Jeon Yeong-bin | Dark twisted games
Summary: Where you lovebomb your bully-turned-boyfriend, Yeong-bin.
Warning: angst, dark romance, bullying, stalking, manipulation, suggestive content, lovebombing, toxicity, jealousy. Reader is morally gray.
Now playing: Dear John — Taylor Swift
Note: English is not my first language so feel free to tell me if there are any mistakes.
"Alright everyone, you're dismissed," the teacher said, bringing the class to an end.
"Yes, ma'am," the students replied in unison.
You closed your notebook and began packing your things in silence. You pulled your headphones out of your bag, ready to drown out the world with music.
"Hey Y/N" a classmate called out from behind you. "Yeong-bin was looking for you like a madman during lunch. Are you two dating now?"
Her tone betrayed a hint of mockery mixed with disbelief, and honestly, you couldnt blame her. Everyone in class had witnessed the horrific way that idiot had treated you since you arrived just a few months ago.
"I don't think so..." you replied, hesitant to give a straight answer.
You zipped your bag, grabbed your coat, and stepped out into the hallway. The moment you set foot outside, you heard his voice. Internally, you cursed, thinking he’d come looking for you... but no.
You turned toward Yeong-bin and found him chatting with a group of people. As soon as he spotted you, he threw his arm around a girl who was giggling, clearly flattered by the attention of the "King of Eunjang."
Pathetic, you thought.
It was so obvious he was fishing for a reaction. Because you’d spent the whole day ignoring him, he wanted to make you jealous. Poor idiot… all he inspired in you was disgust.
Still, he kept up the act. He started whispering in the girl's ear, laughing excessively, his eyes locked onto you. He was waiting for a spark of fury, a wince of pain or a hurried step.
But you did nothing. You didnt give him the satisfaction.
You walked past him as if Yeong-bin were just another piece of school furniture. You didn't even spare him a glance. Your face remained perfectly calm... you even greeted a boy with a light smile as you left your "boyfriend" behind, hollowed out in the middle of the hallway.
His laughter died instantly. Your silence was louder than any scream: you didn't care because you didn't love him.
Or at least, thats what his friends had told him.
Yeong-bin sat at his desk in a graveyard silence, staring blankly out the window with an expression his friends had never seen. This wasn't the face of a bully who’d just won a fight or a top student who’d aced an exam, it was the face of a man who was drowning.
He pulled out his phone and unlocked it. The screen went straight to your chat. The "Good morning" text he’d sent earlier was still unread. But he knew you were fine, he’d seen you in class during first period. So... why weren't you replying? Had he done something wrong?
"Hey man..." Jung-chan called out, worried to see him so down. "You okay?"
Yeong-bin stared at him for a few seconds and sighed, finally deciding to talk about what had been eating at him for months.
"Listen, I'm seeing this girl. She’s special, she’s not like the others" he confessed, nervously fiddling with a pen. "The problem is... I don't know what the hell we are. Sometimes she’s the sweetest girl in the world… she kisses me, stays with me, we have a great time... and the next day she looks at me like I’m trash. She ignores me all morning and I don't know how to feel anymore."
His friends exchanged confused looks. None of them knew Yeong-bin was in anything resembling a relationship. While they’d noticed his mood swings, they hadn't linked it to a toxic girl.
"Look, Yeong-bin, thats just how girls are" one of them blurted out. "If you want to know if she cares, hit her where it hurts. Make her jealous. Flirt with another girl right in front of her. If she loses it, she loves you. If she does nothing... well, there’s your answer."
It was eleven at night by the time you finished dinner. Outside, the rain was pouring, and the lightning made you jump every time the thunder rolled.
You were washing dishes when your phone buzzed. It was a text from your mom saying not to wait up… the rain was too bad for them to make it home tonight. After you replied, the phone vibrated again.
Yeong-bin: Can we talk?
You ignored it, shoving the phone into your hoodie pocket. The feeling of the soap bubbles on your hands, soft yet uncomfortable, and the isolating roar of the storm took you back to the days when it all began.
Eunjang was never the paradise they promised when you moved. For you, the school was defined by a single and suffocating presence: Jeon Yeong-bin.
From day one, that idiot had marked you and it wasnt subtle. It was the crash of your chair being kicked, your bag being emptied in the hallway and that sharp gaze, heavy with a superiority you couldn't fathom. He was the black sun of the school, and you were the planet he’d decided to knock out of orbit.
The isolation was carried out with surgical precision.
Yeong-bin didn't need to tell people not to talk to you. All he had to do was sit on your desk and flash a cold smile at anyone who tried to step in while he tore you down. The Eunjang students smelled danger... and you reeked of "Yeong-bin’s property."
The initial fear, the kind that made your hands shake whenever you heard his steps, began to mutate. The fear was still there, deep in your gut, but a thick layer of festering hatred grew over it.
You hated him for the silence of your classmates, for the lunches spent alone on the roof and for the way he looked at you: like a broken toy only he was allowed to finish destroying.
That was until that fateful night.
You remember the bar being packed. The air was heavy with body heat, cheap perfume and a bassline that hit you right in the chest. You were surrounded by your neighborhood friends, laughing, your cheeks flushed from a couple of drinks, dancing with a freedom you hadn't felt in ages.
You were wearing a dress you’d never dare wear near Eunjang. It was daring and it fit you perfectly… it made you feel young and desired.
Then, a guy approached and smiled. You didn't know him, so you smiled back. As the music shifted, he slid a hand onto your waist, pulling you closer. You danced in a slow, provocative sync, unaware that a pair of eyes was watching you with lethal focus from the crowd.
When you pulled away to go to the bathroom, a strong, familiar hand intercepted you. The grip on your wrist was firm, almost painful. Your heart skipped a beat and the panic you felt every day rushed back, this time mixed with the adrenaline of the alcohol.
"What do you think you're doing?" Yeong-bin asked. You remember his voice sounding so hoarse, loaded with a rage that almost made you cry from fear.
Before you could grasp the situation, he dragged you with unstoppable force toward one of the VIP lounges in the back, a dark booth with heavy curtains that happened to be empty.
"What the fuck do you think you are doing?!" he shouted. You sank into the corner of the sofa, head down. "I saw you! Dancing with that guy, letting him touch you like you're nothing!"
Then you looked at him and the fear in your eyes began to mix with a spark of realization. He wasn't there to scream at you about a missed assignment. He was trembling, and his eyes scanned your body with a desperation bordering on insanity.
Now, with a clearer head, you could see that Yeong-bin wasn't in his right mind that night. He had definitely taken something.
"How can you do this to me?" you remember him yelling, as if you owed him an explanation for your life. "After everything I've done... you're mine and you know it"
He was claiming you with the logic of a scorned boyfriend, someone who believed he had rights over you. You froze for a second, watching the great Jeon Yeong-bin fall apart over jealousy he didn't know how to process.
That was when you decided to play your card. Instead of shrinking away, you slowly raised your hand and, with a softness that struck him dumb, you traced the line of his tense jaw.
"Forgive me, okay?" you whispered, noting how he held his breath at your touch.
His eyes dropped to yours and, in that graveyard silence, the power balance began to tip in your favor.
You slid your fingers to the nape of his neck, tangling them in his brown hair. It was a deliberate, almost clinical move. You felt Yeong-bin’s body spasm, an immediate surrender to the contact he had never allowed himself before.
"I didn't know it bothered you. I won't do it again, okay?" you murmured, bringing your face close to his.
You remember Yeong-bin letting out a low growl, and in a matter of milliseconds, he closed the distance to give you a kiss every bit as violent as his bullying.
That night was the first time you slept with him, and if you’re being honest, it wasn't bad at all. Sometimes you look back and think you took advantage of the boy, of his vulnerability and his feelings. The next morning, you even felt a wave of disgust seeing him lying next to you.
But it didn't matter anymore. He had put you through hell, so using him like this felt like the fairest way to pay back the pain. However, what came after was what you enjoyed most.
Under the guise of "not letting anyone interfere with us", you convinced him to keep the relationship an absolute secret. To the rest of the school, you were still the lonely loser and Yeong-bin was still your bully. But in empty classrooms or the backseat of his fathers car, you executed your revenge.
There were days when you simply decided he didn't exist. Yeong-bin would follow you with his eyes all the way down the hall, fists clenched and heart hammering, waiting for a sign, a touch... or anything. But you’d walk right past him, lost in your music. You hated him, and seeing that expression of agony on his face provided a satisfaction far more addictive than the sex itself.
When you knew he’d reached his limit, when desperation brought him to the verge of tears or a violent outburst, you’d flip the switch.
You’d send him a text to meet in an empty classroom. As soon as he walked in, you’d wrap your arms around his neck and give him a soft, almost tender kiss that completely disarmed him.
This cycle repeated constantly. Ignore him for days, then "reward" him in moments like those.
You let him believe you were a couple. You’d spend hours talking about nothing, you’d let him rest his head in your lap while you stroked his jaw. You gave him the most intense and devoted sex, making him feel like the only man in the world.
And Yeong-bin, desperate for affection and validation, clung to that warmth like a man dying of thirst in the desert.
You felt nothing but a cynical pleasure. You enjoyed his body because Yeong-bin was, physically, exactly your type, but your mind was always cold. He thought he was "making you his" when you had sex, but you knew that with every encounter, he was surrendering another piece of his will.
You had turned him into your toy, and the best part was that he thanked you for it.
Suddenly, loud knocks at the door snapped you out of your thoughts. You left the kitchen and looked out the window, the rain was still coming down hard.
Who could that be?
"Y/N, open up!" you heard his voice from the other side, followed by more pounding. "I want to talk!"
You dried your hands on your hoodie. When you opened the door, you found a disheveled Yeong-bin, eyes bloodshot and clothes soaked to the bone.
"You're a liar!" he screamed the second he saw you. "You're just playing with me! You spend the whole day treating me like a dog, and today you didn't even flinch! You don't feel anything, you never did!"
You watched him with analytical coldness. You had to flip the narrative. You let your eyes well up slightly, putting on a show of the pain you didn't feel.
"Is that what you think?" you whispered, faking a tremble in your voice. "What you did today in the hallway... that was the last straw, Yeong-bin. Don't come looking for me again."
"W-what are you talking about?"
"It hurt that you were flirting with her," you lied, looking down. "But I realized you're not worth it. Today I saw that you're just the same immature bully you've always been, and that you're just having fun with me. Even if it breaks my heart... I have to let you go. We're done."
You turned to go inside, but felt his hand grab your arm with physical desperation.
"No! Wait!" Yeong-bin was shaking. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, I just... I'm an idiot" he smacked his forehead with his free hand. "It was a test... my friends told me... I just wanted to see if you loved me. I don't care about that girl, I don't care about anyone. Please, don't tell me it's over."
You turned back and sighed, faking resignation. You had him exactly where you wanted him.
"Come in" you said in a whisper, as if lowering your guard. "My parents aren't home, and I can't let you leave like this in this storm."
You led him through the shadowed hallway to your room. As soon as the door closed, Yeong-bin pulled you into an embrace, begging for forgiveness between desperate kisses, seeking physical contact like it was medicine.
You simply let him. You grabbed a towel and dried his hair, massaging his scalp while a triumphant internal smile took shape.
He went still under your touch, docile, as if that tiny gesture were enough to give him back his air. His hands, which had initially gripped you with urgency, loosened until they were just resting on your waist, afraid to squeeze too hard and break the moment.
"I'm sorry," he repeated against your stomach, his voice muffled. "I'm sorry about what happened in the hallway. I thought... if I made you jealous... I'd know if I mattered to you."
You slid the towel through his hair with slow, almost maternal movements. You didn't answer right away, you knew the silence broke him down more than any reproach.
"Did you really think you needed to do that?" you finally asked, your tone soft… a sharp contrast to your earlier harshness.
Yeong-bin looked up. His eyes were glossy… not with rage, but with something much more fragile.
"When you ignore me, I feel like I'm disappearing" he admitted. "Today... when you walked past me and didn't even look... it was like I didn't exist to you."
Your hand paused in his hair for a second. That sentence would have felt like an absolute victory any other day. That dependency was exactly what you had cultivated. Still, you tilted your head slightly, feigning doubt.
"Don't do it again. I don't like you playing games with me," you murmured. "I'm not like the other girls you have around."
"I don't have anyone... I've never had anyone like this, only you" he replied instantly. His fingers gripped the fabric of your shirt, not out of possession, but fear. "I don't want to lose you. If I did something wrong, tell me what to change and I'll do it. Just don't leave me" he added, his voice dropping.
There it was. Exactly where you wanted him.
You sighed, as if making a difficult decision, and pressed your forehead against his.
"I don't want to leave you," you whispered. "But don't ever make me feel replaceable again. If we're in this... we're in it for real."
His lips brushed your cheek with desperate gratitude.
"For real" he repeated. "I swear."
You led him to the bed naturally, as if this had all been just a common couple's spat. He lay down first, still slightly damp, and you settled in beside him. The storm continued to rage outside, but inside the room, there was only the sound of your breathing.
Yeong-bin moved in instinctively, draping an arm around you. He rested his head on your chest as if he belonged there, as if it were the only safe place he knew.
Several minutes passed in silence. His breathing slowed, but he wasn't asleep. You knew because every so often his fingers would twitch, making sure you were still there.
"Today I thought you didn't love me anymore" he confessed suddenly, a murmur almost lost to the rain. You didn't answer. "I thought you were punishing me and I deserved it... but I didn't know how much more I could take."
Your gaze remained fixed on the dark ceiling. He was completely open, defenseless. There was no trace of the Eunjang bully, nor the guy who’d dragged you at the bar that night. Just someone who was terrified of being alone.
He took a deep breath.
"I don't know when it started," he said, his voice uncertain. "Maybe that night at the bar... or before. I don't know."
His fingers tensed slightly on your waist.
"But I love you."
The phrase wasn't a demand. He didn't ask for an answer, nor was it dramatic. It was simple, honest and that was what pierced through you.
Your body tensed imperceptibly, a reaction he didn't catch. Until that moment, it had all been a game of power, reward and punishment. He depended and you controlled.
Love wasn't part of the strategy.
You didn't say "I love you too," but you didn't pull away either. You just ran your fingers through his hair, slow and mechanical at first... until your hand lingered for a second longer than necessary.
"Go to sleep," you finally whispered.
Yeong-bin exhaled as if a weight had been lifted from his chest. He snuggled closer, satisfied with that ambiguous answer he chose to interpret as hope.
Before long, his breathing became deep and regular.
You, however, remained wide awake. You felt lost in the dark. For the first time since you turned him into your toy, you weren't entirely sure who was holding the strings.
