18.

Chapter 18

Sunoo sat in his office, fingers drumming restlessly against the cold metal desk. The air still hummed with the tension from his last encounter with Riki, but now, alone in the silence, it felt heavier. He could still feel the heat of Riki’s breath against his skin, the way his eyes had burned into him.

His stomach twisted. He had played with fire tonight, and he knew it.

Riki was dangerous. He was unpredictable. He was in chains—and yet Sunoo couldn’t shake the feeling that he was the one being hunted.

A shiver ran down his spine, but he forced himself to push the thought away. He needed to clear his head.

Deciding he needed a distraction, Sunoo grabbed his clipboard and stepped out into the hallway. The asylum was eerily quiet at this hour, the fluorescent lights buzzing softly overhead. He made his way toward the common area, where some of the patients were still awake, lingering in their own little worlds.

He needed to talk to someone.

Anyone but him.

"Dr. Kim!"

Sunoo barely had time to react before a pair of arms wrapped around him in a crushing embrace. He recognized the scent before the voice—the sharp, almost floral perfume that only one person in this place would dare wear.

"Minji," he sighed, gently prying her arms off him. "You know you're not supposed to do that."

Minji just grinned up at him, completely unbothered. "Oh, come on, doc. You don't look like you mind."

Sunoo did mind. He minded everything right now. The way his pulse wouldn’t slow down. The way his skin still tingled where Riki’s gaze had burned through him. The way Minji was looking at him too closely, like she could see every single thought racing through his head.

"Something’s on your mind," she mused, tilting her head. "Or should I say… someone?"

Sunoo stiffened. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Minji laughed, a sharp, knowing sound. "Sure, doc. Keep telling yourself that."

He was about to brush her off, to walk away, but then she leaned in, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"He's watching you, you know."

A cold chill ran down Sunoo’s spine. "Who?" he asked, even though he already knew.

Minji grinned, rocking back on her heels. "Oh, you know who."

Sunoo swallowed. He forced himself to stay calm, to ignore the way his hands were suddenly too cold, too clammy. "He can't see me right now," he said, his voice steady. "He's locked up."

Minji only hummed in response, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Locked up," she echoed. "Sure. That makes you safe."

Sunoo hated how those words made his stomach twist.

Before he could respond, another voice cut through the air.

"Doc, you ignoring me now?"

Sunoo turned to see Heeseung, another patient, sprawled out lazily on the couch. His sharp eyes flickered over Sunoo with amusement, but there was something else there too—curiosity.

"I'm not ignoring you," Sunoo said, trying to regain control of himself. "How are you feeling tonight?"

Heeseung smirked. "Better now that you're here."

Sunoo rolled his eyes, but before he could respond, he felt it.

That presence.

His body tensed instinctively, and when he looked up, his breath caught in his throat.

Riki.

He was standing by the entrance of the common area, arms crossed, his head tilted slightly. The fluorescent lights cast long shadows across his face, making his expression unreadable. But Sunoo knew that look.

Jealousy.

Possessive.

Sunoo’s heartbeat thundered in his ears as he forced himself to keep his composure.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, keeping his voice firm. "You're supposed to be in your cell."

Riki took a slow step forward, then another, until he was only a few feet away.

"They let me out for a little break," he said smoothly, but his eyes flickered to Heeseung, then to Minji. His jaw tightened, and Sunoo knew—he knew—that Riki didn’t like what he was seeing.

Minji seemed completely unfazed. If anything, she was entertained. "Oh, look," she said, grinning at Riki. "Your little doctor’s been making friends."

Riki didn’t respond. His eyes stayed locked on Sunoo, dark and unreadable.

Sunoo swallowed hard. He hated how his skin prickled under Riki’s gaze, how his pulse refused to slow down.

"This isn’t your session," he said, trying to put some distance between them. "Go back to your cell."

Riki stepped closer.

"Make me."

The words sent a shiver down Sunoo’s spine, but he held his ground. He wasn’t going to let Riki win this.

"Riki," he warned.

But Riki just smirked, his gaze flickering down—too slowly, taking in every inch of him before meeting his eyes again.

"Don’t like it, do you?" Riki murmured. "When I remind you that you're mine."

Sunoo inhaled sharply. "I’m not yours."

The words were barely out before Riki moved.

Before Sunoo could react, Riki had closed the distance between them, his hands gripping Sunoo’s wrist—tight—pulling him in until their bodies were flush against each other.

Sunoo gasped, but before he could push Riki away, lips crashed against his.

It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t gentle. It was a claiming.

Sunoo’s breath hitched, his entire body tensing as Riki deepened the kiss, his grip tightening as if daring Sunoo to pull away. But Sunoo couldn’t. His mind screamed at him to stop, to push, to do something—but his body betrayed him. His hands clenched into Riki’s shirt, and for a single, fleeting second, he gave in.

Heat burned through him, a dangerous, dizzying thing.

And then, just as suddenly as it had started, Riki pulled back, a wicked smirk curling on his lips.

"Now you remember who’s in charge, doc," he whispered.

Sunoo’s breath was ragged, his mind spinning.

Riki grinned, stepping back, as if he hadn’t just shattered every single one of Sunoo’s defenses.

"See you soon," he murmured.

And then he was gone.

Leaving Sunoo standing there, heart racing, lips tingling, and mind completely, utterly ruined.