The day felt slower than usual.
Not because of the lectures, or the endless droning of the teacher, but because of the way eyes lingered on me. Ever since Dog Pound collapsed, J High carried an unease in its walls. Whispers followed me even if no one dared speak my name out loud.
And today, someone was bold enough to break the silence.
"Seong Min~"
Yui Kim's sing-song voice floated across the classroom like honey.
I didn't look up immediately. My pen tapped rhythmically against the desk, a dull counterpoint to her sweetness. But her shadow stretched over my notebook, and when I finally lifted my gaze, she was already leaning against my desk — hair glossy, smile sharp, eyes glinting with a predator's curiosity.
"You're always so serious. Don't you get tired of pretending you don't notice me?" she teased, resting her chin on her hand as if she owned the space.
A ripple of whispers spread across the room.
"She's trying again ?""Didn't she get shut down yesterday ?""Why him, though? Out of everyone…"
I met her gaze calmly. Violet light flickered faintly at the edge of my sight. Eye of Insight.
Her smile was too polished, her words too rehearsed. To anyone else, she looked playful. But I could see the tension in the corner of her lips, the faint twitch of her fingers against the wood.
She wasn't just flirting. She was testing.
"Maybe I just don't see anything worth noticing," I said evenly, closing my notebook and sliding it aside.
Her grin widened, though her pupils tightened for the briefest second. "Oh? Careful, Seong Min. A girl like me doesn't handle rejection well."
I didn't answer. I didn't need to. My silence was the answer.
The bell rang, and the moment broke. She lingered a second longer than necessary, brushing her hair back with a practiced flick before walking away, hips swaying as if to remind me — and the rest of the class — who she was.
But I saw it. The falter. The irritation beneath the act.
She wanted me to stumble. And I hadn't.
Night fell heavy over the city.
The quiet hum of traffic outside my apartment window was a familiar lull, almost enough to drown out the thoughts circling in my mind. Crystal's presence lingered in them — her cold smile, her pride that masked a gnawing curiosity. She was watching. Always.
So when I heard the knock at my door, I already knew who it would be.
I opened it to find Yui standing there, dressed differently now. Gone was the school uniform; in its place was a cropped jacket, a thin camisole clinging to her frame, and ripped jeans that rode low on her hips. Casual, but deliberate. The kind of look that screamed I want to be seen.
"Well, well," I said, leaning against the doorframe. "You lost?"
She smirked. "Maybe. Or maybe I just wanted to see what you're like when no one's watching."
I stepped aside, letting her in without a word.
She moved around my apartment like she belonged there, tossing her jacket onto the back of a chair and glancing at the shelves, the window, the bare walls. When she finally turned back to me, her expression had shifted — less playful, more intent.
"You know I stream, right?" she asked suddenly, pulling her phone from her pocket and spinning it around her fingers.
"I've heard," I replied.
Her smile sharpened. "Of course you have. Everyone has. But what you probably don't know…" She leaned against the counter, lowering her voice. "…is that I'm under Crystal's company. She manages me. Sponsors, connections, everything."
I stayed silent, waiting.
"She told me you were… interesting. Different. And when Crystal says something like that, well… I had to see for myself." Her eyes glittered as she pushed off the counter, closing the space between us step by step. "So here I am."
Finally, honesty. Or close enough to it.
"You think coming here proves something?" I asked, meeting her gaze.
She tilted her head, lips curving into a sly smile. "Not proves. Shows. I wanted to see if you'd stay cold even when it's just us. No audience. No rumors."
She stopped just inches away, her perfume wrapping around me, sweet and sharp.
"And you have," she whispered, eyes narrowing. "That's why I can't stop. It's infuriating, Seong Min. Every guy stumbles over themselves for me. Every guy except you. And it makes me…" Her voice hitched, and for a moment, the mask slipped. "It makes me want to break you."
I studied her, violet eyes cutting through the bravado to the storm underneath.
"You're not here for me," I said quietly. "You're here because Crystal sent you. And because you hate that you can't get a reaction out of me."
Her smirk faltered — just barely — before she caught it and forced it back into place.
"Maybe," she admitted, her voice husky now, the playfulness fading into something rawer. "But maybe I don't care anymore. Maybe I just want to see how far this goes."
The room felt heavier, charged. Outside, the city hummed on, unaware. Inside, Yui Kim stood before me — mask cracked, pride burning, and curiosity bleeding into desire.
I let the silence stretch, watching her squirm, watching the heat rise in her cheeks as her confidence wavered.
Then I smirked. "Then stay. Let's see how long you last."
Her breath caught, and for the first time, the hunter looked like the prey.
End of Chapter 28– Strings in the Dark