The days in the mansion seemed to blur together, each one similar to the last but subtly different in ways you couldn’t quite place. You spent your time in the grand, empty spaces, attempting to find your place in the mansion that now felt like a maze of stone and shadows. The isolation, though comforting in some respects, was beginning to gnaw at you, filling your nights with restless dreams and endless thoughts.
But it wasn’t just the loneliness that bothered you. It was Yoongi. His cold demeanor, his constant distance—it felt like there was something more to it, something you were missing. You couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a hidden side to him, a side that he kept buried deep beneath layers of indifference and silence. It was as though he was keeping something from you, something important, but you couldn’t figure out what it was.
And that’s what frustrated you the most: you couldn’t even pinpoint why you cared so much. He was your stepbrother, a distant one at that, and yet the more time passed, the more his presence seemed to haunt you. It wasn’t just the way his eyes flickered toward you when you least expected it, or how his lips curved into a half-smile that made your heart beat a little faster. No, it was something deeper. Something you couldn’t explain.
You’d tried to ignore the way his gaze lingered on you, the strange tension that seemed to coil between you, but it was impossible. It felt as if you were tethered to him by something invisible, something that neither of you could see but both could feel. Every time he was near, your pulse quickened, your thoughts scattered. You could barely concentrate when he was in the room, and it didn’t make sense. Not when he was always so cold, so distant, so unwilling to acknowledge the strange pull between you.
---
The evening air was crisp when you found yourself once again wandering the mansion grounds. The full moon hung high in the sky, casting long shadows on the earth, and the wind stirred the trees, making the night feel alive, charged with something that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. You couldn’t explain it, but the garden felt different tonight. More alive. More... expectant.
As you walked through the familiar path lined with hedges and stone statues, you saw him again. Yoongi stood by the garden’s stone fountain, his back to you, facing the distant woods. You hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether you should approach. His figure was still, almost statuesque, and yet there was an undeniable tension in the air that seemed to pulse with each passing moment.
Without turning around, he spoke, his voice low and steady, carrying easily through the quiet night. “You shouldn’t be out here alone.”
You were about to respond, but the way he said it stopped you. His words weren’t a suggestion—they were a command. And there was something in his tone that made you shiver, though you couldn’t quite explain why. “Why not?” you asked, your voice sounding smaller than you intended.
Yoongi didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he turned slowly, his eyes locking onto yours. There it was again—that strange pull. His gaze seemed to search you in a way that made your heart flutter in your chest. For a brief second, you swore you saw something in his eyes—something wild, something untamed—but it was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by the usual cool indifference.
“Things aren’t always as they seem here,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “You should go inside.”
You opened your mouth to argue, to ask him why he was acting so strangely, but something stopped you. Maybe it was the way he stood, his posture rigid, or the subtle edge in his tone, but you suddenly felt a creeping sense of unease. Instead of pressing the issue, you simply nodded.
“Fine,” you muttered, turning to leave, but not without casting one last glance over your shoulder.
Yoongi hadn’t moved. He remained by the fountain, his figure once again swallowed by the shadows. The tension in the air lingered, thick and heavy, as though something was on the verge of being revealed. Something you didn’t yet understand. Something that tied him to you in ways you couldn’t yet fathom.
---
The following days were filled with more strange moments. At breakfast, Yoongi would occasionally glance at you, his gaze lingering just a moment longer than it should. And when you caught him watching you, he would quickly look away, his expression unreadable, as if he were trying to hide something from you.
You couldn’t help but notice how his presence seemed to affect you, how every time he was near, a strange warmth spread through your chest. It was subtle at first, but as the days wore on, it became more pronounced. The feeling wasn’t like anything you had ever experienced before. It wasn’t just attraction, though you couldn’t deny the flutter in your stomach whenever his eyes met yours. No, it was deeper—more primal. It was like there was a part of you that recognized him in a way you couldn’t explain.
You tried to push the thoughts aside, but they kept resurfacing. You’d catch yourself staring at him when he wasn’t looking, wondering why your heart would race when he was near, wondering what he was hiding behind that cold exterior. It wasn’t normal. You knew that much. But what was happening between you wasn’t normal, and you didn’t know who to ask for answers. Not when Yoongi wouldn’t speak about it.
One night, as you lay in bed, your mind buzzing with thoughts of him, you heard a sound. A faint rustling, like footsteps moving through the hall. You sat up, heart thumping in your chest, but when you peered out the window, all you saw was the moon, casting its glow over the garden.
Still, the sound was persistent. Footsteps. And they were moving closer. Slowly, you got out of bed, your feet silent on the cold floor, and you crept toward the door. As you reached for the handle, your breath caught in your throat. The hallway outside was dark, almost unnaturally so. But then, through the darkness, you saw him.
Yoongi. He was standing in the hallway, his face shadowed by the dim light. He hadn’t noticed you yet, but there was something in his posture that was different—tense, alert, like he was waiting for something. You opened your mouth to call out to him, but something in the air stopped you. It was as if the very atmosphere was holding its breath.
You froze, watching him as he turned, his eyes briefly catching yours in the dark. His expression was unreadable, but you felt the weight of his gaze, like he was seeing something in you that you didn’t understand. Then, just as quickly as he’d appeared, he was gone, disappearing into the shadows of the mansion.
Your heart raced as you stood there in the hallway, trying to make sense of what had just happened. It wasn’t like Yoongi to wander around at night like this. Was he sleepwalking? Or was something more going on?
You didn’t know, but the unsettling feeling only grew as the days passed. There was a distance between you and Yoongi, yes—but there was also something else. Something that neither of you had put into words, but that you both felt every time you were near each other.
It was as if fate had placed you both on this path for a reason, and you couldn’t escape the connection no matter how much you tried to ignore it. You didn’t understand what it was yet, but you knew that sooner or later, the truth would come to light. And when it did, everything you thought you knew about your life, about Yoongi, would change forever.
***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***
Updated 12 Episodes
Comments