Chapter 5: The First Thread of Fate

All eyes turned to me, gazes sharp with a hint of something I couldn’t quite name. Why am I here? I don’t know—but they watched me like hawks, tracking every breath as I hid behind Min. “Ooh~ Young lady, don’t hide, come closer~” Peeking from behind Min’s shoulder, I caught the speaker’s smirk—razor-sharp, knowing, and far too amused by my hesitation.“Rheon, you can flirt with danger, but not with her. She’s not a game piece. And I don’t share.” Min's voice coiled protectively around me like a snake, strong but not too tight to kill or hurt me. “Getting possessive already? I’m just admiring the view. You can keep your leash—if she doesn’t choose a different handler.” His gaze didn’t just linger—it claimed, tracing over me like a story he was already writing me into. The air thickened, viscous with tension, as if the room itself had turned sentient—watching, waiting. Min’s words wrapped around me like ceremonial silk, protective but fragile. Rheon’s gaze, though—it unravelled me. Not violently, but with the precision of a scalpel tracing a sigil. I wasn’t sure if I was being shielded—or drafted into a story that had already decided how I’d end. I didn’t know if I craved the protection—or if I wanted to play with the fire that flirted back.

Between the steadiness I didn’t trust and the pull I didn’t resist, something threaded through me—not gentle, not cruel, just stitched into me before I could say no.