"Try to walk carefully…" Minji said softly, supporting Zoya as they moved forward after Jeon.J had left.
Zoya shook her head slightly and quickly wrote on her writing pad, her hand trembling as she walked.
"No… I want to rest now. But Minji, come quick. I don't feel comfortable staying here alone."
Even writing seemed painful, yet she forced herself to finish the sentence.
Minji glanced at her and sighed gently.
"Relax and try to sleep. You're as safe here as in my own home, okay? I'll just gather everyone. It's already very late."
She helped Zoya lie down in the same room she had rested in before.
The moment Zoya leaned back, her eyes wandered around the room.
Then she picked up the pad again and wrote:
"Where will all of you sleep? There's only one bed and a sofa(couch) here…"
Minji couldn't help but smile faintly at her concern.
"Just go to sleep. We'll manage.
This house is big enough—we'll find space. Ever since you came back, you've been talking too much… now put this writing pad aside and rest.
If not your voice, then at least your hands deserve peace."
Her tone carried a light scolding, but her eyes were full of care.
As Zoya adjusted herself and stretched her legs slightly, Minji's gaze suddenly froze.
"…Zoya… what is this?"
She rushed closer, her voice laced with worry.
Zoya's soles were wounded.
Minji carefully lifted the edge of her trousers… and her breath caught.
A cut. Sharp. Deliberate.
The kind she had seen before… the kind Ji-won had inflicted on herself.
"Zoya…" Her voice broke, though she tried to stay composed.
Zoya quickly picked up the writing pad again, writing with unsteady hands:
"I'm fine. I don't have any other words right now to convince even myself… that I'm fine."
Her writing slowed, but she continued.
"Yes… It hurts. It should hurt. These physical wounds… they're painful. But more than that… Ji-won's unbearable words… they hurt even more."
A pause.
"You all used to say Korea doesn't suit me… now I think so too. Maybe Korea really isn't meant for me."
Her lips curved into a faint, broken smile.
"But I can't go back either. The doors behind me are closed. So… I'll stay here… and try to make peace with Korea."
Minji read every word… then looked up at her.
That smile—it hurt more than the wounds.
Without another word, she pulled Zoya into a tight embrace.
"I won't leave Ji-won like this…" Minji muttered through clenched teeth.
Zoya immediately pulled back, her eyes sharp, almost warning her.
No. — her gaze said.
She gestured lightly toward the door.
Go. I want to sleep.
Minji understood. She sighed, stood up, and muttered under her breath,
"Drama queen…" before walking out.
The door closed.
Silence returned.
But then… a voice echoed in Zoya's mind.
"Even we… we've been physical… many times…"
Ji-won's earlier words.
Zoya shut her eyes tightly.
Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes, silently soaking into the pillow beneath her.
And this time… the pain wasn't just from her wounds.
"You're all still here? None of you went to sleep?"
Minji's voice cut through the quiet as she reached the terrace.
They were all sitting in a line—wide awake.
Sophia let out a small sigh."I just couldn't sleep."
"Oh really?" Hana smirked, teasing. "And why exactly couldn't you sleep?"
Sophia shot her an annoyed look, teeth clenched.
"You didn't sleep either. So why didn't you sleep?"
Hana casually flipped her hair, glancing toward Teahun with a mischievous grin.
"I still have a couple of videos to shoot with Teahun."
Teahun groaned loudly, already irritated.
"I am absolutely not recording anything anymore! Minji, why don't you go back? I'm exhausted. What kind of friends of your? I swear we've already made a thousand reels, and you're still asking for more videos!"
A ripple of suppressed laughter spread through the group.
Teahun glared at everyone… then suddenly, his expression softened.
"I miss her."
Silence.
Everyone looked at him at once.
But before anyone else could react, one pair of eyes had already locked onto him—cold, sharp.
Jeon.J.
The moment Jinhun glanced his way, Jeon.J turned his face aside.
"I'm going to her," Teahun said, standing up dramatically.
"At least I can spend a little time with her. We're leaving tomorrow… who knows when we'll meet again."
His tone carried exaggerated sadness—but the words still hit.
Jeon.J's fists slowly clenched.
He was losing control.
"Tomorrow? Why tomorrow?" Minji frowned. "Aren't you leaving with Jeon.J in two days?"
"We were," Kim Joon answered calmly.
"Plans changed. There's a lot of work for the concert."
Hosu nodded. "Yeah, we're leaving tomorrow now."
"Oh… that's fine," Hana said quickly. "We'll come by the concert anyway, send us VIP tickets."
"Let's go together in the morning," Minji added. "We'll head home, and you guys go to the airport."
Ruhi's voice turned soft, almost disappointed.
"I thought we were going to see the cherry blossoms tomorrow… now you're all leaving. Who knows when we'll meet again…"
"Hey, you'll come to the concert, right?" Minjo reassured her. "It's next week."
Ruhi gave a small nod, but her smile didn't fully reach her eyes.
"Minji… I need to talk to you."
Jeon.J finally spoke, his tone low and serious.
Minji turned toward him immediately.
"There's something important," he continued. "Ji-won is still out there. Until she's arrested… all of you should stay here."
A pause.
"This place has full security. You'll be safe."
His words settled heavily in the air.
And for once, no one argued.
Because deep down… they all knew he was right.
After what had happened to Zoya…after seeing her condition…
…it wasn't hard to imagine just how dangerous Ji-won really was.
Minji's house was safe—but her parents were rarely home. Sometimes out of the city… sometimes out of town.
And right now—
Safety wasn't optional.
It was necessary.
"But Zoya won't agree…" Minji said quietly, her voice carrying a helpless honesty.
"She wasn't stopping even before… she barely agreed this time. I can't force her."
A brief silence followed.
"I'll talk"
Jeon.J had just begun, but before he could finish.
"I'll talk to her."
Jinhun cut him off.
His tone wasn't loud… but it didn't need to be.
It carried weight.
"I'll speak to Zoya in the morning. After that… we'll decide what to do."
For a moment, no one responded.
Then Jinhun clapped his hands once, breaking the stillness.
"Alright, enough. Let's go to sleep now. Come on—move."
He stood up, gesturing for everyone to get up.
But no one moved.
They were still sitting there… lost in their own thoughts.
Jinhun's gaze swept across them—sharp, firm.
One look.
That was all it took.
They understood.
Without another word, everyone slowly got up and began heading inside.
The terrace, once filled with restless voices…
fell silent again.
But the tension—
It didn't leave.
It followed them.
______________________________
Morning came quietly… and departures followed one after another.
Jeon.J, Hosu, and Teahun had already left on the early morning flight.
Before leaving, Jinhun had spoken to Zoya—what he said… what he didn't…somehow, she had agreed to stay.
By evening, Jinhun, Yomin, and Minjo had also left.
And just like that—
The house felt… empty.
Too empty.
On Ruhi's insistence, Minji, Sophia, Hana, and Ruhi had gone out to see the cherry blossoms.
Now—
Zoya was alone.
Completely alone.
She stepped slowly into the living area, her eyes scanning every corner.
No guards.
No visible security.
No one.
A faint confusion crossed her face.
"They said this place is safe. But how?"
Her gaze lifted—
A small black lens near the ceiling.
Then another… in the hallway.
Cameras.
Zoya exhaled softly.
"So that's it… just cameras?"
A slight, doubtful smile appeared.
"Does placing cameras really make a place safe?"
She turned away… unconvinced.
But what she didn't know—
This wasn't just about cameras.
This house was running on a smart security system.
Silent motion sensors were embedded in the walls, tracking movement without being seen.
Every camera wasn't just recording—it was connected to a monitoring system that could send instant alerts.
Doors were secured with biometric locks.
Originally,
The entire system was registered under Jeon.J.
His access. His control.
But before leaving—
He had updated it.
Now, temporary access was set under Minji's face identity.
For as long as they stayed here.
________________________________
Zoya's entire day had dragged on in suffocating boredom.
The TV flickered endlessly, filled with Korean voices she couldn't understand.
Some channels offered English captions, but by the time she finished reading a line, the scene had already moved on.
It was exhausting—her eyes chasing words that never waited for her.
Eventually, she gave up.
Her feet still ached from the wounds, but she pressed her weight onto her heel and forced herself to walk.
Sitting in one place all day wasn't an option anymore.
Yesterday, she had stayed still for too long and later realised her back had stiffened painfully as a result.
So now, despite the discomfort, she kept moving—slow, careful steps echoing in the quiet space.
It had been two… maybe three hours since Minji and the others had left.
She had barely eaten with them earlier—if that could even be called breakfast.
Just a bland, lifeless soup that did nothing to satisfy her.
Now she was alone.
She could make something for herself… but how?
She didn't even know where anything was in the kitchen. What was kept where?
And more importantly, was anything here even halal?
The thought lingered in her mind.
But what she had forgotten… was that in this black empire, cameras were everywhere.
Everywhere.
Except—thankfully—not in the room or the washroom.
When Minji had told her that earlier, Zoya had snapped in irritation, half-annoyed, half-unsettled.
Shaking the thought away, she finally moved toward the kitchen.
But before stepping in, she paused.
Her gaze shifted to the wall ahead.
The window.
It was covered with window shades, blending so perfectly into the glass that they almost looked invisible. Slowly, she reached out and pulled them aside—
and suddenly, it felt like the sun had exploded into the room.
As if a night had been torn apart, replaced instantly by a flood of golden light.
Brightness spilt everywhere, chasing away the heavy, suffocating gloom.
Zoya blinked, momentarily overwhelmed.
Then… she smiled.
She turned, moving around the living area, pulling up every set of blinds she could find. One by one, the shadows disappeared, replaced by warmth and light.
Now… it felt different.
Better.
Alive.
She wrapped her arms around herself, a slight shiver running through her.
"What kind of house is this…" she murmured under her breath, glancing around, "…where day feels like night?"
Zoya stepped into the kitchen, her eyes immediately scanning the space around her.
But… there was nothing.
The counters looked almost empty—too clean, too perfect, like no one ever actually used them.
On one side, she noticed a built-in induction cooktop seamlessly integrated into the counter.
She walked closer, running her fingers lightly over its smooth surface… then pulled her hand back.
Where were the utensils?The spices?
Her gaze wandered until it finally landed on the fridge.
Slowly, she moved toward it.
Miles away, Jeon.J sat watching everything on his phone, his eyes tracking her every move.
He saw her enter the kitchen… pause… look around.Saw her approach the induction… touch it curiously… then hesitate.
And now—
She reached the fridge.
Zoya opened it carefully.
The cool air brushed against her face as she leaned in, scanning each shelf one by one.
Her eyes widened at first in surprise… then narrowed slightly as confusion took over.
"Seriously?" she muttered under her breath.
One entire section—filled with skincare products.
Neatly arranged.
Inside a fridge.
She stared at it, disbelief written all over her face.
"Now skincare goes in the fridge too?" she whispered, almost offended by the logic.
Watching from Busan, Jeon.J pressed his lips together, trying to hold back a laugh.
His shoulders tensed slightly—one negative reaction, and people around him might notice.
But her expressions…
They were dangerously entertaining.
Back in the kitchen, Zoya moved to the last basket.
Finally—something normal.
Vegetables.
Fresh, neatly packed, perfectly organised.
She examined them briefly, then closed the fridge with a soft push.
Now…
A new mission.
Find the utensils.
Jeon.J didn't mind her presence in his kitchen at all.
In fact, he didn't want to look away.
Leaning back against the sofa, phone held casually in his hand, he appeared to everyone else as if he were just watching a movie.
Relaxed.
Unbothered.
But the moment she disappeared from the screen—
His posture changed instantly.
He sat up straight.
His fingers moved quickly across the screen, switching between camera feeds, searching.
Where did she go?
Even Jinhun noticed the shift, watching him closely.
These days, every small action of his felt… suspicious.
Then—
There she was again.
Back on the kitchen camera.
Zoya stood in the middle of the space, turning left, then right, scanning every corner.
Her brows furrowed.
"Where are the utensils…?" she murmured, frustration creeping in.
She looked around again, slightly overwhelmed.
"What kind of complicated kitchen is this…"
"Where do we even keep utensils in a kitchen…?"
Zoya murmured to herself, the question slipping out unconsciously.
She paused.
Then, almost instantly, her own mind answered—
"In cabinets… obviously."
A small spark of relief crossed her face, as if she had just solved something important.
She turned again, scanning the kitchen carefully this time.
Once.
Twice.
But—
Where were the cabinets?
Her steps carried her back toward the counter.
She leaned in slightly, eyes moving from bottom to top, trying to make sense of the space.
But everything was the same—sleek, dark, seamless.
Too seamless.
In this all-black kitchen, nothing stood out.
No handles.
No edges.
No clear lines.
Nothing to grab.
Nothing to open.
Her eyes strained, trying to adjust, but it only made her more irritated.
A breath of frustration escaped her.
Then, with a small, annoyed scoff, she made a face at the kitchen—
almost like she was mocking it—
and turned away.
Moments later, she stepped out of the suffocating darkness…
and back into the part of the house ruled by daylight.
Warmth.
Brightness.
Space.
She exhaled, her shoulders relaxing slightly.
Somewhere else, watching silently, Jeon.J noticed the shift.
Since the day he had stepped into this house—
for the first time—
it felt bright.
Alive.
As if light itself had finally found its way in.
And he knew exactly why.
To be continued....
Regards
ZK