The chamber reeked of rust and damp stone, every shadow sharpened by the sickly swing of the bulb.Rang's wrists bled from pulling at the chains, the cuffs biting deeper with every futile struggle.Seo-rin's breath came fast, uneven, her eyes fixed on him as though she could borrow courage from his silence.
The door scraped open.Han entered slowly, two guards dragging in a metal rod and a bucket sloshing with brine.He looked almost amused, as if the night itself existed only for his performance.
"Strength," Han murmured, walking toward Rang. "Let's test yours first."
The iron rod cracked against Rang's ribs.A dull thud.His body jerked, the chains rattling loud against the walls.Blood sprayed from his lips as he gasped, but he refused to cry out.
Han struck again, lower this time.Rang coughed, teeth stained red, his body folding but his eyes locked stubbornly on Seo-rin's.
"You still defy me," Han whispered, bending close, voice almost gentle. "But your silence is worthless if she screams."
He turned.Seo-rin shrank back as the guards forced her upright, tearing the sleeve of her dress.The whip hissed in the air before slicing across her back.The fabric split. So did flesh.Her muffled cry echoed like broken glass, and Rang roared against his chains, veins bulging at his neck.
Han dipped the whip in the bucket, dark liquid dripping."Salt. It cleanses. But it also burns. Shall we cleanse her, Rang?"
The whip fell again. This time Han sprinkled coarse salt into the open wound.Seo-rin convulsed, her throat straining with a choked sob, eyes wide with unbearable pain.
"Stop!" Rang bellowed, thrashing until iron tore deeper into his wrists."You bastard—take me! Not her!"
Han's face hardened, no smile now, only a hunger."Oh, but this isn't about you, Rang. It's about what you'll learn when you see what she truly is."
He motioned, and the guards positioned a thin pipe above Seo-rin's forehead.Drops of water began to fall—one, two, three.Each bead struck the same spot, tiny at first, but relentless, a torture designed for madness.
Seo-rin's breath hitched, her body jerking at each drop.Her wide eyes searched for Rang—pleading, breaking.
Han leaned between them, voice low, poisonous:"You wear her pain now, Rang. Feel it. Watch it. Because when she breaks… so will you."
The bulb overhead flickered, buzzing like an insect caught in death throes.Han's shadow stretched long across the floor, swallowing theirs.
And then, almost gently, Han whispered the words that froze Rang's blood:
"She was never truly yours to protect… not in blood, not in truth."
The drip echoed.Seo-rin gasped.Rang's heart thundered.
The chamber held its breath.