#9

“……”

“You took it, didn’t you?”

“……”

“Where did you put the ring?”

The sharp voice pierced through me, making my heart plummet. The weight of my guilt echoed through every muscle and vein in my body. My lips parted instinctively, but all that escaped was a pathetic, “Ah…” My mind was a mess, tangled in overwhelming anxiety, with fear tightening around my throat.

I’m scared. I’m sorry. I’m ashamed. My father can’t find out. Why did I do it? I’m scared. I’m scared.

And then—something inside me started to stir.

My heartbeat turned erratic, and a sticky, crawling sensation spread beneath my skin, wrapping around my entire body. Tuk. Tuduk. I could feel the veins rising along my neck. Panicking, I clutched at my throat.

Heat flared behind my eyes, and a throbbing pressure built from my toes, coiling through my core, and tightening just below my sternum.

“Ugh!”

My body lurched forward.

“Dabi, what’s wrong?”

“Are you sick? You don’t look okay.”

“Dabi—Han Dabi!”

I had felt this before.

No. No way… Not again.

My legs gave out, and I collapsed to my knees. Fine, thread-like feathers began sprouting along the back of my hands, my nails sharpening into pointed tips. No, no! No matter how much I tried to suppress it, the more my panic surged, the more my body twisted out of control.

I could feel something protruding from my back—bone structures, stretching and shifting like the beginnings of wings. No, no! But the more my body transformed, the more my mind fogged over.

Only the darkest, most wretched emotions deep within me rose to the surface.

Fuck it. Should I just kill them all?

Heat swelled behind my eyes, and as my vision blurred with unshed tears, I felt them spill down my cheeks.

That’s when it happened.

“I’ve been looking for you.”

A heavy warmth enveloped my back.

Someone wrapped their arms around me—and then, something was forced into my mouth.

“Suck on it.”

At the commanding tone, I instinctively pursed my lips. A finger.

The bitter taste of blood spread across my tongue, slowly trickling down my throat along with my saliva.

And then—almost immediately—the sensations that had been wreaking havoc inside me began to subside. The black feathers that had sprouted vanished, my heartbeat gradually steadied, and my body returned to normal. I slumped against the man in front of me—Wei Chen.

My hair cascaded down, brushing against my cheek as I gasped for breath.

“Haa… Haa… Haa…”

“I told you to take the day off.”

I felt his firm fingertips gently tuck my disheveled hair behind my ear. Trembling, I lifted my head. Wei Chen was smiling down at me, the corners of his lips curling into an easy smirk.

“H-How did you…?”

“You’re crying. Were you that happy to see me?”

Tears welled up in my eyes before spilling over, dripping down one by one. Happy? No, I was just too startled, but—as always—Wei Chen twisted my words to suit himself. He casually wiped the tears from my face.

“Um… Do you two know each other?”

A cautious voice came from behind me.

I flinched. The anxiety I had momentarily forgotten in the wake of Wei Chen’s sudden appearance came rushing back all at once.

Now, on top of my stolen ring, I had a new problem—those black feathers that had briefly sprouted on my hands. Had she seen? They disappeared quickly, but if they had noticed, what excuse could I possibly give?

“You’re the guy who took Dabi from the café yesterday, right?”

My friend recognized Wei Chen’s face. Not surprising. He was an absurdly good-looking man, tall as a doorframe—there was no way they’d forget him.

On top of that, he was draped in accessories and wearing a VersaXce shirt that screamed wealth and excess.

“Yeah, I’m her boyfriend.”

…What?

He declared it without a shred of hesitation. The sheer shock of it made my tears dry up instantly.

The once-tense atmosphere shattered in an instant. My classmates were stunned into silence, then quickly broke into murmured whispers amongst themselves.

I could only gape at Wei Chen in disbelief. Seeing my dumbfounded expression, he mouthed, “What are you looking at?”

What the hell is wrong with this guy?

He had just dropped a bomb without even warning me, and now he was acting like I was the problem? I wasn’t just baffled—I was floored.

And then, he went all-in on the act, playing up the role of a doting boyfriend.

“Our Dabi hasn’t been feeling well these past few days. I was worried when she insisted on going out to meet her friends yesterday, so I stopped by to check on her. I must’ve surprised you by taking her away so suddenly—sorry about that.”

“A-Ah, no, it’s nothing!”

“Hmm, I thought so. Dabi, you didn’t look well the whole time.”

“Were you feeling really sick today too?”

As I tried to pull away from his arms, Wei Chen yanked me back with an unyielding grip. My legs buckled, and I collapsed against his chest. My cheek was pressed firmly against his solid frame.

“See? You can’t even stand properly. I told you to go straight home after class.”

Wei Chen’s voice dripped with an unsettling kind of affection as he spoke. Then, he pressed a light kiss to the crown of my head. “Chup.” The faint sound of his lips touching and parting echoed through the room.

In that instant, my classmates’ shocked expressions came into focus—one by one.

I even heard someone whisper, “They must be living together….”

But Wei Chen didn’t seem the least bit concerned about their reactions. He continued speaking in a calm, casual manner.

“As you can see, Dabi’s not in great shape. I don’t think she’ll be able to hang out with her friends for a while. What should we do about that?”

The group fumbled, unsure how to respond.

“N-No, it’s fine with us….”

“Dabi has such good friends, doesn’t she? So understanding, so kind, genuinely worried about her.”

Then, as if sealing a deal, he flicked his fingers.

At his silent command, a man in a suit strode into the clubroom, carrying a collection of small, luxury-brand orange shopping bags. He handed one to each of my classmates.

The moment they absentmindedly accepted the gifts, their eyes widened like startled rabbits.

Wei Chen smiled indifferently and said, “Just a token of appreciation.”

Then, turning back to me, he added,

“Can I take Dabi with me?”

The way he phrased it barely sounded like a question—it was more of a statement. Hypnotized by his presence, my classmates nodded without hesitation.

As if recalling something, Wei Chen spoke again.

“Oh, did you need to say something to Dabi?”

Seon-ah hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.

“…No, it was nothing important.”

She even managed a stiff smile and waved. “Bye, Dabi!”

And just like that, I was practically carried out of the clubroom, still wrapped in Wei Chen’s arms.

The door lock beeped as it disengaged, and the door swung open.

I can’t believe I’m back in this goddamn house.

“Honey, aren’t you coming in? What are you doing?”

His sultry voice tickled my ear. The disgusting pet name made me shudder, and I hurried inside to escape it.

“Don’t call me that.”

“Why are you so against it?”

The house, which had been a complete disaster last time, was now spotless—as if nothing had ever happened. It wasn’t like he’d used magic, so how the hell had he managed to restore this massive place overnight? Even the shattered light fixtures had been replaced with identical ones.

If money can’t solve your problem, then you just don’t have enough of it.
That saying wasn’t wrong.

Humming to himself, Wei Chen strolled into the kitchen. Without thinking, I instinctively trailed behind him—only to stop short in the middle of the living room.

I swore I’d never deal with this man again, yet here I was.

At that moment—when I had nearly transformed in front of my classmates—I had realized something. If anyone could handle this situation, it was Wei Chen.

I couldn’t deny it anymore—I desperately needed his help.

Had he predicted all of this from the start?

It wasn’t like I hadn’t thought it was strange when he let me go so easily. A guy from an organization like that wouldn’t just set someone free. But back then, I had wanted to believe it was just luck.

Looking back now, I realized it had been anything but. Everything had been calculated.

“Sit.”

Wei Chen emerged from the kitchen, holding a teacup as ostentatious as his shirt. Inside, dark brown liquid swirled with floating ice cubes.

Clink.

He placed the teacup in front of me. I glanced up. He was lounging deep into the sofa, one foot resting on his opposite knee.

“…How do you know my name?”

“Well, that’s nothing.”

“No, I mean, how did you know I was in the clubroom?”

Wei Chen’s polished brown shoe tapped idly against his knee, an irritating movement that caught my eye.

A creeping suspicion took hold. I bent down, took off my sneaker, and checked the heel.

There it was.

A tiny, unidentifiable device, neatly attached to the back of my shoe.

My stomach dropped.

I yanked it off and slammed it onto the table with a sharp thud.

“Are you insane?! This is a crime!”

Wei Chen smirked.

“Hearing that from a thief? Really makes me reflect on my actions.”

“…….”