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The atmosphere inside the wooden cabin—the hidden base for Anxin’s gang—was thick with a suffocating, stagnant boredom. Located on the city’s outskirts, far enough to escape the noise but not quite deep enough to be lost in the wilderness, the five teenagers were scattered across the room.
Anxin rested his head against the peeling leather of the sofa, his eyes fixed on the cabin ceiling in a blank stare. In the corner, Sanghyeon was idly flipping his pocket knife, while Xinlong and Kaiwen sat cross-legged on the floor, shuffling a deck of cards without any real intention of playing. Meanwhile, Woojin remained hunched in front of his three glowing monitors, typing away at a sluggish, lethargic pace.
"I am bored out of my mind," Anxin groaned, breaking the silence. "I'm itching to hit a place, but none of the targets are hitting the spot. My brain is completely fried."
Kaiwen tossed a card onto the floor. "What about that power-tripping professor who gave us detention yesterday? The bald guy."
Anxin let out a loud snort, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "Boring. We've robbed that old geezer so many times. His house is a joke to break into. His security system is absolute garbage."
"Then let's rob him again until he's completely broke and doesn't have a dime left to his name!" Kaiwen replied with a smirk.
Sanghyeon cut in, a sour look on his face. "Ugh, screw that. We've hit that bald bastard way too many times. I don't want him to be our special victim. Honestly, just seeing his face on campus makes me want to puke."
Xinlong chimed in, tossing out a suggestion. "How about the politicians? It’s the season for cabinet reshuffles, isn't it?"
"We’ve already hit plenty of politicians, Xinlong. In fact, if you check my database, we’ve already broken into the homes of almost every corrupt official in this city," Woojin replied flatly, not looking away from his monitors.
"But there are new ones in office, aren't there? Let's just go after them," Xinlong countered, refusing to let it go.
Anxin sat up straight, his face twisted in clear dissatisfaction. "Skip. I want to steal, but not from some professor or politician. I want a different kind of rush. Something that actually gets our adrenaline pumping."
"Like what?" Sanghyeon tapped his chin. "We've even robbed cops before, so that's not exactly groundbreaking anymore. We've trashed A-list celebrities' houses until they held crying press conferences. Someone give me a fresh idea here."
Kaiwen snapped his fingers, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "How about we hit a poor person's house? We always hit rich folks; we've never tried a poor neighborhood even once. It'd be a total trip, a whole new vibe!"
"Don't be an idiot," Woojin cut him off, his tone sharp. "Didn't we promise from day one that we'd never rob people who are struggling? Besides, we don't steal because we're broke; we do it for kicks. So drop it. Stick to people who actually have money."
Kaiwen pouted, leaning back against the table leg. "Fine. Then why don't you help us think of something?!"
Woojin went quiet for a moment. His fingers paused over the keyboard. A mysterious smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as a specific name popped up on his database screen.
"If you guys want something new, fresh, and exciting..." Woojin spun his chair around to face his four friends. "I've got the perfect prey for us to rob."
Hearing that, Anxin, Sanghyeon, Kaiwen, and Xinlong instantly perked up. Their eyes lit up with excitement, as if they'd just been slammed with a shot of adrenaline.
"Who is it? Spill!" Anxin demanded impatiently.
"Sangwon," Woojin said flatly.
Instantly, the hype in the cabin completely died. His four friends looked incredibly let down. Anxin, Kaiwen, and Xinlong let out annoyed groans and sucked their teeth, while Sanghyeon just burst into a loud, mocking laugh.
"Hahaha! Are you losing it, Woojin?" Sanghyeon laughed so hard he clutched his stomach. "Why the hell would we rob that weak-ass senior? That's way too easy and totally pathetic! Besides, he's not even on our level. We only do high-class targets!"
Kaiwen chimed in with a scowl. "Seriously, anyone but Sangwon. It's like there's no one else on campus."
"Yeah," Xinlong agreed. "We don't even need to make his life miserable. He's already getting bullied by people in his year all the time. It's so sad."
Anxin crossed his arms over his chest, agreeing with his friends. "Yeah, skip him. Zero adrenaline rush. One threat and he'd probably just start crying or pass out on the spot."
"Let me finish before you guys start whining," Woojin cut through their protests. "Since we've never messed with him, barely talk to him, and always treat him like he's invisible, this is exactly why we should hit him this time. Don't let his looks fool you. The guy is filthy rich. His parents passed away a few years ago, and he's an only child who inherited their entire fortune. While going to college, he's also lowkey running his family's business."
Woojin tapped his monitor, bringing up several asset deeds and legal documents. "This is literally free real estate for us. He's weak, he has no idea how to defend himself when intimidated, and basically, he's a total pushover. His house is packed with valuables."
Everyone fell silent. Honestly, it was no surprise that Woojin knew all this insider dirt. Woojin was a freakishly genius hacker, and in reality, every single gang member in this cabin was highly skilled at digging up info—even the most classified personal data. That was exactly why their criminal sprees never caught the cops' attention; they always wiped every single digital footprint and physical clue before clearing out.
Anxin tapped his fingers against the couch, lost in thought. "But why him? It still sounds way too easy."
"Since it's so easy, think of it as a little vacation hit to take the edge off," Woojin reasoned. "Plus, aren't you guys even a little curious about what's inside the house of this mysterious man?"
Xinlong, who had been completely against it a minute ago, was starting to bite. He nodded slowly. "That's true, actually. Who knows, maybe there’s some dark secret we can dig up, leak to the public, and embarrass Sangwon for the rest of his life. His career would be ruined for sure."
"Now that's a goal I can get behind!" Kaiwen chimed in, fired up again.
Anxin smirked wickedly. "You know, if we just break in and grab stuff, it'll be over too quickly. Why don't we draw it out? You know... have some fun while we're at it."
Hearing the words "have some fun" slip from Anxin's mouth, Sanghyeon, Xinlong, Kaiwen, and Woojin knew exactly what that meant. Anxin's version of fun meant wrecking the place, terrorizing the victim, and messing with their head. They all grinned widely and nodded in agreement.
"Hey, speaking of Sangwon," Sanghyeon suddenly leaned in, lowering his voice. "Have you guys noticed? I've caught him glancing at our group a few times in the cafeteria and the hallways. And I made sure to pay close attention to see exactly who among the five of us he was looking at."
Kaiwen immediately ran a hand through his hair confidently. "Who? Me? I mean, I'm obviously the cute one here."
Xinlong snorted, shoving Kaiwen's shoulder. "Obviously not you, dumbass. It's definitely me. Maybe he's digging my vibe, but honestly, gross, no thanks."
"Not either of you, get over yourselves," Sanghyeon mocked with a chuckle. "Sangwon is always watching Anxin."
"Huh?!" Hearing his name, Anxin bolted upright from the couch, his face a perfect picture of disgusted denial. "Stop talking out of your ass! No freaking way! Gross!"
Woojin raised his hand, backing Sanghyeon up. "I'm with Sanghyeon on this one. I saw it myself. I was walking through the parking lot the other day and saw Sangwon standing behind a pillar. He was staring at Anxin, who was eating ice cream while waiting for us. I could see it clearly in his eyes... he looked absolutely down bad for Anxin."
Anxin looked like he wanted to throw up on the spot, rubbing his arms as if he'd just broken out in hives. "Ew! That is so nasty, I swear! Why the hell would that pathetic senior like me? The guy walks as slow as a snail, barely talks, has zero friends, is a total outcast, and gets bullied constantly. He's got some nerve having a crush on me!"
Sanghyeon laughed his ass off at Anxin's panic. "Just accept your fate, Boss. Who told you to have such a pretty face?"
"I don't! Screw you!" Anxin snapped back fiercely. "I'm cool, I'm a badass! I'm the leader of this gang! Where do you see pretty?!"
Kaiwen chuckled. "Whatever, the point is you don't like him back, Anxin. He's the one pining, so just ignore it."
"So, is it settled? Are we really robbing Sangwon's place? Raise your hand if you agree," Xinlong called out, throwing his hand up high.
Kaiwen, Sanghyeon, and Anxin immediately raised their hands with enthusiasm. But just as Woojin was about to lift his, something clicked in his memory. His face suddenly drained of color.
"Wait... actually, never mind," Woojin said out of nowhere. "I just remembered something important."
Anxin glared at him, annoyed. "What do you mean, never mind?! Weren't you the one who suggested Sangwon in the first place? We're doing it. Sangwon is officially locked in as our next target. Besides, now I'm curious. If I get the chance, I'm gonna ask him straight up if he actually has a thing for me."
"Don't, Anxin. Seriously, don't!" Woojin warned, his voice turning anxious. "I just remembered what Donggyu told me."
Donggyu was one of their classmates on campus.
"He told me, 'You and your gang are lucky you've never messed with Sangwon and just ignore him.' Then Donggyu warned me that we should never, ever cross Sangwon because the guy is lowkey dangerous."
Anxin knitted his brows. "Dangerous how?"
"I asked Donggyu the same thing," Woojin continued, swallowing hard. "But Donggyu just said, 'I can't tell you straight out because I'm terrified I'll get dragged into it too. Just take my word for it. You and your gang better never mess with Sangwon or bully him if you don't want something terrible happening to you.' That's what he said. Donggyu looked absolutely petrified when he said it, constantly checking over his shoulder."
The cabin fell dead silent for a moment, before Sanghyeon burst into another mocking laugh.
"Hahaha! Donggyu is just a massive coward!" Sanghyeon scoffed, completely refusing to believe that Sangwon—who looked fragile and introverted—could be dangerous. "How can you believe a guy like Donggyu? That makes zero sense."
Unlike the anxious Woojin, Anxin's eyes gleamed with thrill.
"Interesting..." Anxin muttered softly. "If he really is dangerous, then Sangwon isn't just easy prey anymore. Let's screw what Donggyu said. Let's find out for ourselves exactly how dangerous Lee Sangwon gets when someone wrecks his private life."
Xinlong smiled satisfactorily. "Hell yeah. If he's actually tough and not a walkover, this could be a fun long-term project. After we rob his house tonight, we should start messing with him and bullying him at campus every single day. Let's force him to show his true colors."
"Yes! Finally, we get to bully Sangwon! I've been wanting to bully him for so long!" Kaiwen cheered happily.
Anxin laughed with satisfaction as he looked around at his four friends. "I seriously cannot wait to hit his place. This is gonna be a hell of a rush!"
Everyone cheered in agreement, except for Woojin, who still looked a bit hesitant. Seeing this, Sanghyeon clapped Woojin hard on the shoulder.
"Stop stressing, man. Don't let Donggyu get in your head. He's just trying to freak you out because he's jealous of our gang. Remember, we are way more dangerous and ruthless than that weak little snail!" Sanghyeon declared, brimming with confidence.
Woojin took a deep breath, trying to shake off the bad vibe, and finally nodded. "Fine. You guys are right. We never lose."
"Alright! It's settled. Midnight, we move on Lee Sangwon's place," Anxin decided with absolute finality. "Tonight, prep all the gear, weapons, and hacking tools we need. Make sure we don't leave a single thing behind!"
The five of them finally moved to break their boredom, prepping for a heist they thought was going to be a fun little game, completely oblivious to what was actually waiting for them inside Lee Sangwon's house.
———
The night they'd been waiting for finally arrived. At exactly midnight, a blacked-out van with no license plates rolled slowly into the elite gated community where Lee Sangwon lived.
This neighborhood wasn't like regular luxury developments. Privacy here was top-tier. The houses were spaced incredibly far apart, separated by massive lawns and towering trees planted on purpose as natural barriers. Tonight, the streets were dead silent, save for the chirping of crickets and the cold sweep of the night wind.
Inside the van, the five gang members were already decked out in all-black, complete with rubber gloves and masks covering the lower half of their faces. Woojin sat in the middle row with his laptop open on his lap, his fingers flying across the keyboard at lightning speed.
"I'm into the neighborhood's local network," Woojin whispered, the blue light from the screen reflecting in his eyes. "Sangwon's house is at the very end of this cul-de-sac. The nearest neighbor is about five hundred meters away. It's perfect. Even if he screams at the top of his lungs, nobody's hearing a thing."
Anxin, sitting in the passenger seat, smirked beneath his mask. "What's the house security looking like?"
"High-end, but nothing I can't handle," Woojin bragged. "He's running an integrated setup from Aegis Cybersec. Eight outdoor perimeter cameras, motion sensors on every window, and the main door uses a biometric scanner plus an encrypted passcode. Hold on... bypassing the feed now."
Woojin hit Enter with a flourish. Instantly, the three CCTV feeds monitoring Sangwon's front yard on Woojin's monitor froze, looping a safe, clean video from ten minutes ago. "Outdoor CCTVs are tampered with. Backyard motion sensors are down too. We've got an infinite window before the central system flags an anomaly."
The black van pulled over right under the shadow of a massive, dark tree a few meters from Sangwon's gate. Sanghyeon, Xinlong, and Kaiwen slipped out silently, followed by Anxin and Woojin, who was carrying a specialized tablet to hack the main door access.
They slipped past the iron gate—its system already forced open by Woojin—and crept across the sprawling front yard. Sangwon's house loomed magnificently in front of them, a two-story modern minimalist building dominated by massive glass windows, though right now it was pitched in total darkness. Only one or two nightlights cast a faint glow from inside.
"He's definitely asleep. At this hour, a loser like him doesn't have a nightlife," Kaiwen whispered with a quiet chuckle.
"And the data I pulled from the civil registry confirms he's been living here completely alone since his parents passed. No live-in maids," Woojin added as he slapped a portable hacking device onto the digital panel next to Sangwon's massive teak wood front door.
The tablet screen in Woojin's hand started running lines of binary code at high speed. In less than thirty seconds, a highly satisfying, faint click echoed, followed by the panel's indicator light turning from red to green. The thick main door cracked open slightly.
"Access granted. After you, gentlemen," Woojin said, giving a mocking, polite bow.
Anxin led the way, pushing the door open slowly to keep it from creaking. The moment their boots stepped into the main foyer, Sanghyeon pulled the door shut behind them. They flicked on small, high-powered tactical flashlights, focusing the narrow beams around the room, which was only dimly lit by a few accent lamps on side tables.
Instantly, Kaiwen's jaw nearly hit the floor. "Holy shit... is this a house or a museum?" he muttered under his breath in awe.
Their eyes met with sheer, unadulterated luxury. The main living room boasted massive vaulted ceilings with a crystal chandelier that, even while turned off, caught their flashlight beams and shimmered brilliantly. Mounted on the walls were abstract paintings framed in gold; judging by the texture of the paint alone, they knew these were masterpieces by renowned artists worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Xinlong walked over to a thick glass display cabinet in the corner, shining his light inside. "Look at this. This is an actual Ming dynasty porcelain vase, right? My dad has one just like it in his office, and that thing costs as much as a sports car."
"That's nothing," noted Sanghyeon, who had already wandered further ahead toward a console table near the grand staircase. "Check out this desk clock. It's a limited-edition Patek Philippe. Made of solid white gold. Damn, that nerd is literally sitting on a mountain of cash."
They all huddled in the center of the room, taking in the sheer volume of antiques and high-end goods scattered in every corner. There was a small Renaissance-style marble statue, vintage crystal vases, and a lineup of the latest tech gadgets just casually tossed on a study desk near the window. This place was an absolute goldmine for amateur criminals like them who stole just for the hell of it.
Kaiwen, unable to wait any longer, unzipped his massive backpack. "Boss, what's the play? Do we start clearing out this first floor right now or what? My hands are itching to dump this gold clock into my bag."
Xinlong chimed in. "Yeah, let's just strip the place. Just the stuff on this first floor alone could net us billions if we sell it."
Anxin didn't answer right away. He walked slowly, running his gloved fingertips across the cold surface of a marble table. His eyes drifted toward the grand spiral staircase leading up to the second floor, where Sangwon's bedroom most likely was. A wicked, twisted grin crept back onto his handsome face.
"What's the rush?" Anxin said, turning around to face his four friends. "If we just rob the place right now and bolt, where's the fun in that? It's too basic. Didn't we say we were gonna have some fun first?"
Sanghyeon smirked, catching his leader's drift perfectly. "So, what, you want a house tour first?"
"Exactly," Anxin said confidently. "Let's look around, check out every single corner of this weak senior's mansion, and find out where he keeps the real crown jewels—or who knows, maybe we'll find some embarrassing, nasty secret in his bedroom. Once we're done messing with this place without him noticing, then we strip him of everything until he wakes up completely ruined tomorrow morning."
Kaiwen immediately zipped his bag back up, hyped. "I am so down! Let's scout the place. I'm dying to see how a rich, antisocial freak pieces his house together."
"Woojin, make sure all the internal house systems stay completely dead while we look around," Anxin ordered.
"On it, Boss. As long as my laptop is up, this house is completely under our thumb. Sangwon is completely blind and deaf up there," Woojin replied confidently. Even though Donggyu's warning still cast a tiny shadow in the back of his mind, seeing how smoothly everything had gone so far made his anxiety melt away completely.
With Anxin taking the lead, the five teenagers began splitting up to explore the massive mansion. They moved with insane confidence, fully convinced that tonight, Lee Sangwon's house belonged to them.
Anxin and Sanghyeon headed toward a large room in the corner of the first floor that had a small wooden placard reading, "Sangwon's Library." The moment they pushed the door open, their flashlights illuminated thousands of books neatly organized on wooden shelves that stretched all the way to the ceiling.
"Tch, what a total textbook nerd," Anxin scoffed, running his hand along the rows of hardcover books with a look of pure disdain. "No wonder all he does at campus is stare at the floor. His whole life is just thick, boring books like this."
Sanghyeon chuckled, walking around the room while tapping the furniture. He came to a stop behind a massive wooden desk. On the wall behind the desk, hidden right behind a landscape painting, was a digital steel safe built directly into the wall.
"Anxin, check this out! The snail hid his safe here," Sanghyeon called out.
As seasoned pros when it came to cracking safes, it didn't take them long. Sanghyeon pulled a portable electronic decoder from his bag and hooked it up to the safe's panel via a micro-USB cable, while Anxin monitored the shifting codes on his tablet screen. The tool used a custom brute-force method modified by Woojin, designed to read the frequency vibrations of the panel's internal circuits to match the number combinations.
BEEP!
The safe's digital screen blinked, flashing the six-digit code it had successfully cracked: 061225.
Instantly, Anxin's brow furrowed tightly. His face dropped from arrogant amusement to pure shock and intense disgust. "Wait... hold on. This... isn't this my freaking birthday?!"
Sanghyeon snapped his head around, then burst into a muffled, mocking laugh. "Hahaha! See?! Woojin and I were one hundred percent right! That snail senior is actually down horrendously bad for you, Anxin! The guy literally used your birthday as his money password!"
"Ew! That is so repulsive, I swear! God, I'm getting goosebumps!" Anxin gagged, clutching his stomach with a look of absolute revulsion.
Driven by a mix of anger and sheer disgust, Anxin yanked the safe door wide open. Inside, stacks of high-denomination cash were perfectly lined up. They immediately grabbed every single stack, stuffing the bills into their backpacks until the safe was entirely wiped clean.
"I am not leaving this place looking pretty after he made me feel this gross," Anxin hissed sharply.
With a violent swing, Anxin started tearing and throwing all the books off the shelves, leaving them scattered and ripped all over the floor. The once-aesthetic room was instantly turned into a total disaster zone.
Sanghyeon, who lived for trashing places, got instantly hyped. He joined in, knocking over books and tearing down shelves. He then pulled a can of black spray paint from his bag and, with wild, erratic strokes, tagged the pristine white library wall with massive letters: "FUCK YOU LOSER!"
Meanwhile, over in the kitchen area, Kaiwen was busy making an absolute mess. He threw open the massive double-door refrigerator and started tearing through the contents. He took a few swigs from bottles of expensive drinks before dumping the rest all over the floor, while deliberately throwing kitchen staples like sauces, eggs, and flour onto the counters and floor, turning the space into a total disaster area in seconds.
Chewing on a slice of cake he'd scavenged from the fridge, Kaiwen strolled over to the home office where Xinlong was. In that room, Xinlong had just successfully cracked a hidden safe under Sangwon's desk using the same method.
Xinlong was busy stuffing stacks of cash into his bag when Kaiwen walked in. "How's it looking? Good haul?" Kaiwen asked.
Xinlong looked up with a bizarre expression on his face. "Tons of cash. But you want to know something crazy? I just checked the work laptop on this desk because the security on it was kind of weak. Inside, there's a hidden folder completely packed with photos of Anxin. Sangwon is legit obsessed with him, dude. Honestly, this isn't even a regular crush anymore. It's straight-up stalker behavior, and the guy is a creep."
"Are you serious? Damn, if Anxin finds out, he's gonna absolutely lose his mind," Kaiwen laughed.
In another hallway, Woojin was walking alone until he stumbled upon a heavy steel room that had been left unlocked. The moment he stepped inside, his brows knitted together. The room was packed with highly sophisticated laboratory equipment: test tubes, an electron microscope, and rows of bottles filled with multicolored chemical liquids that Woojin couldn't even begin to identify.
Anxin walked into the room to catch up with him. "Woojin, let's move upstairs. I'm heading to the most special room of the night—Sangwon's bedroom. You coming up?"
Woojin shook his head, his eyes glued to the rows of chemical vials in front of him. "Nah, go ahead, Anxin. I think I'm gonna hang back here for a bit and look around this room. Something feels off about this."
Anxin scanned the room, taking in all the laboratory equipment. "Yeah, actually, why the hell does he have a whole lab in his house? Didn't Sangwon major in something completely unrelated to science at campus?"
"My guess... maybe Sangwon's parents used to be professors or researchers. That's the rumor I heard, anyway, but who knows if it's true," Woojin replied, snapping a few photos of the bottle labels with his phone.
"Whatever, suit yourself. I'm heading upstairs with the guys," Anxin said with a wave of his hand, turning on his heel and walking out.
Anxin, Xinlong, Sanghyeon, and Kaiwen crept upstairs. They pushed open the master bedroom door, only to find Lee Sangwon fast asleep under a heavy duvet on his massive bed.
"Look at the dork, sleeping like a literal baby," Sanghyeon mocked in a low whisper, drawing stifled chuckles from the others.
They immediately started tossing the room for valuables. Sanghyeon violently yanked open a massive wardrobe, throwing Sangwon's clothes around until they were scattered all over the floor. Xinlong opened another cabinet packed with luxury watches and high-end accessories, dumping them straight into his bag. Meanwhile, Kaiwen casually pulled out his phone, snapped a picture of the sleeping Sangwon, and recorded a quick video of them ransacking the bedroom as a little souvenir.
Anxin walked over to Sangwon's study desk. He rummaged through the drawers until his hand landed on a black leather-bound notebook—a diary.
"Finders keepers," Anxin whispered with a slick smirk, sliding the notebook into his bag. "There's gotta be a ton of embarrassing secrets in here. I'm reading this the second I get home."
"Hey, you guys see another safe anywhere?" Kaiwen asked, rapping his knuckles against the walls.
"Nothing here," Xinlong called out after checking behind a massive vanity mirror.
"That's weird. Anxin and I found one in the library," Sanghyeon said.
"I found one in the study downstairs too," Xinlong added. "How come there's zero security in the master bedroom? This is supposed to be the safest room in the house."
"Who cares, man? I'm too tired to think. We already got a massive haul downstairs anyway," Kaiwen dismissed casually.
Due to the racket of closets being gutted and their muffled laughing, Sangwon—who had sensitive hearing—suddenly groaned and opened his eyes. The moment his consciousness returned, he was shocked to see four masked strangers in all-black turning his bedroom upside down.
Realizing he was in danger, Sangwon wasn't stupid enough to scream. With a quick reflex, he immediately rushed to grab his phone lying on the nightstand. On that phone, there was a custom, standalone security system app. If he pressed the emergency distress button, the signal would instantly connect to his high-tier trusted private security team—highly trained people left behind by his parents who would come to his rescue within minutes if he was in danger.
But Anxin's gang moved faster. Before Sangwon's finger could even touch the screen, Sanghyeon had already kicked Sangwon's hand hard, sending the phone flying far away and shattering against the floor.
"Trying to play dirty, huh?!" Sanghyeon barked.
Without giving Sangwon a single second to counter or get off the bed, Anxin and the guys swarmed him. They dragged Sangwon down to the floor, raining blows on him. Sanghyeon and Xinlong landed heavy punches and kicks directly to Sangwon's stomach and face. The guy they had always written off as a total weakling couldn't even put up a fight; he could only curl into a ball on the floor, shielding his head, groaning in sheer agony as they beat him half to death. His lip split open, bleeding profusely, and his face quickly turned into a bruised mess.
Once Sangwon was completely spent and broken on the floor, Anxin grabbed a fistful of Sangwon's hair, violently forcing his senior to look up at his masked face.
"Listen to me closely, Lee Sangwon," Anxin hissed, his voice dropping into a very cold and intimidating register. "Don't you dare report this to the cops or anyone else if you still want a peaceful life on campus. We only want to rob your money and assets; we have no intention of killing you tonight. But if you act up..." Anxin aggressively slapped Sangwon's bruised cheek.
He stared hard into Sangwon's eyes, which were watering from the intense pain. "And another thing... don't even dream about ever making me your boyfriend! You're a pathetic, weak little nerd. You're not even on my level."
Anxin slammed Sangwon's head back onto the floor. Watching Sangwon lie there—shaking and utterly terrified on the floor of his ruined bedroom—the four teenagers smiled with immense satisfaction.
"Let's bounce, guys. We got everything we came for," Anxin called out.
———
Anxin stopped dead in his tracks at the end of the second-floor hallway. His eyes locked onto a heavy, matte-black steel door in the most isolated corner of the floor. It stood out like a sore thumb against the aesthetic wooden doors of the mansion, and a sophisticated digital keypad was blinking a steady red—a clear sign that the room was heavily locked down with high-level encryption.
Anxin walked up to it, curiosity burning. "Hey, check this out. What kind of room is this? Why is it locked down like a vault?"
Sanghyeon, adjusting his backpack full of cash, glanced over and snorted. "Just skip it, boss. A steel door like that would take forever to crack anyway. We already stripped the snail dry."
"Yeah, true," Xinlong agreed, walking past them. "Let's get downstairs and grab the rest of those antiques and his favorite collectibles on the first floor. Let's make sure this kid cries his eyes out tomorrow morning."
A wicked smirk returned to Anxin's face. "Alright, down. Safe to say he's gonna have a literal heart attack."
The four of them rushed back down to the first floor. Without wasting a second, Anxin's gang started trashing the luxurious living room. They shoved anything valuable into their bags.
Once satisfied with stripping the first floor bare, Anxin let out a sharp whistle. "Woojin! Hurry over here, let's pack up! Everything's done!"
A moment later, Woojin stepped out from the lab hallway. But the tech genius no longer looked calm and collected. His face was ghostly pale, his eyes darted around frantically, and his breathing was shallow and ragged.
Sanghyeon, noticing the sudden shift, let out a mocking laugh. "Yo, what's with the face? You look like you just saw a literal ghost, man."
"We need to leave. Right now. Move," Woojin said, his voice violently trembling as he stared at his friends. "I have a horribly bad feeling about this."
Anxin knitted his brows. "Stop panicking, we're leaving anyway. But seriously, what is wrong with you?"
"I'll explain everything back at the hideout. Bottom line is we cannot stay here another second. It's dangerous!" Woojin whispered frantically, his panic palpable as he eyed the exit nervously. "When I was down in the lab, Donggyu called me out of nowhere."
"Donggyu? Why the hell is he calling at this hour?" Xinlong asked, baffled.
"It turns out one of Donggyu's friends lives in this elite complex too. When Donggyu was on his way back, he happened to drive past this place and saw our van parked outside. He knew instantly it was us. Donggyu hurriedly called me, his voice shaking," Woojin explained, cold sweat starting to drip down his temples.
He swallowed hard before delivering the line that made his hair stand on end. "Donggyu said... he begged us not to even think about messing with Sangwon. He said the mastermind behind the kidnappings and serial murders of those five campus seniors who went missing mysteriously and were found brutally dead a few months ago... it was all the doing of Lee Sangwon and his men."
Hearing Woojin's words, Anxin, Sanghyeon, Xinlong, and Kaiwen froze. The room went dead silent for a beat, before Sanghyeon shattered the tension with a loud, booming laugh.
"Hahaha! Holy shit, you actually bought that fairytale? Sangwon, that weak-ass textbook nerd, is a serial killer? Donggyu is a literal comedian!"
"Whatever, let's just get out. We're done here anyway," Anxin said dismissively, brushing the information off like it was nothing.
The five of them walked together toward the main entrance they had used to break in. But just as Anxin reached out, his hand inches away from the massive teak wood door handle—
Every single light in the mansion instantly cut out. The entire house plunged into a pitch-black, suffocating darkness.
"Yo, what the hell?! A blackout?" Kaiwen yelled, disoriented in the dark.
"Stay calm. Turn on your phone flashlights!" Anxin ordered.
Four phone lights cut through the dark, beams darting wildly to find an exit. Anxin grabbed the main door handle and threw his weight against it, but the door didn't budge an inch.
"Damn it, it's sealed shut! Woojin, hack it open again, hurry!" Anxin barked.
With trembling hands, Woojin tried to boot up his hacking tablet, but the screen was completely dead. "I can't, Anxin! The entire local network has been completely severed from a master switch! All my communications are blocked!"
"Let me take a crowbar to it!" Sanghyeon stepped up, swinging the heavy iron crowbar at the door. But the door had a hidden steel reinforcement core; the impact only produced a deafening, metallic CLANG that rang painfully in their ears.
"Break the windows! Move!" Sanghyeon screamed, panic finally setting in.
Kaiwen and Xinlong bolted toward the massive glass windows in the living room. They slammed heavy objects against the surface, but the double-paned tempered glass didn't even show a hairline fracture. To make matters worse, before they could strike again, a heavy, mechanical rumble echoed from the top of the walls.
From the ceiling, thick steel plates dropped rapidly like curtains, sealing every window and door from the inside. The luxurious space instantly transformed into a soundproof steel bunker, completely isolated from the outside world.
"Holy shit! We're trapped!" Kaiwen shrieked, his voice cracking with sheer terror.
"Woojin! You said you killed the security system, you piece of shit?!" Sanghyeon yelled in frustration, grabbing a fistful of Woojin's hair.
"I did! I swear to God everything was down! This... this is a hidden backup grid that wasn't even in the database!" Woojin cried, utterly broken as he realized Donggyu's warning was 100% real.
Suddenly, a sharp hissing sound echoed from the ventilation shafts in the upper corners of the room. A thick, pale white gas began billowing out, rapidly dispersing through the first floor.
"What kind of gas is this?!" Kaiwen immediately started coughing violently, covering his nose and mouth with his hands.
"Why is my vision going blurry?" Xinlong muttered, the flashlight in his hand starting to waver erratically.
The scent of the gas was bizarre and unsettling. It didn't smell foul like rot or garbage; it smelled like pure, concentrated chemicals—incredibly sharp, suffocating, and instantly crushing their chests.
"Damn it... Sangwon..." Anxin tried to fight it, but his head suddenly spun violently, as if his brain had been struck by a sledgehammer. His legs turned to absolute jelly.
Woojin was the first to drop, collapsing unconscious onto the marble floor. Kaiwen and Xinlong went down right after him, slumping over with their eyes rolled back. Sanghyeon managed to drop to his knees, trying to crawl toward Anxin, before his eyes went blank and he knocked out cold.
Anxin was the last one standing. Through his rapidly fading vision, he caught the faint silhouette of someone slowly walking down the grand staircase in the dark. Before he could process it, Anxin's consciousness slipped away entirely, and his body collapsed heavily onto the floor.
———
When their consciousness slowly returned, the first thing they registered was a dull, throbbing pain radiating through their bodies, accompanied by a biting chill that cut straight to the bone.
Anxin forced his eyes open with immense effort. The first thing he realized was that he was sitting flat on the marble floor, his hands and feet bound incredibly tight with military-grade nylon rope. To his left and right, Sanghyeon, Xinlong, Kaiwen, and Woojin were in the exact same state—tightly bound and waking up with faces full of confusion and absolute terror.
A single spotlight from the ceiling flicked on, beaming directly down on the five of them. And right in front of them, sitting comfortably on a plush, luxury armchair, was Lee Sangwon.
Sangwon's entire vibe had shifted. His face was still covered in the cuts and bruises they had given him, and blood was still slowly trickling from his split lip, but there wasn't a single trace of fear or fragility left in his posture. His sharp eyes radiated an incredibly heavy, dark, and chilling aura of pure intimidation. Sitting with his legs crossed, he stared down at the five intruders like a king looking at mice caught in a trap.
"What the hell is the meaning of this, tying us up like this?!" Anxin barked, trying to mask his intense nerves with a loud, aggressive voice. "Untie us right now, you bastard!"
Sangwon didn't answer right away. He adjusted his posture, resting his chin on his intertwined fingers. "What is the meaning of you guys coming to my house in the middle of the night and destroying my things?" he asked, his voice terrifyingly calm, echoing coldly through the room.
"We came to rob you, dumbass! Isn't it obvious?!" Anxin snapped fiercely, thrashing around to break the bindings, which only caused the ropes to dig deeper, cutting into his wrists.
Sanghyeon chimed in, clinging to the last shreds of his arrogance. "Let us go right now, Sangwon! Don't you dare mess with us if you want a peaceful life on campus tomorrow! Do you have any idea who the fuck we are?!"
Sangwon just stared at Sanghyeon with total indifference. He had absolutely zero intention of letting them go; there wasn't even a flicker of fear in his eyes at the threat.
Xinlong, growing frustrated because the ropes were cutting their circulation tight, spat on the floor and cursed harshly. "You freakish, psycho piece of shit! You're nothing but a campus outcast loser! A useless orphan bastard!"
At Xinlong's words, Sangwon's jaw clenched. A flash of murderous rage ignited in his eyes. Sangwon rose from the sofa in a slow, lethal motion. He walked deliberately over to the bound Xinlong.
Without a single word of warning, Sangwon delivered a devastating kick with his heavy combat boot straight into Xinlong's shin.
"AAARGGHHH!" Xinlong screamed hysterically.
Before Xinlong could even catch his breath from the pain, Sangwon rained brutal, merciless kicks down on him. The heavy impacts landed on Xinlong's thighs, ribs, and stomach while he lay bound and defenseless. Sangwon beat him so brutally that Xinlong's body was kicked to the side, groaning in sheer agony until a thick, dark spurt of fresh blood erupted from his mouth, staining the white marble floor.
"Xinlong!" Kaiwen screamed hysterically, his emotions flaring as he watched his friend get beaten like an animal. "How dare you lay a hand on our guy, you weak piece of shit! You're a coward for tying us up!"
Sangwon stopped kicking Xinlong and slowly turned his head toward Kaiwen. A cold, chilling smile spread across his bloodied lips. "Let's see... who's actually weak here."
Sangwon stepped over to Kaiwen. Without a word, Sangwon balled his hand into a fist and began brutally, blindly hammering Kaiwen's face. Pure, raw punches smashed into Kaiwen's nose, jaw, and eyes. The sickening sound of flesh meeting flesh echoed horribly in the quiet room. Kaiwen screamed, cried, and begged for him to stop, but Sangwon kept throwing punches until Kaiwen's face was swollen, bloodied, and unrecognizable, before the boy finally slumped over, breathing raggedly.
Sangwon then walked back to his armchair, picking up a glistening, razor-sharp hunting dagger from the side table. He casually flipped the knife in his hands, causing Anxin, Woojin, and Sanghyeon to wide-eye in sheer terror. Their "badass" facade completely crumbled into dust at the sight of the madness unfolding before them.
Sangwon walked over slowly, coming to a stop directly in front of a trembling Woojin.
"You're the one who cracked my house system, right? The genius hacker," Sangwon whispered lowly.
Before Woojin could even answer, Sangwon grabbed a fistful of Woojin's hair with his left hand, violently pulling his head back, and pressed the cold blade directly against Woojin's right cheek. Slowly, with deliberate pressure, Sangwon began carving into Woojin's skin, slicing a deep 'X' pattern into his cheek.
"AAAAGGGHHHHH!!! IT HURTS! PLEASE! STOP IT!!!" Woojin screamed hysterically, his body thrashing violently against the floor, which only caused the ropes to torture him further. But Sangwon's grip on his hair was too iron-clad. Fresh blood poured down his cheek, soaking his neck and clothes. Sangwon then moved to Woojin's left cheek, repeating the exact same process with cruel precision until a sickening, bloody cross marked both sides of his face.
"Sangwon, you pig! Stop it, you bastard! Don't do that to Woojin!" Anxin screamed emotionally.
Sanghyeon and Kaiwen, who were barely conscious, looked away, unable to stomach the sadistic display. Meanwhile, Xinlong, who was sprawled out on the floor, was sobbing uncontrollably, his body shaking violently from pure, unadulterated terror. They realized they weren't dealing with a campus nerd; they were dealing with a monster.
Sangwon let go of Woojin, then shifted his gaze to Sanghyeon, whose body was still unblemished without a scratch. "Your turn."
Sangwon walked over to Sanghyeon's feet. Without warning, he brought his heavy boot down on Sanghyeon's right ankle, throwing his entire body weight into it and violently twisting his foot.
CRACK!
"AAAKKKHHHH!!!" Sanghyeon shrieked at the top of his lungs, his eyes rolling back from the white-hot pain. He felt the bone completely shatter and snap inside. "My leg! Damn you, Sangwon!"
Anxin, watching the destruction of his gang, finally cried in frustration. "What the hell do you actually want from us, huh?! This is literally the first time we've ever messed with you! We've never bullied you before on campus! Why are you being this cruel to us?!"
Sangwon stopped crushing Sanghyeon's ankle. He walked over and knelt right in front of Anxin, staring straight into his eyes with an unreadable expression before a faint smile tugged at his lips.
"What do I want?" Sangwon whispered. "I just want to have some fun. Since a few new toys decided to walk right into my house... I might as well play with them."
After saying that, Sangwon stood up and flew into a blind rage again. He turned to the weakened Woojin, mercilessly kicking and punching his face and chest until Woojin collapsed unconscious, covered in cuts and bruises.
Still unsatisfied, Sangwon turned to Xinlong, who was crying in fear on the floor. He grabbed Xinlong by the hair, forced him up, and brutally stabbed his knife into Xinlong's thigh, twisting it before pulling it out. Xinlong screamed hysterically until his voice gave out, knocking him out cold in a bloody heap.
When he turned to Kaiwen, the boy had already fainted from the sheer trauma of watching the torture. Sangwon simply gave him a brief, cruel parting gift, lightly carving faint cross patterns across Kaiwen's back with his knife.
By now, the room reeked of blood, filled only with the faint, lingering sound of heavy sobbing. Sangwon turned around, his eyes locking onto Anxin—the only person he hadn't touched or physically harmed yet.
Sangwon walked over, staring intensely down at Anxin. "As for you, Anxin... you're special. I'm not going to torture you down here with these rats. We're going to a different room... a much more private one."
"No! Fuck you! Let me go! You're insane, you psycho freak!" Anxin thrashed wildly, kicking his bound legs into the air, screaming every curse word in his vocabulary to mask his absolute terror.
Sangwon clamped an iron-like grip around Anxin's jaw, forcing the boy to stare helplessly directly into his pitch-black, emotionless eyes.
"Patience, my sweetie," Sangwon whispered, his tone incredibly soft, yet sounding entirely monstrous to Anxin's ears. "Because for you... the punishment is different. This is going to take a very, very long time. We have the entire night to spend together, just the two of us."
Driven by a surge of rage and deep disgust, Anxin gathered the saliva in his mouth and spat directly into Sangwon's face. The spit landed squarely on Sangwon's cheek. But, Sangwon didn't snap the way he did when Xinlong insulted him. He slowly released his grip on Anxin's jaw, pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, and calmly wiped his face. If anything, a sick, terrifying smirk spread across his lips.
Before taking Anxin away, Sangwon turned to the still-conscious Sanghyeon. Without warning, Sangwon delivered a lethal kick straight to Sanghyeon's injured ribs, followed by a brutal knee to his face, breaking his nose as blood gushed out.
"Stop it! I beg you, stop this madness, Sangwon! Have mercy on Sanghyeon, he's going to die!" Anxin completely broke down, screaming hysterically as he watched Sanghyeon get beaten right in front of his eyes.
Sangwon stopped. He left Sanghyeon sprawled out on the marble floor, barely conscious and physically ruined.
Then, Sangwon turned back to Anxin. Without wasting another second, he pulled out a thick strip of black cloth and tied it tightly around Anxin's mouth, instantly muffling his screams into desperate, incoherent whimpers. Utilizing his massive strength, Sangwon effortlessly hoisted Anxin's tightly bound body up and threw him over his shoulder.
Seeing that, Sanghyeon, trapped on the floor, tried to shift his broken body, screaming in a pathetic, raspy voice, "W-wait... you bastard! Where are you taking Anxin?! Don't take him! Don't you dare touch my boss, you piece of shit! Sangwon, you pig!"
Sangwon paused for a brief second, delivering a parting warning kick straight into Sanghyeon's stomach, causing the boy to cough up blood and groan in agony. "Shut up, garbage. Enjoy your night down here," Sangwon hissed coldly.
Perched over Sangwon's shoulder, Anxin continued to thrash wildly, desperate to break free. His aggressive, ceaseless movements finally annoyed Sangwon.
In one swift, calculated motion, Sangwon grabbed Anxin's bound wrists behind his back and wrenched them upward with a sharp, brutal twist.
The clear sound of shifting joints echoed down the quiet hallway. Anxin's eyes widened, and tears instantly flooded down his face. An agonizing pain flared up his arms, making them feel like they were about to snap. Anxin instantly went limp, no longer daring to struggle, and could only sob uncontrollably, enduring the pain in silence over Sangwon's shoulder.
Sangwon smiled satisfactorily, feeling Anxin finally quiet down. He took heavy, steady steps up the grand staircase to the second floor, carrying Anxin down the long corridor, and stopped directly in front of the thick steel door Anxin had wanted to crack earlier—the heavily encrypted vault that was now going to serve as a specialized execution room for the gang boss.
Sangwon threw his shoulder against the heavy steel door, carrying Anxin inside a room thick with silence and a biting chill. His footsteps echoed solidly against the floor before he finally laid Anxin's tightly bound body down onto a massive bed situated dead-center in the room.
The room was initially pitched in total darkness. Anxin's heart hammered violently against his ribs, consumed by a level of terror he had never experienced in his entire life. The darkness slowly receded as Sangwon stepped over to the wall and flicked a light switch.
Blinding white neon lights instantly illuminated every corner of the room. The moment his vision adjusted to the light, Anxin's eyes widened in absolute horror. The breath caught dead in his throat from the sheer, paralyzing shock.
Plastered across every single wall of the room were hundreds of photos of him. There were photos of him walking down the campus hallways, photos of him laughing with his gang in the cafeteria, candid shots of him spacing out in class, and even extreme close-ups of his face taken from a distance using a telephoto lens.
Sangwon walked back to the edge of the bed, staring down at Anxin with a gaze dripping with pure devotion and absolute possession.
"I built this room specifically just to admire you, Anxin," Sangwon whispered, his voice terrifyingly calm, yet heavy with a dark, suffocating obsession. "And tonight... the star of the show I've been waiting for is finally right here, in my bed."
Anxin thrashed wildly on the mattress, trying to pull his body away from Sangwon even though his hands and feet were still tightly bound. Noticing his intense discomfort, Sangwon reached out and slowly removed the black cloth gagging Anxin's mouth.
The moment the gag came off, Anxin gasped for air, immediately blasting Sangwon with a volley of harsh curses. "You piece of shit, Sangwon! You crazy psychopath! Let me go, you pig! You're fucking insane, you know that?!"
Sangwon didn't get mad. Instead, a faint smirk played on his lips, as if Anxin's cursing was music to his ears. "I like you, Anxin. I've been in love with you since the first day we met on campus. Everything about you is constantly stuck in my head."
"Like hell I would! You make my skin crawl!" Anxin screamed, his eyes full of pure hatred and deep disgust. "I would never, ever want to be with a guy like you!"
"Whether you want to or not, we're making love tonight," Sangwon said with absolute certainty, without a single shred of doubt.
Hearing the words "making love" come out of Sangwon's mouth made Anxin's stomach churn with nausea. The sheer thought of being touched by the guy in front of him completely repulsed him. "I said like hell I would, you bastard!"
"You don't have a choice, sweetheart. But if you behave... I can make you a pretty good offer," Sangwon said, leaning forward. "If you pleasure me tonight, I promise I'll let you go afterward. I'll also release all your friends downstairs, and I'll keep my mouth shut about the fucked-up heist your gang pulled tonight. Whaddya say?"
Anxin glared at him fiercely, his ego as a badass gang leader flat-out rejecting the offer. "No fucking way I'm trading anything for something that disgusting!"
Sangwon's patience seemed to wear thin. With lightning-fast reflexes, he grabbed Anxin's jaw so hard that Anxin winced in pain. A second later, Sangwon leaned down and violently kissed Anxin's lips.
"MMMPH?!" Anxin's eyes widened in shock. He thrashed wildly, shaking his head side to side to break the kiss. A wave of intense revulsion washed over his entire body the moment Sangwon's lips touched his.
But Sangwon was way too strong. He kept kissing, licking, and brutally mauling Anxin's lips, ruthlessly exploring every single corner of his mouth. Feeling trapped and utterly disgusted, Anxin seized the moment Sangwon's mouth opened slightly. With all his might, Anxin bit down on Sangwon's lip until he heard a faint tearing sound.
Fresh blood immediately pooled from Sangwon's lip. Sangwon growled, but the sharp pain only made him more feral and turned on. Instead of backing off, Sangwon retaliated by biting Anxin's lip back, making Anxin shriek in pain mid-kiss. Taking advantage of the moment, Sangwon immediately slipped his tongue inside Anxin's mouth, greedily tasting and taking over.
Tears streamed down Anxin's face. He was crying not just from the pain, but because he felt completely violated and helpless. In the middle of that filthy, forced kiss, his hands and feet kept thrashing roughly, trying everything he could to fray and break the nylon ropes binding him.
Sangwon slowly broke the kiss on his lips, then moved his face down to Anxin's collarbone. He started biting and sucking hard enough to leave dark red marks, licking the cold sweat off Anxin's neck.
"Stop... hngh... stop, you bastard! Don't... it makes me sick to my stomach to have you tasting my body!" Anxin screamed, his voice trembling as he fought off a strange sensation that was beginning to crawl through his veins.
Sangwon paused for a second. He sat up, looking down at the tear-stained Anxin. "I'm telling you this one last time. The only way you and your friends walk out of here alive is if you sleep with me tonight. If you keep fighting me... you and your four little lackeys downstairs will end up as nothing but names on a tombstone. Got it?"
Anxin froze. Sangwon's last words sounded incredibly cold, carrying a very real death threat. Remembering what Woojin had said about the five seniors who died a gruesome death, Anxin realized Sangwon wasn't bluffing. For his own safety, and especially for the lives of his friends bleeding downstairs, Anxin finally squeezed his eyes shut.
"O-okay... fine," Anxin whispered under extreme duress, the words choking up in his throat.
A smug smile immediately spread across Sangwon's face. He leaned down again, giving Anxin's lips a quick, soft kiss and suck before pulling away. "Good boy," Sangwon murmured, gently patting the top of Anxin's head.
Just you wait, you piece of shit. I'm going to make you regret this, Anxin thought, fueling his burning thirst for revenge.
Sangwon then moved to the edge of the bed and started untying the ropes on Anxin's hands and feet. The moment the bindings came off completely, Anxin let out a massive sigh of relief. His wrists and ankles were red and chafed, but he immediately forced a sweet smile onto his face.
"Thanks, Sangwon," Anxin said, masking his voice to sound completely submissive.
But it was all a ploy. A second later, the moment Sangwon let his guard down—completely dazed by Anxin's smile—Anxin swung his right leg with full force, kicking Sangwon square in the crotch.
"AAAGHHH!" Sangwon instantly groaned in agonizing pain, his hands reflexively clutching his vital area after taking the direct hit. His body doubled over on the mattress.
"Die, you bastard!" Anxin shouted, instantly standing up on the bed. Without wasting a single second, Anxin's bottled-up rage completely exploded. He beat Sangwon with whatever strength he had left, punching his face and chest while hurling non-stop profanities.
Seeing Sangwon still groaning, Anxin grabbed a heavy metal desk lamp from the nightstand next to the bed. In a blind rage, he slammed the heavy object against Sangwon's head over and over again.
Sangwon's head immediately bruised, and a stream of fresh blood started trickling down his temple. Seeing Sangwon finally slump limply on the bed, gasping for breath, Anxin wasn't about to waste this golden opportunity. He immediately bolted as fast as he could toward the heavy iron door at the end of the room.
Anxin grabbed the doorknob, frantically trying to turn it. The door didn't budge at all. Anxin banged on the surface, his hands shaking as he tried to find an emergency panel nearby. "Damn it! Open up! Open the fuck up, you bastard!" he shrieked in a panic.
Anxin tried to take a deep breath, trying to calm himself down and focus. As a gang leader, he had tactical skills in tight spots, but under this kind of stress and sheer terror, his brain suddenly refused to cooperate. His heart was hammering way too fast.
Behind him, a low, heavy groan echoed. Anxin slowly turned around, only to find Sangwon dragging himself up from the bed. With blood dripping down his face, he looked like a bloodthirsty monster. Sangwon's eyes locked onto Anxin with pure, unadulterated fury.
Seeing Sangwon stepping toward him, Anxin's panic reached an all-time high. The door was still locked tight and wouldn't open. Realizing there was no way out, Anxin balled his hands into fists again. With a frustrated scream, he rushed forward to fight Sangwon off, throwing a sloppy punch right at the guy's face.
But this time, Sangwon didn't just take it. With his anger hitting the roof and a level of strength that completely blindsided Anxin, Sangwon easily parried the punch. He caught Anxin's right wrist in an iron grip, twisting it backward with one brutal yank.
"AAARRGGHHH!!!" Anxin screamed at the top of his lungs, the piercing pain hitting his nerves as his arm bone felt like it was about to snap.
Before Anxin could even collapse, Sangwon swept a brutal kick into Anxin's left knee, causing a sickening pop. Anxin's leg felt completely broken, no longer able to hold his weight. He instantly crashed onto the marble floor in a pathetic heap. His body curled up in agony, tears and sweat blurring his vision.
"Mercy... please, Sangwon... it hurts so bad... stop..." Anxin sobbed, the excruciating pain in his arm and leg completely crushing his pride. This time, he was genuinely begging. "I promise... I'll do whatever you want... I'll sleep with you... just let me and my friends go..."
Sangwon squatted down in front of Anxin. He grabbed Anxin's hair roughly, forcing the pretty boy's head back. "If you break your promise tonight... I will personally paralyze both your arms and legs permanently," Sangwon hissed in an incredibly chilling voice before finally dragging Anxin's limp body back onto the bed.
Slammed back down onto the plush mattress, the crying Anxin suddenly flashed a faint smirk, hidden beneath his messy hair. Alright, you psycho bastard. You wanna play? Let's fucking play, Anxin thought.
Since this psychopath promised freedom for him and his friends on the sole condition of sex, Anxin was going to weaponize it. He planned to flip the script the moment things started. He intended to fuck Sangwon so aggressively that he'd drain him completely, leaving him too weak to walk—and if possible, completely crippled under his control. Anxin couldn't wait to dominate and break Sangwon on this bed until the guy himself begged him to stop.
"Let's get started, babe," Sangwon said as he crawled over Anxin's body.
Anxin forced his aching body up with all his strength. Without hesitation, he pulled Sangwon by the neck into an aggressive, demanding kiss. Sangwon was caught off guard for a split second by Anxin's sudden wild shift, but immediately returned it with equal ferocity. They traded tongues wildly, making wet, hot, and thoroughly filthy noises in the quiet room.
While keeping the kiss locked, Anxin quickly used his hands to rip open Sangwon's shirt and pants. Sangwon returned the favor, roughly tearing and stripping Anxin out of his clothes. In no time, both of them were completely naked on the bed.
Anxin momentarily lost his focus when his eyes accidentally darted down Sangwon's body. Sangwon's cock was way bigger than his own. But to Anxin, size didn't mean shit. His ego still told him he was physically, mentally, and tactically superior, and he fully intended to leave Sangwon completely helpless under his control.
When their lips parted, Anxin tried to push Sangwon's chest, intending to flip their positions so Sangwon would be on the bottom. But before Anxin could even exert his strength, his body was pinned down under Sangwon's heavy weight.
Anxin gasped in shock, realizing his position hadn't changed at all. He was still stuck on the bottom, locked tight beneath Sangwon's muscular frame. Anxin started thrashing in sheer annoyance, his face flushing red with irritation. "Hey! Let go! I'm not staying on the bottom, damn it! Let me top!"
Sangwon looked down at Anxin with a hot, degrading smirk. "A cute, pretty boy like you belongs right under me, Anxin. This is exactly where you belong."
"Cut the crap, you bastard! Don't call me that! I hate it!" Anxin snapped, feeling his pride as a cool, badass guy completely trampled on.
"Then what should I call you? Princess Anxin?" Sangwon mocked with a low, taunting chuckle.
"Shut the fuck up! I'm a gang leader! I'm a cool, badass guy, do you fucking hear me?!" Anxin yelled, his breathing ragged, eyes flashing with rage.
Sangwon let out a mocking laugh, completely belittling Anxin. "A princess is exactly what you are. You're weak, Anxin. Look at your body, you don't even have any muscle. You're all talk, just riding on your gang's big reputation on campus. Besides... from what I've seen, you might be the leader, but you're basically just the gang's princess whom everyone else has to protect."
"Shut your fucking mouth! I'll show you!" Anxin screamed in fury, throwing his entire core and back strength into flipping them over, trying to roll Sangwon underneath him. But all his efforts were completely useless. Sangwon's body felt like a massive boulder that wouldn't budge an inch. Sangwon was simply too dominant, completely pinning Anxin down with absolute authority.
"Just stay quiet and enjoy the service I'm about to give you tonight," Sangwon whispered right into Anxin's ear, his hot breath sending shivers down Anxin's spine. "Because a princess—I mean, a gang leader's only job is to enjoy the rewards while the lackeys do the heavy lifting. So tonight... let me do all the hard work for you."
Before Anxin could fire back with another curse, Sangwon buried his face into Anxin's bare chest. Targeting Anxin's pink nipple, he began to greedily suck and maul it.
"NGHH?!" Anxin jolted in surprise, a muffled moan slipping right past his lips. He started thrashing wildly again, his left hand trying to push Sangwon's shoulder away, but Sangwon swiftly caught Anxin's wrist and pinned it down.
Sangwon also pinned Anxin's legs with his thighs, knowing he'd try to kick his crotch again. Trapped under Sangwon's weight, Anxin's arms and legs were completely paralyzed and hard to move. His broken arm and leg throbbed with sharp pain every time Sangwon tightened his grip to stop his struggles.
A strange, hot, melting sensation he had never felt before began to crawl from his chest down to his lower body. A disgusting groan was fighting to force its way out of his throat from the intense stimulation. To hold onto the last shred of his pride, Anxin bit his lower lip incredibly hard, completely refusing to let that filthy, embarrassing sound slip out.
But Sangwon kept ruining him. His nipples were sucked, licked, and pinched alternately in a merciless, steady rhythm.
Anxin jolted again, his back arching from the overwhelming ticklish sensation he couldn't handle. In their naked state, he could clearly feel Sangwon's rock-hard cock pressing heavily against his lower body, signaling that his true living hell had just begun.
Being on top of Anxin's body, Sangwon noticed his opponent's instinctual surrender. The corner of Sangwon's blood-stained lips curled up into a faint smirk as he watched Anxin desperately trying to hide the sounds from his throat.
"Nghhh..." Anxin squeezed his eyes shut tightly, his teeth sinking deeper into his lower lip to hold back the shameful sounds begging to escape. A deep ache mixed with a jolt of heat began to spread through all his nerves.
Sangwon didn't give him a single second to breathe. He kept bombarding Anxin's body with endless stimulation. While suckling on Anxin's chest, Sangwon intentionally shifted his hips forward, grinding his rock-hard cock directly against Anxin's bare crotch. The intimate, repetitive skin-on-skin friction sent massive shockwaves straight to Anxin's core. Attacked relentlessly from both above and below, the fortress of Anxin's badass ego completely crumbled. He could no longer fight his natural desires.
"Ah... ahh... ngh! D-damn it..." A dirty moan finally escaped, breaking the silence of the room.
Sangwon stared down at Anxin's heavily flushed face, his lips swollen ripe from the previous vicious kisses, with a red bite mark on his lower lip from trying to hold back his moans.
Without wasting time, Sangwon forced Anxin's thighs wide open to both sides. Anxin panicked completely, swallowing hard as he stared in horror at his exposed, defenseless position. His mind rejected it, his body shaking violently facing what was coming next.
Sangwon leaned down, positioning himself right between Anxin's open thighs. Without a moment of hesitation, he began to lick Anxin's entrance. Sangwon's wet tongue swirled, sucked, and pressed right against the sensitive area with intense precision. His hands stayed active, pinning Anxin's ankles down to make sure he couldn't kick or struggle anymore.
"Ah! N-no... hngh... let go... it's filthy, you bastard... ahh!" Anxin writhed on the sheets. Goosebumps broke out across his entire skin. The sensation of a wet tongue exploring his most private parts felt completely humiliating, dirty, and threw whatever sanity he had left right out the window.
Sangwon looked up briefly, his gaze completely darkened by a thick haze of lust. "Nothing is dirty here, sweetheart... you taste amazing, so sweet," Sangwon whispered darkly before burying his face right back into Anxin's crotch.
Anxin felt the hairs on his neck stand up. A wave of disgust flooded his mind, but on the flip side, he couldn't stop the non-stop moans spilling from his mouth as Sangwon's warm tongue kept playing and messing around with his entrance, which was beginning to slick up naturally from the stimulation. At this point, Anxin was completely spent, collapsing limply onto the mattress, stripped of all his strength. He realized his one fatal mistake tonight: he had heavily underestimated Lee Sangwon.
The guy who always looked like a weak, quiet, awkward nerd on campus was nothing but a wolf in sheep's clothing. Underneath those baggy clothes, Sangwon possessed incredibly toned, rock-hard biceps capable of locking Anxin down without a single opening.
After prepping the sensitive area with his saliva, Sangwon lifted his slick face. "Wanna taste your own leaks, hm?" Sangwon asked, his voice incredibly raspy.
Anxin shook his head frantically, his eyes welling up with tears of fear and absolute disgust. "No... I don't want to... stop..."
But Sangwon didn't care about his rejection. He leaned forward and instantly smothered Anxin's lips in a deep, wet kiss. Anxin's eyes blew wide open as he tasted the salty, wet flavor of his own fluids being forced from Sangwon's mouth straight into his own. Anxin's mental defenses shattered into a million pieces.
While keeping Anxin's mouth locked in a vicious kiss to smother his screams, Sangwon shoved two fingers straight into Anxin's entrance, which was already slicked with spit. Anxin jolted violently on the bed. His body went rigid, feeling an entirely foreign, bizarre, and incredibly sharp pain as an object invaded his untouched body.
Sangwon's fingers kept moving actively, stretching Anxin's entrance with fast in-and-out thrusts. It didn't take long before Sangwon added a third finger, forcefully stretching Anxin's elasticity to make him ready for his cock.
Tears poured down Anxin's face. He truly had no strength left to fight back. In his head, he felt completely ruined and soiled from being violated by this psycho bastard. But every time a vision of his battered friends downstairs flashed in his mind, Anxin steeled his resolve. For his own survival and to make sure his friends got out of this living hell safely, he had to swallow his pride. He would let Sangwon do whatever the hell he wanted tonight.
Feeling that Anxin was open and ready enough, Sangwon pulled his three fingers out with a wet, erotic sound. He looked down, stroking his own length, which was fully engorged, veiny, and ready to snap. Without using any artificial lube, relying entirely on the natural slick and spit prepping the entrance, Sangwon lined up the tip of his cock right against the opening.
Sangwon started pushing himself inside slowly. An agonizing pain, like his body was being ripped in half, slammed into Anxin's consciousness. To vent the excruciating pain along with the rage and disgust swelling in his chest, Anxin's free left hand clawed at Sangwon's sturdy back with everything he had. His nails dug deep, leaving several bloody scratch marks across the man's back.
"Anghhh! It hurts... you b-bastard... stop!" Anxin panted, his body trembling from the assault below. "I can't take it... yours is too big... it's not gonna fit... anghh!"
Sangwon let out a low growl at the feel of Anxin's nails digging into his back, which only fueled his arousal further. "It'll fit, babe... just endure it a bit," Sangwon whispered, his eyes pitch black.
Without giving Anxin any time to adjust, Sangwon slammed his hips forward in one powerful, heavy thrust. Sangwon's massive dick buried itself completely inside, bottoming out deep within Anxin.
"AAAKKHHHH!!!" Anxin threw his head back, his eyes bulging wide as a piercing shriek of pain ripped right out of him. His body arched rigidly on the mattress. He cried uncontrollably, feeling his entire insides completely crushed by the foreign mass stretching him apart. A searing, tearing sensation burned through his lower half.
Sangwon, completely past his patience, didn't give Anxin a moment of peace. He immediately began pumping his hips back and forth, driving inside Anxin in a rapidly picking-up pace.
Unaccustomed to the size and rough friction, Anxin felt dominating pain with every slam. Clutching Sangwon's shoulders, he begged hoarsely through his tears, "Please... hngh... slow down... Sangwon, I'm not used to this... it hurts..."
"No time to go slow, babe," Sangwon panted, staring down at Anxin's crying face, which looked incredibly sensual to him. "I'm going to make you feel absolute bliss."
The wet, messy sound of their hips colliding echoed crudely throughout the room. Anxin's body bounced upward every single time his entrance was thoroughly wrecked by the relentless, heavy thrusts of Sangwon's cock. At first, it was pure torture, but as time went on, the burning pain slowly began to blur with a strange, intense jolt of pleasure. The friction against his sweet spot deep inside made Anxin completely lose control of his voice. His moans started pitching higher and higher.
Sangwon leaned down, licking and biting Anxin's neck to leave more ownership marks, while his lower half kept pounding with overwhelming lust. After lurking in the shadows for so long, he was finally sleeping with the person he was utterly obsessed with.
Sangwon's heavy thrusts kept tearing through Anxin's defenses. The bedroom was now filled with a messy symphony of sensual moans, deep groans, and the crude, wet slapping noises of slick friction between their thighs.
Anxin’s body was slowly consumed by the skyrocketing lust, unconsciously getting turned on. As his primal instincts flared up, he intuitively moved his own hips, taking every thrust so Sangwon's massive dick could ride even deeper, bottoming out completely against his deepest walls. Filthy, unedited moans spilled from him without a shred of shame, filling the entire iron room.
To chase an even better angle, Sangwon flipped their positions several times. He turned Anxin onto his hands and knees, pounding him from behind at a much harsher angle, leaving Anxin clawing at the bedsheets with desperate whimpers. Every new position felt like a blissful torture that made Anxin moan loudly, to the point where Anxin even selfishly begged Sangwon to move faster to satisfy the burning itch deep inside him. "Faster, Sangwon... ahh! Hit it harder... hurry up!"
Until at one point, Sangwon shifted their position again. He sat up against the headboard and pulled Anxin's body right onto his lap to face him, with Anxin's legs straddling and wrapped tightly around Sangwon's waist. As Anxin slowly lowered his body and swallowed Sangwon's cock whole in this sitting position, Anxin gasped, his eyes widening. This style made Sangwon's cock plunge absurdly deep, hitting the deepest part of his stomach with incredible pressure.
Guided and held by Sangwon's hands locking his waist, Anxin started riding up and down on Sangwon's lap. The pain in his injured arm and leg was temporarily wiped out by the massive flood of endorphins and dopamine hitting his brain. Anxin was now completely lost in the filthy game, moving in a wild rhythm because he had to admit—Sangwon's massive cock felt incredibly good and satisfying inside him.
Sangwon thrust his hips upward to add power to each hit, while his hands reached around to roughly squeeze and knead Anxin's ass, leaving dark red finger marks. While letting Anxin dominate the movement on top of him, Sangwon kept peppering hot kisses across Anxin's chest, neck, and sweat-and-tear-stained face.
The upright pounding lasted for a long time until Anxin finally felt his energy hit rock bottom. His breathing was heavily ragged, his thighs trembling and completely exhausted from supporting his own weight. Seeing Anxin slowing down, Sangwon immediately seized full control. He grabbed Anxin's waist in an iron grip, and with his superior strength, he forcefully jackhammered Anxin up and down at high speed, completely destroying Anxin's entrance without an ounce of mercy. Both of them were now right on the edge, closing in on a burning release.
Sangwon then flipped Anxin flat onto his back again, pinning him down for the final stretch. Both moved frantically, chasing the peak climax that was right within reach. Sangwon jackhammered inside Anxin at maximum speed, his thrusts becoming completely feral and heavy. Anxin's body thrashed violently on the mattress, his head shaking side to side as endless, long moans tore from his swollen lips.
"Ah... ah... Sangwon... nggh... I'm gonna cum... ahh!" Anxin shrieked, his eyes completely glazed over.
Sangwon let out a deep roar, the veins in his neck and forehead bulging wildly. He could feel the inside of Anxin's entrance twitching violently, clamping down on his cock in an incredibly tight, pleasurable vice that squeezed his climax out. Sangwon drove inside with a few last, brutal thrusts until the peak—
"Ughh..." Sangwon groaned heavily in a deep baritone as his entire body went rigid.
He shot a massive, hot load of semen directly into the deepest part of Anxin's hole. Closing his eyes, Anxin felt the warm sensation spreading and filling him up as the fluid was pumped straight into his core.
After the storm of lust settled down, both lay completely limp on the bed, their breathing heavily out of sync. Their bodies were slick with a mix of sweat. Sangwon stayed pinned on top of Anxin for a few moments, soaking in the post-climax warmth before slowly pulling his length out of Anxin's entrance once he felt the leak stop.
Anxin lay still, trying to piece his consciousness back together. In a hoarse, weak voice, he stared at Sangwon. "Sangwon... you're keeping your promise, right? Let me and my friends go... and keep your mouth shut about tonight?"
Sangwon turned, looking down at Anxin with a gaze that had returned to calm yet absolute dominance. He reached out, gently brushing away Anxin's damp bangs. "Yeah, I keep my word. Your friends walk out of here alive this morning. And I won't leak your little heist or any of your gang's past criminal activities. You can relax."
He leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to Anxin's forehead. "And I won't force you to be mine completely tonight. Why? Because after tonight... I'm absolutely sure that one day, you'll come to me on your own, willingly giving up your entire body and life straight into my hands.'"
In his mind, Anxin internally snapped with venomous hatred. In your fucking dreams, you bastard! Like hell I ever would! Not in a million years! This is a one-time thing just to save my friends' lives; after this, I'm going to ruin you!
But his dark daydream instantly shattered the moment he felt something getting hard and rigid right between his thighs again. Anxin looked down in absolute horror, only to find Sangwon's cock already fully erect and rock-hard in a matter of seconds, pressing right back against his inner thigh.
Sangwon flashed a terrifying, filthy smirk again as he locked eyes with the wide-eyed Anxin. "Oops... my cock isn't satisfied yet, babe. So... let's get started on round two. You've got me completely ravenous tonight."
Anxin shook his head frantically, his face paling from sheer exhaustion. "N-no... I don't want to... stop! Sangwon... I'm tired!"
But all his headshakes and protests were completely useless. His limp body was pinned down once more, his thighs forcefully pried wide open, and for the next few hours until dawn broke, the gang leader was helplessly and brutally fucked by Lee Sangwon's demonic lust, with absolutely no way to escape.
———
Dawn broke, replacing the darkness of the night with faint streaks of light cutting through the luxury house's vents. The mechanical bunker system seemed to have opened automatically as morning arrived, but the atmosphere inside the room where Anxin's friends were kept felt incredibly tense.
Xinlong was the first to open his eyes. A massive headache instantly slammed into him, followed by an agonizing burn from the stab wound in his thigh. He groaned in pain, trying to move his hands, but the nylon ropes were still cruelly wrapped around him.
"Sanghyeon, Kaiwen, Woojin... wake up..." Xinlong's voice was raspy and raw, choking up in his throat.
Kaiwen and Woojin slowly drifted awake. The moment their consciousness returned, a wave of grief and horror instantly washed over them as they saw each other's state. Kaiwen's face was badly swollen with dark blue bruises, while both of Woojin's cheeks were marred by dried, crisscrossed cuts, making him look absolutely pathetic. Tears leaked from their eyes, mourning their grim fate.
In another corner, Sanghyeon was still completely knocked out from shock and the excruciating pain in his leg. Kaiwen, using whatever strength he had left, tried to move his battered body and yelled frantically, "Sanghyeon! Wake the fuck up, bastard! Wake up!"
Woojin looked left and right, trying to notice what was missing from the room. His heart suddenly began to race wildly. "Where the hell is Anxin?!" he panicked.
Panic instantly gripped the three of them. They realized their leader was missing. Looking at their own battered states, they couldn't even begin to imagine the kind of torture Anxin was facing, especially since Anxin was the leader. They were terrified that Anxin had been killed or mutilated by the psycho.
Kaiwen's screaming finally woke Sanghyeon up with a harsh wince. The very first thing out of Sanghyeon's mouth as his eyes widened in panic was, "Anxin... is Anxin back?!"
"We don't know! Where is he?!" Xinlong asked, bursting into tears again.
Sanghyeon swallowed hard, remembering the last thing that happened before he got knocked out. "Last night... last night Sangwon took Anxin to another room. That psycho said... for Anxin, the torture was going to be different. Damn it, what if Anxin..." Sanghyeon couldn't even finish his sentence, his chest tight with overwhelming guilt and anxiety.
The door swung wide open. Lee Sangwon stepped inside completely relaxed. He was clean and neatly dressed, even though the bruises on his face from last night's hits were still highly visible. He stood before the four bound teenagers, looking down at them with absolute disdain—as if they were nothing but a pile of trash littering his house.
Seeing Sangwon walk in, whatever braveness this badass gang had left completely dissolved. This time, they immediately begged for mercy, their voices shaking.
"Sangwon, where is Anxin? We are incredibly sorry... please don't do anything to Anxin..." Kaiwen blubbered, crying out. "Anxin is our gang's pride and joy... he's everything to us!"
"Yeah, Sangwon, please have mercy on us... let us go..." Woojin pleaded pathetically.
Sangwon let out a soft scoff, crossing his arms over his chest. "Your princess... I mean, your leader, is perfectly safe with me. Relax, his physical state isn't a battered, pathetic mess like yours," Sangwon said in a chilling, cryptic tone.
He took a step closer, making the four of them reflexively flinch back. "Because of Anxin... you all get to walk out of here alive this morning. And I'm going to keep my promise not to leak your little heist, including all the past crimes you've pulled on your previous victims. I'll keep my mouth shut."
His eyes went cold as he stared at the bruised faces in front of him. "If it weren't for Anxin playing by my rules, I would've killed you all and dumped your corpses in the mountains. So, don't you ever fuck with me again."
Sangwon stepped up, roughly grabbing Sanghyeon's chin, forcing him to look up. "You all thought I was just some weak, awkward, friendless, nerdy loner who was easy to bully on campus, right? Now that you've seen who I really am... do you still think I'm weak, huh?!"
The four of them frantically shook their heads in unison, their eyes radiating sheer terror.
"No, Sangwon... no... we promise we'll never bother you again," Xinlong sobbed, begging.
Sanghyeon added with a trembling voice, "I promise... our gang will never mess with you again. In fact... our gang will back you up and protect you if anyone from your year tries to bully you on campus. We promise, just let us go..."
Hearing the sweet promises born out of pure terror, Sangwon flashed a satisfied smirk. He let go of his grip, then pulled out his dagger to cut their ropes one by one.
Once the ropes were off, despite their broken bodies and bruised faces, the four managed to get up. They hobbled out of the room with incredibly shaky steps. Sanghyeon had to clutch his badly injured leg, while Xinlong was supported by Kaiwen since he could barely walk from the stab wound in his thigh.
The moment they reached the main entrance, they froze. Anxin was already standing there. Right by his feet lay the large backpacks containing all the looted antiques and cash from last night—everything returned untouched.
"Anxin!" Sanghyeon surged forward with everything he had and hugged Anxin tightly, letting out all his guilt. "Are you okay? Are you alright?"
The four of them instantly swarmed Anxin, checking his entire body, looking for any tears or bruises on his face. Just as Sangwon had said, there wasn't a single mark on Anxin's face, though he looked completely drained and his eyes seemed entirely hollow.
Anxin averted his gaze, looking at the pathetic states of his friends one by one. A suffocating wave of guilt hit Anxin's chest as he stared at the ruined faces of his most trusted people.
Sangwon walked up from behind, standing tall near the main door. "You can leave now. And take all your stolen goods with you, which isn't even a fraction of my wealth. As promised to Anxin... I will keep my mouth shut and forget tonight ever happened."
Anxin stared at Sangwon, hiding the storm of emotions inside him. "Thank you... for keeping your word,"
"We're leaving, Sangwon... and once again, we're sorry for underestimating you," Woojin said, bowing deeply, followed by the others who were now completely submissive to Sangwon.
They began walking out one by one toward their black van parked in the driveway, which was now lit by the morning sun. Sanghyeon, Xinlong, Kaiwen, and Woojin walked ahead, carrying the heavy bags of loot with whatever strength they had left.
But right as Anxin was about to step past the threshold, a warm hand suddenly grabbed his wrist in a tight grip, stopping him dead in his tracks. His friends kept walking toward the vehicle, completely oblivious.
Anxin slowly turned around, staring at Sangwon. "What now?"
Sangwon didn't let go of his grip. He stared at Anxin's face with an intense gaze that instantly sent shivers down Anxin's spine. "Nothing... I just wanted to look at you for a second," Sangwon whispered, his voice softening yet sounding incredibly chilling. "Take good care of yourself after this, Anxin... because before long, you'll be carrying my child."
Anxin's blood ran cold. His heart hammered wildly against his ribs as a wave of pure horror crawled up his spine. Sangwon's words felt like a curse tearing at his sanity. "W-what the fuck do you mean by that?!" Anxin demanded, his voice shaking as he pressed for an answer to that absurd sentence.
But Sangwon didn't reply. He only offered a mysterious smile that radiated pure victory.
"I'm a guy, you idiot, how the hell could I get pregnant?!"
Sangwon only smiled at the curse, looking like a literal devil in Anxin's eyes.
"Anxin! Hurry up and get in the van!" Sanghyeon yelled from a distance, waving his hand.
Anxin ripped his hand away, breaking Sangwon's grip, and without looking back, he bolted toward the van and hopped right inside. At the threshold of his luxury mansion, Lee Sangwon stood tall with a lingering smile, watching the black van carrying Anxin's gang slowly drive away from his estate.
On the ride home, the vibe inside the van was incredibly quiet and heavy, a sharp contrast to their departure last night. Sanghyeon focused on driving while fighting the pain in his leg, while the others sat in the passenger seats with their heads hanging low.
Kaiwen, who had been holding in his curiosity, finally spoke up, turning to look at Anxin sitting in the front passenger seat. "Xin... I gotta ask. What exactly did you do last night to make that psycho let us all go alive, return the loot, and even promise to keep his mouth shut?"
Anxin balled his hands into fists over his thighs. He stared out the window, refusing to lock eyes with his friends. "Nothing you guys need to worry about," Anxin replied as flatly as possible, trying to mask the tremor in his voice. "I just negotiated with him. I promised our gang would back him up and defend him on campus if anyone else tries to bully him. That's all."
His friends nodded, buying the story and letting out sighs of relief, completely clueless about the sickening sacrifice Anxin had actually made.
Woojin, who had been busy scrolling through his phone, suddenly cleared his throat, breaking the tension. "Guys... I just got some solid background info through my old man's private network about Lee Sangwon's family."
Everyone in the van instantly locked their eyes on Woojin.
"Turns out... the rumors are true, but way worse," Woojin said with a dead-serious face. "Sangwon's late parents weren't just ordinary science professors; they were high-ranking members of a top-tier mafia syndicate. His parents originally wanted Sangwon to major in science to continue their dark lab research, but Sangwon refused and chose his current major at our college instead. But... since he was a kid, Sangwon was trained and had an insane talent for mixing chemical compounds, paralytic gases, drugs, and even torture tactics. That's why his house's security system is so mental."
Sanghyeon let out a soft sigh, keeping his eyes on the road ahead. "Whatever... I don't give a shit if he's a mafia kid or what. The main thing is, after this... I just want to forget the fucked-up things that happened to us tonight. Let's just consider this a bloody lesson for us."
The others nodded in agreement. They all tacitly agreed to bury the horrific memories of that luxury house deep down.
Since that hellish night, everything completely changed for the five of them.
When they went back to their usual campus routine, they frequently crossed paths with Lee Sangwon in the hallways, the library, or the cafeteria. In the eyes of others, Sangwon still looked exactly the same—an awkward guy in baggy tees, a nerd, keeping his head down while walking, a loner who still occasionally got targeted by other bullies.
But to Anxin's gang, the vibe was a complete 180-degree flip. Every single time they crossed paths, a wave of terror and anxiety stabbed at their chests. They knew exactly what kind of demon was hiding behind that nerdy mask. True to their word, whenever someone tried to mess with Sangwon, Anxin's gang would swiftly step in front of him to defend and protect him, leaving everyone else completely baffled by the badass gang's sudden shift in attitude. And every time he was defended, Sangwon would only look down, pretending to be scared, but his eyes would secretly dart toward Anxin with a smug, satisfied glint.
As for Anxin himself, his life was never peaceful again. Sangwon's very last words before he walked out of that house kept playing in his head like a broken cassette tape every single night.
Anxin always shuddered in pure terror whenever he recalled those words. He was scared... he was genuinely terrified that Sangwon's crazy statement might actually come true one day. He feared that the aftermath of that night, or the psychological manipulation Sangwon was pulling, would eventually break him down until he actually threw himself straight into Sangwon's arms.
Even though they hadn't had any intense interactions since the incident at Sangwon's house besides secret eye contact on campus, the fear haunting his every breath completely robbed Anxin of his peace for the rest of his life.