Archive of Our Own

You're not safe when it's dark outside.

Taeyang had been looking for a job for about a month now. Every time she left the interviews and the moon hid behind dark clouds, she couldn't shake off the feeling of something dangerous looming in the darkness that fell upon the cold, empty streets. She walked with confidence and suppressed the part of her brain that told her to run, to escape from the instant fear of being alone outside that wasn't exclusive just to her. Her day hadn't been great or successful but she didn't need someone else to put an end to her life, not today. Eventually, she arrived home.

A friend would be waiting for her in a few minutes and Taeyang had no plans on leaving her on her own at that time of day. She threw her purse onto her bed and went to the bathroom, fixing her makeup. She wasn't too big on partying, but she needed to forget about every failed interview she'd ever gone to. She could've used her time on cleaning up the mess that was her place, but getting some drinks sounded more rewarding.

She changed into a long black skirt and added a leather jacket of the same shade to her outfit, a plain white shirt underneath it. Once she was ready, she grabbed her purse and went back downstairs. There she was, her friend. Intak looked anxious, like she had been waiting for a few minutes and was starting to get a little impatient. Her face changed the moment she saw Taeyang, greeting her with a hug that the other liked very much.

“What took you so long?” asked Intak, pressing a kiss to Taeyang's forehead. In response, she rolled her eyes.

Thinking about staying home. Not wanting to see her. Choosing being alone over being with her right now. Ghosting her in person so she left. Too many options to choose from, so many ways to tease Intak.

“Oh, I was waiting for you to get kidnapped so I could go alone.”

Intak forced herself to laugh, very evident in her tone. Evident in the way she quickly looked to both sides of the street and lightly hit her friend's arm. Taeyang smirked, satisfied.

It was a Friday night, the club was unsurprisingly packed with young people drinking, dancing, talking and jumping. Music blared through the speakers and Intak’s arm wrapped around Taeyang's for safety. It was so easy to lose her at such places. The bartender was nice enough to give each a glass of water and a drink of their choice. Taeyang skipped the alcohol this time since she had to take care of Intak.

Now standing not too close to the crowd, Taeyang's intuition told her someone was staring at her. She looked for a pair of eyes and she found them. From one of the corners of the club, a young woman analyzed her with her gaze. Or, more likely, checked her out. She had short, black hair. Their heights were probably similar. Her eyes, sharp. But really, she didn't look menacing.

♰

Jiung spent every day at home. If she didn't, she was either buying basic supplies to live or out at parties, being strange and talking to nobody. Just standing there like she went into the wrong place. Like she shouldn't even be there in the first place because it looked forced.

She just enjoyed having her own space, zoning out or overanalyzing the space she was in. Not drinking anything, not doing anything. Wondering if those people that had so much fun would have as much fun as they did in there during their daily routine, their normal life.

Today wasn't an exception. She was there again. Nothing– No one interesting walked through the entrance door, Jiung felt slightly disappointed. Until someone caught her eye. 

Young woman, probably in her early 20s. Looked responsible, independent. Medium-length black hair in a ponytail, tall-ish. Perfect. She had found her, the person she was looking for. Jiung followed her with her gaze from afar, didn't stop until she was seen. Caught. Now was her chance.

♰

Next to Taeyang was Intak, she noticed she was lost in thought or something like that, a blank stare didn't say much.

“Is something up?”

“There's a girl staring at me. I'm trying to figure out if she wants me and is too scared to approach me or if she wants to eat me alive and not in the “cannibalism as a metaphor of love” way,” answered Taeyang. 

Intak had an idea. “She's pretty, do you want me to distract her and get information from her just to be sure?”

Taeyang couldn't help but laugh. Intak was really bad at hiding her desires. It was stupid in a way. “She's all yours, just be careful.”

With a nod, Intak confidently approached the woman. Jiung tensed up.

“Hey girl, I noticed you were looking at me and my friend,” she lied, “and I thought you were really cute, so… What's your name? Can I get you a drink? You're very pretty.” It was unlike Intak to act the same way men did whenever they wanted to fuck her or do things she'd rather not think about with her. She had to do what she had to do sometimes. Plus, she wasn't faking her words completely.

In the meantime, Jiung clasped her empty hands together, rubbing them to soothe her high levels of nervousness, anxiety. The attention made her uncomfortable, it was worse because the girl in front of her was pretty, but not as much as the one that had caught her attention in the first place.

“Uhm… Yeah, sure. I'm Jiung.” Her voice came out quiet, timid. “Yours?”

“I'm Intak. Pleasure to meet you.” She smiled, hoping she could charm Jiung while Taeyang saw the whole scene unfold, making sure nothing happened to her friend. 

Jiung was used to drinking alcohol, just not out there in public. Despite that, she got something she liked, there were many options and there was hardly any food or drink she didn't enjoy. Intak got a refill for her own glass. 

Their conversation had no specific order or structure. Intak just asked things and Jiung answered them with either a hum or the least amount of words she could use, robotically. Intak noticed she would hold intense eye contact at times, too intense to be normal. She didn't mind, that just made it easier for her to cautiously take something from beneath her sleeve and slip it into Jiung's drink, right in front of her. If only she looked a bit to the side, she would find out. How dense could Jiung be? A smile tugged at Intak's lips once her success was almost confirmed, pretending she was listening to whatever Jiung was saying at that moment. 

It was only after a few more minutes of chatter and flirting –from Intak's side exclusively– that they finally moved somewhere else. Well, not exactly. Intak practically dragged Jiung to the male's bathroom. Luckily for her, nobody was there to stop her from entering a stall with Jiung and locking the door shut. She was relieved to know there was a seat cover to sit on without being extremely disgusted by how unhygienic men could be, especially in such places.

Ever since a few minutes of their conversation passed, Jiung had been finding herself unable to focus on words and sentences, a bit disoriented to have a sense of where she really was. So, when Intak dragged her to the bathroom and she was suddenly sitting on one of her thighs, Jiung started to question what she was doing. But whenever a thought started to take form, her mind went blank. It was uncomfortable, weird. Unusual. Scary. She trusted a woman wouldn't spike another woman's drink, right? Not like she had ever tried any substances of the sort to be able to tell anyway. It was still suspicious, either way.

Jiung was snapped out of the incoherent rambling in her head when Intak opened her mouth to speak.

“Did I tell you you're really pretty?” It came out almost as a whisper, Intak placing Jiung's arms around her shoulders, her own wrapped around Jiung's thin waist. Intak was a bit stronger than her, it was easy to manipulate Jiung's body however she liked. Easy to keep her seated when Intak chuckled against the tender skin of her neck and Jiung shuddered because that's where she hated being touched the most, a physical reaction Jiung herself wouldn't be able to explain with words. Because she didn't want it, but her brain wasn't working properly and her limbs didn't have the strength they used to.

Jiung wanted to say something, say no. No, stop. What the hell are you doing? Instead, all she could do was barely connect letters together in her slurred speech. And cry, but the tears didn't come out. She had always struggled with crying whenever she felt like it, so that was definitely the only thing that was normal about this. Such a relief… sure.

Intak's teeth grazed her neck, her jawline. Her lips kissed her cheeks, different areas of her neck. In her daze, Jiung was sure she was probably leaving hickeys too. Either that or she was biting her and nearly ripping her skin off. Whatever it was, it didn't feel that good. Not as good as it could feel if it weren't happening against her will, maybe.

With her blurry line of vision, all Jiung was able to be aware of was Intak unbuttoning her jeans. The rest was, ironically and conveniently, a blur to her.

There was something about Jiung’s lack of self-awareness and response when Intak started gently gliding her fingers across her slit under her pants but not her panties that gave her a feeling of euphoria, of power and control. She touched, teased, played around with her and she never gave a proper response, just sounds that Jiung herself didn't even know she was making. So close to losing consciousness from the fear itself as well as the effects of the drug she had ingested that made her think her own body didn't feel hers at all. She wouldn't remember what Intak did and she'd rather it stayed that way.

♰

It had been minutes since Intak and Jiung disappeared from Taeyang's sight and they still hadn't returned, which started to make her worried. Not for Intak, even less for Jiung, but for herself. She was alone again, surrounded by people. There was something hypocritical about her, the constant paranoia of being followed by a stranger who was waiting for the right moment to take her somewhere away from the rest of the world mixed with her carelessness about whatever her –concerning choice of a– friend could be doing with that girl who, in reality, hadn't done anything to harm her. But she could. She probably would. That's what Taeyang would rather not believe, but it had to be true.

Relief. The hyper awareness of her surroundings left when she saw Intak return with an attitude she wasn't used to showing around Taeyang, she looked happier than ever. Taeyang sighed.

“That was amazing. Best thing that's happened to me in a long time,” said Intak as she fanned herself, pretending to be tired when she knew she could've been gone for longer.

“I was starting to worry you might've been overpowered by her,” Taeyang joked. Knowing how low those probabilities were, she thought it would be interesting if they ever found someone who was actually smart or strong enough to do so. Intak nudged her side and they had no better plan than to enjoy partying, to pretend nothing had happened.

♰

The following day, Jiung didn't know where she was. She didn't remember anything. The temporary amnesia didn't even let her remember what had been the cause, perhaps her own brain blocking memories also at fault. A voice behind her startled her and made her sit up. She was on a bed that wasn't her own.

“You're awake– Oh, sorry! Didn't mean to startle you. You're okay.”

Jiung couldn't tell if the person talking to her was on any of the sides of the binary, in between or outside of it. She'd rather not assume anything, she just knew the person was probably a teenager and didn't look too bad nor did they instill any fear inside of her. At least that was something good.

Noticing the pair of eyes staring at them with confusion, the person continued.

“My friends were out yesterday and they said a girl told them you nearly passed out and that it wasn't safe for you to stay at the club, so they decided to bring you to our shared apartment,” they explained, “I'm Jongseob, by the way. Are you feeling better now? What happened?”

Trying to listen to Jongseob's explanation and remember the events of the previous day was similar to trying to put together a puzzle with blank pieces. Nothing made sense and it was practically impossible.

Jiung sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. “Beautiful name, but I don't remember what happened. I do feel better, so I should go home now. Thank you.”

She still had the same clothes on and she felt more disgusted by the fact that not only had she slept on someone else's bed but she was still wearing the dirty clothes from yesterday too. She needed to get home and shower. Now.

“Are you sure? Wait, you should stay until–”

Jiung interrupted Jongseob. She didn't have time for this. 

“It's okay, trust me. Thank you, but I seriously need to go now.” She showed Jongseob a reassuring and appreciative smile, and got up. Then, after getting her things, she left the building.

So many things had happened in so little time that her mind was still trying to process everything. The empty spaces in her memory made her head hurt. It would be a miracle if the migraines hadn't killed her by the time she got home.

When Jiung arrived, she left her things in her room and rushed to take a shower. After the water touched her naked body, her day immediately became better. That was until the recollection of memories made her remember something. Someone. The attractive girl with black hair she had seen whose name she didn't know. Taeyang. She frowned, deep in thought. Was this another of her daydreams and shower thoughts or– No, it was a real person.

Jiung didn't remember Intak, but Taeyang. She didn't remember asking for her socials or her number either. Damn it. She had to find her.

Jiung got out of the shower once she felt clean. Right after being done drying herself and changing into comfier clothes for being at her cozy and organized home, she got to work.

Ever since she was little, she had developed a passion for hacking and entering restricted areas of information. The seed started to grow after YouTube's algorithm recommended videos of dumb people on the internet accessing secured data from the government and ending up in prison due to recklessness.

She didn't dare do such things yet, knowing there were more risks than benefits, but she would do more harmless ones. Such as finding Taeyang's Instagram by reverse image searching on posts from the well-promoted club they went to since she appeared in one of the posts which she had coincidentally uploaded to her own public account, messaging her through a specific account Jiung had for stealing people's credit card information and email address by faking the identity of a person who wanted to give her a new job offer through a fake website and accessing her emails after she tried to “sign up” with the same password just to find… a few messages about future job interviews. Jiung felt lucky she had sent the right phishing link and had actually convinced Taeyang she was legit. Nothing relevant at first sight, but there were addresses. That was all she needed to find her. Now all that was left was waiting for the set time of the interviews. People could be really careless about protecting their private information.

Jiung had to be cautious, Taeyang could recognize her if she saw her. That's why she chose to wear clothes that covered her entire body and some accessories to make only half of her face visible. It was cold, so she didn't look too out of place with said outfit. This could work.

It was around 3 in the afternoon when Jiung finally made her way to a jewelry store. She wondered if Taeyang had any knowledge on stones or if she was just there to work as a cashier. She had been standing near the entrance, pretending to check her phone, until she spotted Taeyang with the same hairstyle as the day before. Recognizable.

Taeyang had been to so many job interviews that it was like a routine to her, it was like they lasted longer and longer each time. It reminded her of the lessons she would get in class and she didn't have any interest, so an hour went by at the speed of a snail. It was robotic, rehearsed. When she left with a slightly successful result, she didn't even know what time it was. Strangely enough, her gut feeling urged her to move. She brushed it off as her usual feeling of unjustified paranoia and went to a café.

In the meantime, Jiung followed her every step, trying her best to stay undercover and as least suspicious as possible. She thought it worked since she was able to follow Taeyang to what she assumed was her house. Jiung wanted to push her inside and trap her, but she had to wait. She wanted to do other things first. Something more fun.

Back at home, with her newly obtained information, Jiung made an outline of her plan, which she would soon set in motion.

The day she had convinced Taeyang she would have another interview, Jiung went to her house when she expected to be alone, with free access to her place with the spare keys she had seen Taeyang leave under the rug in front of the entrance. Wow, she was a bit stupid, to be honest. Or maybe she just didn't care, which seemed more likely. Either way, Jiung wouldn't complain since that meant she could enter and go to Taeyang's room. 

She would've loved to take a close look at everything that was inside every room. Perhaps take some things from her she wouldn't miss. But she couldn't. Instead, she focused on installing a little camera on Taeyang's computer. Very hard to spot and impossible to cover with anything that might restrict its vision. Jiung felt her body flood with excitement, a rush of blood to her head that had her crazy with ecstasy from the thought alone of what she could see. Reluctantly, but satisfied, she abandoned Taeyang's house and went back to hers.

Now, all she had left to do was to connect to the device from her own computer and monitor Taeyang's activity.

♰

It wasn't until late at night, when Taeyang returned, that Jiung felt happy again. She looked as attractive and gorgeous as she (barely) remembered her. She looked so pretty. Jiung wished she could cross the screen with her arm and touch her, to make sure she was real. Her defined features, her figure, her signs of exhaustion after a long day of being left standing by a person who didn't even exist and that Jiung made up.

Before removing her makeup, Taeyang sat down by her desk and turned on her computer. Jiung was relieved to know she hadn't spotted the lens through which she was spying. Since she had access to her email account, she made sure to keep it open on her other monitor, checking if Taeyang was online. And she was. Probably reading the emails she had received that day while she was busy. Then she left. Returned with no makeup. She was really, really pretty. All Jiung could think about.

And then, the moment she had been waiting for. Finally, she could take a peek at what hid underneath her clothes. Soft skin, carved by a mighty creature, too foreign to this world to be seen as real. That's how Jiung would describe it. She didn't see it as an exaggeration, it was pure admiration.

Through the screen, it was easy to see the vision of a romanticized idea.

Not everything is as it seems.

♰

Jiung made spying on Taeyang her usual activity. Investigating every part of her life whenever she had the chance. Such obsessive behavior left her spending every day inside; opening Taeyang's social media, mail or just watching her. Watching her sleep, hang out with friends, spend time alone, exercise, read, lay in bed with someone else, touch herself. Everything. She saw everything. Except for when Jiung, inevitably, had to do any activity that involved taking care of her own health.

Jiung could be obsessive over people, but she would never in a million years leave aside her own issue with being overly clean and organized. There was a pattern.

And Jiung recorded everything when she couldn't watch, just so she could see it again while Taeyang was sleeping or outside.

However, after many days of doing the same thing over and over, Jiung's fixation on the stranger she had only met once worsened. She basically knew everything about Taeyang and Taeyang knew nothing about her. It was about time she did something about that. Going through her options, Jiung set her mind on one. Blackmail.

She had figured out Taeyang now had a job. She would hate to lose it so soon, wouldn't she?

Taeyang opened her Instagram private messages only to see the same person that left her hanging the other day contacting her again. Though the message this time was… definitely something else.

“I heard you found a job, congrats! But I think you need a warning, I found some stuff that might count as a breach of contract… :((”

Then, another one.

“Take a look at this. [link]”

Taeyang couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her own emails, audio recordings of voice messages she recorded in her own room where she disclosed confidential information she wasn't supposed to share to third parties. Didn't that count as a crime in itself? That information wasn't even a valid reason to fire her. Despite knowing that, she couldn't be 100% sure. She wanted to know who was behind this, too.

“What the hell do you want from me?” She questioned.

“Your attention.”

Jiung then sent another message.

“I like you.”

Taeyang wished she could see this weirdo in person and laugh in their face, then beat the shit out of them. Creeps had an eye for her, really.

“Do you know where I live?”

“Of course!”

“Then don't be a coward and show yourself.”

Taeyang had no other choice than to invite the unknown person to her house. She was mostly sure it was a guy, she had dealt with some of those freaks in the past and it wouldn't be much of a big deal for her since she put little to no worth to her own life.

On the other side of the phone, Jiung froze. What a thrilling yet terrifying idea. She really wanted to meet her and talk to her, but Taeyang's message didn't read as inviting as she'd like it to be. After much thought was put into it, Jiung concluded she had nothing to lose. She had spent about a month dedicating her life to her, thinking about her nonstop. So, what's stopping her? Nothing. No one. She could be alone with her and whatever could happen next had Jiung losing her mind.

“In two days.”

Jiung needed a day in between to plan everything, to write down every possibility and to mentally prepare. She had to plan her outfit and makeup, what she would bring, what she would say, how she would look at her, what compliments she'd give her and many things the regular human being doesn't think about on most occasions. She was so focused she even skipped looking at Taeyang for the day, she didn't have time. Only at night did she finish her mental sketch of what she expected the day to be like. A dream, an idea of something perfect. Of something impossible she wished could be possible. She would do anything.

She didn't sleep that night, her heart had been racing ever since she laid in bed. When the sun started to rise, that's when she got up. Jiung had to get ready as early as possible, make her eyebags invisible. She put on her cutest dress; navy blue in color and length that reached just above her knees. Jiung hadn't set a specific time, so she decided to visit at nighttime just in case, to give Taeyang more time to get ready and make herself beautiful for her. Only for her.

When Jiung arrived at her place, she rang the doorbell and waited with a patient smile. The door opened after a few seconds to Taeyang’s serious expression, eyes widening once she recognized the familiar face standing right outside her house. That girl. It was her? It had been her? No way. Taeyang laughed in disbelief.

“You're the one who texted me?” It was obvious, but she still wanted to confirm it.

Jiung nodded shyly. Now that Taeyang was in front of her, she felt more nervous than she'd ever been. Her eyes couldn't stop roaming all over Taeyang's frame under the casual comfy clothes she wore. She looked pretty, no matter the difference in their clothing styles that day.

“Really?” Taeyang just couldn't believe it. Though she'd rather it be her than a man.

“Are you happy to see me?” Jiung asked. She truly wondered if Taeyang was enjoying the sight. After all, she did all that for her.

“Why don't you come in first?” A hand was placed on Jiung's back, guiding her inside. It sent a wave of excitement coursing through her body. Would Taeyang touch her like that when–

Jiung froze when, after closing the door, Taeyang placed one arm around her waist from behind and with her free hand held a knife to Jiung's neck. The edge of the blade pressed ever so softly against her skin, threateningly.

“Don't worry, I won't hurt you yet.”

Jiung kept her breaths slow and long, nodding to Taeyang's words. She didn't know if Taeyang had realized she wasn't as scared as she should be. Jiung found it hotter than scary, if she had to be honest. Thrilling.

With the knife still to her neck, Taeyang took Jiung to her room. She had seen it so many times she had everything memorized by now; every decoration, every empty space.

Since she lived alone, Taeyang just closed the door for a sense of privacy, but didn't lock it since she had her means to keep Jiung inside the room ready. Jiung fell onto the bed with Taeyang on top of her once she was pushed, Taeyang straddling her and trapping her under her body.

That was the only fraction of a second where Jiung felt genuine fear of the situation she had led herself to.

“Open your mouth,” ordered Taeyang. Jiung complied. The blade of the knife touched her tongue. It was sharp and cold. Scary. Made her powerless, made her submit.

“I don't know what your intentions are or if you just want revenge because of what Intak did, but you need to leave me the fuck alone, got it?”

Jiung had no clue what Taeyang was talking about, she hadn't tried to remember anything that happened that day. She didn't want to, she didn't need to. Taeyang removed the blade for an answer.

“No, I just thought you were pretty and I wanted to… to be close to you. To, uh, well. And I had no means to contact you, so I–” Jiung chuckled nervously.

“You sure know how to do a lot of stuff but to act like a normal person. It's interesting, really. Makes me feel pity for you.”

Taeyang smirked and placed the knife on her bedside table, out of Jiung's reach.

“I'm glad my intuition was correct. You do want to do something to me. You did something to me. But I think putting you behind bars isn't what you deserve, you know?”

For an instant, Jiung thought her feelings were reciprocated, that there was a pure soul behind Taeyang's dead stare.

“I think you need to see what happens when you try to do this kind of stuff. I found your little camera today, by the way.”

Jiung opened her mouth, but no words came out of it. Her mind was blank.

“And I hope you learn not to do any of that again, I don't give a shit if you do it to other people. Ah, what a shame to think you don't look too bad after seeing what you're capable of.”

Taeyang grabbed Jiung's face and forced her mouth open, Jiung didn't put up much of a fight. She gathered the saliva in her mouth and spat right into Jiung's. She gagged, with no other option but to swallow. Sure, she liked Taeyang, but she hated spit. How disgusting.

Just what Taeyang liked. To humiliate those who got in her way, preferably until they cried.

“Good girl.”

Taeyang's hand slid across Jiung's side, making her squirm away from the ticklish sensation until the hand stopped moving right when it reached her thigh. She grabbed the knife again and touched the area, seeing how Jiung gasped and slightly arched her back.

“People like you don't deserve to be a part of society.”

The knife made a trail downwards in the shape of a flower, a drawing. Taeyang knew better than to hurt her in such ways, it would ruin her fun. The item in her hand had the illusion of cutting with the lightest pressure, but it didn't. It shouldn't. Honestly, she could carve her name on Jiung's skin and she wouldn't mind. Too cliché, but nothing other than the truth. Jiung hummed when Taeyang's free hand touched her inner thigh, it was hard to believe she hated her with the way she was touching so gently. With how her index and middle finger paused for a second over her underwear to check for any signs of Jiung being wet –which she was– before patting the area without an intention of making her feel anything.

“Tell me about you, I don't bite,” she prodded. Tried to sound convincing, despite both of them recognizing that probably wasn't the truth at all.

“Jiung, 23, unemployed… uh.” That was all there was, she didn't really have much of what she would call a “life” if stealing from others didn't count.

“Right, I didn't even know your name,” she hummed, “it's cute. We're the same age, too.”

Destiny or whatever people called it. Taeyang shook her head as a reaction to her own thought.

“And what do you like to do in these situations? Do you like being praised? Maybe being forced into submission? Being tied? Or maybe stuff like this.”

The sound of a slap echoed across her room and a bit of the corridor. Taeyang smiled wide. Opposite to her, Jiung's lips were turned downwards, staring up at Taeyang in shock. Oh, but she did like it.

“I certainly do.” Taeyang did as well. Out of the sweet taste of revenge and taking advantage of a pretty woman who deserved it. After all, if she waited long enough, Jiung would've done the same to her at some point.

Taeyang was getting bored already, so she decided to finally get to it. “Let's take this off, shall we?” Almost like a caring girlfriend, she helped Jiung take her dress off. Except she wasn't caring because she didn't give a fuck about her.

She inspected Jiung's body for a moment before getting off of her lap and fixing her posture, leaning down until her face was close to her abdomen. Jiung was a bit small. She had a slim body, no extremely noticeable muscles to be seen. Overall, she looked fragile. Innocent if not for the previous knowledge she had of her.

Taeyang pressed her lips to her tummy and felt her breathing, tongue darting out to lick. Jiung smelled good. Like vanilla. Probably her body wash. Jiung's legs now rested on both sides of her body, invitingly. She didn't need the fake knife anymore, she threw it somewhere and, as she trailed upwards leaving sweet kisses, her fingers made a slow circular motion over her clit. The material of Jiung's panties pressed against her skin added to the sensation and she couldn't help but feel turned on. As she kept her fingers busy by alternating between touching over Jiung's folds and the area aforementioned, Taeyang's face ended up by one of her breasts. She removed her bra. They leaned to the smaller size, not by much. She had to admit Jiung was pretty.

Jiung had been quiet all this time, whining softly from time to time or humming, but no words were required when her face told Taeyang all she needed to make sure of. She was enjoying it. And if she hadn't noticed yet, then she definitely did when Jiung moaned after Taeyang played with her nipple with the tip of her tongue and barely touched it with her teeth once it was hard at the same time as her fingers added a bit more pressure and speed only momentarily to rapidly increase the pleasure just to take it away from her by going back to the normal pace. She meant to make Jiung desperate, so close to feeling good but never really getting there until she had a reason to give it to her.

“Please.” Jiung let out a plea with a weak voice. Taeyang's ears perked up at the word.

“Please what? Use your words.”

Jiung whined, closing her eyes and squirming.

“Touch me. Please, Taeyang.”

She could tell Jiung had used a certain tone to the way she called her name to try to seduce her or something of sorts. It didn't really work, but Jiung's eagerness did. She would have to give her some terms to agree to, however.

“And after this, you'll leave me alone.”

Jiung was about to shout. She managed to control herself.

“What? But I–”

“You will leave me alone. Remember I have many ways I can keep you away.”

After being threatened and thinking about it, Jiung was disappointed to admit Taeyang was right. If that's what she wanted, then she had to accept. It was for mutual benefit, despite the probable symptoms of something similar to withdrawal Jiung would have after dedicating an entire month of her life to a person she wouldn't see again. She tried to convince herself this made any sense to her.

“Okay…”

They had reached an agreement. This made Taeyang free of any remorse. She wouldn't hold back.

Without care, she ran her long nails across the inner side of Jiung's thigh, making her moan from the pain and the itchiness from the scratch turned to pleasure. Five red streak marks adorning her body. Taeyang reached Jiung's lips and signaled for her to open her mouth one more time. She did and Taeyang reached for Jiung's tongue with her own. Warm breaths mashing together, saliva pooling at the corners of Jiung's lips.

Taeyang tasted some quieter sounds on her mouth after Jiung started rubbing herself against Taeyang's fingers. She loved to see her lose control of herself slowly. But there was still something missing. So she stopped and took some distance from Jiung.

Jiung stared back at her, confused. “Why–”

Taeyang didn't even give her the chance to speak. “Shhh.”

She would have to see for herself. Without asking for Jiung’s permission, she tugged at the corners of her underwear and got her fully naked. As for herself, Taeyang sat down with one of her legs straight –which she patted– and the other one crossed, on the bed. Regaining the shyness she had recently lost, Jiung made her way to Taeyang and sat on her thigh.

“Like this?” She asked.

“I'll watch,” answered Taeyang simply. Watching took less of an effort, was easier for Jiung as well since she knew what felt good or bad and Taeyang could use the sight to give herself pleasure, too.

Jiung nodded and began to grind against Taeyang's leg. The contact of sensitive, wet skin against the soft surface of more skin was intoxicating, had Jiung shivering in seconds. The flame inside her body had been ignited already, her climax had been growing, but it wasn't quite there yet. Seeing Taeyang's leg get wet because of her as she held her waist and started touching herself with the other hand, leaving little to the imagination from the silhouette of her fingers under her clothes, definitely helped. She didn't go too fast, otherwise she would hurt herself, as much as she wanted to do it. Taeyang's free hand would then push her body down slightly, making the sensation more noticeable for Jiung as the urge to lose her self-control became more evident. 

If it hurt, then so be it. Jiung couldn't think straight anymore and she just chased her own orgasm, knees jerking and muscles contracting as she picked up speed and reached climax, panting. She moaned high-pitched and loud, it sounded almost like a whimper.

As her energy was drained, she noticed Taeyang still calmly rubbing herself.

“What? You wanna touch?”

Taeyang was nearly done too, so she let Jiung help with her hand and she felt her orgasm hit her barely two minutes later. Jiung was fascinated with the way her eyes fluttered shut and her brows furrowed. Her expression more beautiful than anything she'd ever seen.

“You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.”

Taeyang felt flattered. What a compliment to receive.

“Oh. Thank you. You're not too bad yourself.”

She smiled and caressed Jiung's cheek, making her feel loved, accepted. 

“You should get going now, it's getting late.”

Jiung had forgotten about it completely. About this being the second and last time she'd see Taeyang. 

“Ah, right.”

With a heavy sigh, Jiung moved off of Taeyang's leg and didn't even bother to clean. She wouldn't be getting any aftercare anyway, so why would it matter. She grabbed her belongings and got dressed. The process of leaving had been so quick it made her slightly angry at Taeyang. Jiung had done so much for her and that was her way of thanking her? Rude.

The way home was quiet, just Jiung alone with her thoughts. She reflected on everything that had happened until now and, honestly, it had been worth it. Her wish had been fulfilled and she was determined to find more people, potentially those who could grant her wishes with full consent instead of having to run after them like she did with Taeyang. Or at least that's what she'd think if she were rational and didn't crave for more moments with Taeyang and only her, nobody else.

She took a warm shower at her place and got ready for bed. Jiung had written in her diary the following words: “I finally made it, I think this could be the start of something new. Hopefully not the start of a criminal record… Haha.”

It was silly, almost like they weren't heavy topics and it was all just fun and giggles. If only. It wasn't much later after she got up from her desk that someone knocked on her door.

Maybe something had happened? Someone wanted help? There was no other logical reason to be knocking on a neighbor's– Jiung didn't remember this person. Wait. She did.

Intak was standing by her door.

“Hi.”

She was greeted with a smile, an eerie smile. It didn't help that all the memories she had been remembering at specific points of the month now all made sense together. Intak was Taeyang's friend.

Jiung didn't have much time to think, because Intak invited herself in and closed the door before lunging in her direction, knocking her to the ground.

“What is wrong with you?!” She was alone. She was alone and nobody could help her. Fuck.

“I could ask you the same thing.” Intak chuckled as she pinned her to the ground, revealing an object behind her back. Another knife, great. Why did they like them so much? Now was not the right time to be asking those questions.

“Wait!”

“Jiung, I want you to tell me one thing,” Intak spoke in a quiet tone, “how do you like your meat cooked?”

“What?” This had to be some sort of fever dream, “I don't care, I like them all.” And yet, she still answered.

“Oh, really?” Jiung could never have expected the words that left Intak's mouth after that, “I'll make sure you're cooked according to my tastes, then.”

Intak raised the knife. Jiung's eyes widened and her mouth hung open.

♰

When had she fallen asleep? Jiung's eyes opened to darkness. Her body tied to a chair, arms behind her back. Her throat and neck hurt, as if someone had added pressure for a short period of time with enough strength to make her lose consciousness. Had it been Taeyang? Her mind must've manipulated her own memories, because she didn't recall that happening. At least the wet dream had made her wake up shaken up.

A hand touched her chin, tilted her head to the side. Intak.

“Hi, cutie,” the pet name rolled off Intak's tongue softly, with hidden intentions.

Jiung's eyes slowly got used to the light, she was able to spot another figure in what seemed to be the only room she hadn't entered before. Taeyang was there, too. Her face lit up.

“Don't look at her, you don't deserve to steal glances from that woman.” Intak grabbed her head to keep it in place and kissed her, getting in the way of Jiung's view. As much as she tried to move away from her, she couldn't. It was of no use. Jiung moaned the moment Intak forced her way into her mouth, warm tongue tasting all of her with no intention of letting her go. 

Taeyang approached them, evident in the sound of footsteps, the sound of a chuckle.

“Intak took a liking to you, don't tell me you don't remember,” she whispered in Jiung's ear, sending shivers down her spine. Her voice was like a serenade, mellow. “You should show her you're grateful.”

A thin line of saliva kept Jiung's lips connected to Intak's as she took her distance and allowed her to take a few deep breaths, smiling. Her face wasn't intimidating at all, if not for the context they were in. Her features resembled those of a dog, cute and soft. Round. Her lips plump. In contrast, her words carried no sweetness. Blunt and honest. Disgusting.

“I've been wanting to see you again. Run my hands all over you while you cry for me to stop. Have Taeyang watch and make you feel better than she ever could.”

Jiung felt a hand slide between her thighs, her breath hitched. She panicked, there was no way of stopping Intak. Her voice was all she had.

“Stop.” An obvious complaint followed by momentary trembling. A soothing hand caressing her head.

“Just let her. It'll end the faster you let it happen.” Jiung shook her head. No, no, no. She wouldn't. But she tried and tried to free herself. Nothing. Just pain all over her wrists. Scratches and reddened skin.

“You can close your eyes and imagine it's me,” Taeyang added, always speaking in the way she guessed Jiung would like. And she was right, even this time.

Intak left her side and kneeled down in front of her, spreading her legs and keeping her face close to Jiung's waist, giving her puppy eyes and pouting innocently.

“You're ruining my fun! It was better when you didn't resist.” 

Jiung felt like there was a demon and an angel on both her shoulders; Intak being the demon and Taeyang the angel. The person she hated most on one side, and the one she loved most on the other. Impressive. Intak could kill herself, for all she cared.

Intak would like to do that to Jiung first.

A gasp got stuck in her throat, making her choke with her own spit and cough.

She wished her dream had been real and the knife that was now deep inside her thigh had been fake. Her vision faded for an instant, natural human response to fear. But there was nothing humane about any of them. The three of them.

The burning deep in her system didn't present itself until after a tickling sensation numbed her leg, intense heat spreading through the area, in contrast to the cold in her face. She was pale. The image of her dress stained with her own blood had Jiung close to losing consciousness again.

Intak twisted the knife in its place, Jiung had never been more awake. She felt too much, but very little at the same time, like it was literally being cut off her system.

Just then, did she see the wide smile on Intak's face. Sick, twisted. A sadistic person with nothing more than a deep desire to ruin someone else's happiness, to make them suffer.

“Oh my god, Intak.” Taeyang raised her voice. Not because she was startled or anything, but because her friend wasn't following the plan. “You know what? I'm not even going to try and stop you.”

The remaining pieces of hope Jiung had of being saved by her unrequited love shattered. A chuckle left her lips. Maybe she was destined to die by her hands.

“Are you having a good time?” 

Taeyang sat by her legs, close to the knife, grabbing it by the handle and pulling it out. That hurt more than the initial stab. Air flowing to the gaping wound, streaks of blood painting her skin, the object and Taeyang. Watching her lick her blood and taste it like a full-course meal shouldn't have been as hot as it was. Jiung whined, not knowing if she wanted to stop or if she wanted more.

Then, the weapon was put back into place. If she didn't die from blood loss, her wound would either become infected or she'd lose her leg entirely. There was no point in worrying about it now, as badly as it burned. As close as it was getting Jiung to lose her mind.

Intak stood behind Taeyang, walked to her side, kissed her. The scene unfolding in front of Jiung, obscene. Intak liked to touch a lot. She was jealous. Jealous Taeyang was letting her right as Jiung was sitting in front of them.

The girls weren't stupid, that's why they did it in the first place. After they broke the kiss, both turned to Jiung. Taeyang didn't waste a second, her lips met hers. Hungrily, devouring all that was left of Jiung's sanity. Bit her lips until she tasted metal, blood. Made her let out a breathy moan into the kiss.

She took the knife, slid the blade across Jiung's other leg. She laughed. Jiung whimpered, exhaled abruptly. She stabbed, and stabbed, and stabbed. Once, twice. 

Jiung couldn't feel her leg anymore. All she saw was blood and a glowing angel in front of her, covered in her fresh crimson blood.

An additional pair of hands massaged her shoulders. She squirmed in place, the grip tightened. Taeyang grabbed her face, pulled it so close their noses were squished together, in a way she could barely breathe.

Before she could get bored, Taeyang broke the kiss again, licking Jiung's lower lip teasingly. Then, three fingers dug into her fresh wound. She moaned loudly, more like the quiet form of a scream. Brows furrowed, eyes never leaving Taeyang's fingers that fucked into her opening. Not the one she preferred, but it still felt like it. It sent pleasure to her body the same way, had her head hanging low and squeezing her thighs together to get a sense of relief, make herself feel good.

“You're a pervert.” Jiung should've tried to defend herself against those claims, but no lies were told. And she liked it. She was anything Taeyang called her. Anything for her.

And suddenly, her mouth was filled with blood. Her lungs worked properly, yet the oxygen never left her body. Blood spluttered in Taeyang's face, down Jiung's neck and onto her dress. Every time she coughed, she lost strength. Every time, she spat blood. Tasted nothing but that same red liquid that resided in her. Her chest heaved, body leaned forward. Taeyang wrapped her arms around her. 

A deep cut on Jiung's neck.

“I'll visit you someday, don't worry,” she muttered. The volume of Taeyang's voice lowering drastically, so only Jiung could hear. I'm contrast to her soothing voice, her eyes looked at Intak with disappointment. Again, she wasn't following the plan and was acting on impulse.

As Jiung lost sense of her decreasing heartbeat rhythm, choking on her own blood, the last memory she would have of Taeyang was her smile. And one last kiss.

Taeyang wiped her face with her sleeve, pushing Jiung's limp, lifeless body back and standing up.

She sighed and stretched, made eye contact with a smiling Intak. Her expression too familiar to play dumb. There was something she wanted.

“Okay, I'll leave. I already told you she's all yours,” Taeyang spoke annoyed as she made her way to the door, then turned around. “At least make sure to clean when you're done.”

Then, she left. Taeyang would've loved to have more fun with her creepy yet pretty stalker, but some things just don't happen, and she never cared.

On the other hand, Intak was happy she could spend another night with Jiung. Just them. Alone. Her and the lifeless body.

Intak loved it when Jiung didn't resist.

You're never safe when it's dark outside.