Dohyun's POV
The chair was too hard. The light above was too bright. My hands wouldn't stop shaking, no matter how tight I pressed them against my knees.
Across from me, two officers flipped open their notebooks, pens poised. Their faces weren't cruel, but they weren't soft either. Neutral. Professional. Like they'd heard stories like mine a hundred times before.
That should've made me feel safer. But instead, it made me want to vomit.
"Mr. Ham," one of them said gently, "we just need you to tell us everything you can. Start wherever feels easiest."
My throat closed. Air wouldn't come. My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. I could almost hear him—Hyok's voice—slithering in my ears like it never left.
You'll sound pathetic. They won't believe you. You wanted it. You begged me for it.
"I…" My voice cracked. I gripped my knees until my nails bit through the fabric of my pants. "I can't."
Beside me, Jihwa's hand slid over mine under the table, steady and warm. He leaned close, whispering so only I could hear. "You can. I'm right here, Dohyun. You're not alone." Then he showed me that smile that slightly lifted my motivation.
I turned my head just enough to see his eyes—steady, unshakable, full of a strength I didn't think I deserved. The air hitched in my chest. Slowly, painfully, I nodded.
"I'll try," I whispered.
The officers waited, pens still.
I swallowed. "His name is Park Hyok. He's… he was my—" My voice stuttered, and the word felt poisonous. "—my master."
The sound of it cracked something inside me.
One officer nodded. "Go on."
My lips trembled. "He wasn't supposed to— I never… agreed. My uncle sold me to him to pay off my father's debt.." I squeezed my eyes shut, the memories clawing back, sharp and merciless. "He locked me in. He said he'd make me better. He said I was nothing—just a weak, recessive omega—but that he could fix me. And h-he used me as a lab experiment."
The pen scratched against paper. Every sound made my skin crawl.
Jihwa squeezed my hand. "Keep going," he whispered.
My chest caved. Tears blurred my vision. "He forced me. Again and again. Until I stopped fighting. Until I couldn't even think. He—" My breath caught on a sob. "He marked me. He… he got me pregnant. He made me into a dominant omega. Everyday he would hurt me for no reason. "
The room spun. For a moment, I thought I'd fall out of the chair. Shame burned me alive. My hands shook so hard the table rattled.
The younger officer frowned. "Pregnant…?" His tone was careful, but I heard it—doubt. Confusion.
"I didn't want it!" The words burst out of me, raw and jagged. Tears spilled down my face. "I didn't want any of it! He said it made me his forever, that no one would ever take me away because now—now I was proof I belonged to him."
The older officer cleared his throat, softer this time. "Why didn't you leave sooner, Mr. Han?"
The question broke me.
"I couldn't!" My voice tore from me like a scream. "I couldn't leave because he made sure I couldn't. Because he—he broke me so badly I didn't remember what freedom felt like. Because I thought…" My shoulders shook violently. "I thought maybe I deserved it and ontop off that he'll hurt my cousin!"
"Dohyun, no—" Jihwa pulled me into him, his arm wrapping around my shoulders. His own voice shook as he pressed his forehead to mine. "Don't you ever say that again. You never deserved any of it. Not for a second."
I sobbed into him, gripping his sleeve like it was the only thing keeping me anchored.
The officers exchanged a glance but didn't interrupt. They let me cry, let me gasp for air until the worst of it passed.
Finally, I whispered, broken, "Sometimes… sometimes I wished I didn't survive. That it would've been easier if I just…" My throat locked. "If I just stopped existing."
Jihwa's grip tightened instantly. "Don't. Please, Dohyun. Don't ever think like that again. You're here. You're alive. You're the bravest person I know." His voice cracked, and I realized he was crying too.
The younger officer cleared his throat again, gentler now. "Mr. Han… Thank you. That was very brave. We'll use your statement to make sure he never hurts you—or anyone else—again."
The older one added quietly, "You're safe now. We do recommend therapy if you like."
Safe.
The word felt fragile. Like glass in my hands, ready to shatter if I held on too tightly. But for the first time in years, I wanted to try.
I leaned into Jihwa's shoulder, whispering, "Please. Don't let him hurt anyone else. Not ever again."
When Seojoon came to pick us up, his presence filled the room with quiet power. He placed a hand on my back, his voice steady but warm. "Your courage will end him, Dohyun. The law is on your side now."
For once, I let myself believe him.
And as we stepped out of that suffocating room, the night air hit my face. Cold, sharp, cleansing. I clung to Jihwa's arm, exhausted, hollowed out, but breathing freer than I had in years.
For the first time, I whispered to myself a truth Hyok could never steal—
"Maybe… maybe he won't win again."
I stumbled out of the interrogation room before anyone could stop me, my legs barely holding me upright. The hallway stretched endlessly, bright and sterile, and every echo of my own footsteps sounded like Hyok's mocking laugh in my ears.
Jihwa's hand slid into mine immediately, grounding me. "Hey," he whispered. "You did it. You told them everything."
"I… I don't know if it was enough," I admitted, my voice hoarse. "They'll think I'm lying. They'll say I wanted it. That I asked for it. They'll… they'll think it's my fault."
Jihwa's thumb brushed across my knuckles. "No one will. Not if we make sure they hear the truth."
I shook my head, tears stinging. "But he… he made me believe it. Every time I fought, he made me feel disgusted. Pathetic. That I deserved it. And now… I told them everything, and it feels like—like it didn't even matter."
"Of course it matters," Jihwa said, his voice tight with emotion. "You survived. You're alive. And you're brave enough to say it out loud. That's everything. That's proof."
But the memories pressed in anyway. I remembered the nights he cornered me, his hands on my shoulders, his voice low and dangerous. "You're mine. You exist for me. Don't you forget it."
My knees buckled slightly, and Jihwa caught me instinctively. "I'm right here," he murmured, pressing his forehead against mine. "I've got you. You're not alone anymore."
I wanted to believe him. I tried to pull in a deep breath, but it was shaky and shallow, like I'd forgotten how to breathe properly. "I feel… dirty," I whispered. "Like I'm broken, and nothing I do can fix it. Not even being brave now."
"You're not dirty," Jihwa said firmly. "You're alive. You're breathing. You're human. And I don't care what he made you believe—he doesn't get to decide your worth. I do. I care about you. I've always cared about you."
I broke it. I sank into his arms again, shaking. My tears fell freely this time, no shame. I told him things I had never said aloud. "I feel like I'll never… be okay. That I'll always be his. That no one could ever love me after what he did. And sometimes I wish I hadn't survived, because surviving… it hurts too much."
Jihwa's hands gripped my face, holding me upright, his own tears staining my hair. "Stop it!" he snapped, voice cracking. "Do you hear me? You're not his. You're not his at all. You're yours. And mine. You don't get to give him that power over you anymore."
I trembled, looking into his eyes, seeing the fire in them that wasn't for me, but for him—his anger at Hyok, his promise to protect me. "I—I'm scared," I admitted. "What if he—what if he comes after me? What if they… they don't believe me?"
"They'll believe you," Jihwa said firmly. "And if they don't, I'll scream it from the rooftops. I'll fight for you until they understand. Until he can't hurt you again."
Seojoon appeared quietly behind us, his tall frame commanding attention without raising his voice. "He won't hurt you again," he said, calm and certain. "Not with the law on your side. Not only with us on your side. You've done the right thing, Dohyun. Courage doesn't mean you weren't afraid—it means you acted anyway."
I swallowed against the lump in my throat, tears still streaming. "I—" My voice faltered. I could feel the panic clawing at me again, the small, terrified part of me that had always thought running was the only way to survive. "I'm not sure I can… I'm not sure I can face him in court. I… I'll freeze. I'll—"
"You won't be alone," Jihwa interrupted softly but firmly. "I'll be there. Dad.will be there. We all will. You don't have to do this alone."
I closed my eyes and let myself sink into that promise, feeling my shoulders loosen just a fraction. "I just… I don't want to be weak anymore."
"You're not weak," Jihwa whispered, pulling me closer. "Not ever again. And even if you feel weak… you have me. That's enough to get through this."
I felt the sobs ease a little, my chest unclenching as I let him hold me. Still, the memories wouldn't leave completely. I could see Hyok's face in every shadow, and hear his voice in every whisper of wind. "You're mine. You'll never escape."
"I can't stop hearing him," I admitted quietly. "Even now… I can't stop."
"Then let me fight for you," Jihwa said. "You focus on surviving. On breathing. On getting through this next step. I'll take the rest."
A shaky laugh escaped me. "I feel ridiculous… crying like this in front of everyone. Like… like a child."
"You don't feel ridiculous," he said, brushing my hair from my wet cheeks. "You feel human. And anyone who makes you feel shame for surviving… that's the person who's wrong. Not you."
I let the words sink in slowly, the panic ebbing just slightly. I could still feel the tight knot in my chest, but it was smaller now. More manageable.
"Do you… do you really think I can do this?" I whispered.
Jihwa smiled, though tears still shone in his eyes. "I know you can. And if you stumble, I'll be there to catch you. Always."
Seojoon's hand pressed lightly to my shoulder. "This is the first time in a long time you've had control. Don't let fear take it back. You've given Hyok no power here. You've made the choice to take your life, your body, and your voice back. That's more than most people ever manage."
I nodded slowly, blinking back tears. "I… I'll try. I'll try to be strong. For… for you. For us."
Jihwa's hand squeezed mine, his voice soft, almost a whisper: "For you, too. Don't forget that."
We stayed like that a long time, the three of us together in the quiet hallway, my breaths ragged but steadier than before. The weight in my chest hadn't disappeared, but the panic was a little softer, a little more bearable.
And for the first time since he had taken everything from me, I felt a fragile spark inside me—a tiny, trembling hope that maybe this time, I could survive him.