Rin sat by the window of his apartment, the city lights casting long shadows across the floor. The silence pressed in from all sides. No message from Than. No call. Just the lingering ache of last night's closeness—and the bitter taste it left behind.
He turned his phone over in his hands, over and over, like he could will it to light up. Finally, he set it down, screen-up on the table. Dark. Empty. Mocking.
Outside, the world moved on—traffic lights blinking, strangers passing each other without looking back. But inside him, something had stopped moving. He was supposed to be moving forward. But every step now felt like walking barefoot over broken glass.
That morning at work, Rin had tried to focus. But Than's voice kept echoing.
"Don't walk away from me."
A plea disguised as a command. A quiet fury that terrified Rin more than any threat ever could.
And then his phone buzzed again—not Than this time. Kieran.
> "You can't hide forever. The truth will come out, with or without you."
Rin's jaw tightened. He didn't need Kieran's warnings to know the storm was coming. The lies were stacked too high. The mask was slipping.
He needed air.
Outside a café tucked into a quieter part of the city, Rin stood in the cold wind, his coffee untouched. He hoped the anonymity of the crowd might numb something in him.
But then a voice sliced through the air—measured, smooth, and unmistakably deliberate.
"Rin Saetang."
He froze.
Turning slowly, Rin found himself face to face with a man in a tailored charcoal suit. Sharp jaw. Dark eyes. A smile that didn't quite reach them.
Adrian Vora.
"I hear you're looking for answers," Adrian said, stepping closer with a grace that felt calculated.
Rin narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"
Adrian tilted his head. "Let's just say I'm not on Than Han's Christmas list."
Something about his tone was both amused and menacing. He wasn't just a rival. He was dangerous.
"And I'm interested in you," Adrian added quietly.
Rin blinked. "Why?"
Adrian's smile widened. "Because you're the key. To all of it. If I want to bring Than down, I start with you. And maybe… protect you in the process."
The words sank into him like ice. Protection. Power. Control. All wrapped up in one clean offer. But trust was not a currency Rin had in abundance.
Before he could speak, his phone vibrated again.
Than.
> "Don't forget who owns you."
His blood turned cold.
Rin stared at the message. Not just a warning. A claim. A threat, dressed in silk.
He looked up.
Adrian's gaze was unwavering. Patient. Almost predatory.
"You don't have to decide now," Adrian said, voice soft but steady. "But think carefully. Than's losing control. And you... you don't have to go down with him."
That night, Rin lay in bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling. Sleep wouldn't come.
He kept replaying the moments from the night before—the way Than had touched him like he was fragile, like he was something worth losing. The kiss that lingered too long. The tremble in Than's voice when he said Rin made him forget what he stood to lose.
Was it love?
Or was it another game, just played better?
The line between the two was razor-thin.
Elsewhere, Than sat alone in his office, the skyline burning gold through the glass. The room felt too quiet. Too empty. The couch still held the shape of what they'd done, the scent of Rin clinging to the air like memory.
He poured a drink he didn't want. Loosened a tie that felt like a noose.
He didn't feel powerful.
He felt like something vital had slipped through his fingers.
His phone lit up—this time, not Rin.
A message from his father. Short. Cold.
> "Be ready. We're not the only ones watching."
Than didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Then, slowly, he looked at the untouched glass in his hand—and threw it across the room.
Shattered.
Just like him.
Back at Rin's apartment, a new message arrived.
Adrian Vora:
> "Let me help you take back your power."
Rin stared at the words, thumb hovering above the screen.
Adrian was offering him an escape.
But every exit was lined with consequences.
Outside, the city pulsed like a living thing—bright, heartless, unaware.
And Rin knew, in his bones, that whatever came next…
He wouldn't come out of it untouched.