Minji stood at the foot of the staircase, her outfit a deliberate symphony of white. A cropped top clung neatly to her frame, paired with jeans that gleamed under the faint light. A belt, adorned with small trinkets, cinched her waist, while pearl studs glimmered at her ears, their sheen echoed by the necklace resting against her collarbone. She looked like someone who had dressed not just for the day, but for the statement it carried.
Above her, Rei was still lingering. He wore a black T-shirt stamped with bold letters—ABO—and light blue jeans that bore faint smudges of dust. Around his neck hung the white headphones he had borrowed from Minji, a casual accessory that seemed to tether him to her even when he wasn't trying.
"Yo, kid! Get your ass down already!" Minji's voice rang sharp and impatient from below.
"Coming!" Rei shot back, his tone bouncing with the same energy, as though he refused to let her command weigh him down.
He barreled down the stairs, fingers raking through his freshly dyed hair—a vivid, rebellious red that clashed brilliantly with the black frames of his glasses. Dust clung stubbornly to his jeans, and he brushed at it in vain as he reached her, his grin wide and unguarded.
"I'm ready!" he announced, his smile almost too bright, too eager.
Minji, however, was unmoved. Her expression hardened into a poker face, her eyes narrowing as she lifted a single finger to point at him. "Socks? Shoes?" she asked, one brow arching in mock disbelief. "You gonna shake your dawgs everywhere?"
Rei froze, his gaze dropping to his bare feet. A sheepish laugh escaped him, awkward and boyish. "Ehh… hehe… gimme a minute, yeh?"
Rei practically stumbled into his shoes, barely managing to get them on the right feet before following Minji out the door.
The market was a riot of noise—vendors shouting prices, children weaving through crowds, the warm scent of spices hanging in the air. Rei clung to Minji's sleeve like a lost puppy sticking to its mother. He didn't know this city at all; every turn felt unfamiliar, every face a stranger. With his new appearance and this strange new life, it almost felt like he had been reset. A clean slate. Far from Kai, far from the nightmares… yet the questions still clawed at him.
That picture. What did it mean?
He leaned against a metal pole beside a vegetable stall while Minji picked out cucumbers and carrots. His mind wandered back into the maze he'd been trapped in—Kai's house, those suffocating rooms, the feeling of being watched, studied, caged.
A sudden roar tore through the market.
"HEY! YOU THINK I'M A JOKE? YOU BITCH!"
Rei jolted back to reality. His eyes darted toward the commotion—and there he saw him. A tall, lean guy with messy curls, dark circles deep enough to be mistaken for galaxies. Black shirt, faded blue jeans, a cap pulled low over his eyes. He looked like someone who'd escaped from jail last week and hadn't slept since.
But Rei's heart dropped because that criminal-looking man had Minji by the wrist. Tightly.
"HEY!" Rei shouted before he could think. So much for keeping a low profile—Minji came first. "Unnie!"
He lunged forward and yanked Minji back by the shoulder.
"Ugh—!" He groaned at the force he had to use; it felt like dragging a stubborn bull in heat.
Minji's wrist slipped from the man's grip, and she staggered backward, just barely catching the pole Rei had been leaning on seconds ago.
"Respect a woman, dude!" Rei yelled, voice trembling despite his attempt at bravery.
The man turned slowly, eyes narrowing. "You want a fight, fucker?"
Before Rei could blink, the guy was in his face, gripping his collar with cold fingers.
Shit.What did I get myself into?
To Be Continue... ...