UNWELCOME
517 Words
The next morning came with steel skies and silence. Aerin hadn’t slept. The cot in the glass room was stiff, cold, and unfamiliar but none of that bothered her as much as the thought of being trapped.
When the door unlocked, she didn’t move.
Felix stepped in, holding a tray. Toast, eggs, fruit. It didn’t match the brutal aura of the gang. He gave her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Figured you’d be hungry.”
“I’m not,” she replied flatly.
“I figured you’d say that too,” he said, setting it down anyway. “Just don’t pass out. Hyunjin hates weakness.”
At the mention of his name, her hands clenched. Felix noticed, but didn’t comment. He slipped out silently.
Aerin stared at the tray. This wasn’t kindness it was maintenance.
Hours passed. She wasn’t allowed to leave the glass room. She watched them train, plan, move like shadows. S.K didn’t talk unless it was necessary. They functioned like a machine Hyunjin at its cold, calculated core.
At noon, the door opened again.
This time it was Lee Know and I.N. The latter looked far too entertained.
“Boss wants to see you,” I.N grinned. “Try not to stab anyone.”
“I’ll try my best,” Aerin replied, voice like glass.
They led her down a corridor. Dark, quiet. Lee Know walked ahead, a silent blade. I.N trailed behind, whistling.
She was brought to a briefing room. Hyunjin sat at the head of the table, arms crossed. His gaze flicked to her, unreadable.
“Sit.”
She didn’t.
“I’m not one of your dogs,” she snapped.
Hyunjin stood up slowly. Towering. Calm. Dangerous.
“You are now property of S.K,” he said. “That means you follow orders. Or you become a problem.”
Aerin met his eyes. “Kill me then.”
Silence.
Felix, seated at the side, muttered under his breath. I.N bit back a grin. Lee Know didn’t even blink.
Hyunjin took a step closer. “I don’t kill dogs unless they bite.”
Aerin’s lip curled. “Then maybe don’t leash people like animals.”
For a second just one..something flickered in Hyunjin’s eyes. Pity? Respect? It was gone before she could place it.
“You’ll start by cleaning weapons. Then the floors. You’ll earn your keep. You're not special.”
She looked him dead in the eye. “Neither are you.”
His expression didn’t change. “Dismissed.”
★★★★★
That night, Aerin scrubbed blood from knives that had clearly seen things. Lee Know watched silently from the corner like a cat waiting for a twitch.
Her hands were raw. Her pride, bruised. But her mind?
Sharper than ever.
She memorized every exit, every weapon rack, every security camera. She didn’t know how long she’d be here, but she refused to be a pawn. If she couldn’t escape she’d learn. Adapt. Outsmart.
Somewhere out there, her uncle was probably laughing, thinking he’d thrown her to the wolves.
But he forgot one thing:
Wolves don’t eat fire.
They fear it.
- Writer
