[AFYC] Chapter 36

The wide space she entered was filled with an almost oppressive sense of power. Streams of light poured through the windows, but the room felt dark due to the black-clad men who filled it. 

Each of these men radiated an aura vastly different from the guards at Felphe Bank. They were sharp, like well-honed blades, and immense, like towering mountains. 

As Seo Ah walked in, she felt the weight of their gazes fall on her. It was as if she had wandered into a treacherous ravine filled with jagged rocks and biting winds. 

She instinctively stopped, but the man with the blue eyes continued walking as if unconcerned by the danger surrounding them. He moved through the room with the ease of a predator, the men parting to allow him through. They moved precisely like a painting coming to life as each piece fell into place. 

When the men had arranged themselves in two long lines, the man stopped. He bowed deeply to the right, the sunlight catching on his black-clad back. 

Everything seemed to flow smoothly, but the room had an eerie silence. Seo Ah’s breathing sounded unnaturally loud to her ears, and the sunlight reflecting off the man’s back was almost blinding. 

Then, the bright light split like a curtain being drawn aside. 

There was an old saying in the scriptures: in the beginning, there was light, and from that light, darkness was born. 

The man who emerged from behind the bowing figure seemed like the darkness born from that light. 

The men on either side of the room bowed their heads as the man approached. He moved through them like a king traversing his realm, each step measured and deliberate. 

When the man with the blue eyes straightened and took his place to the right, the newcomer stood in the centre, the position of power unmistakable. Hands in his pockets, he stood with an almost lazy confidence, yet his presence outshone even the men who flanked him. 

When Seo Ah finally dared to look up, her eyes met those of the man with the blue eyes. She immediately dropped her gaze, her heart pounding so hard she thought it might burst. Her hands clutched her skirt tightly, and she felt her breath catch as her senses focused entirely on the man before her. 

He began to move. 

Each step he took toward her felt like a tidal wave crashing down, and she had no choice but to watch as he approached. There was no escape, no way to avoid the inevitable. 

His polished black shoes and long legs appeared in her lowered line of sight, and as his shadow fell over her, she heard a soft, breathy laugh. 

“Don’t just sit there—look at me.” 

The voice was low, laced with amusement, but it sent a chill down her spine. Her chin lifted involuntarily at the command, and she slowly raised her head, though she couldn’t bring herself to look him fully in the face. 

The man before her was tall, his broad shoulders clad in a black jacket. Another low chuckle made her shoulders tense, and without warning, he leaned down, bringing his face level with hers. 

“…!” 

The sudden proximity forced her to confront his features, etched into her vision like a brand. 

His black hair curled elegantly, contrasting his sharp nose and long, narrow eyes. His jawline was angled, and his sky-blue eyes were as piercing as a cold autumn sky. 

He was beautiful, unbearably so, under the dazzling sunlight. When her gaze landed on his slightly upturned lips, Seo Ah quickly lowered her head again, only to hear him chuckle again. 

The sound of his laughter, smooth and enticing, wrapped around her throat like a noose.