Silence gripped the lakehouse while Koo cooked. Raw vegetables sizzled angrily in hot oil. Chairman Kim prowled the open living space, shirtless, periodically stopping behind Koo to grope a breast roughly or slap her ass sharply. "*Faster,*" he barked, leaving finger-shaped bruises blooming on her hips. Koo jumped each time, flinching but never protesting.

Taehyung sat rigidly on the plush couch nursing whiskey, jaw clenched tight enough to crack a tooth. He watched Koo’s body sway as she stirred the pan, the thin apron doing little to hide the slick trails crusting on her inner thighs – trails his father left. Her cheeks flushed crimson under the harsh kitchen light. She ignored Taehyung entirely.