I stared at the open bathroom door, petrified in fear. It was too dark to see if anybody was hiding inside. Suddenly, the lamps in the hotel room brightened erasing the darkness in a fraction of a second, and moments later, Baekhyun kicked open the door to my room. I flinched when it hit the wall. He analyzed the situation, his body tense and prepared to fight. A scowl distorted his features as he looked around for possible threats. When he entered the bathroom, I bit down on my lip to muffle a whimper, but nobody was inside. It was empty.

Baekhyun glanced at me to check whether I was injured before bending down to pick up the photos I had dropped. His gaze hardened when he read the threat written on them. “I already suspected something like this would happen,” he grumbled lowly, enraged at my uncle for dragging me here despite the danger it put me in. I myself didn’t understand why it had been necessary—it was careless of him, whether I had a bodyguard or not.

“You’re not staying here. We’re going to my room instead.” His voice sounded commanding and did not leave space for objections, not that I had any. It was comforting he was here with me since his presence made me feel secure.

He grabbed my suitcase with one hand and put his other arm around my lower back, escorting me outside. As we left, he constantly looked over his shoulder with a steely gaze. He was furious, his aura more intimidating than usual. We hurried down the empty hallway, not stopping until we reached his room. He locked the door behind us and put down my suitcase. His room looked like a copy of mine, from the chandelier on the ceiling to the dark blue carpet under my heels.

Baekhyun strode to the windows, closing the heavy curtains and preventing anybody from looking in. While I watched him move around with purpose, I noted he had removed the jacket he had worn over his black dress shirt. His white braid hung over his back, covering up half of the 04 tattoo on his neck.

“Did you see anything suspicious, other than the letter?” he asked when he returned to me. I shook my head, hugging myself as I sat on the edge of the bed. The black fabric of my dress cascaded over my legs like a waterfall, pooling at my feet. As beautiful as the garment was, it was uncomfortable and beginning to annoy me since it also restricted my range of movement.

“I’m assuming the person who sent it is somewhere in the hotel. Maybe they were among the guests earlier?” I explained. I had been treated coldly by a handful of people who had known me despite me never having met them. Anyone could be responsible for this. It would have been easy to hire someone to take photos from outside.

“They might still be around, which is why we need to be careful,” he growled, sitting on the sofa in the corner of the hotel room.

“We should have never come here,” I breathed. I was disappointed in my uncle; it had been reckless of him to drag me here despite the danger I was in. He prioritized his work, his company, over my safety. Did he not care about what might happen to me? Would he have attended this event if the threats had been addressed to him? I didn’t have answers to my questions and my mistrust in my uncle only grew. I felt like a trapped animal in this damn hotel.

“Do you think… we could leave and go home early?” I asked quietly.

“No,” he replied without hesitation, crushing my hopes. His piercing blue eyes pinned me down with their intensity. “It’s the middle of the night, we don’t know the area well and the culprit might be waiting to ambush us somewhere outside. It would be risky to leave. Right now, staying in this room is a lot safer. It’s registered under my name which means whoever is trying to kill you would have to do some digging to find you here.”

My shoulders slumped as I realized he was right. “Are you afraid?” he asked, his voice sounding a tad softer.

I was reluctant to answer him, lowering my head in defeat. “A bit. All of this is hard to take. I don’t understand why someone would want to hurt me. It’s not like I have enemies. I’m a uni student, a nobody.”

“You don’t have enemies, but your uncle does. It’s all linked to him” he said, his expression freezing over as he spoke about Minho.

“You think the culprit intends to put pressure on my uncle by targeting me,” I mumbled, pondering over his assumption. My uncle was well-known and had made a few enemies during his career. He also kept many things from me; secrets he didn’t want me to find out. Perhaps these secrets were darker than I could imagine.

“It’s possible. What other explanation do you have?”

I fell quiet, trying to think of something that made sense, but nothing came to mind. It was frustrating to be kept in the dark all the time. “I don’t want to live with a constant threat looming over me.” I buried my face in my hands, smudging my make-up in the process.

“You should go to sleep soon.”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep,” I mumbled quietly, but he somehow heard me.

“In case it helps at all, I won’t leave you hanging if someone tries to get in here. You’re safe,” he said, meeting my gaze as he spoke. I was surprised by the sincerity in his expression and instinctively believed him. Baekhyun had earned my trust. He could be intimidating and sometimes rude, but he had never done anything to harm me. On the contrary.

A weak smile blossomed on my lips. “Thank you.”

I walked to my suitcase and pulled out a few things I would need before I disappeared into the bathroom. Looking at my reflection, I opened my braid and let my long hair fall over my shoulders. I removed my make-up, brushed my teeth, and put on comfortable sweatpants and a shirt. When I returned, Baekhyun was looking through his suitcase.

“You take the bed,” he said.

“But this is your room.”

“So?”

“Baekhyun, I can’t just…” I trailed off when his expression soured.

“I’ll sleep on the sofa. It’s not a big deal.”

“If you’re sure…” I walked over to the bed while he went into the bathroom. Before I lay down, I took one of the blankets and a pillow, putting both on the sofa for him. This way, it at least wouldn’t be uncomfortable for him.

I slid under the cover, pulling it up to my shoulders. Baekhyun soon came back, having changed his clothes as well. He wore black sweatpants and a simple shirt which didn’t exactly hide his muscular build. I had never seen him with short sleeves and my eyes immediately traveled to the metal bracelet on his wrist. As he passed the bed, I got a closer look at it, spotting a small combination lock on it. My eyes widened. Why was that thing locked? Could he open it himself? I wondered whether he would answer if I asked him about it, but I doubted it. Maybe my uncle would tell me… then again, when did he ever tell me anything?

Baekhyun sat on the sofa, noticing the blanket and pillow. He inclined his head, and the ghost of a smile appeared on his face. Although he didn’t comment on it, he seemed pleased about the gesture.

“Can we maybe… leave the light on tonight?” I asked, rolling on my side.

“Sure, it doesn’t bother me,” he chuckled, mirth dancing in his eyes as if there was a joke hidden somewhere in his words.

Waking up the next morning, I was surprised I had managed to fall asleep in the first place. I wasn’t tired, even though it was early. The clock read 7.30 AM, and I was the first one to be awake. Baekhyun was sprawled over the sofa, one arm hanging on the ground and half of his blanket as well. The sight was unexpectedly adorable and put a smile on my face. His white hair was splayed over the pillow like a halo, and his expression relaxed.  

I giggled quietly, vanishing into the bathroom to take a shower before we left the hotel room for breakfast. It had been a quiet night; against my expectations, nothing had happened, and I shouldn’t have worried so much. I could have spared myself some of the stress and anxiety if I had known. The photos had frightened me since they had proven the person or the people threatening my life were capable of getting very close to me without being noticed. I wondered how much longer I had to endure this torment, and if it would ever end.

The cold water of the shower was precisely what I needed to soothe my incoming headache. I washed my hair, then dried and combed it. Afterward, I applied light makeup—a soft blush for my cheeks, dark eyeshadow to emphasize the almond shape of my eyes, and natural pink lipstick. I had to look presentable since the other guests would likely be present in the dining room as well. I dreaded seeing them and having to deal with their deceitfulness. They were snakes with silver tongues—why did my uncle insist on associating with them? Surely, it was possible to find more trustworthy businesspeople in the pharma industry. I begrudgingly put on a black pencil skirt, an elegant alabaster blouse, and a silver necklace that rested over my collarbones. This outfit should be suitable for breakfast and sophisticated enough to meet the standards of the other guests.

When I left the bathroom, Baekhyun was awake. He had opened the curtains, the morning sun bathing the room in a warm and welcoming hue. The light cast a golden shimmer over his hair and emphasized his chiseled cheekbones—he was incredibly attractive. My breath caught in my throat when I laid eyes on him, and a faint blush spread over my cheeks.

“Good morning, Baekhyun,” I smiled and folded my hands in front of my stomach.

“Morning,” he replied, taking in my outfit for the day. His eyes lingered on the necklace adorning my décolleté before he entered the bathroom. I soon heard the shower running and sat on the edge of my bed, picking up my phone to skim over the messages I missed. One was from Jennie. She had sent it yesterday.

[Jennie]: Hey girl! How is your evening going? Everything alright?

[Hyorin]: Not really, a lot went wrong. I received another threat and ended up stayi