Elio pov
I really should've left the library earlier.
That's the first thought that crosses my mind the second I step outside. The air smells like rain, thick and heavy, the kind of smell that tells you it's about to pour any second. I glance up at the sky-dark clouds hanging low, swallowing the city lights. Seoul feels... different at this hour. Quieter. Too quiet.
I look at my phone. 11:42 PM.
"Great, Elio. Just great," I mutter under my breath.
I tug the hood of my sweatshirt over my head and clutch my bag tighter. I didn't even realize how late it had gotten while I was buried in research for my assignment. My dorm isn't that far, but taking the main road will add at least fifteen minutes.
I sigh. The shortcut. I know it's not the safest idea, but it's faster. Just cut through the alley behind the convenience store and I'll be back in my room in ten minutes. Easy.
Or so I think.
Halfway through the alley, I freeze.
There are voices. Low, deep voices echoing faintly against the brick walls. I press myself closer to the wall, moving slower now. I can't see them yet, but I can hear them. It doesn't sound like friends casually talking. No, it's... tense. Serious.
I risk a glance around the corner.
There's a group of men standing under the weak glow of a flickering streetlight. Maybe four or five of them. One's holding a bat. Another's on the phone, speaking in a calm but chilling tone. They don't look like the kind of people you accidentally bump into and laugh it off.
And then... I see him.
He's leaning against a black motorcycle a little apart from the others. Black leather jacket, dark jeans, his hair messy but in that effortless way. He doesn't say a word. Just smokes, the orange glow of his cigarette lighting up the sharp lines of his face. He looks... dangerous.
But it's not just that. It's the way he's completely still, like he doesn't even need to do anything to be in control. Like everyone else is just background noise.
And then, as if he can feel me staring, he lifts his head.
Our eyes meet.
Shit.
I jerk back, pressing myself against the cold wall, heart pounding so loud I can hear it in my ears. Okay, okay, calm down. Maybe he didn't actually see me. Maybe I'm overreacting.
I take one cautious step back. Then another. Slowly. Quietly. If I can just make it out of this alley without making a sound-
"Hey."
I freeze.
The voice is deep. Calm. Too calm.
Nope. Nope nope nope. I pretend I didn't hear him and keep walking. Faster this time.
"Hey," he says again, sharper this time.
My brain is screaming at me to run, but my feet feel heavy. I'm almost at the end of the alley when suddenly-
A hand grabs my wrist.
I gasp, spinning around, and there he is. Up close. Even taller than I thought. His face is even sharper in the dim light, his dark eyes scanning me like he's reading every thought in my head. He's so close I can smell his cologne-clean but with a hint of smoke.
"Where do you think you're going?" His voice is low, almost lazy, but there's an edge to it.
"I-uh-I was just leaving," I stammer, trying to sound casual but my voice cracks. God, I sound pathetic.
"Leaving?" He tilts his head slightly. "You've been watching us for a while."
"I wasn't! I swear!" I shake my head so fast I probably look like an idiot. "I-I'm just heading home. I didn't see anything. I promise!"
For a moment, he just stares at me. The silence is heavy, suffocating. My wrist is still in his grip-firm but not painful. I feel trapped.
Then... he smirks. Just a little.
"You're a bad liar."
My stomach drops.
Before I can respond, another voice calls from behind him.
" Raven, What's taking so long?"
I was so scared that I did not hear anything.
He doesn't look away from me as he answers, "Nothing. Just... a lost kitten."
Lost kitten? What the-
He finally lets go of my wrist, and I immediately take a step back, but I don't dare run.
"You didn't see anything," he says simply. Not a question. An order.
"I... yeah. I didn't." My voice is quiet.
"And you're going to keep it that way."
I nod frantically. "Of course. I-I don't even know what I saw."
He watches me for another second, then finally steps back, hands slipping into his jacket pockets.
"Go home," he says.
I don't wait. I turn and practically run, my heartbeat loud and unsteady.
When I finally reach the main street, I stop to catch my breath. My hands are shaking. I look back. The alley is empty. Like they were never even there.
I exhale, trying to calm down.
But even as I walk back to my dorm, all I can see in my mind are those dark eyes. The way he looked at me.
I don't know who he is.
I don't know what he was doing.
But for some reason, I can't stop thinking about him.
Tattoo guy.