In the silent, dark penthouse, Adrik's breathing sounded like that of a wild beast. Soha tried to merge into the wall, but Adrik's powerful frame left her no room to move. He gripped her chin tightly with his blood-stained hand, his pupils dilated unnaturally. He pressed his long, sharp teeth against her neck, right where the veins were most visible.
Adrik (In a demonic tone): "You thought you could slap Adrik and get away with it? I don't know mercy, Soha; I only know how to seize my rights. You've brought shame to my kingdom, and I will wash that stain away with your blood."
He wasted no more time and sank his sharp teeth into the soft skin of her neck. Soha screamed in agony, "Adrik! Let me go! I'll die!"
The Bloody Revenge:
The Bite: Adrik showed no pity. He bit deep into her neck. Within moments, warm red blood began to flow down her expensive black gown. Soha's entire body went numb.
The Taste: Adrik smeared her blood on his lips, savoring it like a madman. His vampire-like teeth were now stained crimson.
The Scar: After the bite, he dug his nails deep into the wound. He wanted a mark on her body far more permanent and painful than the slap she had given him.
Adrik (Smiling with bloody lips): "See? The color of your body and the color of my rage are the same—red. This scar will remind you forever whose hand you should never raise against and before whom you must bow."
The scent of blood, instead of calming him, made the monster inside Adrik a thousand times more ferocious. He pounced on her like a predator.
The Branding: He bit her other shoulder with equal depth, wanting her body to become a map of his teeth marks. Her screams now only excited him further.
Inhuman Cruelty: He pinned her hands down and whispered hoarsely in her ear, "More blood, Soha! I want the last drop of your blood to quench my thirst. You slapped me? I will break that hand so you can never raise it again!"
Mental Torture: He picked up a small shard of glass and slowly carved a long slit into her palm—the hand she used to slap him.
Adrik: "Look! This is the hand you used, right? Now this hand will only be used to touch my feet."
Soha lay limp, gasping for air. She saw him mixing his own blood with hers.
Soha (Weakly): "You are... you've gone mad, Adrik... you aren't human..."
Adrik: "I told you, I'm a psycho. And you are my favorite toy. Toys are meant to be broken and rebuilt."
Adrik's pupils were now entirely black. He gripped Soha's throat with one hand until her face turned blue. He held a sharp knife to the center of her chest.
Adrik (With inhuman calmness): "There is only one way to end this defiance. I won't let you belong to anyone else. If you aren't mine, you don't need to exist. I will stop your heartbeat forever today."
Soha stared into his eyes with a profound, fearless void. That look made Adrik pause for a split second. As he prepared for the final strike, a cold yet motherly voice echoed in his mind: "Adrik, do not become a monster!"
Adrik's hand began to tremble. He realized that without her, his dark world would be empty. He threw the knife away and collapsed, screaming in agony.
Adrik (Wailing): "Why can't I kill you? Why! I am a murderer, a devil! Then why is my heart breaking at the sight of your lifeless body?"
Adrik's demonic frenzy vanished instantly. He looked at his blood-stained hands—the blood of the one person he wanted to protect most.
Adrik (Crying): "Mother...! No... what am I doing?"
He rushed Soha to the bathroom, trying to wash away the blood with cold water. He then took her to the bed and began bandaging her wounds with trembling hands.
Adrik: "I wanted to hate you, Soha, because I cannot bear love. But I didn't know that by trying to finish you, I would finish myself."
Adrik rushed her to the best hospital in Seoul. After three hours of surgery, the doctor emerged with a grim face.
Dr. Choi: "We have stitched the wounds, but the problem is in the mind. She has slipped back into a coma. It's as if she is so terrified of reality that her brain has locked itself into a permanent sleep for safety."
Adrik watched her through the ICU window, surrounded by tubes and an oxygen mask. The doctor warned that she might enter a permanent vegetative state.
Adrik (Whispering): "Soha... do you hate me so much that you don't want to see my face? Come back... I will set you free. I will leave this devilish life, just open your eyes once."
Suddenly, the heart monitor began to beep frantically. Soha's body arched on the bed; she was having a cardiac arrest.
Dr. Choi: "Quick! Charge to 350! Clear!"Soha's body jumped from the electrical shock, but the heart rate wouldn't stabilize. A drop of blood rolled from the corner of her eye—a sign of a brain hemorrhage.
Adrik (Barging in, screaming): "Soha! Come back! If you die, I will burn this city to ashes! You have to make me pay for my sins!"
At that moment, the monitor's frantic beeping turned into a single, long, flat tone: "Peeeeeeeeeeee..."
The line went flat.
The Flatline
The air in the ICU turned to stone. Dr. Choi lowered the pads and looked at the clock to declare the time of death.
Dr. Choi: "Mr. Adrik... I am sorry. Her heart couldn't take the load. We lost her."
Adrik felt his own death sentence. He sat by her lifeless body, rubbing her cold hand against his cheek.
Adrik: "Soha, you won. You left me alone in this hell. You wanted freedom? Here it is. But who will free Adrik?"
Just as the doctor looked at his watch, a miracle happened. Soha's fingers twitched. The flatline on the monitor suddenly jumped— Beep!
Soha took a long, gasping breath.
Nurse: "Doctor! Her pulse is back! It's the Lazarus Phenomenon!"
Adrik gripped her hand, not like a monster, but like a devotee.
Adrik: "Soha? You're back? Look, doctor! She's back!"
Soha slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred, but she saw Adrik's bloody, tearful face. Instead of hate, her eyes held a deep exhaustion.
Adrik (Leaning his forehead against hers): "Never again, Soha... I will never lay a hand on you again. I will leave everything—this empire, this violence. I just want you alive."Adrik leaned his forehead against Soha's and began to whisper—
Adrik: "Never again, Soha... I will never lay a hand on you again. I will give it all up. This empire, this violence... everything. I just want to see you alive."
Soha tried to place her hand over Adrik's. Adrik felt that familiar warmth of her body returning. In that hospital room in Seoul, where the shadow of grief had loomed just moments ago, the hope of a new life now began to rise. Just when the hospital room seemed to finally breathe with relief at Soha's regained life, the atmosphere froze again. Adrik's eyes, wet with tears moments ago, now gleamed with that familiar, chilling madness. He gripped Soha's hand tightly and let out a wild, deranged laugh that shattered the silence.
Adrik's smile was no longer human—it was a manifestation of pure obsession. Leaning close to the weak Soha on the bed, he whispered in a voice that sent shivers down her spine:
"Did you really think you could die, Soha? That you could escape me? Look now… not even fate dared to take you from me."
Soha only opened her eyes. Her body was weak, but the sight of Adrik's elongated, predatory teeth made her instinctively shudder.
The doctors and nurses froze, powerless to intervene. Adrik's crimson gaze pinned them to the floor:
"Everyone, leave! Her heartbeat is back, now she belongs to me. Keep her safe—because I need her alive to enjoy her."
He turned back to Soha, his touch a paradox of tenderness and threat, nails pressing against her skin:
"Did you think I had changed? That shedding tears made me weak? No, Soha. Your death weakened me—but your return has awakened the beast inside me again. I will cage you where even death cannot touch you."
Soha looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. She realized she had not returned to life—she had returned to an eternal nightmare. The echoes of Adrik's sinister laughter filled the ICU walls.
Three months had passed. The luxurious penthouse in Seoul had become Soha's gilded prison. Her body was pale, weakened, her neck bearing the permanent mark of the previous attack. She could no longer walk without a wheelchair.
Adrik entered the room wearing a silk gown, carrying a black leather folder, that same twisted smile on his lips. Kneeling before her, he placed his cold hand in hers and opened the folder, revealing a single sheet of paper written in blood-red ink.
The terms of the contract were horrifying:
Soha must sever all ties with Alexander for life and declare herself Adrik's "personal property."
She may never leave the penthouse without his permission.
In exchange, Adrik will spare her father's life—but if Soha breaks the contract, her father will pay the price.
With trembling hands, Soha held the pen. Signing meant surrendering her soul to the darkness.
"You… you won't spare my father?" she whispered.
"That depends on you," Adrik replied, his teeth glinting as he leaned closer. "Sign, Soha. My hunger grows again tonight. Do you want the night to spill in blood?"
Soha closed her eyes, trembling, and signed. Adrik snatched the paper, laughed maniacally, and left the room, locking the door behind him.
The night sky over Seoul stretched endlessly, beautiful yet mocking. Soha survived, but the death she once feared now seemed more peaceful than this living nightmare.
The next morning, Adrik returned to Soha's room. She wore her university uniform, with bandages covering the marks of pain. Adrik adjusted her hair, his tone sharp but calm:
"Today is your exam, Soha. Remember, you are not only testing yourself—you are proving your worth to me. Seoul University's top student must show who she truly belongs to."
He lifted her into the black bulletproof car, holding her hand firmly even inside the vehicle.
At the campus gate, students watched as she descended. Four black-suited bodyguards flanked her. Adrik kissed her forehead—not a romantic gesture, but a venomous mark of possession.
"Once inside the hall, my guards will stay outside. Speak to no one, make eye contact with no one. The moment you delay, a special message will reach your father. Remember the contract."
Soha entered the exam hall, trembling. The letters on the paper danced before her eyes. Across the window, Adrik stood, smoking, his sinister smile controlling even from afar.
Soha sighed and began writing. She knew this test would not grant her freedom—it would only strengthen the chains Adrik had placed. He desired her to be the world's top diplomat, so that even his criminal empire could gain legal power through her brilliance.