slept with, and he intends to bring the slut out of you and prove that you’re not the saint you thought you were.

“Ignore him. He’s spacing out as usual.” Jay’s annoying remark, which is obviously targeted at Sunghoon, causes the latter to roll his eyes before he takes another sip of his Bourbon. “He probably wasn’t listening to what we were saying.”

“I know that you were talking shit about me.” Sunghoon scoffs, shifting his gaze to his best friends, who are settled around the table. “A guy can multitask, ya know?”

“So how was it?” Heeseung shoots his inquiry to Jake, intervening between the two Parks before they can bicker as usual, which is the norm for the group.

“How was what?” Sunghoon raises his eyebrow inquisitively, now directing his full attention to them.

“About Y/N, of course.” Heeseung answers, his face remaining calm and collected, whereas Sunghoon internally groans at the mere mention of your name, which has his mind drifting back to the image of you in that white fucking skimpy dress out of all of the images of you.

Sunghoon’s steely gaze settles on Jake, who is seated directly across from him, and when their eyes meet fleetingly, Sunghoon finds it hard to decipher the sentiment reflecting in his eyes. As always, Jake is hard to read and predict, despite them being close enough to regard each other as brothers.

To anyone outside of their inner circle, they perceive Jake as the most amiable out of the four leaders, with a kind and sweet disposition despite his playboy tendencies. But to Sunghoon, as well as those who are much closer to Jake, only they know the real Sim Jaeyun is the total opposite of the frontage he displays in everyone else’s eyes, or at least Sunghoon presumes since he can never interpret his best friend.

Sunghoon recalls a certain period of time where Jake completely ghosted all of them and didn’t give them any explanation or whatsoever; he simply left them hanging and wondering what they did wrong until Jay was determined to knock some senses into Jake, which led to a nasty brawl between the two, but in the end, all was well.

“Yeah, was it any good?” Jay leans his body forward, his keen interest is evident by the grin on his lips, eliciting a scoff from Sunghoonn before the latter downs the remnants of the bourbon.

Sunghoon raises his eyebrow just slightly at the smirk tugging at Jake’s lips while something dark glints in the latter’s eyes. “Too good. Even better than I expected.” Jake finally puts an end to their curiosity. His smirk deepens as he brings the glass of Bourbon near to his lips. “She’s adorably loud, by the way.”

“Fuck you, man.” Jay groans loudly as he leans back against his seat, annoyance tinges in his face while he takes a drag of smoke from his vape before puffing it out. “Seriously, screw off, Jake. I wanted to get to her first since I’ve never fucked a virgin before.”

“She’s truly exquisite. Sweet angel took me like a champ.” Jake is obviously taunting Jay, as evident in the dark mischief dancing in his eyes. “I’m betting on my Chevrolet that you can’t make her cum more than I did.”

Jake’s goading appears to have affected Jay, as the latter seems exasperated. Jay turns his attention to Heeseung, his steely eyes hardening with resoluteness. “I call the next fuck. It’s my turn to prey on her.”

Amidst the R&B music that is playing in the background as it bounces off the walls of the bar, Heeseung’s silence is resounding, directing their attention to him. An inexplicable emotion paints across his features. “I’m not sure about that, Jay. I don’t think she would want to lower her guards around us anymore, especially after a certain someone decided to act like a dick towards her earlier on campus.”

Sunghoon watches with curious eyes as Heeseung turns his head to Jake, his gaze sharper than usual. “Apparently, Beomgyu informed me what you did and said something to her that made her cry.”

Something flickers past Sunghoon’s gaze. So your tears were because of Jake, but it is rather peculiar, especially since Sunghoon long had an inkling that you might like Jake better than the other knights, so he presumed that it would take Jake a shorter time to achieve his goal without any issues.

Although the smirk on Jake’s lips persists, Sunghoon is surprisingly able to read through him and notice the deflation. “So what?” He asks gruffly. “I already did my part, so why are you annoyed by the fact that I made her cry?”

“Because you were supposed to bring her closer to us, dumbass.” Jay shoots Jake a scowl, blowing out another puff of smoke. “Just great! The more reason for her to avoid any of us now!”

“Why did you do it?” Heeseung presses on the matter, but all the while he remains calmly collected, eliciting a subtle grimace from Sunghoon since the latter knows well that what frontage Heeseung displays doesn’t always match the inexplicable storms within him.

Sunghoon shivers lightly. It’s always the quiet and stealthy ones who turn out to be the scariest motherfuckers.

Jake’s chiselled jaw is locked as he averts his gaze. “I had to. Besides, she wouldn’t bat an eye at me since it’s one of your turns to take charge now.”

“Jake, getting her closer to us is crucial, remember?” Heeseung heaves a sigh, his hand brushing away his magenta-red locks. “This isn’t the first time you love-bombed and ghosted a girl. I don’t know what your issue is, but you really need to sort your shit out.”

“Don’t tell me to sort out my shit when you don’t know what I’m dealing with.” Jake snaps at Heeseung, a rare occurrence that has the two Parks widening their eyes, thunderstruck.

They know that Heeseung is Jake’s most favourite person, and this is not to say that the latter isn’t close to the two Parks, but they have a special bond that is inexplicable to them, so Jake rarely gets angry at Heeseung.

Heeseung narrows his eyes at him, darkness glinting in his eyes dangerously. “Then tell me. What is going on with you?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. You wouldn’t understand.” Jake murmurs the last part, but Sunghoon is the only one who catches on to the dejection in his tone.

“Anyway,” Jay raises his voice just slightly, drawing their attention. “We’re seriously getting sidetracked here. Who will be going after her next? Unless there is any objection, I’ll go next.” An anticipating grin smears across his pink lips.

“Nahhh, I don’t think so,” Sunghoon objects, a cold smirk touching his lips. “because I’ll be going for her next instead, and shut your mouth, Jay. You’re not getting to her until after I’m done.”

The three of them, completely bewildered, stare at Sunghoon as though he were an alien. They know that Park Sunghoon feels disdainful towards you for some reason, so they never anticipated his assertion to go next. However, they had momentarily forgotten that Sunghoon is naturally competitive, even against his best friends.

On the other hand, while he has been silent, a newfound resolve that dawned on him felt profound, and so he is driven by the same resolve, determined to be the one to fully break you on the inside, ascending his corruption upon you, and if his luck is strong enough, to change you for the worse.

“That’s settled, then.” Heeseung concludes while dissatisfactory gleams in Jay’s eyes, but the latter doesn’t make any objection. Heeseung meets Sunghoon’s gaze. “Do you think you’ll succeed? Considering you hate her, it'll be harder for you to prey on her.”

“When have I ever failed at anything?” A cocky smirk tugs at Sunghoon’s lips. “Best believe that when I’m done with her, she’ll be pliant and all yours to deal with.”

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The soft luminesce of the moonlight streams into your window, painting delicate tapestries weaving across the ceiling while you wallow in despondency in the confines of your room as you lay limbs-sprawling on the bed. A rare bleakness shrouds the heartbreak in your eyes as they stare numbly at the ceiling.

The red rims of your eyes are fading, but they are still noticeable enough for your best friends to catch on to the fact that you have been crying. Although you doubt that they would care enough, considering the last argument you had with them and the fact that they did warn you, you didn’t want any of them to see you in this state.

Your phone buzzes in silence as it vibrates on your bed, but you choose to ignore whoever is calling or has sent you another text, most likely Winter and Kazuha, since you accidentally bumped into them just yesterday while you were still in tears. You ran before they even had the opportunity to speak to you.

The image of Jake and that girl is not something that can be erased so easily from your mind. Sure, you were slightly heartbroken when you found out Jake was a womaniser during the period you had a crush on him, but this is different. The heartbreak feels so profound that, despite the air of despondency hanging heavily around you, a part of you feels vehement enough to get even.

The thought of revenge entices you, wanting to get even by doing the same thing he did to you, but you shake away that ill-intent of retaliating. No, you can’t behave indecently again, especially after going to the church to confess your sins and be pardoned earlier in the morning. Besides, Jake even told you that you were delusional, so he probably wouldn’t get the slightest jealous if another man touched you intimately the way he did before.

A knock pulls you away from your muddling thoughts before the door slowly pushes open. Remaining motionless on your bed, you lazily turn your head to the side and meet Karina’s eyes, softening with concern.

“Hey, I heard from Winter and Kazuha that you were found crying yesterday.” Karina treads carefully with her words as her sharp eyes examine you. “What happened?”

It touches you that Karina even bothered to check in on you, despite the irony that she hated you in the beginning. Your heart aches at the thought of Wonyoung and Yunjin, already regretting your actions and missing them.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” You murmur in a plea, your eyes stinging with dryness after shedding tears almost the whole night.

“Okay, I won’t pressure you. Just come out and eat something, please.” Karina’s gentle voice compels you to heed her words, and when she extends her hand towards you, you stare at it for a good minute before accepting her assistance in rising from the bed.

“Are Wonyoung and Yunjin around?” You ask tentatively as Karina proceeds to drag you and her out of your room.

“No. They’re busy with their boyfriends or whatever.” Karina mutters under her breath, and like a mother tending to her child, she instructs you to sit on the high stool by the kitchen island while she serves the food she bought for you.

“Thank you.” You say softly when she places the bowl on the table in front of you. The gratitude feels like a lump in your throat as you get a little emotional with her mere act of kindness for thinking about you even after you had been eccentric towards her.

Karina watches you in silence as she takes sips of her smoothie. “You know, I’m not mad at you.”

You lower your spoon to the bowl, and your face contorts into confusion. “You’re not?”

“I mean, sure, I was annoyed at first, but I could never be mad at you.” Karina gives you a small smile that sends a wave of assurance to you. “You’re a grown woman, Y/N, and it’s about time the girls and I stop babying you. Besides, who am I to dictate and judge you when I have my fair share of questionable decisions I made in the past?”

A moment of clarity dawns on you, and you have a sudden urge to confide in her, which you rarely do. Tucking your bottom lip in between your teeth, you contemplate hard and fast while the steaming bowl of porridge is forgotten by you.

“There was a reason why I allowed myself to get close to him, because I had a crush on Jaeyun when we were freshmen.” You start off, your eyes flickering to the interest in her eyes that encourages you to continue, and this time, your voice remains unwavering. “Of course, who wouldn’t be over the moon that their ex-crush finally noticed them and was brought to bed by the said crush?” You chuckle dryly. “But what broke my heart was the fact that he ghosted me the next day when we spent the whole night talking and flirting over the phone, and he even called me his girl.” You whimper out the last part.

Karina’s tongue hits the roof of her mouth. “Fucking hell, Jake Sim.”

You bury your face in your palms, trying your utmost to suppress the tumultuous emotions that storm within you. “I found him with a girl on his lap, and they were making out. Of course, I confronted him, and he told me I was delusional to think that I meant something to him just because we slept together.” Your lips quiver in sadness while tears sting in your eyes.

A loud thud of a palm hitting the table startles you, prompting you to look up, and your eyes widen at the sight of Karina’s glaring anger. “That’s it. I’m about to murder a man. There is no way fucking way he love-bombed my best friend and got together with some girl afterwards. He’s about to get a taste of my fist.”

You lean forward to grab her hand on the table before she can even move. “Karina, don’t.” You plead, squeezing her hand. “I don’t want to be the reason why you get into trouble. What’s done is done. I should move on from this ridiculous heartbreak of mine.”

Karina’s eyes soften at the sight of your glistening eyes and wavering voice, but the resentment persists within her. “What about revenge?”

You deflate slightly. “Revenge?”

“Yeah. I mean, don’t you want to get him back? Make him jealous?” Karina probes, her eyebrow arched inquisitively. “Come on, Y/N. He deserves it after what he did to you.”

Her words are starting to get to you, enticing you, but you shake your head, knowing that it would be rendered useless to seek revenge against the same guy who told you that you’re delusional. “Trust me, Rina, he wouldn’t get jealous. He has other girls to keep him occupied.”

“You may never know, Y/N. There is a chance that he’s dismissing his feelings for you, but at the moment he sees you with another guy, then maybe jealousy will strike him, so he’ll have no choice but to push his ego aside and grovel to win over your heart.”

“Rina, you watched way too many romance dramas.” You roll your eyes, chuckling lightly.

“It’s a maybe, but it won’t hurt to try, right?” Karina casts you a grin, sweet mischief glinting in her eyes. “What do you say, Y/N? You’re up for some sweet revenge?”

Knowing that Karina won’t stop until you cave in, you release a reluctant sigh. “Fine.”

“Perfect.” Karina smiles gleefully. “There will be a pool party happening at the resort chalet owned by Yeonjun’s family tomorrow night exclusively for the seniors, so it’s a perfect opportunity for you to find some guy who is willing to play along.”

“A pool party?” You frown. “I don’t know, Rina. What if Jaeyun won’t be present and all of those efforts for my petty revenge go to vain?”

“Trust me. He will be there,” Karina rises from the stool to walk over to you and grabs your hand, leaving you no choice but to allow her to drag you in the direction of her room. “and when he finally sees you in the gorgeous two-piece bikini, he’ll be regretful for letting you go.”

“Bikini?!” You shriek, mortified by the thought of every inch of your skin blatantly displayed for anyone to feast their eyes on. “Look, I’m fine with revenge, but to wear a bikini?!”

“Don’t be dramatic, Y/N.” Karina rolls her eyes, finally arriving in her room. You watch, flabbergasted, as she proceeds to rummage through her wardrobe drawer. “Your body is to die for. No more gatekeeping your curves. It’s about time that you flaunt them and prove to everyone that the renowned Crescents' good girl has a killer body.”

You turn your head to the side, looking at your whole reflection in the vanity mirror. You swallow hard as you reach up for your silver cross pendant to fiddle with it, as though you are silently pleading for forgiveness once more.

“What’s your favourite colour again?” Karina asks without looking over her shoulder.

You contemplate between white and pink. “Pink.”

Karina goes silent briefly before she gasps and lifts the bikini. “This will definitely look good on you.”

You stare at the dusty pink bikini in dubiety, and although you already feel revolted by the indecorous image of you in that bikini, you can’t deny that it looks cute. “I’m totally going to regret this.” You mutter under your breath, hoping that Karina won’t catch on to your words.

But the cheshire grin smearing across her lips says otherwise. “I have a feeling that you’ll be thanking me instead. Now, get dressed.”

Your face contorts into confusion. “Where are we even going at this hour?”

Karina points her acrylic index finger at you. “You, my girl, will be accompanying me to the bar. It’s clear that you and I need some drinks. Plus, some of our girls will be there.”

“You know that I don’t drink.” You strongly oppose.

“Too late. You’ve already broken one of your codes when you drank some on Devil’s Night.” Karina states, and upon seeing the grimace on your face, she releases a sigh. “Drinking some won’t kill you.”

“Yeah, but drinking some will eventually turn into drinking excessively, which will essentially kill you.” You say dryly.

Karina makes a hand gesture of 'shooing’ you. “Don’t get all smart on me now, Missy. Now go and get dressed, or do you need me to drag your ass back to your room and clothe you instead?”

In return, you make a face at her before departing from her room.

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Karina ended up lending you her garments since, according to her, you really needed a wardrobe makeover. Surprisingly, the low-waisted denim jeans fit you perfectly, but you have yet to grow accustomed to the skin of your stomach being displayed due to the white crop top tee and denim jacket hugging your figure.

The moment you and Karina entered the bar ─  the very same bar where you once came across the seven delinquents ─ Winter, Kazuha, and Rei spotted both of you and were shocked by your new look, but nevertheless, they showered you with compliments and gushed over you while shyness coloured your cheeks.

“Don’t look now, but the four leaders are just across the bar.” Rei's hushed tone garners all of your attention as the five of you are seated on the high stools by the bar.

Your body goes frigid just as you are about to take your second sip of the cocktail. You don’t miss the way Winter, Kazuha, and Karina collectively spare glances at you. Just before the five of you decided to order your drinks, Winter and Kazuha were adamant about getting the truth out of you — the reason why you were crying yesterday while Rei was utterly lost.

And so, you had no choice but to reveal the truth. The revelation rendered them shocked and angered, but none was more shocked than Rei, since she was always in her own little world. You did make them pinky promises with you that not a single word about the revelation goes out to others.

Karina hums, her hand leisurely moves her half-empty glass of drink in circles while her sharp eyes are trained on a certain someone. “What do you girls think? Should I head over to their table and give Jake Sim a good punch or two?”

“Hell yeah!” Winter and Kazuha agree earnestly as they high-five each other.

“No, please no.” You discourage them, groaning as you do. “Don’t cause a commotion in the bar.”

“Come on, Y/N.” Winter whines at you. “He deserves at least a punch!”

“As much as I would love to see that happening, I have to head outside to answer a call.” Rei interjects before she excuses herself from the bar.

“Please.” You plead once more, giving Karina your sparkly doe eyes that you know she will have a hard time resisting. “I’m perfectly fine now. Besides, sweet revenge tomorrow, remember?”

Karina eventually concedes as she heaves a sigh. “Fine. Just be sure to make him really jealous.” She throws her head to the back as she downs the rest of her vodka before placing the glass on the table. “Anyone wants to join me in playing the game of pool?”

“Loser will be drinking the nastiest drink ever made?” Kazuha shoots Karina a smirk, to which the latter reciprocates. The two of them proceed to make their way to the pool as they venture further into the establishment, leaving you with Winter.

“So….” The awkwardness is palpable in her. Her fingers drum lightly on the countertop. “You’re no longer mad at me, right?”

“No.” You give her a small smile that diminishes the awkwardness she feels. “You were right. I should’ve known that he was an asshole.”

“But do you still like him?” She asks gently while there is a knowingness glinting in her eye. “He was your crush, after all. So it’s understandable if you find it hard to move on.”

“I don’t know what to feel, Winter.” You tell her honestly before taking quick sips of your cocktail in an attempt to reinvigorate yourself, but your mind remains in a tumult. A derisive chuckle leaves your lips. “I was a fool for believing in the fact that he meant what he said about me being his girl.”

Winter squeezes your shoulder, denoting her sympathy for you. Her phone rings on the table, prompting her attention to divert to it. “Oh, shoot. I forgot to return Giselle’s call. Be right back.”

Winter shoots you a quick smile before grabbing her phone and proceeding to make her depart, leaving you entirely alone and vulnerable for anyone, specifically for a certain someone with steely eyes who has been watching you, to approach you with ill-intent that you won’t even expect.

You decide to quell the bitterness by downing the cocktail until there is nothing left. With a sigh, you rise from the stool with the intention to head for the restroom, but as you lift your gaze, your heart nearly lurches in your chest at the sight of the man who never fails to evoke a familiar fear in you.

Even if he is standing a few metres away from you, the ambience emanating from him is domineering enough for you to recoil, but you try your utmost to remain rooted to the ground, your eyes unwaveringly meeting his steely ones before they betray your inner turmoil by scanning his appearance.

You are no stranger to the fact that Sunghoon’s fashion sense has always consisted of a variety of leathers. Tonight is no exception ─ a black leather jacket that clasps his athletic physique, as evident in the way the material of his black tee stretches against his muscles beneath the jacket, paired with black-washed denim jeans and a pair of Timberland boots.

As your eyes return to his face, something stirs within you amidst your turmoil at how attractive he looks. The black browline glasses adorning his face and the wisp of his raven strands hovering below his thick eyebrows, nearly to his eyes, do nothing to obscure his penetrating dark gaze on your face.

Despite the dim lights in this specific section of the bar, you can discern the familiar sentiment lurking in his steely eyes. Disdain. But your eyes narrow at his pink lips, which turn into a small smirk that adds weight to your turmoil.

“Who would’ve thought I’d be seeing you here out of all places, Y/N Kang?” His snide remark makes you curl your hand into a fist at the side.

“Park Sunghoon.” You finally utter his government name for the first time throughout the years you have known him.

For reasons beyond your comprehension, Park Sunghoon has despised you ever since freshman year. His glaring hatred is perceptible whenever you often cross paths with him since he is an architecture major in the same department as Jake.

You have heard some things about him, thanks to your tattling friends, allowing you to gain some sort of insight about who Park Sunghoon is ─ he used to be the captain of the ice hockey team and a major fuckboy in freshman and sophomore year until he stopped being the renowned fuckboy out of the blue when junior year entered. Plus, out of the people in his inner circle, he is known to be the coldest and meanest, which has already been proven in the past when he cruelly rejected some of those girls who had slept with him in the most humiliating ways.

Despite all of the words and rumours circulated about him on campus, just his dark gaze alone is enough for you to get the memo that fucking around with him would result in grave consequences. To get on Sunghoon’s bad side or any of the devil’s knights’ leaders' bad side would mean that you have a death wish.

Just like the other two knights’ leaders, Jay and Heeseung, Sunghoon intimidates you greatly. You feel daunted even by a single glance spared to you from him, so you often avoid him like the plague, until recently. Genuinely, you are curious to find out the reasons why he hates your guts when you did not commit any wrongdoing towards him.

You recall the other day when he sided with your deceased bullies. The concoction of abhorrence and wickedness that danced delightfully in his eyes has embedded itself in your mind, and you know that you ought to be leery of him.

“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t a good little Catholic girl like you be in bed by now?” He takes slow, deliberate steps towards you, his lips curling into a sneer that displays his blatant disdain for you. You don’t miss the way his gaze flickers down at your bare abdomen fleetingly.

“My being here is not in any of your concern.” You accidentally allow the words to slip past your lips before you smack them closed, facepalming at yourself internally for your retaliation against him, but you can’t ignore the niggling annoyance at the back of your mind any longer.

Sunghoon cocks a single eyebrow at you. He totally did not expect the minuscule spark of feistiness within you, as evident in your tone and your unwavering eyes. “A bit brave to be talking back now, are we?” He asks, unrelentingly advancing towards you and leaving you no choice but to back up until you hit the countertop behind you.

The fusion whiff of smoke and strong musky cologne pervades your senses, and you can almost feel the warmth emanating from his body as he stands close to you. His steely eyes penetrating into yours feel unbearably suffocating, as though he has you locked in place just by his gaze alone.

“N-No.” You stutter, and your hand goes flying to the back to grip the edge of the countertop until the tension colours your knuckles white.

As you finally muster the courage to look away from his eyes, the bad shivers run down your spine as you become rattled by the cold derisive chuckles emitting from him. “No?”

At the moment he grabs your chin tightly with his fingers, your heart rattles in your ribcage as he forces you to meet his eyes once more, and this time, contemptuousness hardens his sneering features.

“You think you’re so cute, acting all tough earlier. Now look at you.” Mockery drips from his tone while his deep voice manages to have an impact on you despite the commotion in the background.

Unfortunately for you, the people in your vicinity seem to mind their own business, and some are slowly making their way out of the area. Even the bartenders have gone to the personnel backroom, leaving you completely vulnerable and easily preyed on by the very man looming ominously before you without your friends in sight as well.

You muster courage while releasing a shaky breath. “Get away from me, Park Sunghoon.”

“You dare to make demands now?” Sunghoon’s chuckles sound so lethally cold that your instinct is imploring you to run from him. Your breath hitches in your throat when his fingers make their ascent to your jawline until they reach your ear and sensually stroke the shell. “Keep them coming, because I’m getting real impressed by your audacity, princess.”

The endearment strikes a chord in you, and you swear it sounds oddly familiar to him because it reminds you of one of the predators who chased after you on Devil’s Night. Silver.

“Get away from me, please.” You repeat your plea, but only this time you decide to display your desperation, which softens your features.

“I don’t think so, not until you finally get this into your fucking skull.” Sunghoon says lowly, the familiar cruelty forms a smirk on his lips. You attempt to jerk your head away from him, and he effortlessly cups the cusps of your jaw, holding you in place. “The next time you have the audacity to make demands, you'll do well to remember who I am and that I fucking own you now.”

An anger flares behind your irises. “I don’t belong to any man, and especially not to you.” You manage to deliver your vehemence to him despite the fear that is raging within you. Mustering courage, you glare at him. “For your information, I’m not an object, nor am I a girl with no dignity for you to toy around with. Now, if you’ll excuse me, you’re invading my personal space.”

You force yourself to shove past him, hitting his shoulder roughly as you meander your way to the restroom, which is nearly in the secluded, dimly lit area of the bar, wanting to get away from him before he completely suffocates you with his domineering emanation.

Of course, there is absolutely no way he would follow you all the way here─

A firm hand latches onto your arm, startling you greatly as your heart lurches in your chest, and before you can make any protest, he rips off any opportunity for you to do so as he quickly drags you over to the gentleman's toilet and pushes you roughly inside, nearly sending you to tumble, but he is swift enough to steady you.

“Sunghoon─” You gasp at the impact as soon as he slams you against the wall, which is undoubtedly unsanitary, and the unpleasant smell of faint piss and vomit that pervades the space is revolting to you, as evident in the grimace colouring your face.

“You can’t just drag me whenever you want! And for that matter, we’re in the guys toilet!” You hiss at him, your heart pounding hard against your chest at the palpable tension that is slowly deriving from the glaring contest both of you are in, as does the close proximity. “I’m leaving.”

“You’re not going anywhere until I’m done with you.” He snarls coldly just as you are about to walk past him, grabbing you by the arm again and nearly pinning you against the wall, but this time, you gasp in utter shock when his hand grabs a fistful of your hair and tugs it hard to the back.

The back of your eyes burns at the stinging pain in your scalp. There is not an ounce of clemency in the way he is treating you, matching the sentiments reflecting in his steely eyes. “What do you want from me?” You ask in a whimper, your hand flies to the back and claws at his, denoting him to release you.

“I already told you, princess, that I own you.” He smirks cruelly, his eyes holding indifferently upon seeing your glistening ones staring into his, pleading. “Now that Simon and his two bitch friends are gone, good fucking riddance, you’ll be dealing with me now. Meet your worst nightmare, Y/N Kang.”

“Why are you doing this? I did nothing to you.” You whisper weakly, allowing a traitorous tear to betray your semblance of bravery.

“You always piss me off, princess. You didn’t think you could get away after your display of defiance earlier, did you?” He takes you by surprise as he moves you over to the sink and turns you around before forcing you to bend down until your boobs are mashing against the top beside the sink, with his palm on your back firmly pressing you down.

A painful whimper clogs at your throat as soon as he grabs a fistful of your hair once more and tugs it to the back until you are able to meet his cruel gaze in the mirror. The red LED fluorescence illuminates his face, complementing the menacing ambience he exudes from behind you. You ignore the way your heart flutters at how oddly attractive he looks in the red luminance with the smirk on his handsome countenance.

“I’m a man of my words, so when I said that I would do you much worse, then you best believe that I will.” His tone is laced with malicious intent that is nearly resonating throughout these septic walls. You bite down your bottom lip until you swear it draws blood as you withstand the pain at the moment he tugs at your hair again. “You’re going to be my bitch and do exactly as I say from this moment onwards.”

“S-Sunghoon, please.” You whimper, your hands are outstretched in front of you, clawing on the surface in an attempt to seek some semblance of alleviation from his cruelty to you.

“I haven’t even done anything yet, and you’re already begging?” Sunghoon cold chuckles ring through your ears and send goosebumps on your skin. “Oh, princess, you’ll be doing a lot of begging.”

You exhale in relief as soon as he releases your hair, but his hand makes its descent to your neck. His long, slender fingers curl around your neck in a threatening manner while you still have your head raised.

The pressure he adds to your constrained neck causes your back to arch just slightly, but this catches his attention and subsequently arouses an emotion he thought wouldn’t surface at the sight of your curve accentuated by the mere action of your arching.

“Sunghoon.” Your gasping plea goes unheard by him as his eyes darken with lust while his mind is imbued by the concoction of eroticism and repugnance at the sight of you being utterly helpless under him, arousing the image of you being fucked by him from the back at this very moment while his palm covers your mouth to muffle out your moans.

Once he returns his gaze to the mirror, his dick twitches beneath the confines of his garments. Even the sight of your eyes glistening with tears right now fuels his avidity for destroying your pussy, destroying you.

Sunghoon leans down, his chest pressing against your spine, and his hard-on allows you to feel him distinctly. Your eyes widen in shock at the unmistakable sensation of his dick beneath the layers of his garments pressing into your ass cheeks, and you swear you can almost feel how thick he is. Perhaps even thicker than Jake’s.

Your heart remains pounding hard out of fear and involuntary anticipation as he angles his head to brush his warm lips against the shell of your earlobe. “Now, princess,” He begins to speak in a deep, gravelly voice while he tightens your neck, nearly blocking the airways and bringing more unshed tears to your eyes. “You’re mine to be dealt with for now. Whatever you do, don’t piss me off, and it would be wise for you to heed my command.”

The moment he releases your throat, you gasp loudly for air, but he is quick to cover your mouth and nose with his palm, muffling any noise from you. Goosebumps arise on the surface of your skin as his other hand touches your ass cheek to give it a sensual rub.

He continues to speak beside your ear as his hot breath hits your skin. “If I tell you to bend over, you will bend over. If I tell you to crawl for me, you will crawl. If I tell you to get down on your fucking knees, you will get down on your knees.” He takes you by surprise when he nips at your earlobe. His eyes meet yours once more in the mirror, patronising you with a smile. “Look at yourself right now. You look pathetic, princess.”

You should be despising his assault and every word he spoke to you, but an involuntary yet familiar arousal stirs in your core while his palm on your ass that is rubbing sensually leaves you yearning for more, yearning for him to touch you where you want him too.

“You’re going to take everything I give to you like a good fucking girl you are, understood?” His low growl sparks something in you amidst your fear, which you discern as excitement.

Your eyes are dazed with forbidden desire for the man behind you as you stare at him in the mirror, and hearing no response from you, he presses his body into you deep, causing your hip bone to hit the edge of the sink painfully while his fingernails are digging into your clothed bum as he grips it tight. “Understood?”

You nod your head frantically while your ‘yes’ sounds muffled by his palm. Something stirs within you again when you catch a glimpse of satisfaction in his eyes before he releases you and leaves you to finally gasp for air. You slap down your palm on the surface in an attempt to assist yourself in raising your body, wincing at the painful throb in your hip bone from the prior impact.

“Sunghoon─” You are left speechless when he spins you around and places both hands on your waist to hoist you, settling you on the surface next to the sink. Despite being seated, he manages to tower over you by a few inches.

Sunghoon forces your legs to part as he stands in between them, the lack of space between your bodies is nearly nonexistent while you become lightheaded by his cologne and cigarette scent.

His hand latches on your nape while the other brushes your brunette waves to the side before he angles your neck to his preference, causing you to arch and strain your neck due to his firm grip, allowing his eyes to feast on the porcelain skin that was once bearing Jake’s marks.

The moment his warm lips come into contact with your skin, where your pulse is, you gasp softly in shock, unable to comprehend the fact that the very guy who despises you is kissing your neck. “W-What are you doing?” You ask shakily while you make feeble attempts at pushing him away, but your body betrays you, succumbing to his allure.

“I’m leaving my mark on you.” His murmurs against your skin send familiar shivers to you. He doesn’t say anything next, only administering his kisses and licks on your skin before stopping at a specific spot on your neck.

You can’t help but release breathy moans at the heavenly sensation of his lips kissing and his teeth nipping your skin while your chest heaves up and down. Feeling his arm slithers around your waist, you arch your back and allow him to pull you closer to body heat until the heat of both of your cores hits and brushes against each other.

Trepidation sizzles through you when a commotion of laughter can be heard faintly from the outside. “Sunghoon, someone might walk in on us.” You whisper fearfully to him, and yet, you find yourself grinding your clothed cunt against his hardened dick that is in dire need of being freed from the confines.

Sunghoon simply ignores you, sucking your skin hard, which elicits another moan from you while you don’t stop grinding on him, needing to feel some form of friction to relieve your aching clit.

After what feels like forever, his wet muscle licks your now-bruised skin as though to balm it. Tears of frustration prickle in the corners of your eyes when he steps away from you, just before you can even reach the peak of your orgasm. When your gaze settles on his face, you notice how swollen his pink lips are as they upturn to a smirk upon seeing his masterpiece on your skin.

Getting off the countertop, you turn around to get a better look at yourself, and when your eyes land on your neck, your lips go parted, dumbfounded by how explicit his mark looks on your skin, which is sheening with the residue of his saliva. Fresh, purple-red hickey that you know will probably take a week or two to fade.

“No.” Your whisper of mortification elicits more contentment from him as his smirk widens.

Your breath hitches in your throat when he presses his body into you from behind, his hand on your bare waist holding you in place firmly while the other brushes your hair away from obscuring his mark on your skin. 

“Oh, yes, princess.” He croons to you, obviously taunting you. His dark gaze holds so much danger as he meets your glistening eyes. “This will serve you as a reminder every time you look at yourself in the mirror that you belong to me.”

“But my friends─ they─” Panic settles on your chest while your voice remains shaken from the aftermath. “They’ll see it.”

“That sounds like a ‘you’ problem, princess.” His fang-like teeth peek as he chuckles lethally softly. “Now, if you try to escape from me, know that there’ll be consequences.” He can’t resist himself the longer his gaze remains lingering on your dainty neck, so he leans in to kiss on your hickey, causing your body to jolt slightly from the abrupt sensation of his warm lips once more.

“Yeonjun will be hosting a pool party at the resort chalet his parents owned, so I’ll be expecting to see you there.” He murmurs as soon as he pulls away from you.

You swallow harshly in an attempt to moisturise your dry throat as you lock eyes with him in the mirror. “Why are you doing this? I thought you hated me.”

“I still do, which is why I’m doing this.” He smiles coldly in response. “By the time I’m done with you, you’ll be crawling back for more.”

You hold your chin up in subtle defiance. “No, I won’t.” 

“Don’t fool yourself. Deep down, you know you want me.” He scoffs lightly. “Now off you go.”

You don’t need him to tell you twice as you flee the gentleman's toilet. Panic returns to your chest as you spot your friends by the bar, drinking and conversing amiably amongst each other.

You clench a fist, ruminating whether to head over to them or just leave the bar and walk back to your dorm since it will take no more than twenty minutes from the bar. Heeding your intuition, you whip out your phone to send Karina a text while making your departure from the establishment.

Y/N: Hey, I’m calling it a night.

KARINA: So soon? Where are you now? I’ll drive you back.

Y/N: It’s fine! I’ve already headed outside. Don’t worry about me, and just enjoy the night with the girls.

KARINA: If you say so. Just text me once you arrive at our dorm.

Little do you know that you have forgotten to text her when you step foot into your room as you are preoccupied in the bathroom, relieving yourself to attain the orgasm Sunghoon ripped from you.

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Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he is unable to erase the image of your pliant body being forced to be bent down by him, and the tears that leaked from your eyes as you stared at him in the mirror undoubtedly stirred an arousal within him, but even in his slumber, you managed to appear in his dream, resulting in him waking up with a fucking morning wood.

The steam from the hot shower begins to fog in the spacious bathroom as the water continues to run while he remains stark naked, his palm pressing firmly onto the tempered glass as he continues to masturbate.

A muscle pulses in his chiselled jaw while his eyes darken with a carnal lust as he recalls the delirious dream of him giving you backshots with your arms locked in place on your back as he delivers unforgiving thrusts into your cunt while you were fucked dumb by him, moaning and blabbering incoherent words.

Never has Sunghoon ever thought that you would be his wet fucking dream.

Droplets of the steaming moisture drip down his neck to his chest as he throws his head to the back, grunting out a moan at the moment his orgasm reaches its peak before familiar white essence sprouts from his engorged cock, aiming messily everywhere, staining the shower tiles and the tempered glass. 

Fuck, it has been more than awhile since he came hard like that, and he’s not even the slightest bit satisfied. Sure, he could get any other girl to satisfy his libido and get them to suck him off, but it has been long since he even lured any girls to his bed since he decided to cease his fuckboy tendencies.

In the beginning, it was exhilarating to lure those girls to his bed without any effort, and the sex was good since he managed to fuck different girls with different kinks, which subsequently led to him exploring and developing kinks of his preference. But as time passed, it got tedious. It was always the same boring shit, but mainly because those girls’ vigours matched with his, which is confounding. Every other fuckboy would want girls to match the level of his energy.

However, Sunghoon wanted something different for once. He didn’t want to fuck girls who were the same stereotypical flirtatious and vivacious kind, but at the same time, he also had no idea what type of girls he wanted. Hence, he decided to put an end to his renowned fuckboy reputation.

No girl could ever satisfy him in the way he desired.

That was until now. As your beautiful face with crystalline tears glistening on your cheeks appears in his mind once more, his once softened dick twitches.

Shaking his head, he quickly rinses himself and any evidence of his stained cum in any parts of the shower before grabbing the towel at the side to dry himself and making an exit out of the shower room.

With the towel hanging loosely below his waist, Sunghoon raises an eyebrow upon seeing Jake, clad in denims, sauntering around his room and seeming to be inspecting anything that captures his attention as though he is in an art exhibition.

“The fuck you’re doing here?” Sunghoon asks in a grumble, completely undeterred by Jake’s gaze on his half-naked glory, while he makes his way to his closet room, which is situated across from the shower room, which he finds tedious.

Since they have been living in this very palace where they hosted Devil’s Night, the rooms each of the leaders occupied are equivalently massive.

Jake is unfazed by Sunghoon’s vulgarity since it’s the way he is, watching as the latter ventures into the wonder of his closet. “Are you staying overnight at the resort?”

Sunghoon manages to catch on to his inquiry despite his hands being occupied with searching for some good fits. “Maybe? It depends if I’m too lazy or not to head back to the palace. Why?”

Jake heaves a sigh, his fingers running through his long, tousled strands. “I don’t know if I should go.”

Silence is all Jake receives for a protracted moment before he hears some shuffling, prompting him to look up and spot Sunghoon, now decked out in all-leather, exiting his closet.

“Why?” Sunghoon asks, frowning while drying his damp hair with the towel.

“Because Hana will be there.” Jake groans, inviting himself to plop down on Sunghoon’s bed with the sheets now crinkled beneath his weight, which elicits a scowl from the latter since he is particular about neatness.

“Hana who?” Sunghoon’s tone denotes that he couldn’t care less about the unfamiliar name.

“The girl I used to make Y/N jealous.” Jake’s admission has Sunghoon diverting his full attention to him. Jake’s tongue hits the roof of his mouth, his annoyance is more than apparent. “She won’t stop pestering me and just won’t get the fucking hint that I’m not into her.”

“Wait, you used this Hana to make Y/N jealous?” Amusement is laced in Sunghoon’s tone as he stands across from Jake. Sunghoon’s interest in the matter is piqued. “So did that happen on the same day Beomgyu saw her cry and informed Heeseung?”

“Yeah.” Jake clenches his jaw. “Now I’m starting to regret picking Hana out of all the girls.”

“Pray tell, why did you decide to make Y/N jealous?” Sunghoon cracks a grin despite his curiosity. Jake’s silence draws a scoff from Sunghoon. “Come on, man. You can always tell me.”

“Yeah...that's not happening.” Jake tells him flatly before rising from the bed and making his departure from Sunghoon’s room. “See you there.”

Annoyance seeps into Sunghoon at Jake’s blatant avoidance of the topic since yesterday, when Heeseung confronted him. A part of him really couldn’t care less and is only driven to achieve his goal by doing his part, but another part of him remains lingering with curiosity about what exactly happened and why.

Just then, your face appears in his mind, and he wastes no time to grab his phone by the nightstand and go to your contact to send a message. Sunghoon got your number from Jake, though the latter seemed rather reluctant to give him what he wanted.

SUNGHOON: I’ll be seeing you at the resort chalet. You do know where it’s at, right? Or do you need me to fetch you? This is Sunghoon, by the way.

Surprise tinges in his chest when you respond to him more quickly than he expected.

Y/N: How did you get my number????

SUNGHOON: I have my sources, princess.

Y/N: Okay, totally not creepy at all, and stop calling me princess.

SUNGHOON: I can call you whatever the fuck I want. Now, answer my question.

Y/N: You’re so demanding. Yes, I know where it’s at. I’ll be going with Karina and the other girls.

SUNGHOON: Good. Text me once you arrive, and then I’ll tell you where to meet me.

Y/N: But I don’t wanna…..

SUNGHOON: You have no choice, princess. Have you forgotten what I told you last night?

Y/N: Fine, fine. Just please don’t be so obvious. I don’t want any of the girls to find out about this.

SUNGHOON: Again, princess, it sounds like a ‘you’ problem.

Y/N: I don’t like you, you know that?

SUNGHOON: The feeling’s mutual.

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To say you are in a predicament is an understatement. Not once have you stepped foot outside of your room since you woke up, and you don't dare to either, especially when the hickey on your neck is glaringly conspicuous.

With your bottom lip tucked between your teeth, you have been prancing around your room that if your soft toys, which are arrayed meticulously on your bed, could magically talk, they would probably tell you to sit your ass down as you’re making them dizzy by your unceasing prancing.

You worry gravely that your hickey being seen by your best friends will result in another altercation, and you fear that Wonyoung and even Yunjin might grow to resent you for such indecent conduct that was not expected from you.

You tried applying an excessive amount of concealer, but it was rendered useless because, no matter what, the hickey would remain noticeable. As you are mindlessly fiddling with the silver cross hanging from your neck, you release an annoyed sigh while a growing headache begins to form that is in a muddle of tumultuous emotions.

You blame Park Sunghoon for leaving his ludicrous mark on your neck.

Speaking of him, you halt your steps, your eyes glancing down at your phone screen that displays Sunghoon’s last text. You have an inkling that he must’ve gotten your number from Jake. You ignore the throbbing ache afflicting your heart at the thought of Jake.

Not only are you caught up in a predicament with the unresolved issue between you, Wonyoung and Yunjin, as your friendship with them is strained, but that predicament also includes your heartbreak inflicted by your ex-crush and your cluttered feelings for the guy who hates you.

For once, you genuinely want to scream and pour out your pent-up emotions that are brimming, but you maintain decorum. Your stomach grumbles with a low growl for the third time, denoting that it needs to be stuffed with food.

It’s like there is a lightbulb switch in you. You nod your head to yourself, agreeing that the reason you’re feeling all angsty is because you've neglected your hunger since morning. After all, you’re a major foodie.

You rummage through your closet to grab a baby pink hooded sweater before wearing it with the hood covering your head. You examine yourself in the mirror, adjusting the collar in an attempt to cover up the hickey with the additional help of your hair, which you let loose.

Although uncertainty remains lingering in the air, you decide that this will do it. Plus, you can’t afford to neglect your hunger any longer, as it gnaws in your tummy relentlessly. 

Your heart pounds against your chest as you slowly push down the handle before opening the door. With your head peeking outside, you can hear the sound emitting from the television. You look across you, where the door to Wonyoung’s room is ajar.

With an inaudible sigh, you proceed to leave your comfort zone. Like a clandestine spy on a mission, every step you take is light, moving stealthily. The only goal you have in mind is to get to the kitchen and cook something you hope will be edible, considering that cooking is not your expertise.

When you reach the living room, you notice that the couch is vacant, leaving only the television playing the drama idly for no one. Naturally, you loosen every tension in your muscles and lower your guards before making a beeline for the kitchen.

You have been craving your comfort food, and so you proceed to make yourself a bowl of instant ramyeon. Although you’re not supposed to indulge your cravings since you’re somewhat on a diet, you can’t help it.

Since cooking instant ramyeon is convenient, time passes quickly, and you are finally seated on the high stool by the kitchen island with the steaming bowl of ramyeon in front of you.

Just as you are about to take a slurp of the noodle, your body goes frigid at the sound of footsteps approaching the living room and their voices teeming in the cold air. You decide to act as normally as you can before taking your first slurp.

“A certain someone is finally out of hibernation, I see.” Karina’s voice is laced with mischief as she teases you, prompting you to look up and spot her entering the kitchen with Yunjin and Wonyoung trailing behind her.

“I was tired.” You tell her with a faint smile, disregarding Wonyoung’s eyes that are attentively trained on your face, whereas Yunjin heads for the refrigerator.

“So you decided to sleep in until noon?” Wonyoung’s tone causes you to flinch lightly at how sharp it is.

Although there is sadness, annoyance overweighs your entire senses towards Wonyoung’s change of behaviour when it comes to you.

”Give me a break. It’s a Saturday.” You say dryly without sparing a glance at her as you slurp your noodles. It’s flavorful, indeed, but it does nothing to distract from the tension that you can discern between you and Wonyoung.

Wonyoung doesn’t like your tone, not one bit, as evident by her sharp gaze on your face. “You don’t usually wake up this late, Y/N. Seriously, what’s going on with you?”

“Everything is fine.” You grit your teeth in annoyance, slowly losing your appetite. “Just let this drop, Wonyoung.”

“If everything is fine, then why are you wearing a hoodie when the temperature is not even cold?” Wonyoung remains vehement, irking you greatly.

“Yeah, what’s with the hoodie?” Yunjin joins, though by her nervous chuckles, it’s clear that she doesn’t wish for things to escalate into some altercation just like the other night. “New look?”

“You girls seriously need to lay it off.” You finally divert your full attention to them. “I don’t get why you are so insistent about trifling matters like this.”

“It isn’t trifling when you’ve been acting all weird.” Wonyoung raises her voice just slightly. Her glaring eyes meet yours. “Ever since you slept with Jake, you’ve become a little different. It’s like I almost don’t recognise you.”

“Wony’s right, Y/N.” Yunjin says quietly, and despite her tone remaining neutral, you hate the way she is looking at you right now, the sentiment matches Wonyoung’s. “You’re different now.”

“I’m not.” You object vehemently, and by now, your ramyeon is forgotten as you are preoccupied with defending yourself. “I can assure you that I have not changed. Ask Rina!”

“If you asked me, I’d say you’ve changed a little, but in a good way.” Karina adorns a grin, unaffected by the sizzling tension between you and Wonyoung. Karina darts her eyes between Wonyoung and Yunjin at their glare on her face. “What? Come on! Aren’t you girls glad that Y/N finally knows how to have fun? Speaking of which, Y/N! You definitely need to wear this dress I got for you to Yeonjun’s pool party.”

“She’s going to Yeonjun’s pool party?” Wonyoung’s high-pitched tone denotes disbelief. “And you’re encouraging her when you’re supposed to be on our side?”

“Is there a problem if I go to Yeonjun’s pool party?” You ask Wonyoung, your chin has a tilting defiance. “You and Yunjin are going too, so I don’t see why I can’t go.”

“It’s a pool party, Y/N! It’s not your type of scene! You’re not even brave enough to wear a bikini!” Wonyoung displays her exasperation. “Plus, the senior knights will obviously be there, including Jake!”

You scoff out a dry laugh. “If you’re worried about me bumping into Jake, don’t be. I don’t have any intention to associate myself with him anymore.”

“Did something happen?” Yunjin takes a step forward upon noticing the fleeting heartbreak in your eyes.

Before you can speak, Karina intervenes loudly. “Oh, look at the time! We really need to start getting dressed up and stuff.” She chuckles before directing her eyes to yours, and you instantly receive her silent message.

You take down a mental note to return for the remnants of your ramyeon later, as you get off the stool. Just as you walk past Wonyoung, you spare her a glance. “Maybe you don’t know me, but I can be brave at times, Wonyoung.”

In return, Wonyoung chuckles coldly at you, and the disappointment can be seen in her eyes. “You’re right. Maybe I don’t know you at all, because I only know the old Y/N Kang.”

Standing in front of a full-length mirror, your reflection stares at you with an abundant clarity of irresolution, mirroring the inner turmoil within you. Your eyes begin to scan your appearance from head to toe in incredulity. Never in your twenty-one years of life have you ever dressed as provocatively as you are now. Heck, you don’t even recognise yourself.

The white cami bodycon corset dress feels tight as it accentuates your curves and has a designated contrast lace bustier that levitates your breasts and displays your cleavage, while a portion of your torso is conspicuously visible through the translucent material. The length of the dress reaches so far above your thighs that when you attempt to bend down ninety degrees, your white lace underwear peeks under. 

You're not the type to critique people for how they dress, and you have nothing against people who wear revealing clothes, but right now? You practically look like a slut. A slutty angel, at that.

Your nose automatically scrunches up at the licentious thought. This is definitely not what you had in mind when your best friends, slash roommates, decided to buy you a ‘costume’ that fit the theme that they had also chosen for you ─ an angel. It is definitely ironic how the theme they chose for you supposedly requires you to dress decently.

When your gaze finally settles on the silver cross pendant that rests delicately on your chest, guilt coils in your stomach, and your moment of prior incertitude manages to render you completely disheartened while your eyes turn crestfallen.

What were you thinking? You’re supposed to live up to the code as expected of you, including to avoid dressing indecently and act with grace. But here you are, all dolled up with excessive skin revealing, and you still refuse to recognise that the person staring back at you is indeed you.

If your parents were here to see you now, they would have chastised and disowned you for dressing the way you are now.

Your parents, particularly your mother, are quite religious and strictly abide by the rules and codes of Christianity. However, your parents’ love and devotion to the religion were something you truly adored. Growing up, your parents often brought you to the church along with them, and you recall getting so excited at the sight of the familiar divine building situated in your neighbouring area that you even rushed to greet the priest eagerly. Every member of the church recognised you, and they would always warmly welcome you and your family, especially when your parents were regulars.

You were loved by them. As a matter of fact, you’ve been called ‘angel’ by them because of your kind and sweet disposition, how helpful you were whenever someone asked you for assistance, how obedient you were whenever you were told to do something, and how you resonated with people by how naturally sympathetic you were.

Everyone used to tell your parents how blessed they were to have you as their daughter. Your parents agreed and often thanked the Lord for blessing them with a daughter like you. Not only did you follow your parents’ example in the religion, but you had also been bestowed with the gift of being naturally smart since you were young until now. Truly, you were blessed, and each morning when you woke up, you didn’t forget to thank the Lord.

However, as you take in your appearance once more, your guilt becomes tenfold while disappointment creeps up on you. How dare you have the audacity to wear the necklace your father bought for you when you are dressed like this? You shake your head, taking a step back. This is not you. You should have never agreed to this in the first place.

Furthermore, final exams are approaching, and you had every intention to immerse yourself in studying for the next two weeks, but your best friends decided that it was a good idea to drag you out with them to attend an all-exclusive event called 'The Devil's Night' since it is Halloween week.

Initially, you felt disgruntled and detested by such a social event, especially one that is hosted by specific delinquents, but upon relentless pursuit of being coaxed by your best friends, you eventually found yourself caving in. Besides, you can’t deny that there is a small part of you that has always wanted to experience a college party since you have never been to one.

However, just because you have never been to one doesn’t mean that you have no idea what a college party entails. You have seen firsthand what happened to your roommates right after they came back from parties or even clubs, and it certainly wasn’t anything pleasant. Nonetheless, you offered to help them by assisting them in holding up their hair while they retched in the toilet bowl and getting them to bed, despite the grimace on your face.

A knock pulls you out of your thoughts, and your eyes remain on the mirror while they trail to a familiar face from behind. She looks absolutely striking with her overall fit, which matches her theme, which is that she is a cowgirl.

“Hey, Yunjin.” You greet her rather weakly.

Yunjin, as enthusiastic as ever, offers you a smile, displaying her pearly teeth. “Hey, gorgeous. Are you ready to go?”

Usually, you would reciprocate, as her smiles are infectious, but this time, with the doubts lingering in your head, you remain crestfallen. “No. I don’t think I’m up for it anymore.” You murmur, your eyes lowering, and that is also when Yunjin’s smile drops as she finally notices how crestfallen you look.

You don’t lift your head up, even as you hear her footsteps from behind. You feel her hands on your bare shoulders, turning you around and tilting your chin up with her fingers. Your eyes reluctantly meet her hazel-hued ones, which are tinged with resolution.

“I know that you are having doubts about this, but trust me when I say that just because you’re attending a party and dressing up like this, gorgeously at that, does not make you unworthy or any lesser in the eyes of our religion.” Her voice comes out strong yet tinges with gentleness, which you can’t help but acquiesce to.

Hun Yunjin, otherwise known as Jennifer, has been your childhood best friend, albeit not enrolled in the same elementary and high schools. She is an international business major. You met her when you first started to attend Sunday services at your neighbouring church. You recall sitting next to her and randomly engaging in a conversation with her, despite the fact that you two were not supposed to drift off to your own mini-world. You thought you would never see her again, but the next Sunday service proved you wrong. From there, you and Yunjin formed a newfound friendship, and you declared that she was your church buddy. That remained constant until you two hit sixteen, and you didn’t see her as regularly as before.

Just like that, you lost contact with her, and subsequently, you began to wonder what went wrong and questioned your friendship with her, which you cherished dearly. Not many years later, when you first stepped foot in this university, you met Yunjin again, and miraculously, she turned out to be one of your assigned roommates. You assumed that she would not recognise you or even brush you off coldly, but you were overjoyed when she welcomed you with a bear-crushed hug and told you how much she had missed you. 

The thought of asking her what truly happened years ago did come to your mind, but for some reason, you were afraid and apprehensive of the outcome, and more importantly, you didn’t want to lose her again. So you chose to play safe. But what matters most is that you have reunited with her.

In return, you muster a faint smile on your pink, glossed lips. “You always have a way with words.” You say before releasing a soft sigh. “Fine, I’m ready.”

Yunjin’s firm exterior cracks, and her red lips curl into a grin. “That’s my girl.”

“Girls! Are we ready to go─” A gasp pulls you away from Yunjin’s eyes, and when you look at a familiar figure standing by the door to your room, you become in awe of how alluring she looks with her theme, dressed up as a catwoman.

“You look amazing, Karina.” You compliment her earnestly. Genuinely, she knocks the breath out of you, and despite being roommates for three and a half years, her striking beauty often makes you question yourself about whether she is indeed real.

Truth be told, you didn’t get along with Karina in the first few semesters. As she’s a fashion design major, it was inevitable that such a mess was expected from her, but you didn’t expect for her mess to scatter to the shared living room. You’re particular about cleanliness, so you disapprove of your roommate being blatantly inconsiderate, especially when you and your other roommates have had to clean up her mess. You recall when Karina overheard you delivering your complaints to your other two roommates, and she confronted you. From then on, she began nitpicking you, and you often found yourself in a dispute with her. You got upset whenever she pointed out the fact that you were plain and boring.

Precisely two years ago, you found her alone in the living room, at three a.m., as she was drinking her heart out with tears streaming down her cheeks and her eyes red. You wanted to mind your own business as usual, but it didn’t sit right with you to leave your roommate alone to reel in despair, so you cautiously approached her, and surprisingly, she confided in you. That was when you got to know that she had been cheated on by her boyfriend.

You listened attentively to her, and you even offered comforting words to her in which she thanked you by giving you a hug before falling asleep on you. Of course, you had tucked her in to sleep on the couch with a pillow for her head to rest on and a blanket to give her body some warmth.

You swore that Karina would return to her usual self, but she took you by surprise once more when she started to become amiable towards you. From then on, you two developed a newfound sense of camaraderie. 

“Says you! You look drop-dead gorgeous!” Karina exclaims, her red lips outstretched into a wide smile, while you detect sincerity in her tone. “I’m proud to declare that my taste in fashion is impeccable.”

“I agree.” Yunjin chimes, casting you a smirk while your cheeks flush in pink from their fond gazes on you. “Our girl looks like a literal angel. If I were gay, I would have hit you up long ago.”

Before you can say anything, a new yet familiar voice joins in the conversation. “I know I agreed for Y/N to join us, but after some thought about it, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Your eyes shift from Karina to the tall, raven-haired beauty next to her. Once again, you are captivated by her beauty and how truly stunning her overall fit is, in which her theme is a mermaid, and you are not exaggerating when you say that she looks like a literal mermaid goddess.

“Why do you think so, Wonyoung?” Yunjin asks with a frown.

Jang Wonyoung, one of the university’s it girls and the girl whom you can call your soul sister. You recall the first time you met her when she opened the door to your dorm. You were captivated by her doll-like beauty and were so stunned that you stammered your words when you reciprocated her warm greeting. Wonyoung is in the same major as you, journalism.

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the two of you are in the same major and in the same classes, but you found it peculiar how fast you got along well with her during your first week as freshmen. Nonetheless, you were grateful to have found a friend like her.

Although you are close with Yunjin and Karina, you can’t deny the fact that you feel more comfortable and at ease with Wonyoung. The two of you understand each other, even without words. Both of you are kindred spirits; whenever you feel down, it affects her just the same, and you two often share your victories together without any hidden jealousy or ill-feelings. There is this special connection you have to Wonyoung that is indescribable. Even your other friends often joke that the two of you are long-lost twin sisters.

Wonyoung’s eyes flicker to yours fleetingly, but it is enough for her to affirm her prior intuition before she returns her gaze to Karina and Yunjin. “I just have a bad feeling about Y/N going, okay? You guys do know that my intuition has never failed me.” She tells them firmly. “Besides, it’s an all-exclusive event for invited guests only.”

“So? We can easily sneak Y/N in since there will be tons of guests.” Karina shrugs her shoulders. “Their bouncers are kind of sloppy anyway. Remember when some of the uninvited students sneaked in last year and the years before that?”

“And what did that lead to?” Wonyoung counters firmly with a single eyebrow arched. This time, silence befalls Karina while you notice Yunjin’s grim expression.

“What happened?” You ask, finally speaking up. There is no denying how intrigued you are by the sudden yet discernible change in the air between your best friends.

“There is nothing that you need to concern yourself with.” Yunjin is quick to recover herself as she shoots you a charming grin while nudging her elbow against yours. “Come on. At this rate, we’ll be the last ones to arrive.”

“Maybe. But at least we’ll arrive fashionably late.” Karina mirrors Yunjin's grin.

You decide to push aside your curiosity and proceed to grab your phone while Karina and Yunjin have already made their way out of your room. After adjusting your wavy brunette locks in the mirror, you turn around to depart from your room. Your eyebrows jump when you see Wonyoung waiting for you just outside, and her face remains as serious as ever.

“Are you sure about this?” She asks you, and her voice has a touch of gentleness to it, which makes your eyes soften.

“Yes.” Although you sound sure, you can’t say the same for your churning stomach. Giving her a tight smile, you begin to loop your arm around hers. “If you’re too worried about me, rest assured that I won’t stray from you.”

“Good.” Wonyoung seems a tad satisfied with your statement. A small smile appears on her pink lips. “Maybe I am worrying about nothing. This is supposed to be your first ever Halloween party. We should be having fun! That is as long as we stick together.”

You smile wryly in return. She knows better than anyone that your idea of fun consists of rotting in bed and reading a few good books on a Friday night.

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When you first heard of Devil’s Night, you had an inkling that the event, let alone the name itself, was undoubtedly not good news.

Devil’s Night is an annual Halloween event that is hosted by the notorious fraternity of devil’s knights, but according to your best friends, the overall in-charge of Devil’s Night are the four leaders. However, you see them all the same ─ just a bunch of delinquents who love to flaunt and assert dominance over Crestview Meadows University everywhere they go.

Naturally, you expected the location of the event to be a frat member’s backyard, but as soon as Karina, who volunteered to drive the three of you to Devil’s Night, presses on the pedal gas and prompts her vehicle to move forward after the golden gates opened, your jaw goes slightly unhinging at the sight of a divine modernization palace.

As Karina continues to drive, searching for an empty spot to pull over on the massive asphalt where different vehicles are arrayed, you are busily getting enthralled by the captivating structures of fountains in the front yard. The movement of people making their way to the entrance of the grand palace captures your attention, and your eyes sparkle in amazement at the diversity in their costume designs.

As soon as Karina manages to pull over at an empty spot and turns off the ignition, you step out of her vehicle with your eyes remaining fixated on the divine palace. You swear that it is nearly as massive as your campus. You begin to wonder who resides in the palace, and if so, has Devil’s Night always been hosted here?

“Y/N, don’t forget your mask.” Wonyoung’s voice from behind pulls your attention away from the palace. When you look at the white domino mask in her grasp, you gladly retrieve it from her and attempt to wear it, but Wonyoung and even Yunjin insist on assisting you, doing so with care.

Your cheeks flush pink once more. Despite being the same age as them, your best friends and your other friends often baby you, including protecting you from anyone who has ill-intent towards you, especially from some of the frat members who have tried to approach you in the past. Of course, you feel much gratitude for your friends, and you are blessed to be surrounded by feminine love and support. There are moments where you do feel overwhelmed by them, but according to their words, your innocence is highlighted as crucial and needs to be protected. Hence, they often shelter you from the cruelty of reality and want you to remain the way you are.

Pure, and a literal saint.

“There!” Yunjin gives you a grin as she pats your cheek affectionately. “With your mask, it’ll be hard for anyone outside of our circle to recognise you.”

As the four of you begin to make your way to the entrance of the grand palace, with Wonyoung interlocking her arm around yours, your fingers make their ascent to touch your mask. Your best friends have agreed that, in order to sneak in seamlessly, you needed a mask to conceal half of your identity. They wouldn’t want to risk anything. A part of you wonders what would happen to the uninvited guests crashing into the event, but another part of you retains your curiosity before it gets the best of you.

At the moment, as the bunch of you walk past the bouncers standing by the entrance, you hold your breath while your heart pounds against your chest, but when they allow you in, you release a relieved yet shaky breath. You feel Wonyoung’s arm squeezing around you in reassurance, and you voluntarily relax every tension in your body, but your heart remains pounding. You can’t ignore the turmoil within you, uncertain of what the night will entail.

“You guys made it!” A high-pitch squeal diverts your attention from admiring the opulence of the palace’s interior to the familiar blonde, who is dressed up as Annabelle from the famous conjuring film, but she manages to pull off the look rather gorgeously instead of terrifying. Her eyes instantly meet yours, and her face beams with a widening smile. “You came!”

You don’t have time to process when she crashes into you, her arms latching around your figure and steadying you while chuckles elicit from you as you reciprocate her eager hug. “You’ve just seen me yesterday, Winter.”

Winter, who also majors in journalism, is a part of the inner circle and your friend. She is like a bolt of lightning. Despite her ebullient disposition, she can be fierce and intimidating when needed.

“Yeah, but we can’t believe that you’re actually here!” This time, another voice causes you to look at the sight, and at once, the rest of the inner circle has gathered around you, giving you hugs and gushing over your look.

In your line of sight are Kazuha, Chaewon, Liz, Rei, Giselle, and Ningning. Whereas Kazuha and Chaewon are majoring in arts and entertainment management, Liz, Rei, and Ningning are majoring in economics. Giselle, on the other hand, is in the same major as you. Despite the fact that all of them are highly regarded as the it girls of the university, not once have they ever left you out and made you feel an outcast, especially considering that most of the student body dislikes you for reasons you deem ridiculous.

So what if they hate you just because you are not from an esteemed, affluent family? You managed to pass an entrance exam with a perfect score, and you even earned yourself scholarships. Frankly speaking, you are not bothered by the fact that there are students who dislike you for your status ranking, because in the end, your GPA remains a perfect 4.0 and your professors favour you most. Plus, your future is all set.

“Okay, ladies, gather around." Yunjin announces, and the group of you huddle in a circle, with giggles and banter emanating from you and your friends. “While we’re here to have fun, we must never forget to keep Y/N in our sight at all times, especially since this is her first time attending Devil’s Night.”

“Hey, I’m not a kid. I can take care of myself.” You insert yourself strongly, but your demur goes unheard by them as they continue to quickly run through what to look out for, mainly because your safety is highly regarded by them.

“It’s for your own good, Y/N.” Wonyoung tells you softly after noticing the expression on your face as soon as they begin to disperse while you remain by her side, dragging you with her. Wonyoung and your other best friends seem to know their way around the palace, pushing their way through the bustling crowd.

“You girls really don’t have to worry about me.” You remain adamant while reluctantly allowing yourself to be dragged by Wonyoung. Your eyebrows furrow, and your lips form a small pout. “I know how and when to steer clear of trouble.”

“I know, but you have to understand that this is different.” Wonyoung asserts firmly, to which you can’t help but resign.

Still, you mutter, but audible enough for Karina and Yunjin to hear, “What is so different about a mere Halloween party?”

“It is different because each Halloween hosted by the devil’s knights differs from the previous Halloween.” Karina answers, and when you look into her eyes, uncertainty shines through. “Really, we can never predict what they have up their sleeves. But one thing that remains constant is the fact that Devil’s Night is not meant for any faint of heart.”

“Ironic, because here we are, dragging Y/N with us.” There is a certain bite in Wonyoung’s tone. 

“Nothing is going to happen to Y/N as long as she is in our sight.” Yunjin reassures Wonyoung once more, and your attention drifts to the scenery before you.

It appears that you haven’t been paying attention to your surroundings earlier, and now you find yourself entering what looks like a club. Incredulity buzzes through you. You definitely did not expect that there would be a club inside the palace. As a matter of fact, the club looks lavish, with a B-stage right at the very front and a bustling crowd enjoying and dancing to the music that has obscene lyrics, which makes your face twist in a grimace. You have no idea how enormous the venue is, but you can’t deny the fact that you find it impressive, and there are even two separate bars on each side of the venue.

Yunjin grabs you by your forearm and drags you with her and Karina to head over to the bar while Wonyoung trails behind you. Thankfully, there are not many people by the bar, but even so, you become conscious of how you look as eyes latch onto your form.

“Am I showing too much skin?” You ask Yunjin in a whisper as you settle next to her, seated on a high stool.

Yunjin’s eyes scan all over you before she gives you a smirk. “Yeah, but don’t worry. You look absolutely stunning. It’s a shame that you’ve been gatekeeping your beautiful complexion and your curves all this time.”

“Agreed!” Karina chimes next to Yunjin, casting you a mirthful grin. “You should be flaunting your curves and proving to those fuckers who insulted you for the way you looked that underneath your layer of clothes is the body of a model!”

You dismiss the profanity that left Karina’s mouth, and your cheeks flush with embarrassment. “You girls flatter me too much.”

“It isn’t flattery when it is true.” Yunjin flags down one of the bartenders to give him her order before she looks back at you. “Do you want a non-alcoholic beverage?”

“Actually, I’d like to try an alcoholic cocktail.” Your statement surprises your best friends as they look at you with wide eyes, knowing that you have never drunk any alcoholic beverages. After all, you are practically a saint.

“Are you sure?” As always, Wonyoung’s worry for you is evident. “You might get tipsy after a few sips since you have never drunk one before.”

“Don’t discourage her, Wony.” Karina says with a disapproving frown on her lips. “If Y/N says she wants one, she will have one.”

“A tequila sunrise for the angel here.” Yunjin chirps to the bartender, and being a natural flirt, she winks at the guy who, in return, blushes but quickly proceeds to make all of your orders.

As the three of your best friends are engaged in a conversation, you decide to look over your shoulder with your body tilting to watch the ongoing performance from a live band. You can’t deny that the music seems to be getting to you, and seeing the partygoers dancing and having fun tempts you to join them.

Unknowingly, your lips curve into a small smile. Unbeknownst to you, a pair of eyes have been watching you closely with a sharp gaze just near the bar, where there are velvet couches arrayed.

“Here, Y/N.” Yunjin pushes the glass of cocktail towards you as you look down at the liquid, which is a vibrant blue.

Your fingers latch onto the stem of the glass, raising it just slightly while hesitation touches your tongue. Your best friends watch in anticipation, and you don’t want to disappoint them. So you bring the edge of the glass closer until your lips touch.

You tip your head towards the back as you begin to take sips of the liquid. Surprisingly, the taste isn’t as bad, and neither is it too strong. It is rather addictive, so you eagerly drink the rest of the content until there is nothing left.

“How’s your first drink?” Wonyoung asks as she examines you carefully.

Maybe it’s the alcohol that is starting to affect your system, but you feel oddly elated. You give your best friend a grin, with your dimples appearing on your cheeks. “I think I would like to have another.” Of course, Karina and Yunjin are more than eager to indulge you, while Wonyoung remains neutral.

Once again, unbeknownst to you, the same pair of eyes that have been watching you closely are enthralled by the new sight of you.

Seated leisurely on the velvet couch with his legs spread, his lips tip up in a smirk as he takes sips of his vodka while his eyes remain fixated on your enticing figure and your angelic features.

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You have no idea how things escalated. Just moments ago, you were having fun with your best friends by the bar, and even Wonyoung lowered her guards after seeing how genuinely carefree you looked. Now, you are among the bustling crowd. You lose sight of your best friends as you venture further. Instead of panicking, you find yourself enjoying it with your body instinctively moving to the infectious rhythm in which the DJ is currently playing Waka Flocka’s ‘No Hands’ as it reverberates throughout these walls.

Maybe it’s the alcohol in your system that has completely intoxicated you and renders you slightly tipsy, as evident by the way you emit giggles and how you’re dancing fluidly as though you are a natural at it, but not a single thought of regret appears in your mind.

Feeling a tad annoyed by your domino mask, you rashly remove it, not caring whether someone may or may not recognise you. Besides, the people in your vicinity seem too inebriated to care, as they dance and even make out lewdly in the open with their partners.

A part of you is berating you for losing yourself in the abysmal of this toxicity, but you shut down that part of you, giving into the whispers of the devils and succumbing to the addictive thrill by allowing yourself to flaunt your moves.

Unbeknownst to you, a pair of eyes have been watching you as he gradually makes his way to you despite the bustling crowd, and the moment they see him, they part and make way for him. The way you move got him in a trance, especially with each sway from your body. Your curves, which your skimpy dress accentuated, entice him to place his hands all over you.

Your giggles sound melodious to his ears as soon as he nearly reaches you from behind. His eyes darken with each passing second as your body sways with fluidity, and your back is arched with your head tilted up, immersing yourself in the music while a sultry smile smears across your glossed lips.

Fuck, he has no idea there is a side to you where he gets undoubtedly turned on by. Flashes of images of you being fucked relentlessly by him appear in his mind as he fantasises, and how he can already imagine your insatiable taste probably won’t satisfy him unless he has you locked in his possession.

Without thinking twice, he places both hands on your waist from behind, his fingers tingling with the sensation of your warmth. Instead of feeling alarmed, you remain relaxed and loose, dancing along to the supposedly stranger behind you.

You allow him to pull you closer until your buttcheek hits his hardness, causing your breath to hitch in your throat, yet you don’t stop dancing. You accidentally grind yourself against him, eliciting a low groan from him with his hot breath fanning the shell of your earlobe while his strong arms snake around your waist.

In your delirium, you tilt your head up and lean on his shoulder lazily, allowing him to guide your movements. His strong cologne is intoxicating as it infiltrates your senses. You hear his low, ragged breaths next to your ear before you feel him dipping his head to the curve of your neck, his nose burying in your skin as he inhales your sweet scent that he has engraved in his mind.

A soft gasp leaves your lips when you feel his warm lips touch your skin before he proceeds to kiss your neck sensually. You should be pushing this stranger away, but instead, you allow yourself to fall weak and succumb to the allure of his kisses on your neck. You blame it entirely on the alcohol.

“You taste exquisite, love.” You hear him murmur those words, or you assume he murmurs those words, since the music is overpowering. But you swear you recognise his voice. You feel his arms tighten around you, while the way he nips at your skin startles you.

In a blink of an eye, he spins you around, his hands remaining on your waist. The entire place is dim, but the LED red and purple lights allow you to catch a glimpse of his face. Recognition glimmers in your eyes. 

“Jake.” You utter his name in a daze while your eyes begin to shamelessly scan his overall fit. You hate to admit it, but he nearly got you foaming in the mouth.

He looks extremely good in all denims with his chain necklace hooked around his neck, and his long raven strands have been styled impeccably, tempting you to run your fingers through them. Your eyes catch a sight of an inked tattoo on his collarbone area peeking due to his loose white tee that hangs a little low.

You don’t make any protests as you remain numb in his possession. Everything feels muddled in your mind, but you are conscious enough to continue dancing with him with a hint of sensualness.

Jake unfurls a soft smirk on his pink plump lips while he blatantly checks you out, appreciation and lust dancing in his handsome gaze. “I didn’t expect to see you here, Y/N.”

“Yeah? Surprised?” You feel oddly breathless, and you have no idea whether it’s from the dancing or the palpable tension between the two of you.

Jake hums attractively, his fingers tapping sensually on your waist to the beat of the ongoing music, and when you finally notice his gaze that settles on your cleavage, heat weaves across your cheeks.

“A lovely surprise at that.” Jake says in a murmur, dipping his head and leaning towards you while your pulses go erratic in anticipation, but he stops right next to your ear. The tip of his nose grazes lightly on your earlobe, sending you involuntary shivers down your spine. “But you shouldn’t have come here.” As he whispers lowly in your ear, you detect a hint of darkness in his tone.

“Why? Because I’m an uninvited guest?” You ask breathlessly, hating and loving how his intoxicating cologne tempts you to bury your nose into his chest.

Your breath hitches in your throat when he presses a deep, sensual kiss on your cheek before withdrawing from you to get a good look at your face. Upon seeing how dazed you truly look, he smirks once more and squeezes his hands on the flesh of your hips. “Cute.” He mumbles. His eyes flicker down to your glossed lips, which entice him to kiss you, but he holds himself back.

“You should leave while you still can, love.” He mutters, reluctantly releasing you from his possession and already yearning for your warmth.

“Y/N!” You hear voices that belong to your best friends calling for you from behind. You look over your shoulder just in time to catch glimpses of their faces amongst the dancing crowd.

When you turn back, Jake is nowhere in your line of sight, bringing a confused frown to your lips. Even as he has mysteriously disappeared, your skin remains tingling with the sensation of his lips and hands. Your mind is in a muddle, infused with the intoxication of the alcohol and his strong cologne that you will definitely remember.

“We’ve been trying to search for you everywhere!” Wonyoung exclaims, giving you no time to process when she lunges for a tight hug. She releases a relief sigh before pulling away and examining you. “Thank God you’re okay. But why are you not wearing your mask?” She asks, looking alarmed.

“I throw it elsewhere. I don’t know.” You mutter, blinking your eyes as you feel lightheaded. “Don’t worry. I’m not afraid of being recognised. They’re all preoccupied with partying and dancing anyway.” You provide some assurance to Wonyoung, while Karina and Yunjin seem relaxed.

“Let’s go. We can’t miss the second rave.” Karina tugs at your wrist, dragging you with her gingerly and guiding you through the crowd.

“Rave?” You ponder out loud, and your eyes dart between Yunjin and Wonyoung.

In response, Yunjin gives you a Cheshire smile. “Trust me. You are going to love it.”

“By the way, who were you dancing with?” Karina inquires as she busily guides you to a place, which you presume to be the backyard, while there are other guests along with your group heading to the same place.

“No one.” You answer curtly, giving her a tight smile. “I had fun dancing alone.”

You know better than to inform your friends that you were dancing intimately with Jake Sim, or else you’ll receive an earful from them, considering they detest the knight members. They even reminded you to stay away from any of the knight members, particularly the four leaders.

As soon as the thought of the four devil’s knights’ leaders comes to your mind, your eyes widen in dreadful realisation while your heart nearly lurches in your chest. Since you were too busy getting caught up in the heat of the moment, you failed to realise that Jake is one of the leaders, the one who had you in his possession with a scintilla of danger emanating from him.

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The rowdy commotion from the partygoers sounds faint with each step he takes towards the meeting room on the second floor. Jake, who was previously in denims, has changed into practical attire for the upcoming section of the main event. He busily zips up his black bomber jacket while his face remains devoid of emotion, but his mind occasionally drifts off to you.

How tempted he was to snatch you away from the scenery and bring you to one of the rooms with the intention of giving you the best fuck of your life as well as leaving you with his marks on your porcelain skin. He quickly shakes away the thought of you, not wanting to get hard again, as it’ll only be a bother since he is already running late for the briefing.

Stopping in front of the door that is made out of steel, he punches the code onto the padlock keys before the door automatically opens. The familiar sight of a fairly lengthy corridor with separate entrances arrayed on each side of the walls greets him as he steps inside. Hearing the door behind him close with a thud, he begins to make his way to the meeting room, where multitudes of voices are teeming in the cold atmosphere as it gets louder.

Without announcing his arrival, he saunters into the massive meeting room with his hands tucked inside his pockets while his face remains neutral, ignoring the rest of the knight members of the lower rank as they are settled in their respective houses.

The devil’s knights fraternity consists of four houses─ North, South, East, and West. 

Each house has its own respective leader. However, their goals are aligned. This has always been the system, as each year there are numerous new recruits, and they do have to dominate their respective territories on campus and even on the streets in town. Almost everyone is knowledgeable about and conscious of the renowned devil's knights. Crestview Meadows University favours the devil's knights fervently, especially considering the fraternity was founded many years ago by four particular individuals who are now affluent figures.

“There he is. The star of the night.” A snarky remark is made by one of the leaders, also known as Park Sunghoon. Jake’s gaze lands on him as he continues to saunter forward until he reaches the table where the other leaders are gathered as well.

“Spare me your sarcasm, Hoon.” Jake says in a monotone, throwing himself onto the swivel chair and making himself comfortable.

“You’re late.” Sunghoon shoots him a scowl as he is seated on the table. The table itself is scattered with a variety of knives.

“He was probably fucking around with the freshies. Can’t even keep up his pants for a minute.” This time, another voice makes a remark, prompting Jake to look at his fellow leader slash best friend. Jay Park.

Jake narrows his eyes at Jay’s smirk. “You’re lucky I'm in the mood to play nice.”

“Enough.” A firm voice is resonating enough for the other knight members in the room to quieten the volume of their chatter. Jake, Jay, and Sunghoon shift their attention to the figure seated by the window sill with his arms crossed over his chest, also known as Lee Heeseung.

Heeseung remains unmoving, but his gaze alone is enough to assert dominance over them, especially since he is the oldest out of the four of them by one year. “Now that everyone is here, we may begin our briefing. For those of you who were on bouncers’ duties, how many uninvited attendees were there?”

All of the knight members would usually gather in this meeting room for briefings and other important matters pertaining to the annual devil’s night planning, et cetera. However, there are some rooms that are restricted to them unless they are the leaders. Furthermore, this very palace is officially owned by the four devil’s knight leaders, considering that their fathers were the founders of the devil’s knights. As a matter of fact, this palace was previously owned by the same founders, but as many years passed and their sons followed in their footsteps in joining the renowned fraternity, the founders collectively agreed to bequeath the palace to their sons.

North: Jake

South: Heeseung

East: Sunghoon

West: Jay

These four delinquents have successfully led their respective houses for the past years with their skills, and they were impressively the youngest leaders to have been appointed when they were just freshmen. Though they have different personalities, they get along well, considering that their fathers are best friends as well.

“Approximately twenty.” One of the low-ranking members takes the initiative to answer, a sophomore, and he is from the West House.

However, his answer raises an eyebrow from his leader. The sophomore flinches at the way Jay directs his sharp gaze, which is penetrating enough. “Approximately?” Jay’s cold voice affects everyone except the other leaders.

“He meant to say that there are twenty-three uninvited attendees!” Another sophomore from the West House steps in to assist the other sophomore, who is shaking in his boots.

Before anyone can speak up, one of the windows swings open, allowing the gust of wind to enter. The four leaders watch, completely unfazed, as a familiar figure wholly in black, layered clothing emerges, climbing into the meeting room, followed by two figures.

The three of them stand tall in their line of sight as they remove their designated masks, now revealing their faces. Jake is the first person to greet the three of them with a lopsided grin. They are Devil’s Knights’ honorary members who are juniors and appointed to be leaders next year once the four current leaders graduate from university. Sunoo, Jungwon, and Riki.

“The kid’s right.” Sunoo says, placing his mask down on the table. “There are a total of twenty-three uninvited attendees.”

“That’s a long list of people to hunt down compared to last year’s.” Riki’s deep voice echoes in the room, while his tall figure is intimidating enough for the other lower-ranking members.

“The more, the merrier.” A Cheshire grin smears across Jungwon’s lips while a familiar bloodlust gleamers in his eyes. “Oh, we’ve already covered all the perimeters. Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Felix, and Jeongin are on standby.”

“Good.” Heeseung nods his head firmly, feeling satisfied with how competent their future leaders are. Heeseung’s eyes glide across the fraternity present in the room. “All of you know what to do. Remember to only hunt down whoever’s name you were given, and most importantly, Namgil and his crew will meet their demise tonight.”

“Ah, Kim Namgil.” Sunghoon smirks, a wicked intent can be seen glinting in his eyes at the mention of the ex-member. “I can’t wait to crush that fucker’s skull.”

Jay scoffs out a deadly chuckle, his veins are brimming with vengeance. “Not until I get to him first.” 

“Patience. We’ll be sticking strictly to the plan.” Heeseung tells them sternly before looking back at the rest of the fraternity. “Remember that our goal is to wreak havoc and terror, including mayhem. For those of you who are new recruits and this is your first Devil’s Night, you do not need to worry about the law enforcement, as they’ll only be here with the sole purpose of establishing the roadblocks to prevent our guests from escaping until Devil’s Night is over.”

To add on, Devil’s Night is a tradition that has been going on since their founders’ times and happens every Halloween. This tradition is also supported and endorsed by the mayor of Seoul and other influential figures that are highly regarded in the eyes of the government. There is no denying that by permitting Devil’s Night to be lawful on every Halloween, it proves that the government and its system have long since been corrupted.

“In short, you may also do what you please for the next twelve hours.” Jake grins deviously with his hands clasped together. “In other words, unleash your inner devils.”

At once, an uproar emanates from the fraternity before Jay begins to dismiss them. “Don’t forget your masks and weapons!” He reminds them as they proceed to make their way out of the meeting room rowdily, leaving the four leaders and the future three leaders alone in the room.

“There is another important thing you guys should know.” Sunoo speaks up, drawing their attention. Interest sparkles in Sunoo’s eyes. “Y/N is one of the uninvited attendees.”

“Y/N?” Sunghoon scoffs out in disbelief, refusing to take Sunoo’s words seriously. “You should really work on your humour if you plan to impress us.”

“Do I look like I’m laughing?” Sunoo deadpans before he motions to Riki and Jungwon. “Ask them if you still refuse to believe me. They saw her at the second rave.”

“Yup.” Jungwon toys around with one of the knives in his grasp leisurely while a smirk paints his canvas. “She looks pretty, though. It’s a shame to lose a pretty face like hers.”

“Her name is not in any of the lists.” Riki points out. “So who shall be hunting her?”

“Can I?” Sunoo asks with a glimmer of hope in his eyes. “I’ve always wanted to scare her.”

“No.” Jake takes everyone by surprise as he nearly growls out. His eyes darkened at the thought of you. “No one touches her. No one except me.”

“Since when did you get to decide on this alone?” Jay raises a single eyebrow at his best friend. “To make it more interesting and thrilling, I say the four of us hunt her down.”

“And kill her afterwards?” Sunghoon’s face twists in a grimace. “Don’t get me wrong. It won’t affect me if we kill her, but I don’t want those pesky friends of hers to hunt my ass down.”

“What about you, Heeseung?” Jay asks as all heads turn to the silent male, who appears in deep thought. “How are we going to decide on what to do with Y/N? Rules are still rules. Uninvited attendees shall not make it out alive on Devil’s Night.”

“We hunt her down as well.” Heeseung states calmly. “But don’t kill her yet. We’ll decide what to do with her once we hunt her down.”

“Then we’ll make our way to our respective posts.” Jungwon offers the four leaders a salute before wearing his mask and making his way to the opened window, where he expertly jumps over while Sunoo and Riki follow suit.

“We have like thirty minutes left until the last segment.” Jay notes, staring down at his wristwatch before his gaze returns to the three of them. “I don’t know about you guys, but I, for one, am intrigued to see for myself if what Jungwon said was true about Y/N looking pretty.”

“She was.” Jake utters, his lips curving into a grin, while he recalls the gorgeous sight of you. “I was with her earlier.”

“How?” Sunghoon asks incredulously.

“She willingly danced with me. Oh, and she seemed rather tipsy, so it makes the hunt a whole lot fun.” Jake chuckles breathily.

“What did she dress up as?” Heeseung finds himself asking this, feeling almost compelled and intrigued to know about the theme you chose.

“An angel.” Jake is certain of his answer, and no, not because of the way you dressed, but because you are indeed an angel who is unfortunate enough to have stepped into their territory without knowing the consequences of your actions.

“How fitting.” Heeseung’s lips turn into a subtle smirk. “Well, gents, it looks like we have ourselves an angel to hunt down.”

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You can definitely understand the rationale of those who have been to this event for the past few years and those who are invited behind their hype for Devil’s Night. The activities the knight members hosted are so diverse that no one can simply miss out on anything. Well, you did miss out on the famous cliché game of truth or dare, not that it bothered you.

Presently, you and your group of friends, including Winter, Kazuha, and the others, are making your way back to the backyard once more after getting some refreshments earlier when the second rave ends. Now all of you have decided to attend and participate in the third rave. The last rave of the night.

The B-stage at the backyard is bigger than the one inside the palace at the supposedly club room, and the crowd is tenfold compared to the previous rave, which enlivened the night even more while the ambience in the air is vibrantly teeming with the LED pink and purple lights flashing across the sea of crowds and into the skies. The bass-boosted music of ‘Tonight’ by Big Bang that the DJ is playing reverberates throughout the expanse of the palace and even further.

“Look at Y/N! Babygirl got moves!” Giselle’s remarks draw attention from your other friends to you, watching you in an effervescent element, which is undoubtedly a rare sight for you.

“I’m glad she’s having fun!” Kazuha exclaims cheerily, smiling widely at the sight of you giggling and dancing in your own world with Chaewon and Liz.

Wonyoung, who opts to take a short break from the dancing, watches you with a softened gaze while her hand is holding a red cup of vodka. Is she still worried for you? Yes, but right now, she is glad to see you having genuine fun.

“She needed this.” Yunjin speaks beside Wonyoung as she watches you as well. "Now, are you glad that we dragged her here?”

“Perhaps.” Wonyoung says. “As long as nothing happens to Y/N or any of us.” Yunjin nods in agreement.

“Okay! I need a break!” Chaewon laughs out, halting her movements, but you pout your lips at her, to which she giggles and pecks your cheek. “Sorry, babe, but you’re on your own now.”

Chaewon makes her way out of the crowd, excusing herself to head to the bathroom while your other friends immerse themselves in the music and separate themselves from you. Eventually, you blend into the crowd, causing Wonyoung and Yunjin to lose sight of you.

The thought of other sweaty bodies coming into contact with yours doesn’t bother you in the slightest. There is a wild glint in your eyes as you dance with a random couple, giggling and succumbing to the exhilaration brimming in your veins.

Unbeknownst to you, you accidentally bump into someone from behind, but just as you are about to apologise to the person, firm hands grip your waist as he pulls you back to him, allowing your back to hit his solid chest.

“Nice moves you got there.” His hot breath fans the shell of your earlobe, reminding you of Jake earlier, but this time, this person’s touch has a hint of roughness, whereas there was gentleness in Jake’s. “Why did you stop, baby?” He hums seductively.

“Jay.” You breathe out, going completely still. His hands remain on your waist, sending you goosebumps with the sensation of his warmth.

“Angel baby.” He lulls beside your ear before you feel him dipping his head down to press a sensual kiss on your shoulder blade. “Come on. Show me your moves.” It is a command.

Despite the trepidation coursing through your veins at the fact that one of the devil’s knights's leaders has you in his possession, you know better than to refuse him. So you begin to sway your body before you gradually pick up the rhythm.

Eventually, you lower your guard around him and dance willingly with him, occasionally grinding your body against his, to which he groans lowly at the sensation of your ass in contact with his dick.

A giggle leaves your lips upon feeling his breath tickling your skin when he buries his head into the curve of your neck. Instinctively, your hand ascends to brush your fingers through his soft raven locks while the two of you continue to sway in sync to the music.

“If I had known you were this fun, I would’ve brought you out with me to a nightclub sooner.” Jay murmurs near your ear before he places a sensual kiss on your pulse.

“You can’t kiss me whenever you want, you know?” You giggle once more, enjoying the way his strong arms are hugging your waist from behind. Perhaps the remnants of the alcohol persist in your system, but you have never been this playful and flirtatious around guys.

“Oh, but I can. I can do whatever the fuck I want with you.” Jay rasps against your skin on the cheek. You feel his fingers stroking your stomach in a sensual manner before they make their ascent to your chest. “Besides, you’re in our territory, angel baby.”

You gasp while your heart lurches in your chest when he gropes your breast, and a low groan leaves his lips next to your ear. Your cheeks flush with warmth at the newfound sensation that pools in your tummy.

“Fuck, baby.” He cusses lowly before pressing another kiss on your neck. “The things I want to do to you right now, but unfortunately, duty calls.”

You frown at the loss of his touch and warmth. “Jay─” But as you turn around, Jay disappears into the crowd, just like Jake did.

“Y/N, for the love of God, do not ever disappear like that again!” Wonyoung’s exclamation can easily be heard over the commotion as you spot her just a few metres away from you.

Your face twists into a grimace at how visible her annoyance and frustration are on her face. Soon, you spot your other friends as well in your vicinity. A part of you desires to find Jay and ask him to elaborate on what he meant by his statement earlier, but you know better than to further involve yourself with him. Just as you step forward, the music dies out, eliciting confusion and anger from the crowd.

“What’s happening?” “Hey, DJ! We weren’t finished raving!” You hear commotions around you, making your head spin lightly.

What happens next throws you completely off guard, and subsequently, you become fully sober miraculously.

The deafening sound of a siren rings through your ears, which is akin to the purge, shattering the night of riotous jollity instantaneously. Despite the perpetual blaring siren, you can discern a dissatisfactory chorus of groans and clamours amongst the crowd. The LED lights begin to dim, but you manage to catch glimpses of your friends' contortions with confusion and percipience.

Before you can open your mouth to speak with the intention to inquire, a stentorian voice that belongs to a female startles you, as it is resounding enough for you to absorb her emphatic words into your mind despite the ongoing siren in the background.

"Announcing the commencement of the annual devil's night sanctioned by the mayor of Seoul. Weapons of class 4 and lower have been authorised for use during Devil's Night. All other weapons are restricted. Commencing at the siren, any and all crimes, including murder, will be legal for 12 continuous hours. Blessed be the four leaders of the devil's knights."

At once, the tumultuous crowd begins to disperse in a haphazard manner, and some can be seen running as though they are being hunted down by unknown sources, or rather, delinquents. Despite the fear in their contortion, you can't help but notice the glimpses of excitement, and an eccentric ambience of thrill pervades in the haunting atmosphere.

Apprehension courses through your veins while your heart beats expeditiously. You swear you can hear your pulse drumming loudly in your ears. In the midst of the ambiguity, your intuition is sending you a message that what may escalate next is not something you expected on a purported Halloween night routine, or rather, assumed.

"Ouch! Hey!" Annoyance bubbles within you upon having been shoved roughly by some people, resulting in you nearly plummeting to the ground if it weren’t for your best friend, who swiftly and steadily supports you as she holds you against her.

"What is going on?" You ask in a demand, with pure confusion reflecting in your eyes. You notice how Yunjin looks oddly collected, but as soon as her gaze runs over you, her eyebrows pull together before a low cuss elicits from her.

"I told you that it was a bad idea to drag her here!" Wonyoung startles you greatly with how she sounds genuinely irate, but when you take a glance at your gorgeous raven-haired best friend, your stomach sinks at the apparent distress written across her delicate features. "We need to get her out of here before any of the knight members get to her, or any of us, for that matter!"

"Winter and Liz are with the others!" Karina informs in haste as she appears next to you, seeming to be running with how apparent she is panting lightly. "We have approximately five minutes to get the hell out of here!"

"It's no use even if we try to escape." Yunjin sighs, running her fingers through her red strands. "They're not letting us out until it's over."

"I don't care." Wonyoung snaps at Yunjin, taking you by surprise when she grabs your wrist tight. "We will find a way to get out of here, even if it means that I have to use violence to fight off the knight members."

"I don't get it!" You raise your voice as you dart your eyes between your best friends. "This was supposed to be a normal Halloween night, but now crimes are acceptable for the next 12 hours?! What sort of─"

The sound of a shotgun pierces through the air, shocking you greatly, and before you can even process anything, you find yourself being dragged by Wonyoung, with Yunjin and Karina following closely in haste.

By the time you have arrived at the parking lot, your eyes widen at the gruesome sight of two masked men displaying violence upon a student who, you presume, attends the same university as you, looking all bloodied with his face completely ruined.

"Come on!" Karina shouts, snapping you out of it before you are being thrust into her car by Wonyoung, who then proceeds to enter the backseat with you while Yunjin is in the shotgun.

As Karina switches the ignition of her vehicle, a shriek leaves your lips as soon as the window next to you shatters into pieces by a golf stick, prompting you to duck your head and move further from the masked man as he attempts to reach out for you, but Karina immediately slams her foot on the pedal gas and speeds off.

A loud gasp escapes from you while your heart is pounding hard against your chest. Wonyoung swiftly engulfs you in her warm embrace, in which you desperately seek comfort, even if it's just for a moment.

"What the fuck?! There are roadblocks everywhere!" Karina exclaims, and you sense a scowl in her tone.

"That's what I've been telling you! We can't escape anywhere until Devil's Night is over." Yunjin says exasperatedly before she looks over her shoulder at you, uncertainty and concern residing in her gaze upon seeing how visibly shaken you are as you cling onto Wonyoung's arms.

"Ah, fuck!" Karina curses once more before steering the wheel expertly, finding other possible solutions. Yunjin shoots her a withering glare, to which Karina retaliates. "Don't give me that look. I have totally forgotten what it was like on Devil's Night."

"Was that why a few students died last year?" You manage to speak through shaky breaths. "Because they were killed on Devil's Night."

Silence befalls your best friends, but as Wonyoung squeezes her arms around you, you know that your presumption is correct. You have finally connected the dots. Initially, you didn’t want to make the assumption that those students who died on Halloween were the same ones who attended Devil’s Night. But as their silence confirms that, your stomach sinks in dread, and you begin to pray silently.

Deciding to distract yourself, you notice some bikers are on the same run as they ride ahead of you, as well as two cars, to which you assume that they are the invited guests.

"We can hide at some place, maybe a building, where there is a high chance that they won't find us." Wonyoung tells Karina, while the latter nods her head and continues to drive with keen eyes.

The vehicle comes to an abrupt halt, sending both you and Wonyoung flying forward. A series of profanities emanate from your best friends.

"Damn it! The wheels got punctured!" Karina groans loudly as she hits her forehead on the steering wheel. "So what's the plan? Either way, we're probably going to get fucked."

"We run, duh." Yunjin pushes the door open, while Wonyoung seems reluctant but heeds her words.

"But we're wearing heels!" Karina's exclamation goes unheard by you as you attempt to catch up to Yunjin and Wonyoung. You wince as you soon begin to feel the aches. Tonight is the wrong night for you to be wearing heels.

You don't even know where you are at this moment, focusing solely on following your best friends from behind, until you hear a familiar voice calling for your group just a few metres away.

"Guys! Over here!" You recognise the guy, who is a junior from the business department. He is fairly famous among the ladies. With the motion of his hand, he is beckoning for your group to enter what looks like an abandoned, massive, three-story building.

"Ricky!" Wonyoung greets him with a friendly yet brief side-hug as soon as she reaches for him. "Are you sure this place is safe?"

"On Devil's Night? Nowhere is safe." Ricky shoots her a lopsided grin before his eyes settle on your face, and instantly, he blinks his eyes in surprise. "Y/N? You're here on Devil's Night?" He asks in dubiety.

In return, you give him an awkward smile. "It's kind of a long story."

"No time to explain. Thanks for helping us out, by the way." Yunjin pats his shoulder firmly before brushing past you.

"Come on." Ricky pulls you in and proceeds to close the fairly huge door with a loud thud.

A gust of wind hits your skin, sending you involuntary shivers as your arms latch around your body in an attempt to warm yourself while your eyes scan the interior of the building with no lights in sight. The only source of light is the moonlight, which streams through the broken window glasses.

You hear hushed yet noticeable voices belonging to unfamiliar and familiar people that go scattering across the floor. You keep wandering around, getting immersed in how hauntingly beautiful the interior building is, as though the previous owners were the royalties.

As you look away from the broken chandeliers above you, you notice that you are in a foyer with a massive flight of stairs in sight. That is also when you realise that you have gone astray from your best friends.

"Wonyoung?" You call out for her, your voice echoing throughout the dark, and your eyes have adapted to the setting. "Yunjin? Karina? Ricky?"

Your body jolts when you hear a piercing scream that belongs to Karina, although she sounds as though she is somewhere on the second floor. Your eyes widen in mortification at the thought of your best friend being gravely injured before you proceed to take hurried steps forward.

Just when your foot steps on a stair, a dark figure standing way above the second floor captures your attention. As you look up, your heart nearly lurches in your chest upon seeing the person with the physique of a man looming over you. He is wearing a black bomber jacket with the hoodie covering his head, and his red mask obscures his identity. His head is tilted to one side, and you would have found it cute if it weren’t for the fact that he is holding a literal metal baseball bat in his grasp.

At the moment he makes his first descent, you begin to make your retreat by undoing whatever you're about to do. You hear a breathy chuckle elicited from the red-masked man that you swear sounds familiar.

Your stomach churns with uneasiness as you continue to back away from him cautiously. Oddly, his movement seems deliberately slow, as though he is taking his time trying to scare you. Releasing a shaky breath, you turn around with the intention to run, but you bump into a solid chest.

Before you can fall, gloved hands latch on your waist, steadying you. As you slowly look up, colours drain from your face at the closed-up look of a designated black mask that he is wearing, and you have no idea who he is. He is also wearing similar attire as his fellow comrade.

"Look at what we have here." His voice sounds oddly deep, as though he is using some sort of advanced technology to conceal his real voice. Despite him wearing a mask, you swear you can feel his gaze raking all over you. "We're giving you ten seconds to run far, angel. Starting now."

Of course, you know better than to delay. So you run, ignoring the touch of his gloved hands on your skin that remains lingering. Your heels and thighs are hurting from all the running. Your chest is hurting with the way your heart pounds hard. Trepidation courses through you. You fear what is to happen next, and you hope to live to see the next sunrise.

It appears that luck is not on your side tonight, as you find yourself falling to the ground. Pain shoots up in your ankle, but thankfully, it is bearable. With a wince, you slowly lift your head up with your hair dishevelled, and when you do, you feel as though your heart drops to the pit of your stomach.

Fear resides in your gaze as you stare up at the figure looming over your fallen figure, his boots directly in front of your face. His head is tilted to one side as he stares down at you, and his face is obscured with a white mask that has a vertical red stripe on one side.

Your mind is screaming at you to run from him, but it is as though you have been rendered immobile, your body paralysed with petrification. Tears well up in your eyes as he bends down on one knee and uses his melee knife to slide under your chin, tilting your head up.

"Please don't kill me." You hold back a sob, attempting to stay strong, but a traitorous tear betrays you as it slides down your cheek.

"You should’ve thought about it twice when you decided to show up in the first place, sweetheart." His voice sounds akin to that of the previous masked man, but you can detect a gentleness in it. For a moment, he reminds you of a certain individual who has been your academic rival for the past few years.

In a blink of an eye, you gasp as he hauls you up with a strong grip and slams you against the wall without any thoughts of gentleness. Your heart continues to pound against your chest as he pins both your wrists above your head tightly while his other is occupied with his melee knife, the tip sliding down your cheek, but not enough to leave any traces of scars.

"Were you supposed to dress up as an angel?" He asks while leisurely trailing the tip of his melee knife against your throat and descending to the expanse of your chest, where your cleavage is enticing to him. "Yeah, you were. But a slutty angel at that."

The degradation in his soft tone throws you off guard. Before you can speak, he renders you speechless when he leans down to press his lips against yours, and you would have considered this your first kiss if it weren’t for the barrier of his mask.

Karina’s piercing scream shatters whatever trance you are in, prompting you to turn your head sideways where her screams are echoed. “Karina.” You utter her name worriedly before looking back at the mysterious masked man whom you will call White. “Please don’t let them hurt Karina or any of my friends.” You implore him rather meekly.

White chuckles, though you can easily detect his mockery. “You are so fucking adorable, sweetheart. Thinking that you can order me around just like that.” He leans away from you and releases you.

Just when you think you can make your escape, he proves you wrong when he grabs your arm firmly, pulling you to flush against his body warmth. “You’re not going anywhere until we’re done with what we need to do.”

“We?” You blurt out just as he drags you with him. It isn’t long until the previous masked men you saw greet you in your line of sight as they laze around by the foyer.

Their heads snap at you, and despite wearing those masks, you swear you can feel the intensity of their gaze on your figure. You decide to call them by the colour of their masks.

“Are we seriously bringing her with us?” Black asks, his tone tinged with annoyance. “She will only be a hindrance to our mission.”

This time, you decide to intervene. “Not to worry! I can just leave you guys to your mission while I see myself out.” You crack a nervous smile before attempting to run past White, but what happens next greatly shocks you.

With ease, White has thrown you over his shoulder, carrying you with his hand holding onto the back of your waist for security. White simply ignores your pathetic attempt to protest as he gives Black and Red a firm head nod before they proceed to make their ascent to the flight of stairs.

You continue to wiggle in his firm grip, and you are conscious of the fact that your weight might bother him, especially the weight in your thighs, as they are slightly thicker than your best friends’.

“Stop moving!” White grunts, getting annoyed at your antics. In an attempt to silence you, a slap echoes throughout while you feel a stinging pain on your buttcheek before your cheeks go flushed at the realisation that he has just smacked your ass without any hesitation whatsoever.

“Jungwon, Riki, what’s the status?” Your ears perk up at the familiar names, whom you recognise as the renowned juniors that are closer to the four devil's knights leaders compared to any frat member.

“Everything is ready. Just say the word, and we’ll blow the building up.” You hear Jungwon’s voice coming from someone’s phone, and you frown at his statement.

“Felix just informed me that Namgil and his crew took the bait and had just entered the building.” Red speaks to White and Black, whereas your stomach is starting to hurt from how sharp White’s shoulder blade is.

You poke at White’s back, earning his attention. “My stomach hurts. Can you let me down? I promise I won’t run away.”

Silence is all you receive from White, which disheartens you. So you close your eyes and try your utmost to withstand the pain while holding back whimpers. Just then, you feel yourself being settled down on a soft cushion before you open your eyes to see yourself seated on a worn-out couch.

You are about to thank White, who is looming over your figure, but you are rendered speechless when he ties your wrists together with a black cable tie.

“What are you doing?!” You raise your voice, the disbelief is evident in your tone. “You didn’t have to tie me! I gave you my word that I wouldn’t run away!”

“Just to be safe.” White tells you before taking a step back. “Stay put, sweetheart. We’ll be right back for you.”

With that, White, Red, and Black make their departure, leaving you alone in this dark room with the only source of light coming from the window, moonlight streaking in, and the faint screams of terror emanating from the outside tainting the night.

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You did attempt calling for help or even your best friends, but to no avail. Your throat is starting to hurt, and you are in dire need of water to quench your thirst. To make matters worse, your ankle looks slightly swollen from falling earlier.

You refuse to obey White’s instructions, so you decide to venture out of the room, trying to find the way out. With each step you take, you limp slightly, wincing every now and then due to your throbbing ankle. You definitely need medical attention before it gets worse.

After what feels like forever, you finally manage to descend to the first floor in the foyer as you hold onto the railing. You heave a sigh, and a glimmer of hope shines in your eye at the thought of escaping from this place, from the three masked men.

But you should know better than to hope, especially when you have broken the rules that are expected of you as God’s blessed child.

Dread fills you when a group of five mask men are in your line of sight. However, these mask men look entirely different compared to the devil’s knights. They are wearing red bomber jackets instead of black.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” One of them, whom you presume is the leader, steps forward as he cackles wickedly. “Y/N. I never thought I’d see a day where the good girl dressed up like a slut.”

You recognise that voice. Kim Namgil. Apparently, he broke some sort of rule or whatever that got him dismissed from the fraternity club. You have heard that he was the worst of the worst of them.

Of course, desperate times call for desperate measures. So, with your slightly swollen ankle, you turn around with the intention to run away from them, and you are almost successful when you feel a painful impact on your back from getting hit by a wooden baseball bat, resulting in you falling to the ground on your knees. You don’t even have the time to attempt to defend yourself despite your wrists that are tied together when he flips you around and pins you to the ground with his fingers curled around your neck in a firm, threatening manner.

“I’ve always wondered what it feels like to fuck you and break you.” Namgil snarls coldly in your face behind his black mask. “After I’m done with you, I’ll let my crew have their turn in destroying your cunt, and then right after, I’ll tear your limbs one by one.”

The fear coursing through your veins is so intense, while tears spring from your eyes. But you remain resilient, still fighting and struggling in his firm grip. Raising your leg, you knee him hard in the sack, eliciting a pissed-off snarl from him.

Your head is turned sideways at the impact of his slap, and your tongue tastes the metallicity of your blood from the cut at the corner of your lips due to his ring. This time, you don’t hold back your sob, weeping helplessly underneath him, yet you keep praying to God that you will be saved.

“Namgil, I don’t think we have time to mess around with her.” One of his crew members tells him with a sense of urgency.

“Just a quick fuck.” Namgil tells him as he squeezes your throat tight, causing black dots to appear in your vision before he slaps your face again, and this time, your head starts to throb painfully.

“Damn, she looks like a fucking slut.” You hear one of them make derogatory remarks with chuckles. “Faster, Namgil. I can’t wait to fuck her pussy.”

At the moment you hear a zipper, more tears spill from your closed eyes as you give up hope and await the pain. But nothing happens next. Instead, you hear a commotion involving punches being thrown and a series of groans and cusses.

You no longer feel the weight of Namgil on top of you, as someone has pulled him away from you. You flutter your heavy eyelids open, and the gruesome sight of Kim Namgil being beaten to pulp by Red greets you just across from you.

“You fucking dared to touch her?!” Red growls out as he grasps his metal baseball bat and is tainted with Namgil’s blood. “You deserve to die a slow, painful death, Namgil.”

You look away with a wince as soon as Red brings down his metal baseball bat to Namgil’s ruined and bloodied face once more, diverting your attention to White, who plunges his knife into one of Namgil’s crew members, to which you gasp, startled upon witnessing the knight members displaying true violence in real time.

You hear a painful scream of a man before the sound of bones cracking makes you go flinching, but you find yourself looking at where the source of the sound comes from, staring at Black, who has broken the limbs of the one whom you recognised as the guy who made the last remark when he slutshamed you.

Then you see a new masked man, and you call him Silver, making his way over to Red, who is evidently berserk and is stopped by Silver. Red seems to breathe heavily and steps away from Namgil before he turns his head to you, but you are busy watching Silver, who appears to be saying something to Namgil tauntingly before the sound of bones crushing pierce through the air.

Upon having to witness such gruesome sights with blood splattering everywhere, tears are continuously streaming down your cheeks, but you have no strength to sob out. Fear and trepidation spread throughout your chest at the thought of you being their next victim.

You flinch as footsteps approach you while you remain on the floor, having no strength after being assaulted by Namgil and his crew. You hear low murmurs around you while your mind is in a haze.

You can barely comprehend anything when you feel someone cutting the cable tie that binds your wrists. A pair of strong arms lifts you and carries you with ease, prompting you to flutter your eyes open to see yourself in Silver’s arms.

“Jungwon, blow the building up.” You hear Black speak as soon as the five of you step out of the abandoned building.

“Wait.” You mumble groggily, wincing as your head throbs once more. “My best friends, they’re still inside─”

“The only ones who are inside are the dead bodies.” Silver says above you, his deep voice is akin to the other masked men’s, surprising you. “Your friends are still alive and have been brought to another place.”

You don’t say anything, too shocked to form coherent sentences upon witnessing the building blow up with a booming sound. You watch as the building is engulfed by the roaring, ferocious flames while the masked men continue to advance forward without a care for the burning building behind them.

A black van pulls over by the curb before the door slides open, revealing the familiar faces of your juniors. “Get in.” Riki tells them before his dark eyes land on you. His eyebrow is raised at you, but he doesn’t say anything as he scoots to the back when Silver steps forward to place you inside.

“Hey, Y/N.” Sunoo greets you with a grin as he is seated in the shotgun. “Fun times, ey?”

You don’t respond, resorting to silence as the rest climb into the van before the door closes. Jungwon, who is the driver, presses his foot on the pedal gas as he speeds away. You expect the four masked men to reveal their faces, but they don’t.

Silver, who is sitting next to you, turns his body to face you with his head tilted to one side. “Now, what shall we do with you?” He ponders out loud, and his statement sends shivers down your spine.

But you are too numb to make any protest or defend yourself from these masked men, as the gruesome images of blood and the sound of bones crushing that emanate from Namgil and his crew remain reeling in your mind. Despite the fact that you’ve always had complete distaste for Namgil, you know that he didn’t deserve to die.

The moment gloved fingers caress your cheek, you flinch away from Black, who is seated next to you. “Since the second part of the hunt is starting soon, why don’t we let angel here join the others instead?” He suggests to his fellow comrades.

You release a shaky breath as you stare at Black with visible fear and curiosity. “Second part of the hunt? You mean to tell me that earlier was just the first part?” Your tone is laced with disbelief.

“That’s right. The first hunt was to hunt and kill the victims on our list while the others spread horror and terror to those lucky ones who didn’t make it to the list.” This time, Jungwon tells you, meeting your eyes in the rearview mirror fleeting, yet you manage to catch his smirk that has obvious wicked intent.

Perturbation gnaws in your tummy as you lick your dry, quivering lips. “And what does the second hunt entail?” You manage to ask despite the shakiness in your voice.

“You’re about to find out, angel.” Black chuckles with a hint of darkness, and concurrently, the vehicle comes to an abrupt stop, nearly flinging you to the front, but Silver’s quick reflexes manage to prevent you from doing so with his arms shooting out to hold you.

The door automatically opens before Silver makes his exit first, he turns to you and holds his hand out for you, to which you hesitantly accept his assistance before you make your exit as well.

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“Y/N!” Your girls, specifically Wonyoung’s voice that overpowers theirs, call for you as soon as the four masked men have brought you to where the other victims are gathered, as well as the other knight members with their masks and similar attire. You shudder upon seeing different types of weapons in their grasp.

All the while, you have been trying your utmost to ignore the throbbing pain in your ankle and walk as normally as you can. The sound of gates rattling closed from behind startles you, prompting you to look over your shoulder to see that the entrance is closed. You scan your surroundings briefly, noticing that they have brought you to a massive labyrinth garden, which appears to have a multitude of mazes that also seem endless. You spot the divine palace in the background, but it looks further away from you.

Once White releases his grip on your arm, you waste no time rushing for your awaiting friends and crash into the first person who has her arms outstretched for you. Your eyes water as you bury your head into her chest, and for once,you are glad that she’s taller than you by five centimetres. Wonyoung’s warmth shrouds your cold, trembling form while you feel relieved to see her and the others again, despite the fact that this comfort you desperately seek and bask in is only temporary.

You silently thank God for keeping your good friends safe and in one piece.

Just then, your eyes widen at the sudden realisation that hits you, prompting you to pull away from Wonyoung. “Karina!” The moment you utter her name, your gaze immediately settles on the familiar catwoman standing in between Winter and Kazuha. As your eyes rake all over her, confusion etches on your canvas. “You’re not hurt? But I thought I heard you scream earlier.”

Karina gives you a sheepish smile. “I got startled when a cobweb of spiders hit my face, and afterwards, one of the knight members scared the fuck out of me, but don’t worry, honey, I’m perfectly fine!” She reassures you once more, and you begin to relax, only for a while before the screeching sound of a speaker pierces in the air, causing all of you to wince.

“Congratulations for making it to this stage.” White speaks into the microphone, garnering everyone’s attention while you briefly look over to the numerous familiar faces of the other students amongst the crowd. “However, Devil’s Night is far from over, and unfortunately, whether you’ll survive this stage or not is all dependent on you.”

White passes the microphone to Silver. “Yes, we’re aware that this is new for those of you who have been to the previous annual Devil’s Nights.” Silver explains. “For this stage, all of you will be given seven minutes to run and find the exit of the labyrinth garden.”

“Seven minutes?!” A guy from your cohort barks out his discontent. “Seven minutes is impossible for us to make our escape! Look at this maze! It’s fucking massive!”

“Too fucking bad.” You hear a smirk in Silver’s tone. “So you better be running for your life once we hit the countdown.”

“And what happens if we don’t make it to the exit in time?” Liz asks loudly, and when you look at her, you frown at the discernible excitement in her eyes. Why is she excited when she should be apprehensive just as you are now?

It’s not just her, but you notice the palpable tension of excitement emanating from some of the victims. It is as if they have been expecting this adventurous thrill that may or may not cost their lives. Your face twists into a slight grimace, finding them odd.

Red snatches the microphone from Silver. “For those of you who successfully manage to find the exit on time, congratulations. You are free to leave and enjoy the rest of Devil’s Night with what we have to offer.” Black pauses before he elicits dark chuckles. “But for those who fail, you’re ours to kill, ours to toy, ours to torture, and ours to fuck once we find you. We’ll do whatever we want for you. So when we tell you to run, you run and don’t ever fucking stop.”

You see Black motioning for the microphone, which Red gives him. “As for our fellow knights, don’t forget to stake your claims if you haven’t. Remember to hunt down only what is yours.” As Black says this, you can feel his gaze behind his mask fixed intently on your face. “The second part of the hunt starts now.”

On his command, everyone, with the exception of the knight members, erupts into squeals and tumultuous commotion as they make their way to the multitude of mazes haphazardly. Wonyoung has already dragged you along with her, shoving her way through the crowd with profanities occasionally leaving her lips while her grip around your wrist tightens.

“This way!” Wonyoung barks over her shoulder to you before tugging you with her into one of the mazes.

“Yunjin! Chaewon! Girls!” You shout to your friends at the other side, who fail to hear your calling as they proceed to enter different mazes, followed by some other victims. You wince when Wonyoung adds more force as she drags you. “Wony! Slow down!”

“Are you crazy?!” Wonyoung raises her voice as she gives you a bewildered glare. “We only have seven minutes, and you’re telling me to slow down!?”

“But my ankle hurts.” You whimper as you finally allow yourself to limp, prompting Wonyoung to halt her steps while panic resides in her gaze.

“How did this happen?!” Wonyoung begins to fuss over you, bending down to touch your swollen ankle before returning her gaze to your face. “Never mind that. How bad does it hurt now?”

“Like an eight? I don’t know.” You grimace, putting more weight on your other perfectly fine ankle. Your eyes dart at your surroundings while you rub your arms in an attempt to provide some warmth due to the cold breeze that hallows as well. “How are we even supposed to find the exit in this massive labyrinth?” You ask, feeling disheartened. You yearn to return to the comfort of your bed and snuggle with your soft toys.

“Can you try to withstand the pain?” Wonyoung asks with a concerned frown, and you nod your head in response. “Okay. We’ll try to brisk-walk and search for the exit. We have about,” She pauses as she glances down at her phone screen. “Four minutes?! Shit!” She grabs your hand and wastes no time walking in haste.

You ignore your ankle, which is throbbing painfully now, as you follow her. Amidst the trepidation, determination sizzles through you, and you have every intention to escape from the knights’ grasps, specifically the four masked men from earlier. Your stomach churns while you have an inkling that they’ll be hunting you down.

Time seems to be passing by slowly as you are starting to feel the exertion dawning on your body from the events that happened since the moment you stepped foot into their territory. Wonyoung, too, looks exhausted as she has finally released your hand, but as always, she remains composed with her head held up high, and determination is like steel in her eyes.

The two of you turn to the right corner, and at once, groans are emitted from both of you. Greeted in your line of sight is a lengthy, narrow maze with different entrances on each side. “I swear we’re going in circles!” Wonyoung scowls indignantly, but nonetheless, she advances forward while you stop to take a breather.

You pant lightly, wiping the sweat above your brow. “Wait, Wony─”

But just as Wonyoung turns around, a figure decked out in familiar attire and a grey mask that obscures his identity emerges from the shadows of the entrance next to Wonyoung, who grabs her with his arm around her waist while the other has her wrists locked firmly.

“Hey! Get the hell away from me!” Wonyoung thrashes in his grasp as he drags her with him. She turns her head to glare at the man in the mask before recognition flickers in her gaze. “Jungwon! Please!”

A gasp leaves your lips at the name that leaves her mouth. You watch as Jungwon continues to drag Wonyoung with him while the latter continues to plead, though you can’t help but discern the softness in her tone towards him.

“Wonyoung!” You cry out for your soul sister as you step forward with the intention of getting her back, afraid of what might happen to her. But the moment you attempt to reach out for her, Jungwon turns to look at you and shakes his head.

“Don’t, Y/N. Unless you want to end up on the wrong side of my knife.” The wicked intent in his voice is resounding, rendering you frozen in your spot. “Luckily for you, you’re not mine to kill.”

“Y/N─'' Jungwon clamps his hand over Wonyoung’s mouth before they eventually disappear from your sight as they enter one of the entrances, leaving you alone and helpless.

Tears are welling in the rims of your eyes, while the trepidation that courses through your veins is starting to feel overwhelming. You sniffle as you quickly wipe away the fallen teardrop on your cheek before you force yourself to advance forward, mustering whatever courage and determination are left within you. 

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The shrill screams, which belong to different individuals, have been continuously pierced into the cold, foreboding atmosphere once more, startling you as you tighten your arms around your body in an attempt to seek some form of succour.

By now, you are numb to the pain in your swollen ankle and solely focused on surviving this hunt and making it out alive. You turn to a left corner and continue to venture forward until you hear a voice belonging to a familiar person that kindles hope in your chest.

“Yunjin?” You call for her, moving forward while your eyes dart everywhere as you walk past different entrances. You become startled when you spot one of the knights holding a chainsaw chasing after two girls who are screaming in terror before you quickly mind your own business and resume searching for your childhood best friend.

“Yunjin─” You immediately halt your steps as soon as you hear faint moans emitting from your very own childhood best friend. Your face contorts into confusion as you listen to how she is moaning pleasurably while there is a faint slapping sound of skins.

A part of you knows better than to indulge your curiosity, but you find yourself advancing forward once more. As soon as you turn your head, the obscenity sight greets you and renders you completely shocked to the point where your body feels paralysed, unable to move.

There is your childhood best friend on top of a masked man as he is seated on a wooden bench, and their lower regions are completely stripped off of any layer of garments. Her back is facing you as she bounces continuously on him with her hands draped over his shoulders lazily.

As your gaze falls down, that is when you finally notice that Yunjin is indeed fucking down on the masked man. You can see how lewd they are fucking into each other with a series of moans and groans emitting from them. You should feel disgusted, and you should be looking away from the obscenity, but you become enthralled by the sight of his cock disappearing into her pussy each time she bounces.

Oddly, your heart is racing at a foreign pace, and your throat becomes dry the longer you watch them get immersed in the fucking. You stagger a step back, panting lightly while feeling a foreign sensation pooling in your core. The warmth all over your body feels odd, bothering you greatly.

“Fuck, just like that.” The mask man throws his head to the back, holding Yunjin by her ass cheeks to assist her. “You’re doing so well, baby. Keep fucking on me like a desperate whore you are.”

You squeeze your thighs together to suppress the sensation that becomes oddly unbearable in your core. Just as you stagger a step back, your back hits a solid chest, causing your heart to drop.

Before you can run away, an arm slithers around your waist, locking you in place. A tut leaves his lips. “Naughty angel. Having fun watching your best friend fucking him like a whore?” It is Black.

“N-No.” You protest weakly, looking away from the sight, but he uses his gloved hand to grip your jaw and turn your head, forcing you to keep your eyes trained on your best friend.

“Don’t lie to me, baby.” Black speaks next to your ear while your breaths get heavier and your mind is tainted with forbidden thoughts the longer you watch them fuck. “I know you love it. You’re probably wishing that was you.”

Your breath catches in your throat as he gropes the flesh of your breast with earnestness, while his other hand trails downward on your stomach before his fingers go underneath the material of your dress. You gasp inaudibly at the sensation of his fingers teasingly grazing across your clothed pussy, and you swear you can feel some form of essence leaking between your folds.

“N-No.” Your weak protest does nothing to stop Black from his assault on you while you watch with hooded eyelids as your best friend continues to fuck the mask man vigorously while the sounds emanating from them become pornographic.

“Fuck, you’re nearly soaked, angel.” Black nearly growls as his chest vibrates against your back, sending you shivers down your spine.

Light pants leave your lips as your mind is infused with impure thoughts, and your hips buck, as though in an attempt to entice Black, but he continues to tease you by stroking the outer of your womanhood.

The sound of a feminine scream pulls you out of the lustrous trance as you blink your eyes. Mortification hits you like whiplash, while guilt shrouds you. Gritting your teeth, you muster courage before slamming your elbow into his stomach hard, resulting in him releasing you while a painful groan emits from him.

“Y/N!” You hear Black roaring from behind, the sheer anger is palpable in his tone while you run as if your life depends on it, despite your ankle sending you signals that it needs medical attention as soon as possible.

Your brunette waves flail behind you, soaring in the wind as you run while a few strands of your locks stick to your face. Your heart is pounding harder against your chest, and your chest begins to tighten with anxiety at the worst possible outcome.

A scream leaves your lips as soon as two lower-ranking knight members emerge from the bushes with different weapons in their grasp, bringing fright upon you. You run to the opposite side, and when you do, other knight members wreak terror upon you with their weapons, but they don’t do anything to you. It is also as though they are forcing you to go in the intended direction by scaring you relentlessly.

You choke back a sob, tears stinging in your eyes. You wish that this was all just a mere nightmare, but the exertion, the aches, and the pain all over your body say otherwise. You find yourself yearning to return to your beloved parents and the cosy ambience of your home, where you feel safe and loved.

A genuine scream of terror rips from your throat when Silver emerges from a shadow, holding an axe that is dripping with blood. “Where do you think you’re going, princess?” He asks mockingly, stalking towards you.

Tears stream down your cheeks, but you refuse to let out a cry. You back away from him quickly before turning around to run, but you crash into a solid chest and firm hands hold onto your waist, prompting you to look up and stare at Red with panicked eyes.

“Caught you, sweet angel.” You hear him purr with pleasure. You shove him in the chest, pushing him away from you. Facing your two predators, you back away in haste. Pure fear shines in your glistening eyes.

From your peripheral vision, you spot Black emerging from the tall bushes with a dagger in his grasp, and you can immediately discern his wrath, as evident in the way he trudges towards you.

“Stay away from me!” You begin to scream at them, tears are relentlessly streaming down your cheeks. “Leave me alone, you sick bastards!” You ignore the small voice in your mind that is berating you for saying a profanity.

“So the angel can scream.” Silver remarks with a cold chuckle. “Scream all you want, because no one will come to save you.”

Frantically, you grab a small rock at the side as you bend down before you throw it in the direction of Silver, who dodges in time. Silver scoffs out a chuckle. “You’re really starting to get on my nerves, princess.”

You yelp out as you trip over something, resulting in you falling backward with your bum hitting the hard ground. You wince before you attempt to get away from them, crawling backwards as your three predators are nearing.

But at the moment your hand touches a boot behind you, your heart sinks into the pit of your stomach before you force yourself to look up. Alas, White is staring down at you while in his grasp is a white handkerchief.

“You failed, sweetheart.” White says softly. 

In an instant, Red hauls you up, forcing you to stand and holding you firmly by the arm. You whimper out a cry as you feel your hands being forced to the back as White has your forearms interlocked with one hand.

“Don’t worry, baby. We won’t be fucking you tonight.” Black chuckles darkly at the side, the anger that emanates from him is evident. “This is something to remember us by when you wake up, and when you do, remember our masks.”

Red grabs your chin, tilting your head up. “We’re not done with you yet, sweet angel.” 

You open your mouth to speak, but White covers your mouth and nose with the white cloth, forcing you to inhale the substances that he had sprayed with. You struggle in their grasps with tears leaking from your eyes, but soon, you begin to lose strength while your mind becomes groggy.

Your hooded eyelids feel heavier with each passing second. Alas, you succumb to the darkness as it shrouds your whole being.

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“Y/N? Y/N! Wake up!”

It feels as though your soul has been slammed down into your body as you jolt from your deep slumber. Fluttering your eyes open, you are greeted by the familiar sight of your bedroom ceiling before you finally realise that you are back in your dorm. The exertion dawning on your body renders you immobile as you remain in bed. 

You feel soft fingers stroking your cheek, prompting you to look at your childhood best friend, whose face has a twist of concern and sympathy. “Babygirl, you’re fine now.”

That is also when you realise the dampness on your cheeks. With Yunjin’s assistance, you raise your body to be vertical and lean on the headboard. You glance down and notice that you are in your Hello Kitty pyjama set.

A relief sigh leaves your lips. So whatever happened last night was just a mere nightmare. Yet, it is a nightmare that you will probably remember for the next few days.

“Is she awake?” Wonyoung’s voice draws your attention to her as she barges into your room. As soon as your eyes meet hers, you notice the sheer relief in her eyes. “Y/N, thank God you’re fine. You’ve been asleep for so long.”

“It wasn’t that long.” Yunjin tells Wonyoung before taking a glance at her phone screen. “Oh, wait. You’re right. Y/N missed breakfast and lunch.”

“What time is it?” You ask, finding it odd that your throat is dry and scratchy.

“It’s four in the afternoon.” Yunjin replies as she gives you a sympathetic smile. “It’s understandable that you woke up this late.”

“I had a nightmare.” You mumble, your fingers tracing circles on your duvet that is covering your outstretched legs. “A really terrifying nightmare. I don’t think I ever want to experience that again.”

As Wonyoung sits on your other side, you immediately latch your arms around your best friends, bringing them into a hug while you sigh in contentment. “I’m glad it was just a nightmare.”

But they don’t reciprocate your hug, which brings a frown to your lips. You pull away from them and notice prudence in their heavenly features. “What?”

“Babygirl, what happened last night wasn’t a nightmare.” Yunjin tells you, her voice sounds quiet.

The relief you feel dissipates and is replaced by apprehension. Your chest feels constricted as fragments of the whole event that transpired last night coalesce into one. The last remark from Red remains vividly clear in your mind.

“It wasn’t?” You ask numbly, looking at Wonyoung for confirmation, and the latter nods her head. Your eyes trail down to her neck, noticing fresh purple and red hickeys on her porcelain skin.

“Hey, the other girls will be coming over─” Karina stops her sentence midway as she saunters into your room, her eyes meeting yours. “Y/N! You’re awake!” She grins at you, oblivious to your disheartened spirit. That is also when you notice bandages on her forehead and hands.

You uncover the duvet from your legs. The familiar throb in your swollen ankle serves as a reality that you did, in fact, attend Devil’s Night on your own accord, and you have no one else to blame but yourself.

“I helped to ice your ankle and apply some ointment.” Wonyoung tells you as she rubs your thigh soothingly. “It should heal in two or three days.”

You remain silent while your eyes turn crestfallen. Your three best friends exchange worried glances.

“Y/N, are you okay?” Yunjin asks gently, and when she touches your shoulder, you visibly flinch, bringing a frown to her lips.

The obscenity of your best friend willingly fucking herself onto one of the knight members is something you can’t erase, and you can’t help but feel sickened and disgusted. You're disgusted at her, and more importantly, you’re disgusted at yourself for bearing forbidden thoughts and for how you acted. You recoil from her touch, scooting slightly away from her before you return to lie on your bed with your back facing her.

“Yeah. I just want to be alone for now. Please.” You croak out pleadingly while tears spring from your eyes as you hug the duvet close to your chest.

“Fine, but don’t miss dinner, okay?” Wonyoung pats your arm gently before she proceeds to depart from your room alongside Karina and Yunjin. All the while, they become confused by your unusual behaviour.

“We’re not done with you yet, sweet angel.”

Red’s words remain lingering in your mind, taunting you and evoking the familiar fear within you while dread crawls onto your skin.

With a faint of heart, you release the sobs you have been holding back, weeping in the comfort of your bed that is surrounded by your soft toys. You will definitely remember your first Devil’s Night, and it will also be your last.

You fear that the events that transpired on Devil’s Night have been engraved in your mind as well as rendering you traumatised, and you have no idea if you will ever recover from them.

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You didn’t leave your room for the next few hours. Your eccentric behaviour worried your best friends gravely, and they took turns knocking on your door to get you to come out and have dinner, but you didn’t respond to any of them, causing them to resign and finally leave you alone.

It is not that you hate your best friends, but the fact that they don’t seem to be bothered by whatever happened last night and their normalcy confounds you. At the same time, you can’t help but feel resentful towards them. Knowing that they have been attending Devil's Night since freshmen, how do they still not find any issues in the Halloween event that entail such heinous pursuits?

You love your best friends, you really do, but right now, as you have been reflecting deeply, you wonder if you truly know them.

“Mom.” You greet your mother on the line as you press speaker mode.

“Hey, sweetie. Aren’t you supposed to be asleep at this hour?” Your mother’s kind and gentle voice brings tears to your eyes while you try your best to hold back your sob. You yearn to be in her warm, comforting arms, where you feel undoubtedly safe.

“I slept more than enough earlier.” You force out a laugh, wiping the fallen teardrop from the corner of your eye. “Is Dad there?”

“He’s on a night shift.” Your mother informs you, but you sense a certain tone of knowingness in her tone as she continues to speak. “Tell me, what happened?”

“Nothing. What makes you think that?” You raise your body vertically, sitting on the bed, while one of your soft toys is in your lap as you toy with its arm mindlessly.

“I know my daughter, Y/N. You hardly called me at this hour. Did something happen to my sweetie?”

Alas, the tears brimming in your eyes cascade down your cheeks. “Am I still good, Momma?” Your voice cracks in between, allowing your true emotion to surface.

“Of course you are. You are always good, and goodness is always inside of you.” Your mother remains constant in the way she speaks to you in a soft lull.

“But what if I did something bad?” You say sullenly. “What if I sinned?”

There is a brief silence on the line, and you can’t discern whether your mother is mad at you or not. “Sweetie, there is no denying that you are God’s blessed child, and purity has always been a big part of you, but you are a human just like the rest. You’re bound to make mistakes. So if you have sinned, you should already know what to do next.”

“Are you mad at me?” You ask meekly, swallowing a lump in your throat. You hate disappointing your mother.

“No, I’m not.” Your mother reassures you. “Get some sleep, okay? It isn’t good to stay up too late. I love you, always. Remember that, sweetie.”

“I love you too, Mom.” You reciprocate as your voice comes out shaky before you end the call.

Your gaze settles on the familiar book of the Bible on your nightstand. With your trembling hand, you reach out for the book. Once you have it in your possession, you begin to flip over the pages before your fingers halt at a certain page. At once, you begin to read.

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“Are you sure you don’t need me to come with you?” Kazuha asks as soon as you dismount from her Yamaha bike. You proceed to give her the helmet before you adjust your slightly tousled hair, making it neater.

“I’m sure.” You tell her, a tinge of resolution glimmers in your eye despite the guilt that has been churning in your tummy. You give her a smile of gratitude. “Thank you so much. I owe you one.”

“Nonsense. You’re my friend, aren’t you?” The leather-clad girl grins at you. “Call me when you’re done. I’ll fetch you. Besides, we’re long overdue for a date.”

You watch as Kazuha speeds off with the blaring noise from her engine, eliciting a chuckle from you as you know that your dear friend is simply flaunting her sleek black bike.

The smile on your lips flattens as soon as your gaze settles on the divine building. A gust of wind hits your skin, sending you shivers and prompting you to hug your white coat around your figure. It has been quite some time since you visited the church that is situated on the same street as the campus due to the heavy workload given by your professors for the past months that you didn’t even have the time to visit.

You find yourself stepping forward before picking up the pace and entering the building. Thankfully, there are not many people. You offer a polite smile to the sisters walking past you, as they also welcome you with warm smiles.

At once, you feel at ease, and the familiar tranquillity in the ambience feels like a gentle hug, assuring you that despite the sins on your shoulder and the guilt weighing on your conscience, you will be pardoned in the end. After all, you are God’s most loved child.

The priest, who appears to be speaking to one of the members of the church, directs his focus to you, and once he sees your face, a warm smile touches his lips. “It has been awhile, my child.”

You reciprocate his smile despite your nervousness. “School has been keeping me occupied.”

“What brings you here on a Sunday morning?” The priest asks.

You release a shaky breath while regret shines in your eyes and the guilt tightens around your heart. “I have a confession to make.”

His smile falters just slightly. He tips his head in the direction where the familiar booth of the sacrament of penance is, beckoning you to follow him. “Come, child.”

It isn’t long until you have finally reached it, now seated on the chair with your heart pounding against your chest.

“Whenever you are ready.” The priest says to you from the other side.

The events that transpired last night are like a film in your mind as you recall them. A tumultuous mixture of emotions is palpable within you while you attempt to remain collected. 

With a shaky breath, you begin your confession, “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned……”