You were just at work, doing your best to stay focused. It had been almost two full years since you’d managed to slip out of Ren’s hands. He hadn’t known what he was doing back then—it was his first time kidnapping someone, after all—so escaping him had been surprisingly easy.

Unfortunately, things had changed.

He’d gotten smarter. More careful. And now, of all places, he just so happened to be nearby—right in the same area where you'd found a new job.

You were working at one of those pop-up booths inside a grocery store, trying to blend in, pretending everything was normal. So of course, just your luck—he saw you. And of course, he approached. Naturally. Just to… check on you, obviously.

You felt it before you saw him. That heavy feeling crawling up your spine. And then you heard it—his familiar voice, soft but sharp around the edges.

“Ahem.” You looked up.

Ren was leaning casually on the edge of your stand, a small smile playing on his lips as if this was all some kind of joke.

“Excuse me,” he said, voice smooth, almost polite. As if he was a normal customer.