Still My Venus

Knock Knock🚪💢

Taehyung walked slowly toward the front door, the sharp ring of the doorbell cutting through the stillness. Without checking the peephole, he turned the handle and pulled the door open.

Standing on the threshold was Woo-seok, clad in his signature black suit.

A sinister, possessive smile played on the devil’s lips. His dark eyes devoured Taehyung’s features, drinking in the beauty before him like a hunter admiring its prey.

Taehyung froze. His mind short-circuited.

His fingers remained locked around the doorknob, his feet felt rooted to the floor.

Unblinking, his lungs refused to draw in air. The only sound in the suffocating silence was the violent, ragged hammering of his own heart.

"Missed me, Love?"

The voice tore through the paralysis, shocking Taehyung back to reality. He tried to step back and tried to slam the door shut, but his limbs refused to obey. Pure, primal panic surged through his veins.

No logic. No response. Only paralyzing fear.

Woo-seok took a slow step forward, his broad palm gently pushing the door wider.

That subtle invasion ignited a sudden, desperate string of resistance within Taehyung.

He threw his weight against the door, trying to force it shut, but it was useless against Woo-seok's overwhelming strength. Taehyung stumbled backward as Woo-seok effortlessly stepped into the living room, shut the door and LOCKED.

The heavy clack of the lock echoed like a death sentence.

Woo-seok turned, fixing his lethal gaze directly on the fragile, trembling figure before him. Taehyung’s breathing turned shallow and ragged, he could barely keep his knees from buckling under the devil's oppressive presence.

"Don't... Don't come... near me..." Taehyung choked out, his voice trembling violently.

To Woo-seok, the desperate plea sounded like an invitation.

With every slow, deliberate step Woo-seok took, Taehyung took a frantic step backward, until the back of his knees hit the edge of the plush sofa.

Trapped.

There was nowhere left to run.

Woo-seok leaned down, planting his hands on either side of the sofa, caging Taehyung beneath his shadow.

"Why...?" Woo-seok murmured softly, his voice dangerously intimate. "Why did you leave me?"

He extended a long finger, gently tracing the line of Taehyung's cheekbone. Taehyung stared in horror at the movement of those all-time blood-stained hands against his skin, a visceral wave of disgust twisting his gut.

"Don't touch me, you bastard!"

With a sudden burst of adrenaline, Taehyung shoved Woo-seok with all his remaining strength and bolted toward the bedroom. But before he could slam the door, a heavy arm jammed into the frame. Taehyung fought desperately to force it shut, but Woo-seok shoved the door open with terrifying ease.

The smooth composure on Woo-seok’s face fractured into dark frustration. In one swift movement, he seized Taehyung’s narrow waist and hoisted him effortlessly over his shoulder.

Taehyung let out a sharp scream, but the sound died unheard within the soundproof apartment. Dizziness washed over him, his vision blurring on the verge of unconsciousness, right until he was thrown forcefully onto the mattress.

Before he could scramble away, the devil pinned him down. And then flipped him to face the devil.

Woo-seok’s fingers clamped brutally around Taehyung’s jaw, forcing him to hold his gaze.

"Enough!"

Woo-seok growled, his voice laced with cold authority.

"I am taking you back. We are going home."

"No!" Taehyung thrashed violently against the mattress. "Leave me alone! I will never go anywhere with you!"

Fierce anger flared in Woo-seok’s dark eyes. Grabbing both of Taehyung’s wrists, he pinned them tightly above his head.

For a fraction of a second, his gaze dropped to Taehyung’s lips.

But he instantly recognized the dark hunger in that look. He jerked his head away to escape, but Woo-seok’s harsh grip on his jaw snapped his face right back, trapping him under the devil’s shadow.

A cruel, satisfied smile spread across Woo-seok's lips as he leaned down...

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

Taehyung’s eyes snapped open as he bolted upright, gasping violently for air.

He was drenched, his clothes clinging to his skin with cold sweat. Chest heaving, his eyes darted frantically around the room.

The devil was nowhere to be found.

The room was empty.

Quiet.

Safe.

For now.

Slowly, with trembling hands, he looked down at his wrists.

No bruises.

No heavy grip pinning him down.

Only the remnants of a nightmare - a shatrered soul, shivering in the dark.

He reached for his phone on the nightstand. '3:00 AM.'

Fighting back the involuntary tremors, he made his way into the bathroom.

The reflection in the mirror was pitiful. His loose white shirt draped unevenly off one collarbone. Strands of dark hair clung damply to his sweaty forehead. He looked hollow, haunted, and fragile.

He splashed ice-cold water onto his face. Once, twice, thrice.

Hoping the shock would wash away the memory of His touch.

He ran his wet fingers back through his hair, clearing his forehead.

Breathe, he told himself.

'You're okay.'

Stepping out into the dark hallway, he walked to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water. But as he drank, the terrifying images from his nightmare replayed on a loop in his mind. A long exhale escaped his lips.

He closed the refrigerator door and turned to head back to the bedroom when a sharp sound froze him in his tracks.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

It wasn't a doorbell. It was a rapid, frantic knocking on his front door, like someone outside was in a state of absolute panic.

Taehyung swallowed hard, his heart beat fasten. 'Who could possibly be knocking at three in the morning? Why aren't they using the bell? Is it him? Did he find me?'

The terror from his nightmare surged back with violent force. The knocking didn't stop, but then, beneath the sharp thudding, he heard a muffled, urgent bark.

It sounded less like an attack and more like a desperate cry for help.

His hand closing tightly around the handle of a sharp knife from the fruit basket. Then he moved towards the door and peered through the peephole.

The hallway appeared empty at eye level. Lowering his view slightly, he caught sight of a large, dark shape, a sleek Doberman with a wagging tail. Unlike others, this one had natural, uncropped ears and a full, elegant tail.

The dog was barking anxiously at the door, its sharp eyes filled with intelligent, human-like distress.

Seeing the genuine panic in the animal's posture, Taehyung took a deep, steadying breath, unlocked the door, and opened it just a crack, keeping the knife concealed behind his back.

The moment the door opened, the Doberman let out a low whimper.

It nudged its snout toward the apartment directly across the hall, whining as if trying to communicate a critical message.

Taehyung hesitated, uncertainty gripping him. But the dog's eyes held - no aggression. Only pure, frantic desperation.

The Doberman stepped forward, gently tugged on the hem of Taehyung’s trousers with its teeth, and pulled him towards the open door of the opposite apartment.

Taehyung let himself be guided across the hall.

Hesitantly he stepped inside, he was met with an apartment far grander and more luxurious than his own.

Sleek modern furniture, warm accent lighting, and tasteful art pieces.

The dog led him straight into the spacious kitchen.

Taehyung frowned, his eyes scanning the marble floor. And then he saw her.

An elegant, middle-aged woman lay motionless on the cold tile floor.

"Oh, shit..."

The realization hit Taehyung instantly, the dog had come to find help for its owner. Dropping the knife onto the counter, Taehyung rushed to her side and knelt, pressing two trembling fingers against her neck to check for a pulse.

It was dangerously faint.

Her breathing was shallow, barely moving her chest.

Panic flared in his chest, but he forced himself to stay calm. Laying her flat on her back, he positioned his hands on the center of her chest, relying on the basic CPR steps he had once learned.

The Doberman hovered closely, resting its paws near her side, watching with wide, anxious eyes.

"Come on... please..." Taehyung grunted, pumping her chest rhythmically.

He paused to check her neck again.

Still weak.

Refusing to give up, he resumed compressions, pouring every ounce of focus into keeping her alive.

Finally, her fingers twitched against the tile.

A paper-thin gasp parted her lips, her eyelids fluttering weakly as she fought her way back to consciousness.

Relief rushed through Taehyung. He had already dialed the emergency services using her phone, which lay nearby on the floor.

Within minutes, the distant sirens echoed outside, and the paramedics burst into the apartment.

Together, they helped transfer her to the bedroom, gently placing her on the plush mattress. While one paramedic administered an emergency injection, another turned to Taehyung.

"Does she have a history of heart conditions or severe allergies? Is she on any medication?"

"I... I don't know," Taehyung stammered, his mind racing.

"I'm just her neighbor, her dog brought me here."

Realizing time was critical, Taehyung turned to search the room for medical records. He quickly scanned the nightstand and found an organized leather folder resting on the bottom shelf.

Opening it up, his eyes scanned the top document:

Patient Name: Kim Keon-hee

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