☁️stay- seo moon-jo☁️
a/n: hello!! i know it’s been a while but im updated this fic finally hehe :) there is STILL one more part to kind of wrap things up so once ive edited it, i will post it !! anyways i hope you enjoy!!
warnings: blood, kidnapping, manipulation - it’s a strangers from hell fic so you probably know what to expect lol
Masterlist
parts 1-6 can be found here
Part 7
-3rd person p.o.v-
y/n didn’t know how long it had been. it was at least a couple of hours, the food miss eom had given her earlier was still on the floor- untouched.
y/n sat there, her back pressed against the cold, damp wall, the faint sound of her heartbeat thudding in her ears. her fingers trembled as they grazed over seok-yin’s bloodstained face, the sharp metallic scent of his wounds overwhelming. the dim light in the room flickered erratically, casting long, eerie shadows on the walls that seemed to shift and whisper.
her mind raced—how had it come to this?
her eyes scanned the space, searching for any possible escape. the room was bare except for seok-yun, the chair he was tied to, and the door. the walls were scuffed and cracked, and the window was too high up, impossible to reach.
her thoughts began to cloud with panic, but she shoved it down. focus. think.
the door, though locked, had a small window in the top corner. if she could just get to it, maybe she could—
her thoughts were interrupted by a soft noise from seok-yun. a low groan.
"seok-yun?" y/n whispered, her voice barely audible.
his eyelids fluttered, then slowly opened. his face contorted in pain as he took in his surroundings. his eyes found y/n’s, but they were distant, unfocused.
"y/n…”he rasped, his voice hoarse and broken. "you need to get out of here."
"i’m not leaving you," she replied firmly, though her voice cracked slightly. she couldn't leave him here. she couldn’t.
she leaned forward and tried to untie his hands, but the ropes were tight, and her fingers were unsteady. she was unsuccessful just as she was when she had tried earlier. she still continued to try though and as she worked, she could hear the sound of footsteps approaching, slow and deliberate.
there was no time.
her heart raced again.
the door handle turned, and y/n froze. deciding to just sit in the floor next to seok-yun just as she was earlier. the door creaked open just a fraction, and miss eom’s cold, calculating face appeared in the gap. "i see you're both awake," she said, her voice dripping with mock sympathy.
y/n or seok-yun didn’t answer. y/n’s eyes locked onto miss eom’s , a fire igniting in her chest. she wasn't going to let them break her.
not like this.
"i won’t let you do this," y/n spat, struggling to keep her voice steady, though the fear still lurked beneath the surface.
miss eom chuckled softly, stepping into the room with another tray of food, or what passed for it. "you think you have a choice?" she asked, tilting her head. "you think anyone's going to find you? you’re already forgotten. no one is coming for you"
miss eom then dropped the tray on the floor beside y/n causing the the plate to rattle loudly.
“feed your friend and eat" she commanded, her voice dripping with venom.
y/n glared at her, refusing to give her the satisfaction of seeing her broken.
she turned her attention back to seok-yun, the only person who still mattered to her in this twisted nightmare.
but before she could speak, the door slammed open wider, and a shadow filled the doorway. y/n’ breath hitched as she recognized him instantly.
moon-jo.
he stood there, his expression unreadable, eyes flickering between her and seok-yun. his usual silent, brooding presence was magnified in the dim room, and for a moment, y/n could have sworn she saw a flicker of something, guilt? regret?cross his face.
“why are you doing this?" y/n demanded, her voice shaking despite herself “why are you letting them do this?"
moon-jo’s gaze didn’t waver. he didn’t answer at first, his eyes lingering on her, then moving to seok-yun. he took a step closer, and y/n instinctively scooted back, fear creeping up her spine.
"don't..."she was barely able to choke out the words.
but then, unexpectedly, he spoke, his voice low “you don’t understand."
before y/n could respond, miss eom stepped in between them, her voice harsh and sharp “enough! we don't have time for this."
y/n’s eyes flicked between moon-jo and miss eom, trying to piece together what was happening.
"i don't care anymore” y/n muttered, a bitter edge to her tone.
miss eom leaned down, her lips curling into a grin. "you will. soon enough”
with that, she turned on her heel and walked out of the room, her laughter echoing down the hallway. the door clicked shut behind her, leaving y/n and moon-jo alone in the dim light.
y/n felt a knot tighten in her stomach.
she couldn’t tear her eyes away from moon-jo as he stood there, like a shadow cast in the dim light, offering nothing but silence. his presence filled the room with a suffocating weight, and she felt herself losing the will to keep fighting.
y/n decided to try and release seok-yun once more. he had passed out again and y/n’s hands fumbled with the ropes, but they were still too tight, too secure. she felt as though she had no strength left to pull them free.
“i’m going to get us out of here” y/n whispered still trying her best.
moon-jo didn’t move a muscle. he stood there, watching her, his eyes locked on hers with a coldness that sent a chill running through her bones. was he really this detached? did he see her as just another pawn in whatever sick game they were playing?
why don’t you speak?
her thoughts screamed at him, but the words stayed trapped in her throat. she didn’t trust him enough to say anything, not after everything she’d seen. But the longer she stared at him, the more she felt the weight of his silence pressing down on her.
after a few more attempt of trying to loosen the rope with moon-jo’ strong gaze burning into her she paused. she felt tears well in her eyes.
"are you going to just stand there?" her voice cracked as the frustration bubbled up inside her “ is this what you want? to see me break?"
he didn’t answer right away.
moon-jo took a step closer, his eyes narrowing slightly, but his movements were slow, deliberate, as if he was trying to gauge her reaction. the tension in the room grew thick.
“im getting out of here and you’ll regret all of this” y/n tried to sound brave.
moon-jo then squat down in front of her.
"you’re not going anywhere," he finally said, the finality in his words hanging in the air “not yet.”
y/n’ chest tightened. she wanted to scream at him, to demand answers, to force him to say something that would make sense of the nightmare she was trapped in. but as she looked into his eyes, she felt saw something she hadn’t noticed before. something soft, something buried deep beneath the walls he’d built around himself.
she shook her head, disoriented. why was she even thinking this?
just then, the door to the room swung open again, and y/n jerked back, startled. miss eom appeared, flanked by a few of the other residents ; nam-bok, ji-hoon. all of them wore smug, unsettling expressions.
moon-jo now stood up and he looked towards the other residents before turning back to y/n. suddenly, y/n was pulled to her feet. moon-jo held a firm grip on her arm and began to drag her out the room.
“no! let me go! seok-yun!” she yelled desperately trying to get out of his grip. her head kept looking at seok-yun he was still in his chair. his head slummed over still unconscious as the other residents surrounded him.
screams escaped y/n as moon-jo pulled her someplace else. another empty room.
the air in the room felt suffocating, thick with the tension that hummed between them. y/n’ body trembled, exhaustion seeping deep into her bones as her mind raced. moon-jo stood before her, his expression unreadable, eyes cold and sharp like a blade. every part of her screamed to break free from this twisted nightmare, to fight for seok-yun, to run.
but she couldn’t move.
not anymore.
she stared into his eyes, looking for the guy she at some point started to trust but all she found was the darkness, the part of him that she could never escape.
the same darkness that had consumed him and now, it was consuming her too.
"why are you doing this to me?" y/n whispered, her voice barely audible, her chest tight with the weight of it all “why don’t you just help us? help me?”
moon-jo’ lips twisted into his usual dark smile, but there was no kindness behind it. only cold, calculated amusement.
“help you?” he repeated, his tone almost mockingly sweet. “you still think i’m here to help you? everything changed when you walked into my room and found the picture. there’s no turning back”
her heart stuttered in her chest, her breaths shallow, as she tried to process his words. “what are you talking about?” she spat, the frustration boiling inside her, the helplessness choking her. “you can stop this! you can end this! i’ll pretend nothing ever happened and leave seoul forever just please let me and seok-yun go”
moon-jo’ gaze softened just the tiniest bit, but it wasn’t sympathy. it was something else, something dangerous. he took a step closer, his presence looming over her, his shadow swallowing her whole. "i never wanted to make things stop, and i don’t want you to leave” he murmured softly, his voice low and smooth”i want you to understand. you don't get to walk away from this. no one does."
y/n’ chest tightened. she took a half-step back, desperate to find a sliver of air, to regain some sense of control. she wasn’t sure if she was speaking to him or to herself anymore. “you’re sick and twisted you know that?”she hissed, the words harsh and bitter “i won’t let you do this to me or seok-yun. we’re people. you’re not just playing a game anymore.”
moon-jo’ expression darkened even further and he stepped forward again, his movements so slow and deliberate it made her heart race. “i’m not playing a game, y/n- not anymore” he said softly, his voice taking on that familiar dark, hypnotic edge. “this is real life. you don’t get to choose your fate. not here. not anymore.”
his hand reached up to cup her face and y/n flinched. her mouth opened her mouth to protest, but no words came out. her throat felt dry, tight. she wanted to scream at him, to tear him apart with her words, to make him see how wrong everything had become. but it was as though he had already claimed her.
“you still think you can fight this?” moon-jo’ voice was a low whisper now, just a breath against her skin. “you think you can walk away from me, from this? you think there’s any way out of this place?”
she wanted to break free. but moon-jo’ presence was like a force of nature, impossible to escape. his words wrapped around her like chains, tightening with each passing second.
“no one is going to come for you,” he continued, his voice dark, yet seductive. “no one but me. I’m your only way out, y/n. the only way you can survive this.”
he leaned into her ear before pressing his lips to her neck and her breath hitched in her chest. he then pulled away and waited for her to respond. she wanted to resist, to fight, but there was a part of her that understood the truth in his words. he wasn’t lying. he was the only way out. and maybe, just maybe, she was already too far gone to escape it.
seok-yun was still in the back of her mind. was he even still alive? she was torn. a part of her wanted to fight back but the other part had already accepted the fate that there was no escape.
her knees weakened and and she slowly sank onto the ground. she didn’t know what she was doing, or why. she just felt… lost. trapped.
moon- jo then knelt down in front of her, his dark eyes never leaving hers. his hand then reached out, gentle yet commanding, and he cupped her chin with just enough pressure to make her look at him.
“you don’t get to leave” he whispered. “not now. you have to stay”
y/n’s eyes watered, the tears stinging as they threatened to spill.
“you’re going to break me” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “you’re going to break me and leave me nothing”
moon-jo’ gaze softened, just for a moment, as though he understood her pain. it was ownership. he leaned in, his lips brushing the side of her ear, his breath warm against her skin.
“i’m not going to break you, y/n” he murmured. “i’m going to make you. make you into something new. with me”
her heart cracked as she whispered the only words she could say, her voice trembling with the weight of her decision “i’ll stay”
moon-jo’ lips curled into a satisfied smile, like a predator who had finally cornered its prey. he leaned in closer, his hand gently wiping the tears from her cheek, and for a moment, his touch felt like poison, like something both comforting and lethal all at once.
“good” he whispered. “you’ll learn. you’ll understand why you needed to stay.”
he then stood up and extended his hand, not as an offer of kindness, but as a command. y/n didn’t have the strength to refuse. slowly, she reached up and placed her hand in his. the moment her fingers touched his, she felt a chill, like the last shred of warmth leaving her body.
as moon-jo pulled her to her feet, his grip tightening around her hand, she realised that she had made her choice. there was no going back now.
