Prologue
The room was dimly lit, shadows moving menacingly along the walls as the sounds of a grand party filtered through the heavy wooden doors. A young boy, barely fourteen years old, stood trembling in the center of the room while his heart was pounding rapidly in his chest. He knew what was coming, and no amount of mental preparation could dull the fear.
A cold, commanding voice echoed in his ears. “You are nothing but a stain on this family. An embarrassment.”
The boy flinched as a hand struck his cheek, the sting spreading across his face like wildfire. The room seemed to close in on him, the air growing thicker with each passing second. A woman and two boys around his age watched with satisfaction and smirk on their lips. There was no love here, only a harsh reminder of his low status.
“You will never be one of us,” the woman hissed. “Remember your place.”
The boy’s body shuddered with each word, the cruelty in their voices cutting deeper than any physical violence. The mansion, a place of wealth and power, was nothing more than a gilded cage where he was relentlessly tormented.
He barely had time to brace himself before a fist slammed into his stomach, doubling him over in pain. The force knocked him to the ground, and he instinctively curled into a ball in a futile attempt to shield his body. A sharp kick to his side drove the air from his lungs, leaving him gasping and wheezing on the cold, hard floor.
Through a haze of pain, he looked up to see the faces of the woman and two boys standing with her. They were all enjoying this. There was no compassion, no hesitation, only a perverse satisfaction in his suffering.
“You’re worthless,” the final word echoed in his mind as the room seemed to spin around him.
A whip cracked through the air, the sound sending a jolt of fear through his body before the lash bit into his back. He clenched his teeth, stifling a scream as the pain seared across his skin. Another lash followed, and another, each one more excruciating than the last. His back was full of deep purple marks, burning welts, and tears streamed down his face despite his efforts to hold them back.
The beating seemed endless. Hands yanked at his hair, pulling his head up only to slam it back down against the floor. His vision blurred, and blood trickled from a cut on his forehead, mingling with the sweat and tears. His screams echoed in the room, only met with cruel laughter.
Just as he felt the world slipping away, everything went black.
Seoul, Korea.
Time: 4:00 am.
Taehyung Pov:
With a shock, I opened my eyes, my chest was heaving as I struggled to catch my breath. Panic gripped me as I sat up abruptly, looking around as if I were still in that dark walls of mansion. Slowly, the familiar surroundings of my polished, furnished apartment came into focus, and I realized it had all been a nightmare—of my terrifying past.
My heart was still racing with fear. I ran a shaky hand through my sweaty hair, trying to calm down. I reminded myself that I wasn’t trapped in that house anymore. I had managed to escape, at least physically. But the emotional scars were still there, impossible to forget, making it worse day by day.
The darkness of my room felt less suffocating now, but the weight of my past pressed heavily on my shoulders. Memories of that place flashed in my mind—the cold, unyielding walls, the echo of footsteps and my own screams, the feeling of being watched.
With a deep sigh, I lay back down, staring up at the ceiling. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep again, not with those haunting memories.
But at least I was free now. I had fought hard to escape, and that small bit of comfort was enough to help me face another day. I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, and reminded myself that I had survived. I was stronger now, and even though the past still haunted me, I would not let it control me.
End of Pov.
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