"Stay away from me," Yui muttered, though her voice wavered.
But Haruto didn't stop. He stepped right into her space, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his body. One hand lifted, fingers curling around her chin, tilting her face upward until their eyes met.
His gaze was sharp, but there was a glint there—something unnameable, unreadable.
"Why do you keep pretending you're afraid," he whispered, his thumb brushing against her jaw. "When I can see you shaking for more than just fear?"
Her heart lurched.
She tried to push his hand away, but Haruto caught her wrist easily, his grip strong, unrelenting. He leaned closer, his lips hovering dangerously near her ear.
"You like this game, don't you? The push, the pull… the danger."
Yui stiffened, shaking her head. "You're sick."
Haruto chuckled, the sound low, rich, maddening. "Maybe. But you still haven't run away."
His other hand pressed against the wall beside her head, caging her in, his body leaning close but not quite touching. His breath skimmed across her cheek, hot, almost unbearable.
Yui's gaze dropped to his hand, where a thin line of red marred his knuckle. Her brows knit together."Blood?" she asked.
Haruto didn't answer. Instead, he pressed his thumb hard against the cut, a sharp hiss slipping through his teeth—but his smirk never faltered. His eyes gleamed with something unsettling.
Before she could stop him, he lifted his hand and brushed the finger dangerously close to her lips."Want to taste this delicious thing?" he whispered, his voice low, mocking, daring.
Yui froze, her stomach twisting at his words. Heat rushed to her cheeks, not from desire but from sheer shock. "Are you crazy?!" she burst out, shoving him hard in the chest.
He fell back onto the bed with a low laugh, as if her reaction was exactly what he had wanted all along. But before she could retreat, his hand shot out, catching her wrist. In one swift pull, Yui toppled onto him, landing squarely against his chest.
Her breath caught, her palms pressing against him to push away—but Haruto only looked up at her with that same infuriating smirk."Careful," he murmured. "If you keep reacting like this… I might get addicted."
For a second, Haruto didn't move.
Then, something unexpected happened.
The smirk slipped from his face, replaced by a softness she had never seen before. His lips curved—not into the devilish grin she knew too well, but into a quiet smile. A real smile. Gentle. Human.
Yui froze, breath caught in her chest.
That smile—it didn't belong to the Haruto she knew. Not the cold boy who threatened her, not the cruel predator who cornered her in shadows. This smile belonged to someone else. Someone buried deep under the layers of poison and armor.
For the first time, she wondered if this was the real Haruto.
He released her wrist, sitting next to her, giving her space. The intensity in his gaze softened, though the shadows never truly disappeared.
"Interesting," he muttered, almost to himself.
Yui didn't know what to say. Her mind raced, her heart a confused mess. Why did that smile hurt more than his cruelty?
Without another word, Haruto grabbed his jacket and walked to the door. He unlocked it casually, as if nothing had happened. Then he turned, eyes flicking to her once more.
"Come. I'll take you home."
The ride back was a blur. Yui sat stiffly in the passenger seat of his sleek car, the silence pressing down like a weight. She couldn't stop replaying that smile in her mind, couldn't stop wondering what it meant.
The streets rolled past in streaks of neon and shadow. Haruto drove lazily, one hand on the wheel, the other resting casually against the window. His face was unreadable again, mask firmly back in place.
But that smile—it wouldn't leave her.
Yui's fingers twisted in her lap, her thoughts spiraling.Who are you, Haruto? Which one is real—the devil who hunts me, or the boy who smiled like the world wasn't heavy on his shoulders?
Her chest ached with questions she had no right to ask.
When the car pulled up in front of her apartment building, Yui unbuckled her seatbelt slowly, still lost in thought.
The moment she stepped out, however, a voice shattered the fragile silence.
"Yui?"
Her heart dropped.
Standing just a few feet away, glaring at Haruto with undisguised fury, was her older brother, Masaru.
His stride was quick, almost violent, as he closed the distance. His hand gripped Yui's arm, pulling her sharply to his side, shielding her from Haruto as if he were poison.
"What the hell are you doing with him?" Masaru's voice was low, harsh, trembling with barely-contained rage.
Yui stumbled at the sudden tug, glancing helplessly between the two boys—the brother who had always tried to protect her, and the wolf who never let her escape.
And Haruto…
Haruto didn't fight back. He didn't argue. He didn't even move.
Instead, as Masaru dragged Yui toward the apartment doors, Haruto leaned casually against his car, hands in his pockets. His lips curved once more into that smile—the same soft, quiet smile that had unsettled her in his room.
The kind of smile that said he wasn't losing anything.
Yui's chest tightened as Masaru all but shoved her inside, his words sharp and demanding. "Tell me, Yui. What were you doing with him?"
But Yui couldn't answer.
Because all she could see in her mind… was that impossible smile.