The vacation was officially over. Everyone had returned to their respective routines. Inseo was back to taking classes,and terrorizing his classmates. Junghyun was holed up in his studio, pouring his energy into his upcoming album. Serin, meanwhile, had her hands full, literally, as she carried a stack of materials to the studio floor for her girl group's final rehearsal.
Balancing the items in her arms, Serin moved swiftly down the hallway. She turned a corner too quickly and collided with someone...a girl who looked like she belonged more on a fashion runway than a music studio floor. The girl barely stumbled, but her sharp glare was immediate, cutting through the air.
"Watch where you're going" the girl snapped, looking Serin up and down like she was nothing more than dirt on her designer heels.
Serin sighed, already feeling her patience thinning. She shifted the weight of her load and mumbled, "Sorry" intending to move past her.
But the girl didn't let her. Instead, she took a step forward, blocking Serin's path. "Wait a second. You're that… Serin, right?" Her tone was laced with condescension, her lips curling into a smirk. "I heard some ridiculous rumor that you're involved with President Kairan."
At the mention of Kairan, Serin froze mid-step. She exhaled slowly, trying to remain calm. "You heard wrong" she said coolly, hoping to end the interaction and leave.
But the girl's smirk deepened, her tone growing more venomous. "Yeah, I thought so. Someone like you? With someone like him? Please. He deserves someone with class, someone who can actually keep up with him, not… well, you."
Serin's fingers tightened around the stack of materials in her hands, her nails digging into the cardboard. 'Ignore her. She's not worth it' she reminded herself.
But then the girl added, "Honestly, it's embarrassing that people are even saying it. I mean, when I get Kairan__"
The world around Serin seemed to still, and a dangerous calm washed over her. Slowly, she lowered the stack she was carrying to the ground and straightened. "When you get Kairan?" she repeated, her voice soft but cutting.
The girl flinched at the tone but quickly masked it with a sneer. "What? Did I hit a nerve?"
Serin took a step forward, her brown eyes slowly becoming more silver, narrowing. Her smirk was sharp, venomous, like a blade. "Let me explain something to you" she began, her voice dripping with mock politeness. "You? You couldn't get Kairan in your wildest dreams. In fact, you couldn't even get my attention if I wasn't bored out of my mind right now."
The girl's jaw dropped, but Serin wasn't done. She leaned in slightly, her voice dropping to a deadly whisper. "Kairan isn't just mine....he chooses to be mine. And trust me, if you ever so much as breathe in his direction again, you'll find out just how much I enjoy putting the likes of you six feet underground."
Before the girl could respond, Serin raised her hand and snapped her fingers. A burst of flame erupted from nowhere, catching the girl's hair. The fire spread quickly, licking at the expensive curls, and the girl screamed, frantically patting at her head.
Serin crossed her arms, tilting her head to the side as she watched, unimpressed. "What's wrong?" she asked mockingly. "I thought you said you were 'classy'. Surely, you can handle a little heat?"
The girl screamed louder, her hands flailing as the fire grew more intense. But Serin didn't flinch, her glowing silver eyes locked on her.
Kairan's assistant suddenly appeared, his expression a mix of shock and panic. "Miss Serin, what's going on"
Serin held up a hand, stopping him mid-step. Her voice was sharp, commanding. "If anyone so much as touches her before her hair is completely burnt and her frozen brain finally melts enough to understand who she's dealing with, I'll cut their hands off and feed them to the crows."
The assistant hesitated, torn between his humanity and the absolute authority Serin exuded. He stepped back, deciding he liked his hands where they were.
The girl dropped to her knees, crying and screaming for help as the fire consumed her hair. "Stop! Please, stop!"
Serin bent down slightly, her voice soft but dangerous. "Next time, think before you speak. It might save what little dignity you have left." With a wave of her hand, the flames extinguished, leaving the girl's hair charred and smoking.
Without another glance, Serin picked up the materials she had set down and walked away, her aura radiating power and finality.
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The assistant scurried into Kairan's office, his usually composed demeanor slightly rattled. He adjusted his tie nervously as Kairan glanced up from his desk, his piercing gaze immediately locking onto him.
"What is it?" Kairan's voice was calm, but there was an edge of authority that made the assistant swallow hard.
"It's about Miss Serin, sir," he began cautiously, his words measured. "There was... an incident on the studio floor."
Kairan's pen stilled. He leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. "Go on."
The assistant hesitated for a brief moment before launching into the story, recounting every detail....the confrontation, the insults, Serin's savage retort, and, of course, the part where she set the girl's hair on fire.
By the time he finished, he braced himself for an outburst, expecting a sharp reprimand or an order to handle the situation immediately. Instead, to his utter shock, Kairan leaned back further, a ghost of a smirk curling his lips.
"She did what?" Kairan asked, his tone carrying a mix of amusement and... something almost proud.
The assistant blinked, unsure if he had heard correctly. "She... set the girl's hair on fire, sir. And, uh, warned everyone not to help her or she'd cut their hands off and-uh-feed them to crows."
A low chuckle escaped Kairan as he tapped his fingers on the desk. "Good. It's about time people learned that she's not to be trifled with."
The assistant stood frozen, unsure how to react. "Sir... should we take any action? Perhaps... discipline the girl or__"
"Here's what you'll do" Kairan interrupted, his voice sharp but calm. "Wipe the security footage from that area. I don't want a single trace of this incident left behind."
The assistant nodded quickly. "Understood, sir."
"And as for the girl" Kairan continued, his tone darkening slightly, "make sure she knows to keep her mouth shut. If she breathes a word about what happened, she'll regret it."
"Yes, sir."
Kairan dismissed him with a wave of his hand, his mind already drifting back to the scene described. He leaned back in his chair, letting a small, rare smile tug at the corner of his lips.
She wasn't just anyone. No, Serin was something else entirely. Fierce, untouchable, and undeniably his. And the thought of her fiery possessiveness stirred something deep inside him that he couldn't ignore.
"She really is perfect" he murmured to himself, a dark satisfaction settling over him.
_
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Kairan wrapped up the last of his work swiftly, his mind preoccupied. He already knew where he would find Serin. After all, there was no place she frequented more than her siblings' space when they weren't busy tormenting each other.
Walking into Junghyun's studio, the scene was as predictable as ever. Junghyun was immersed in his work, his usual stoic expression firmly in place as he adjusted the levels on a track. Meanwhile, Serin and Inseo were engaged in what could only be described as a battle of wits....or perhaps just Inseo acting like a petulant child while Serin shut him down with biting remarks.
"You're impossible" Serin snapped, rolling her eyes at something Inseo had said.
"And you're just mean" Inseo retorted, crossing his arms dramatically. "I'm your baby brother! You're supposed to love me unconditionally."
"I love you, all right—just not your nonsense."
Kairan leaned against the doorway, a ghost of a smile flickering across his face as he watched them. It was moments like these, seeing her in her element, that softened the edges of his otherwise sharp demeanor. Finally, he walked over, taking a seat beside her on the couch.
Serin glanced at him, her expression softening immediately. "Done with work already?"
"Just enough to cover for you" Kairan said, his voice low but teasing. His hand brushed against hers briefly, a subtle but tender gesture.
"Cover for me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"For the little... incident earlier" he clarified, his lips twitching with amusement.
Junghyun looked up from his work, smirking faintly. "About time someone did."
Inseo, meanwhile, took one look at Kairan sitting so close to Serin and immediately scooted away from her, muttering something about not wanting to be caught in the crossfire.
Serin laughed softly, shaking her head. But the moment was interrupted by the sharp ring of her phone. She frowned, pulling it out and glancing at the caller ID.
"Mother" she muttered, already sounding annoyed as she answered. "What do you want?"
She put the call on speaker, her tone impatient. But the voice that came through wasn't her mother's.
"Serin..."
Her heart froze. Taejung's voice came through the line—distressed, shaky, but still carrying his signature sass. "I don't know how much longer I can keep up my charm here. Your mother's... let's just say, not in her usual mood."
The blood drained from Serin's face. "What the hell is going on?"
Finally, her mother's voice cut in, sharp and commanding. "It's simple, Serin. You have four hours to get here and agree to the engagement, or your precious friend dies. He's already been given a dose of the potion, and the next will finish him."
Junghyun shot up from his seat, his entire body tense as fury radiated off him. "She wouldn't dare" he growled, his voice cold and deadly.
"She would" Serin said, her voice quiet but trembling with barely-contained rage. "You know she would."
"Let me handle this" Junghyun said, pacing like a caged animal. "I'll kill her before she lays a hand on him."
"No" Serin said firmly, though her own voice wavered.
"Are you seriously going to let this happen?" Inseo asked, his usually playful tone replaced with genuine concern.
"I'm going alone" Serin announced, her voice resolute.
Immediately, Kairan's hand shot out, gripping her wrist tightly. "No, you're not" he said, his voice low and commanding.
Serin turned to face him, their eyes locking in a silent battle. Neither spoke, but the intensity between them was palpable. Kairan's grip on her wrist didn't loosen, his dark eyes pleading silently for her to rethink.
Finally, she whispered, "I have to do this."
Kairan's jaw clenched, but he said nothing. He didn't need words to understand her; they communicated in ways beyond speech. Yet, letting her go felt like a betrayal to everything in him that screamed to protect her.