#10

For a moment, I was completely speechless.

…Had he noticed I took the sunglasses?

If I had known I’d be coming back here, I would have brought them with me. I could’ve just “accidentally” dropped them in the bathroom.

I stole a glance at Wei Chen.

Thankfully, he still seemed to think the ring was my last act of theft.

“Anyway, don’t do anything like this again.”

“You should be thanking me. If it weren’t for me, you’d have turned into a monster crow, gotten tranquilized, and been shipped off to ExXland, babe.”

“Stop calling me that! And while we’re at it—why the hell did you tell my friends you were my boyfriend? No one even asked!”

“Would you have preferred if I said I was your oppa? Imagine how annoying it would be, people gossiping about how we’re such an unlikely-looking pair of siblings.”

“What? No! You could’ve just said we barely know each other—”

“That would’ve been the juiciest gossip of all.”

He countered smoothly, not missing a beat. What made it even more infuriating was the fact that I was starting to agree with him.

Then, Wei Chen uncrossed his legs and leaned toward me.

His face drew closer, and my tension skyrocketed.

“So, how did you like your little escape?”

“…….”

“The outside world is cold and scary, isn’t it?”

“I just got here yesterday. Don’t make it sound like something it’s not.”

“Doesn’t really matter. You’ll be living here from now on.”

I flinched.

The hand resting on my thigh trembled.

His words, spoken in that infuriatingly arrogant and confident tone, made me want to scream that he was insane.

But—

But…

After everything that happened today, I couldn’t completely deny his words.

The horrifying sensation of my body twisting out of control still lingered vividly. I couldn’t stop it—not with sheer will, not with logic. If he hadn’t shown up at just the right moment, I would’ve…

I squeezed my eyes shut before opening them again.

Cold sweat trickled down my forehead. I let out a long, shaky breath and clasped my trembling hands together.

“…I won’t have to live like this forever, right?”

The voice that slipped from my lips was filled with fear. I must’ve looked even worse. I didn’t need a mirror to know that.

Wei Chen tilted his head, smirking.

“I told you, you’re fucked.”

“I know that! But how long am I going to be stuck like this?!”

My voice cracked as I shouted in frustration.

The fact that this reckless, shady bastard was the only person I could rely on right now was absolutely humiliating.

No matter how desperately I tried to appeal to him, Wei Chen remained completely unfazed—like a psychopath devoid of empathy.

Even now, there wasn’t a hint of concern on his face. He wasn’t even pretending to think of a solution. He just observed me with those obnoxiously reflective eyes, like a bystander watching a drama unfold through a TV screen.

But none of that mattered.

Right now, I had no choice but to cling to him.

I didn’t want to get tranquilized and dragged off to EverXland, or Baekwoon, or anywhere else. I just wanted to live my own damn life.

“…Please help me.”

“Oh? Weren’t you all excited about running away?”

“I don’t want to live like this.”

“Shouldn’t you worry about whether you can even live first?”

His voice was maddeningly calm as he leaned his chin on his hand. The lack of emotion made my fear intensify even more.

“I-I’ll go to hell if I die.”

“Great. Save me a seat while you’re at it.”

“I’m not in the mood for jokes!”

“Who said I was joking?”

“…God, I hate you.”

Tears welled up, blurring my vision.

I was stuck between life and death, and this asshole was sitting there making shitty one-liners.

It made my blood boil, but I couldn’t even lash out properly because I was the one who needed his help.

The worst part was knowing this was all my fault.

If I hadn’t stolen that ring, none of this would’ve happened.

That fact gnawed at my insides.

“I won’t tell you this isn’t serious,” Wei Chen finally said. “But what’s done is done.”

“…Must be nice, being so damn unbothered.”

“We won’t know if you can be saved until we run some tests. Get up.”

At this point, I’d probably suck his dick if it meant I’d survive.

Swallowing my pride, I obeyed and followed him.

And before I knew it, I was stepping into that suspicious, lab-like space.

“…You’re not about to do anything weird, right?”

“Weird? What kind of weird?”

Thud.

The cold steel door shut behind me. The room had a high ceiling lined with bright white lights, and aside from that, it was completely empty. The only visible exit, other than the door, was a glass panel on the far wall—but it wasn’t transparent.

Instead, it reflected our images like a mirror.

Wei Chen pulled off his shirt, revealing the tight black turtleneck underneath. My eyes unwillingly traced the defined curves of his chest. Damn. Guess that corporate-backed gangster physique came with some serious perks.

“You’re the one who looks like they’d do something weird.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“If your transformation works, I’ll even let you touch.”

He smirked.

“Now, stand over there.”

I awkwardly moved to the spot he indicated, positioning myself exactly where he wanted. He leaned against the wall, watching me.

“…You want me to turn into that crow-like thing?”

“Yeah. We need to figure out the conditions that trigger your transformation.”

“……”

“If you don’t want to live as a monster, you have to control what you become.”

I never wanted to experience the horrifying sensation of my bones and muscles twisting again.

But…

I stole a glance at Wei Chen.

His expression was dead serious.

If what he said was true—that the monster was inside me—then it could resurface at any time, anywhere.

I can’t run from this.

Reality was sinking in.

If there was no way to stop the transformation completely, then the only choice left was to control it myself. If I did nothing, I had no idea when or where I’d change again.

And I couldn’t just expect Wei Chen to magically show up and save me every time.

I have to do this myself.

I clenched my fists, feeling the faint tremble in my fingertips. That was exactly how I felt inside.

“…How do I start?”

My voice barely made it past my lips.

“Think about what you felt when you transformed. Say it out loud. Accept it.”

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

“…My heart… It was racing.”

“Mm.”

“Then, my vision turned red… and all the sounds around me… felt distant, like they were underwater…”

I followed his instructions, speaking slowly as I forced myself to remember.

“My nerves… became hyper-sensitive. And deep inside me, something… something felt like it was about to explode.”

“Good. Keep going. What happened to your body? Be specific.”

I took another deep breath and continued.

“My muscles… started trembling. Something inside me… started twisting. Like there was another ‘me’ inside, trying to break free…”

My voice cracked.

The memory was too vivid—too real.

A chill ran down my spine.

Wei Chen’s voice came steady and calm.

“And then?”