56: Chapter 56 The Invitation of the Abyss

In the f(x) dorm, Choi Sulli's room was so quiet that the ticking of the clock on her bedside table was audible.

The worry and powerlessness felt by Victoria Song and the others were things Choi Sulli understood all too well herself.

She curled up on the small bed in her room, still wrapped in that long black down jacket, not even having changed out of the lotus-pink cocktail dress underneath.

The events at Huake Mountain Villa were like a nightmare: the way Liu Zijun threw his punches, Jeong Hyun-bin's crazed eyes, Choi Jae-ho's despair as he slumped to the floor—scene after scene replayed repeatedly in her mind.

Before Victoria Song and Luna went to their rooms to rest, they had specifically come over to cover her with a blanket and told her to sleep early, but how could she possibly sleep?

Liu Zijun told her to sleep peacefully and not to overthink, but she was someone prone to severe internal conflict; she couldn't help but think.

"Oppa, how are you doing..."

Choi Sulli buried her face in the covers, murmuring softly as her eyes began to burn again.

She pulled out her phone and unlocked the screen. The wallpaper was a photo of her and Liu Zijun; in the picture, she was smiling brightly, leaning against him, while he looked down at her with eyes so tender one could drown in them.

Those same eyes had been as cold as ice at Huake Mountain Villa, shielding her from all danger.

Just then, the phone in her pocket suddenly vibrated, its sharp ringtone piercing the silence of the dorm.

Choi Sulli jumped in surprise and hurriedly pulled out her phone. The screen displayed an unknown number with a hidden location, showing only a jumble of digits.

Her heart tightened. After hesitating for a few seconds, she pressed the answer button.

"Hello? Who is this?"

Her voice was raspy from crying and trembling.

There was no immediate response from the other end, only a low chuckle filled with the playfulness of a cat before catching a mouse, causing goosebumps to instantly rise on the back of Choi Sulli's neck.

"Ms. Choi Sulli, I hope you've been well."

The man's voice was lazy and arrogant, drawing out the final syllables.

To Choi Sulli, however, this voice sounded like a hangman's noose, instantly strangling her breath.

She recognized this voice. It was Lee Ryuk-hee—the heir to the TJK Group. Like Jeong Hyun-bin, he was a member of The Peninsula's top chaebol circles.

Relying on his family's power, he had always acted transitionally and overbearingly in The Peninsula. At a previous event, he had stared at her with such undisguised greed that it made her entire body feel uncomfortable.

It was also the beginning of her nightmare.

He was also the man who had previously told her to be prepared.

This Lee Ryuk-hee had a twisted sense of fun, yet he insisted on putting on an air of elegance.

Before Liu Zijun arrived in The Peninsula, she had already been 'reserved' by him.

She was to be sent to his bed on the day she officially reached adulthood.

Choi Sulli's hand gripped the phone tightly, her breathing becoming ragged: "R-Representative Lee Ryuk-hee?"

Lee Ryuk-hee chuckled softly, his contempt completely undisguised.

"And you, Choi Sulli—the drama at Huake Mountain Villa tonight was truly spectacular. I heard from others that the protagonist of this farce was actually you."

"That scum Choi Jae-ho is actually so useless he didn't even know who was targeting him."

His voice suddenly became extremely gentle as he said, "Sulli-ya, did you know? I was thinking of saving you from Choi Jae-ho's hands just when you were at your most desperate and hoping for help! Tell me, shouldn't you thank me properly?"

Choi Sulli's body froze instantly, her blood seemingly congealing in that moment.

She hadn't expected that what just happened would reach Lee Ryuk-hee's ears so quickly.

And Choi Jae-ho, whom she had previously thought was a kind uncle, turned out to be scum—and even more so, a clown.

He was merely a pawn between Jeong Hyun-bin and Lee Ryuk-hee.

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

Choi Sulli instinctively tried to deny it, but the tremor in her voice betrayed her.

Lee Ryuk-hee laughed even louder, as if he had heard a hilarious joke.

"Don't know? Your bodyguard, Liu Zijun, hit Jeong Hyun-bin at the banquet for your sake."

"Choi Sulli, do you really not know how terrifying the SD Group's retaliation can be?"

"Liu Zijun is just a bodyguard. No matter how good his skills are, in Jeong Hyun-bin's eyes, he's just an ant that can be crushed at any time."

Lee Ryuk-hee's tone suddenly became sinister.

"Furthermore, do you think I don't know about those little schemes of yours, or those thoughts you have regarding that bodyguard?"

"I said you can only be my canary. But for a disobedient canary, how do you think I should punish you?"

These words were like an ice pick, stabbing ruthlessly into Choi Sulli's heart.

She naturally knew the methods of the chaebols. The fall of the Cui Family was the best example; overnight, unknown forces intervened, and they fell from the clouds into hell, completely powerless to fight back.

No matter how powerful Liu Zijun was, how could he possibly go against the SD Group and the TJK Group?

And this was the reason she had always been afraid.

"What... what do you want?"

Choi Sulli's voice carried a sob, and tears fell uncontrollably, sliding onto the phone screen.

Lee Ryuk-hee's tone suddenly became suggestive, yet it carried a thick sense of malice.

"What do I want?"

"Choi Sulli, you should be very clear about that question yourself, shouldn't you?"

"But you just had to go and like a bodyguard."

"But it doesn't matter. Knowing you like him actually makes me more excited."

He paused, deliberately dragging out his words like a pervert.

This tone was particularly like someone toying with their prey.

"How about this, Choi Sulli: beg me. Get on your knees and beg me, then come find me according to the ritual, and I will protect Liu Zijun for you."

"I'll hold Jeong Hyun-bin back on his end. How about it?"

"Beg me..."

Those two words were like a heavy hammer, smashing into Choi Sulli's heart.

She bit her lip, her teeth nearly sinking into the flesh, her mouth filling with the taste of blood.

She knew what kind of person Lee Ryuk-hee was. Agreeing to him meant falling into an eternal abyss of no return.

But if she didn't agree, Liu Zijun would face the frenzied retaliation of the SD Group and the TJK Group, and it was even highly likely... that he wouldn't survive.

She didn't believe Lee Ryuk-hee would let Liu Zijun go.

On one side was her own future, and on the other was the man who had risked his life to protect her.

The more she thought, the more terrified Choi Sulli became, her body trembling even more violently.

She looked at the photo of Liu Zijun on her phone screen, remembering the way he blocked the coffee cup for her, the gentle look in his eyes every time he looked at her, and every little moment with him.

For her sake, he even dared to offend the chaebols; how could she just stand by and watch him fall into danger?

"Okay..."

This word squeezed out of Choi Sulli's throat, extremely raspy, and it took all the strength in her body.

Her head was buried deep in the covers, her tears nearly soaking the bedding.

Lee Ryuk-hee on the other end was clearly very satisfied with this answer, his laughter carrying the triumph of someone who has everything under control.

"Wouldn't it have been better to agree earlier? Stalling until now."

"Choi Sulli, actually, you don't know that my patience was almost gone!"

"Also, I'm very excited right now. I can't wait any longer; I can't wait for the day you reach adulthood."

"Tomorrow night at eight o'clock, come find me at the TK Club in Gangnam District."

"Remember, come alone, and perform the ritual exactly as I say."

"You know, I'm a person who values a sense of ritual."

After saying that, Lee Ryuk-hee hung up the phone directly, leaving only the busy signal in the receiver.

Choi Sulli gripped her phone and slumped down. The phone slipped from her hand, falling into the covers as the screen went dark.

She poked her head out to look at the ceiling light; light and shadow shifted in her eyes, but her entire world seemed to have turned black.

She knew what going to see Lee Ryuk-hee tomorrow night meant.

Was her fate destined to be only this in the end?

But she had no choice.

Choi Sulli slowly stood up, walked to the window, and pulled back the curtains.

Outside, the lights were still brilliant.

But this prosperous Seoul appeared incredibly piercing to her eyes.

This world was so dark that even the one ray of light she had grasped was about to be completely extinguished.

She remembered what Liu Zijun had said—he said he would always protect her and not let her fall into the abyss.

But now, to protect him, she had to personally deliver herself into the abyss.