rider

14

She wasn't sure how long she had spent in her room crying over her misery before her door was unlocked. She heard footsteps approach her. Gripping the blanket tightly from underneath, she had hoped whoever it was would leave. She was afraid that Mingi had managed to break into her room.

"Juhee-yah." Stripping herself of her blankets she raced off the bed and jumped into the warm embrace of her mother.

"Eomma where were you?" Juhee cried. Taehee tried her hardest to feign normalcy trying to hide the hours of torture her husband's men put her through. Fresh tears appearing in her eyes as her daughter hugged her tighter.

"I'm sorry baby. I'm here now, and I am going to get you out okay?" Taehee comforted, holding her daughter tighter despite the pain she felt from the beatings and whippings that lined her back.

"No. They're going to hurt you." Too late. "I don't want them to hurt you Eomma."

"They won't baby. I am going to help you escape okay?" Juhee began to nod, but when she looked up her eyes widened.

"Appa, Mingi." She whispered. Her eyes meeting their cold, angry ones.

"Taehee, I thought you learned your lesson." Ju Yung entered first like a lion ready to prance on his prey. Juhee pushed her mother behind her and stood in front.

"Appa it's okay. I won't runaway." Juhee whispered too scared to meet his eyes.

"I wish I could believe you." Ju Yung replied cooly. Suddenly he grabbed her daughters arm and threw her to Mingi who wrapped his bulky arms around the girl's small frame. Yeseul screamed as she saw her father strike her mother.

"Please stop." She screamed as her mother crumbled to the floor. Juhee thrashed against Mingi trying to escape. Ju Yung violently kicked his wife repeatedly.

"Juhee if you don't listen to me. This is what will happen." Ju yung threatened as he continued to beat Taehee. Blood violently began to pour out of her mouth and nose. The scene too gruesome for Juhee's innocent self to handle. Turning into Mingi's embrace she pulled at his shirt.

"Make it stop." She whispered. Mingi loosened his grip on the girl, starting to feel a little disturbed with how harshly the lady was getting beaten. He let go of his future fiance and pushed Ju Yung away.

"Relax Ju Yung." Mingi bent down beside Taehee and reached for the lady's arm to check her pulse. Juhee ran up to her mother and picked her head up to put in her lap.

"Eomma." She whispered through her sobs. Her father stood unbothered as he sipped on water. Juhee couldn't believe what just happened. How was it that her reality changed in less than 5 hours?

"Get out." Taehee mouthed to Juhee before losing consciousness.

Her father called for his men who came and took Taehee, harshly pulling the lady away from Juhee. In need of comfort and not knowing who else to turn to she clung onto Mingi. Tucking her face into his chest.

"Let's go Mingi, your father will want you home." Juhee gripped tighter onto his shirt.

"Don't leave." She whispered. She knew he was partially to blame, but she didn't have anyone else. "I- He- I can't be with him." Juhee tried her hardest to find her words, but felt unable to. She was terrified of her father and worried about her mother. Mingi sighed. He wasn't sure how to comfort her, an hour ago she was trying to get away from him, and two hours before that he didn't even know how she looked.

Looking up at Ju Yung, he glared. "Leave." He demanded. Despite his young age, Mingi was well r̶e̶s̶p̶e̶c̶t̶e̶d̶ feared. His actions deadly, and his heart stone. It seemed to melt a little for Juhee.

Ju Yung left the room feeling angry he had hoped giving them his daughter would get him some respect, but he was still treated like scum. Going down stairs he had noticed that all the gang members had already left. Sighing he opened the door to his secret basement and ran down the stairs to were his wife was brought.

"Sir." One of his men approached him right away with worry in his eyes. "Mrs. Goo is dead."

Ju Yung's eyes widened. His heart stopped beating. He loved his wife, she was his partner in crime literally, but he loved the gang, not the power more. Remorselessly he pushed past the man.

"Then dispose of her body. And make sure this news doesn't get to Juhee." Glancing at his wife's body one last time he entered his study. Opening a bottle of vodka and drowning his insides with it. He became numb as he turned the picture of his wife and his daughter down.

Back upstairs, Mingi and Juhee were in the same position. Crouched on the floor in each other's embrace. Mingi sighed as his leg began to throb, pulling away from her he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the bed.

"Go sleep." He mumbled, but sleep was the last thing on her mind. The image of her bleeding mother still fresh in her mind. New tears began to surface, but not in the form of fear or sadness, rather anger. Sitting up she pulled her pillow from under her head and swung it at Mingi's head. No one dared to ever hit Mingi, but somehow Mingi took it.

"Are you better now?" But Juhee swung again and again. This time though Mingi couldn't keep his anger at bay instead he pulled the pillow from her hand and pushed her flat onto the bed before climbed over hear. Her hands pinned above her head. Juhee screwed her eyes shut in fear. Mingi hovered over her before flipping them over. Juhee's head was now resting on his chest as he laid on her bed. The girl tried to pull away from him, but he held her head down. One arm snaked around her waist, the other around her head.

"Sleep." He demanded. Juhee struggled for a while before giving up. Mentally, physically, and emotionally she was drained. Too tired to even care that she was sleeping on top of a perpetual pervert who also happened to be her fiance. Mingi watched as she slept, his heart fluttering as his eyes landed on her lips. He gently pushed her off of him and put the blanket over her, leaving the room.

"You can't fall for her, you can't be weak. She is just a game piece." He repeated in his head. Mingi was young, but he wasn't raised as a human, emotions were new to him. He was raised as the Clan's weapon. He wasn't human. He was a weapon. A young boy brainwashed into thinking violence was the way. A young boy brainwashed into thinking someone was the enemy when he didn't even know why. To him Juhee will always be a trophy, nothing more nothing less.

Guys please don't miss Chenle too much the next few chapters might be Minhee, whoops.

ILY GUYS❤️