#7

Even as I begged, I knew deep down that Wei Chen wasn’t going to let me go. Not only had I stumbled upon a deadly secret about Baekwoon, but I had also become a priceless research specimen—the living proof of their experimental drug’s effects.

Still, I clung to the faintest shred of hope, grasping at straws.

Then, to my surprise, Wei Chen released my jaw. He leaned back slightly, resting his weight on his hands.

“Fine, then.”

“…Huh?”

“You want to leave? Go ahead. I can’t stand all this whining.”

I just blinked at him like an idiot.

That was it? Just like that?

Seriously?

He and Xuan had been arguing just moments ago about whether to hand me over to their boss or not. And now he was casually telling me to leave?

This was exactly what I wanted to hear, and yet… instead of relief, all I felt was suspicion creeping up my spine.

This was way too suspicious.

“I-I can really go? For real?”

“If you ask me again, I’m putting your name on the front door.”

I shot up from my seat.

But just as I was about to take a step, doubt clawed at my mind again.

“…You’re not going to stab me in the back as soon as I walk out the door, right?”

“I prefer making eye contact when I do that.”

“……”

Goddamn it.

My genius brain just had to process his sleazy-ass joke.

I had the overwhelming urge to scrub my ears clean but forced myself to keep moving. Whatever Wei Chen was scheming, it didn’t matter—I just needed to get the hell out of this nightmare of a place. I didn’t dare look back.

Even as I pushed open the door, I could feel his unwavering gaze burning into my back, sending a shiver down my spine. Still, I didn’t stop.

As I descended the stairs, the wreckage of the living room came into full view. The chaos was unmistakable—scattered black feathers, shattered glass littering the floor, broken furniture in every direction.

I had done this.

No matter how much I wanted to deny it, the evidence was right there. My gut twisted, nausea rising with a creeping chill that made me clutch my own arms. Step by step, I carefully made my way down.

Then, purely by chance, my eyes landed on a pair of sunglasses lying on the floor.

The sleek, high-end brand logo was subtly engraved at the edge of the frame.

“……”

My fingers trembled as I picked them up. Without thinking, I shoved them into the waistband of my pants and yanked my T-shirt down to cover them.

Then, without a second thought, I wrenched open the front door and bolted outside.

The cold night air slashed against my neck like a blade, sending another involuntary shiver through my body. I glanced up at the massive mansion behind me one last time.

I swore to myself—I would never set foot in this place again.

And yet, less than thirty minutes later, I found myself standing at the front gate once more.

Because I couldn’t get a taxi.

* * *

Fourteen.

It was the first time I ever stole something.

A pair of wireless earbuds, tucked inside a bright yellow chick-shaped case.

I didn’t particularly want them. I didn’t need them. I already had a newer, more expensive version of the same thing.

That day, I hadn’t been feeling well, so I stayed behind in the classroom while the others went out for P.E.

3:30 PM.

An empty, unlit classroom.

The back window was wide open, letting in a faint breeze and the distant chatter of my classmates playing outside.

On the floor, a single earbud lay abandoned next to its case.

Normally, I would’ve just picked it up and teased my friend—‘Hey, did you forget something?’ But at that moment, I simply stared at it.

A strange impulse stirred in my mind.

For no clear reason, my heart began to pound faster. My vision wavered, distorting at the edges. A deafening heartbeat crashed against my eardrums, as if it would tear through them.

Then—

‘Han Dabi! What do you think you’re doing?!’

Memories from last night came crashing down.

My father’s voice lashed through my consciousness like a sharp whip. His face twisted in anger as he shouted at me. The sting on my cheek still felt real, as if his slap had branded itself onto my skin. My mother had desperately tried to intervene, but my father, unable to contain his fury, had ripped off his watch and thrown it across the room.

I pushed my chair back and stood up, my body moving on instinct. With every step I took, my father’s words echoed relentlessly in my ears.

‘Don’t do anything disgraceful!’

‘I told you not to associate with kids like that!’

‘Do you have any idea how much shame you’re bringing to your parents?!’

His voice spun around in my head, looping over and over. Deep inside my chest, repressed anger and fear swelled, rising like a tide.

I reached out. My fingers closed around the wireless earbuds.

The cool, smooth surface of the case pressed into my palm, and in that instant, my father’s voice roared through me again.

‘Han Dabi!’

But this time, something was different.

This time, I smirked.

I laughed at his relentless reprimands, mocking his suffocating control.

Without hesitation, I slipped the earbuds into my bag—silent, but deliberate.

My heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst. A thrilling, electric tension coursed through my body, buzzing from my toes to the top of my head.

“…Ah.”

A quiet gasp slipped through my lips.

Pleasure.

It was exhilarating, intoxicating—a rush I had never felt before. It was spine-tingling and terrifying all at once.

But like poison, the high didn’t last long.

A sharp, suffocating weight of guilt followed, tightening around my throat.

Then—

The classroom door burst open.

“Where are my earbuds?”

“Did you check your pencil case again? You always freak out before looking properly.”

“No! They’re really gone!”

“Did you check your bag?”

“I searched everywhere! What do I do? I saved up my allowance for a whole month to buy them!”

My friend’s anxious voice rang out, and with every word, my legs trembled so badly I couldn’t stand.

I stayed hunched over, my head down, unable to move.

Why did I do it? Am I insane?

What do I do? Just die? How do I return it?

Maybe I should just be honest now. I could still play it off as a joke. If I act natural enough…

But before I could even consider speaking, my friend burst into tears.

“Someone stole them! Huuu—!”

The mood in the classroom shifted instantly. The air grew heavy with tension.

I couldn’t say a single word.

My throat felt like it was closing up. The only sound I made was the quiet sigh I swallowed down.

And in the end, I said nothing.

I walked home with the stolen earbuds still hidden in my bag.

On the way back, my thoughts spiraled into a mess of self-loathing and regret.

The next morning, I arrived at school earlier than anyone else. I slipped the earbuds deep into my friend’s desk drawer, ensuring they would find them later.

It all ended as a simple misunderstanding—my friend’s carelessness, a harmless mishap.

No one suspected a thing.

But even though the situation resolved itself, I carried the guilt for a long time.

I couldn’t even meet my friends’ eyes.

Every time they approached me in the classroom, I feared something would fall out of my bag, exposing my secret.

And yet…

That day changed something in me.

No matter how much I despised the memory, no matter how awful it had felt—

The impulse returned.

Before I knew it, I was taking something else. Someone else’s belongings.

At first, I thought I could control it.

But it didn’t take long for me to realize the truth—I couldn’t stop myself.

In those stolen moments, I felt the shackles around me loosen.

The suffocating pressure of my parents’ expectations, their rigid rules, the exhausting performance of being the perfect daughter—

All of it faded.

For that brief instant, I was free.

No one could control me.

That fleeting, electrifying rush—it was overwhelming.

It consumed me.

But the thrill never lasted.

It always ended in emptiness.

Steal. Return. Steal again. Return again.

At first, it was exhilarating.

But over time, it became nothing more than a hollow addiction.

I wanted to stop.

I tried.

I told myself I would.

I tried to suppress it, to restrain myself.

But the moment temptation presented itself, all my resolutions crumbled.

My mind would race with excuses—

‘I’m just borrowing it.’

‘I’ll return it anyway.’

I let myself believe it.

And then I would do it again.

Eventually, I had to accept the truth.

I was a kleptomaniac.

No one could ever know.

Especially not my parents.

What would happen if they found out?

I knew exactly how their trust, their expectations, would shatter.

My father would tighten his grip on me, controlling me even more ruthlessly.

I couldn’t survive that. I couldn’t endure his humiliation.

So, I had to bury this secret.

No one could ever find out.

I had to keep playing the perfect daughter.

And I had to keep fighting this battle alone.