> ⚠️ Themes: Mind games, betrayal, subtle horror, paranoia, soft heartbreak, possessive protectiveness.
—
The city outside continued like nothing was wrong.
But Boss's uncle's empire… was slowly rotting.
The media hadn't caught on yet.
But people inside had.
Clients backing out.
Silent investors vanishing.
Two board members stepping down.
All because of a few quiet whispers—leaks, secrets, phone calls with no trace.
Boss didn't attack him directly.
He let the rumors do the bleeding.
At the same time…
Sea couldn't sleep.
The tension in the air weighed too heavy.
Boss tried to stay calm around him, to shield him from what was happening outside the house walls.
But Sea could feel the pressure building inside him—like a storm behind a glass wall, waiting to shatter.
And that night…
Sea's sleep turned to something darker.
—
🌑 The Nightmare
Sea was standing in the middle of a black hallway.
It was the same hallway from his childhood—
—the one from the night his parents died.
He heard screaming.
His mother. Then silence.
Then footsteps.
A shadow moved toward him—slow, casual, confident. A familiar scent of rich cologne and blood.
> "Sea," the voice whispered, deep and taunting.
"You always smelled like fear."
Sea's throat tightened.
He turned to run—
—but the walls closed in.
The shadow grabbed his neck—
> "Even now… you're still soft. Still breakable."
And just as the figure's hand squeezed—
Sea jerked awake with a choking gasp.
—
Boss was already beside him, strong arms wrapping around his shaking body.
> "Sea—look at me. It's me. You're safe."
Sea clung to him like air, sobbing quietly into Boss's chest.
> "He was there," Sea whispered, voice shaking. "In the dream. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe—"
> "He won't touch you," Boss growled. "Not again. Not in this life or the next."
Sea looked up at him through damp lashes.
> "Boss… promise me. Whatever you're doing… finish it."
Boss froze.
> "I don't want him to live knowing I'm still scared," Sea whispered.
Boss didn't respond right away. His jaw clenched hard, fists tight. Then he pressed his lips to Sea's temple.
> "I will," he murmured. "I swear to you, Sea. I'll end it. For you."
—
Outside the room, a phone call was made.
And the final phase of the plan began.
The real collapse was coming.
—
To be continued