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This wasn't what you wanted. All you wanted was to help your friend who seemed to be troubled as of late due to the overwhelming stress in his life. Jumin was sweet and just wanted to keep you safe from the potential threat of the hacker; that's what you wanted to believe, but this house-arrest was getting too out of hand. This wasn't right, nor was it healthy for either you or Jumin. You still had to handle things for the party, plus you didn't like being kept inside against your will. Being locked up inside Jumin's penthouse aggravated you. It made you on edge, remembering things you wanted to forget.
"You're not allowed to leave."
"But why?" you had asked, confused, as you stared at the young man whose smile seemed to lack the familiar warmth that you had come to know.
"Because I love you. You understand that, right? If you love me too, then you'll do as I say. ...You do love me, don't you?"
You flinched at the memory of your past boyfriend. It was an absolute struggle to find it in yourself to leave him and his manipulative ways, and even though it's been years since then, all the emotions of guilt, fear, and anger came rushing back whenever you were put into a situation where you had no say. No voice. Jumin keeping you inside the penthouse without listening to your pleas brought back unpleasant memories.
You had no choice but to lash out. You weren't going to go through that hell again. That was what you decided, but the corporate heir had power and made it difficult for you to act of your own accord. Your stress levels were at an all time high now, and even if you wanted to try to understand Jumin, you just couldn't. You were battling against your own demons while Jumin was battling his own, and this just wasn't working out.
You couldn't stay here; otherwise, you might end up going insane. You've tried sneaking out and escaping a few times before since desperately begging didn't seem to work, but the raven-haired male seemed to have talked with his security to make sure that you safely stay put. Eventually, you realized how futile it was and quietly accepted defeat. You didn't want this, you didn't want this, you didn't want this.
You wanted to go home, or if at least not that, then Rika's apartment was good too. Just somewhere where you didn't feel like you were suffocating. A text alert from your phone broke you out of your miserable thoughts, and your eyes lit up when you saw that it was from Zen. He was so incredibly sweet and understanding throughout this whole ordeal. His constant reassurances in the messenger helped lighten the weight on your shoulders. You were sure that if it wasn't for him, you would have snapped by now.
Zen was different from how Jumin was acting right now and from your ex-boyfriend. The actor was caring and considerate. He wasn't overbearing, and though he did get extremely passionate about certain subjects in some cases, he never pushed himself onto you. He never tried to make you feel bad or guilty, and he always respected the decisions you made, even if he didn't agree with some of them. Overall, Zen was just... Well, Zen was Zen, and you couldn't help but like that about him.
You responded to the actor's text with a smile on your face, happy to find momentary reprieve from your situation. Then, almost as though deciding a simple text wasn't enough (protip: it wasn't), Zen decided to call you immediately after you had sent one, and you answered your phone with haste.
"Are you okay?" came his usual concerned question.
"No," you breathed out, answering him truthfully this time. Before, you would have lied so as to not trouble him when he was so busy himself, but you've had enough and needed help. "I want to leave. I can't stay here anymore..."
You heard Zen click his tongue. "I knew it! That jerk... Treating you like that... Just who does he think he is?!"
"A rich corporate heir," you answered wryly and bitterly.
"Babe, please," Zen sighed on the other side of the phone. "That still doesn't give him any right to keep you there against your will. You don't deserve that—nobody does!" You brought up a hand to your mouth to muffle your sob at Zen's kindness and your overall complicated situation, but the actor still caught it. "A-Are you crying?"
The young man sounded panicked, and you put your phone far away from you to let out a shaky breath before bringing it back close to your ear. "No," you lied.
"You are! Babe, I'm an actor; I can hear it in your voice!" You heard Zen curse under his breath. "If things are that bad, then I'm just going to have to kidnap you away. Wait for me, I'll be there as soon as I can!"
All you heard was some shuffling from the line before Zen dropped the call, not giving you a chance to ask about what he meant, but then it dawned on you. Freedom. Zen was going to help give you your freedom back, and hope bloomed in your chest. You quickly got up from the bed and started getting ready. If Zen was going to "kidnap" you as he promised, then you needed to be prepared by the time he arrived.
You had just finished getting ready and headed to the door to wait for Zen the Knight when you heard arguing just outside. "I'm sorry, but we can't let you in," you heard the security guard firmly stand his ground.
The other voice, you immediately recognized it as Zen's. "She may not be allowed to leave, but that doesn't mean I can't come inside!"
You opened the door, and the two men who were staring each other down turned to look at you. The moment Zen's eyes laid upon your form, he reached out his hand, grabbing your wrist and pulling you to run. The security guard was stunned silent for a moment due to how quick the young man was, but he eventually snapped out of it. "Hey! Wait!"
Zen didn't listen and continued running, pulling you along behind him as he turned his head around and shouted, "If Trust Fund Kid has a problem, he knows where to find me!"
The actor didn't let up. He ran down the hall where he eyed the elevator, debating, before speaking to you, "Elevators take too long, plus there's a risk of getting caught when it arrives. We'll go by the stairs instead."
Your eyes widened at the young man's proposition. "Are you insane?! Do you even know what level we're on? You're crazy! There is absolutely no way—"
Zen threw his head back as he laughed. He turned his head to face you, a challenging grin on his face. "Watch me."
That was enough to make you shut up, but then there was another problem that came up to mind. "Zen, I can't run that fast or that long—"
Without another word, Zen gave you one strong pull towards him before his arms dipped down to sweep you off your feet. You shrieked when he suddenly decided to carry you bridal style, and you instinctively wrapped your arms around his neck for support in fear of falling off. You felt Zen's chest rumble as he laughed, the exhaled breaths tickling your ear. "Don't worry babe. I got you."
Your cheeks flushed when you could practically hear the flirtatious wink in his voice. Without slowing down, Zen kicked open the door for the stairway and started running down. He jumped, skipping a few steps and landed with pure grace, whereas you were screaming. "Jesus fucking Christ!! Zen, you're going to break your fucking legs!"
You were in absolute hysterics at Zen's reckless behaviour, and you didn't bother filtering your words, too overwhelmed with all sorts of emotions at once. The actor laughed once more. He was enjoying every last bit of this. "Don't worry," he reassured you. "I do all sorts of stunts in my musicals all the time. This is nothing! Plus, I heal ridiculously fast."
To your utter surprise and bewilderment, Zen had managed to carry you down all the way down to the ground floor. He kicked open the doors again and ended up garnering the stares of several passerby, but he ignored them. The young man ran to his motorcycle and set you on it. He secured an extra helmet on for you before putting on his own and tucking away his hair. He hopped onto the vehicle, and the engine roared to life.
"Hold on tight!" you could vaguely hear Zen yell, and you tightly wound your arms around his waist for dear life before he sped off into the night, scenery blurring past you as the actor threw his head back and howled in delight. You couldn't deny that this was kind of fun, and you joined in too.
Soon enough, you arrive in front of a half-underground apartment that you could only assume was where Zen lived. The actor parked his motorcycle, and you took off the helmet before mounting off. Whether it was due to nerves or excitement, your legs wobbled, and you threatened to fall over; however, instead of the pavement, you ended up making contact when Zen's broad chest.
The young man wrapped his arms around you, steadying you. You brought your gaze upwards to look at him. Unsurprisingly enough, he was out of breath, and his cheeks were flushed as he looked down at you with so much warmth in his eyes. You eventually find your voice again, and you breathe out, "That was...exhilarating. Liberating! Holy shit!"
Zen chuckles at your enthusiastic response and moves a hand to stroke your hair. "I'm sure you've had enough of staying cooped up in a man's home. I have time; where do you want me to take you?
You find yourself melting at the actor's consideration, and you shake your head. "...I'm fine here. I'm fine here, with you."
Zen's hold on you tightens the slightest bit as he sputters, "I-I-I-I don't think I can trust myself..."
"But I trust you," you answer without skipping a beat, your lips naturally curving into a smile.
It seemed as though Zen's cheeks flushed a shade deeper as he turned his head to the side, letting out a low whistle. "Babe, you're going to be the death of me."
"Says my kidnapper," you snort, deciding to tease him. "You kidnapped me. Take responsibility." You paused for a moment and then turned your eyes downcast. "...I'm worried about Jumin though."
Now that you were able to take a moment to collect yourself, you couldn't help but be concerned for the corporate heir. You understood that he meant well, but you just weren't the right one to help him with his issues when you already had too much of your own to deal with. You felt Zen shrug his shoulders, prompting you to look back up at him.
"He knows where I live," Zen replied. "So he can deal with me personally if he has a problem. Plus Seven's already talked with V to have him talk some sense into that jerk."
"Ah, okay..."
Zen's expression softened, his hand traveling down to hold yours. "Come on, let's get you inside. You must be cold...I'll make you something warm to drink.