Putting On An Act
1369 Words
My eyes followed him as he walked directly into the attack.
The knives flashed under the corridor lights, glinting like arrows flying toward their target.
I flinched and quickly looked away.
I already knew how the fight would end—and that knowledge only made my heart pound harder.
I couldn’t watch.
But I immediately heard the sharp screeches of shoes scraping against the floor, grunts of pain and the violent smack of flesh striking flesh.
Loud cracking sounds echoed through the corridor like furniture being shattered.
Except… there was no furniture here.
A few seconds passed before I finally forced myself to peek.
At that exact moment, a tight fist struck the skinny man squarely across the face.
The punch landed so cleanly that the hollow skin on his cheeks rippled.
He let out a strangled cry of pain as blood burst from his mouth and nose.
Two of his front teeth flew out with the impact.
He collapsed instantly, writhing on the floor in agony.
My teeth clenched.
Beside him, his two partners were already sprawled across the ground.
One of them was gasping desperately like a fish dragged out of water.
The other lay eerily still.
My heart twisted.
I couldn’t tell whether he was unconscious or dead.
His elbow was bent at an unnatural angle and so was his neck.
Just like that, quiet had slowly returned to the corridor.
Only then did I realize the fight had ended almost as soon as it began.
I stared at the back of the man standing over the fallen bodies.
The “devil”. Perhaps literally.
He casually glanced down at his wristwatch—as though he hadn’t just spilled blood moments ago.
There was not a wrinkle disturbing his clothes and not a drop of sweat touched his skin.
When he slowly turned toward me, my weak knees gave out.
My body collapsed onto the floor as if my bones had suddenly disappeared.
Slowly fluttered shut and my breathing grew so faint it was almost non-existent.
I had fainted.
Darkness now filled my vision, but my senses remained painfully alert.
No matter what happened next, I still had a role to play.
Soon, a tall shadow fell over my body and paused.
I immediately knew who it was.
The devil.
He leaned down slightly, as though examining me.
Through my barely conscious haze, I saw his handsome features tighten.
He was frowning.
“You must be having a wonderful time,” he muttered dryly. “To think you even found the leisure to faint.”
He straightened and glanced down at his wristwatch. Again.
He seemed almost obsessed with the time.
Perhaps he had somewhere important to be before I ruined his night.
A moment later, he slipped his hands into his coat pockets and turned to leave.
Oh no.
Please don’t leave me here, I screamed internally.
But my body remained completely still. I couldn't move or speak.
He kept walking.
For a moment I thought I had failed.
Then suddenly his footsteps stopped.
I faintly saw him press a hand against his temple, as though irritated by a headache.
When I sensed him turning back, my mind went completely blank and my eyes forced themselves tightly close.
But I heard when he started to walk toward me.
I couldn't see what happened next.
I only felt panic, when in the next moment, strong hands lifted me from the floor.
Before I could even brace myself, he slung me over his shoulder without any elegance.
His broad shoulder pressed sharply into my stomach.
If I had been able to react, I would have groaned—or even thrown up from the discomfort.
I felt every step he took as he carried me.
His movements were quiet, yet heavy, each one reverberating through my stomach.
Soon we entered the elevator. I knew the second the doors slid close and it started to move.
A few moments later, we descended to what I guessed was a parking lot.
A car pulled up nearby and I figured I was right. My ears perked up.
Someone—probably the driver—hurried out, probably to open the car door.
But then the footsteps suddenly paused.
Without saying anything, it moved again, but now toward the rear of the vehicle.
I heard the trunk open.
What?
Why are they opening the trunk?
They’re not planning to throw me in there… right?
Footsteps approached again.
“It’s not dead, Levi.”
The stranger’s cold voice sent a chill straight down my spine.
He sounded to be in a very foul mood.
“Oh!”
The driver—whose name I now knew to be Levi—exclaimed.
But he didn’t sound relieved, rather surprised.
Almost as if stuffing dead bodies into a car trunk was something he had grown very accustomed to.
Oh God…
What exactly had I gotten myself into?
I barely had time to fret before I was tossed unceremoniously into the back seat.
When the car sped off, my body slid awkwardly across the seat, leaving me in an uncomfortable position.
But I didn’t dare adjust.
From the sound of things, I was alone in the back seat. Which meant the stranger and his driver were sitting in front.
“We’ll be staying at the hotel tonight,” the man said after a while. “Book a reservation.”
A hotel?
My brows furrowed faintly.
“Yes, sir,” Levi replied immediately.
About fifteen minutes later, the car slowed down, turned a corner, and finally came to a stop.
We had arrived. I knew it the moment the car doors opened.
Once again, my body was dragged out of the car and lifted.
But this time the grip felt different. Gentler.
From the unfamiliar cologne and careful handling, I knew this wasn’t the stranger.
This had to be the driver. Levi.
Still, that didn’t matter now.
What mattered was what awaited me in this hotel.
Why had he brought me here?
Surely, it couldn’t be because he cared about my safety.
Jeez! This was not how I had imagined my plan unfolding.
But it was too late to back out now.
The men entered an elevator that rode upward for quite some time.
Judging from the duration, I guessed we were in a five-star hotel with countless floors.
Eventually, we stepped into what I was certain was a room.
Levi carried me a short distance before gently lowering me.
Just for a split second I was afloat in the air, and then I sank into something soft.
A bed.
My chest tightened.
I shouldn’t be afraid. I had expected this.
I had willingly walked into this situation.
“Boss,” Levi suddenly called for whatever reason.
Only then did I realize the stranger had entered the room as well.
“Hmm,” the man simply responded.
His deep voice sounded somewhere near the foot of the bed.
“You can go.”
Levi’s footsteps retreated.
The door opened, then closed.
The room went so still for a long while I almost thought the stranger had left too.
That would not be good.
Just then, a lighter flicked. It awashed me with an instant mix of relief and anxiety.
The faint scent of cigarette smoke drifted through the air and reached me.
Light, unhurried steps began to approach the bed.
The knot in my chest tightened, so I forced my breathing to remain steady.
If I was found out, I would surely pay dearly for it.
A shadow fell over my face, blocking the light.
Even with my eyes closed, I could feel his intense gaze studying me.
A finger hovered over the space beneath my nose. It brushed lightly above my lips and it took all I had to hold in my act.
Was he checking if I was breathing?
Or if my breathing matched someone who had truly fainted?
Would he notice I was pretending?
A moment later, he withdrew his hand.
I knew he was about to leave next. I couldn't let him.
And so before he could step away, I weakly grabbed the sleeve of his coat.
“Please… don’t leave me alone…”
- Writer
