The uncomfortable silence has soon built itself up, like a thick wall between them, and Seonghwa has no clue how to break through it. After what feels like an eternity, Yeosang is the first of the two to speak.

"Untie me," he says in a tone that sends shivers down Seonghwa's spine.

The reaction coming from the younger is making Seonghwa feel even more terrified than before. His own body, which had felt like it was about to overheat just moments ago, is now feeling just as cold as the stare Yeosang is giving him.

"Untie me," Yeosang repeats. This time pushing his tied hands towards Seonghwa who snaps out of his trance and unties him with his own shaking hands, while avoiding eye contact at all cost.

As soon as he is freed, Yeosang rolls out of the bed to get dressed right away, while Seonghwa can't do anything but helplessly watch him from the bed.

"Why are you suddenly asking me that?" Yeosang mumbles, clearly in distress as he can't even seem to get his shirt on properly. He curses under his breath while fiddling with his jeans.

The question is hard to answer since Seonghwa isn't quite sure why himself. If only he had kept his stupid mouth shut. But Seonghwa has apparently acquired a skill of never being able to shut up when it comes to the younger. Even at times where he definitely should.

"I... I ran into Hyunjin the other day..." Seonghwa admits, well aware that his confession is only going to make everything worse.

"Hyu-..." Yeosang's eyes fire up within a second and his fists clench together while he glares at Seonghwa. "Are you fucking kidding me right now? Well... What did he tell you, exactly?"

"Yeosang... It doesn't matter, okay. I'm sorry for asking you that. I'm really sorry. Can't we just forget about it?"

Seonghwa wraps the wrinkly sheet around his waist and gets out of the bed. When he reaches out for Yeosang his hand grabs nothing but air, as the younger moves away at the same time. A deep sting of pain hits Seonghwa straight in the heart, but he chooses not to try again.

"No. We can't. I can't believe you'd believe anything that guy says."

"I-I never said I believed him..."

"You chose to ask me that, right in the middle of fucking me! If you didn't believe him, you wouldn't have said anything at all."

Seonghwa hates how Yeosang is right. If Seonghwa didn't believe Hyunjin at all, he would never have asked Yeosang about it.

"Yeosang. What is going on? Why are you reacting like this?" Seonghwa asks in despair, his lower lip even trembling while tears are building up in his eyes.

He has to fix this; he just has to. But when Yeosang turns to look at him, Seonghwa goes completely blank. The only thing he wishes he could do, is to turn back time – ten minutes is all he asks for. In this moment he fears that Yeosang might never smile at him ever again.

"Why don't you ask Hyunjin?" Yeosang's harsh tone is like a bullet in Seonghwa's already bleeding heart, and the angry look in the brown eyes makes everything even worse.

Seonghwa wants to reach out for him, hold him, kiss him like he used to. But he can't. Even standing so close, the distance between them has never felt bigger.

~

The room is silent, too silent, after Yeosang has left. Seonghwa had just let him leave as he reckoned he couldn't stop him anyway. Now, Seonghwa is sitting alone on his bed just staring at the wall. His mind is overflowing but at the same time completely empty. He has never hated himself more than he does right now,

He sighs deeply while getting under the covers, hugging the pillow tightly in his arms. Yeosang's sweet scent is still captured in the fabric of the pillow and when Seonghwa buries his face into it, the first tears break free. A weak sob quickly turns into a painful cry, and he crouches his trembling body together. He and Yeosang might've had a fall out or two before, but he has never seen the younger react like this. Everything about him had seemed so completely different, so cold and so full of anger. This isn't something a cute text or a hug can fix. But Seonghwa has no idea what can.

~

Yeosang never said the words "let's break up", but the following days it definitely feels like that was exactly what they did. Seonghwa hasn't seen him around at all, and when he knocks on the other's door no one answers.

The pain inside Seonghwa's heart is growing each and every day, and to make things worse he is also terrified of what Yeosang is hiding. Because he is definitely hiding something for him to react like that. Right? Seonghwa just worry more about his upcoming exams, but all of that seems completely distant to him now. Everything actually does.

When he walks down the hall-ways he only ever wishes to see Yeosang's face in the crowd, smiling at him. But it isn't happening, and for the first time in his life Seonghwa's posture is rather slouching and his eyes glued to his feet as he walks.

"Seonghwa?"

Seonghwa turns around to see Wooyoung coming running towards him, looking very stressed out.

"Wooyoung. I haven't seen you in a while. Are you okay?" Seonghwa has to force the question out, his energy is on the lowest of low but he does his best to seem interested.

"Yes, I am fine... But... Yeosang..."

"I'm sorry... I don't think I can help you, Wooyoung. I doubt Yeosang wants to see me right now." Seonghwa turns to walk away, feeling a lump in his throat.

"Seonghwa, please!" Wooyoung calls out, voice on the edge to crying. "Something happened, something bad. And I don't know how reach him. Please, help me. I-I... I know how much you mean to him."

~

"Yeosang? Open the door, please!" Wooyoung anxiously searches his pockets for something, tears in his eyes.

"You have a key to his room?"

"Yes," Wooyoung replies, but even with his short answer Seonghwa gets the feeling that it is a necessity.

When Wooyoung gets the door open, Seonghwa hesitates before following him into the room. The curtains are closed, and the only light is from the lamp on the night stand which Wooyoung turns on.

"Told you to leave me the fuck alone!" Yeosang grumbles from his bed, hiding himself in the covers.

"And I told you not to ignore me when something bad happens to you! You promised me after the last time! Yeosang! I don't wanna lose you, you're my best friend!"

"I thought San was your best friend now?! Leave me alone, I'm fine."

"Stop lying to me! Jongho saw you! I know what happened but... If you don't want to talk to me right now..." Wooyoung turns and looks helplessly at Seonghwa. "There's someone else here to see you. I'll come back later."

Wooyoung leaves the room and a minute of silence occurs while Seonghwa is unable to figure out what to say, and Yeosang is still lying on his bed, all covered up and with his back turned in Seonghwa's direction.

"Yeosang..." Seonghwa speaks softly while sitting down on the bedside. "It's me... I know you are still angry me. But... If something happened to you-..."

"Nothing happened," Yeosang growls without moving. His voice is full of anger and it hurts Seonghwa just hearing it.

"Sangie... Please, look at me..."

"Fine, if it'll make you go away."

Seonghwa's eyes widen up and an inaudible gasp escapes his lips when he sees the younger's face. Yeosang's beautiful face, his flawless, amazingly stunning face has been broken with a giant black eye and a cracked lip. His loose t-shirt reveals several bruises on his pale skin and Seonghwa just stares at him, in complete shock.

"Why are you here?" Yeosang asks, while Seonghwa can feel how his heart is breaking from looking at him.

"Because I love you. I don't care about anything, but you! I just want to be with you, Yeosang!" Seonghwa wants to embrace Yeosang so badly, hold him close, protect him. Carefully he reaches out to let his fingers stroke the younger's cheek, but Yeosang flinches back by the touch.

"But you can't have me! Don't you get that? We can never be together!" Yeosang practically shouts, small tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

"Yeosang, I promise you, I don't care about what other people say, I don't care about what my parents will think. I'm sorry I should never have asked you that question, whatever Hyunjin thinks he knows – it doesn't matter..."

"What is it that you don't understand? We can never be together, because I don't want to be with you! I fucking despise you, Park Seonghwa! You are everything I have hated my entire life! I only fucked you because it made me feel good to know that even someone like you couldn't resist me. And when you got feelings for me, and I just played you for the fun of it. You don't mean anything to me and you never have, so just fuck off and stay away from me!"