❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

Seokmin woke up from sleep when his alarm clock started to blare. He hadn't gotten much sleep last night since yesterday was just shit.

He also had to readjust to the comfort of his own bed, which was hard because he hadn't slept in his own apartment for so long.

The emptiness scared him a bit, which was quite ironic since he was someone who, in the past, loved the darkness.

Before he met Joshua.

He still wanted to tell Joshua the truth, to stop lying but he was a coward. He had always been and the thought of losing Joshua was just as bad as the thought of losing his own life.

He missed Joshua so much and they'd only been apart for a few hours. Joshua had to go to another city for a meeting so Seokmin had to return to his own apartment.

He also had to cover for Joshua today which was why he had gotten up so early, at 6am, to start getting ready for work.

He put on his regular black suit and shoes and slicked his hair back, leaving a few strands out for decoration. The necklace Joshua gave him glimmered under the lights and he sprayed himself with his favourite perfume, lavender scented then grabbed his briefcase, exiting the house.

Seokmin got to work right on time, taking the elevator to Joshua's office. He assumed he would have a lot of work to do today and that assumption already made him want to take a long nap and never wake up until Joshua came back.

Like Sleeping Beauty.

"Good day, Allison." He greeted but Allison didn't return the greeting and her usual cheerful smile had been replaced by a judging frown as she typed away, not paying Seokmin any mind.

Was she having a bad day or did she really just outright ignore him? Either way, that was not his problem or his business.

He pressed down the handle of Joshua's door, surprised to see it unlocked already. He walked in, closing the door behind him but as he turned, he saw Joshua sat at his desk, the top half of his face covered by his hair and his knuckles...

Bruised and stained with dried blood.

"Are you okay Josh?" He asked, moving towards Joshua when the sound of a voice he recognised instantly filled the room. The volume of said voice increased and the conversation left Seokmin in utter shock.

"What? Are you pissed? I was just trying to help... I know you don't like working for that demon."

"Yeah, I don't... thanks... it's just, leaving work like that could get me fired and ruin the mission y'know."

"I barely get to see you nowadays, it's like Joshua Hong has you locked up in his house or something."

"Wh-what? I would never go to his house or agree to be locked up there. I'd rather die."

The voices stopped and the audio ended, Seokmin stepped backwards in shock, the room starting to spin as he replayed the audio in his head.

It was his voice and Parker's voice, from yesterday. How had Joshua found out and gotten hold of a recording of them?

Did he know... the truth?

"Lee Dokyeom, or should I say, Lee Seokmin?" Joshua's tone was bitter, the pain evident in his voice as he stood up, making direct eye contact with Seokmin, revealing his bloodshot eyes.

"Joshua, i-it's not what you think, I swe-"

"How could you do this to me?!" Joshua yelled, pushing all the objects on his desk off, the sound of their clattering adding to the heat of the moment.

"I trusted you... I believed in you, I loved you! How could you even do this?!" Joshua's eyes had replenished themselves with more tears and Seokmin's eyes did the same, clouding his voice.

"You made me fall in love with you all while you were planning to fucking kill me!" Joshua came closer, pushing Seokmin repeatedly, tears dropping from his eyes as he did.

He had wanted to be as emotionless as possible. Kick Seokmin out with no remorse but seeing Seokmin's face made him realize he would never be able to do that. He just couldn't stop his emotions from taking over.

"How could you do this to me... when you know all the shit I-I've been t-th-through." Joshua's voice cracked and trembled as he buried his face in his palms, the tears unceasing.

Seokmin's own tears started to spill, streaming down his face. He had never wanted it to be like this, he had never wanted Joshua to find out like this.

"Josh, I promise you I didn't want to kill you, not after everything we'd gone through, I'm sorry, I fucked up, I really fucked up." Seokmin apologized, trying not to give in to the sadness, maybe there was still hope, maybe if he tried hard enough.

"Get the fuck away from me." Joshua demanded as Seokmin tried to touch him, pushing the boy away with a heavy force. Seokmin collided with the wall, grunting as his back hit the rough surface.

"You're a fucking liar, you're a cheater and worst of all, you're a traitor... you betrayed me Seokmin." His voice was dangerously calm as he stepped away.

"My love, you don't under-"

"Never call me that ever again or I'll cut your fucking tongue off, you prick!" His voice rose as he stared at Seokmin, his breathing getting heavier and the heat spreading round his body in fuming flames. His eyes picked up on the necklace and he scoffed, walking towards Seokmin and pulling it off.

Seokmin reached out for the necklace but Joshua kept it in his pocket and Seokmin sighed, touching his neck where Joshua's gift once used to be.

"Get out." He walked to his desk, carrying the file. "Get the fuck out of my life, I never want to see you again." He sprayed the contents on Seokmin, the ID, the birth certificate, the contracts, the photos, everything, every single piece of proof.

Trapping Seokmin in a box he could never escape no matter how hard he tried.

"I'm not leaving you Josh." Seokmin stood his ground as he took steps closer to Joshua. "Please just let me expl-"

Seokmin was cut off by the sound of Joshua's drawer opening and then the sight of a gun in Joshua's hands. He looked to see if it was loaded and it was... fully.

But Seokmin didn't step back, he didn't care if he died. His life didn't matter anymore, not when he'd just lost his everything, his whole world. The only person he woke up in the morning for, the only person he got dressed to see everyday.

His light, his sun, his moon, his sky, his stars.

His love.

Seokmin stood, his breaths increasing rapidly along with his heartbeat as he waited for the shot to go through him but to his surprise, Joshua simply turned the gun around and put it to his own head.

Seokmin's eyes widened in shock, his body lurched him forward, towards Joshua instinctively as his hands reached for the gun.

"Don't! Take another step. If you do, I will kill myself." The tears doubled down on each other, staining Joshua's flawless skin, the taste of salt on his lips bitter but not as bitter as the sight of Seokmin, not as bitter as the feeling he had in his heart.

Not as bitter as letting Dokyeom go. A figment of his imagination, someone who only existed in his memories and no one else's.

He also didn't care if he died. Everyone wanted him to anyways and right now, he wanted to leave the Earth as well. Nothing good had come to him from being alive.

All the things and people he thought were heaven-sent were just punishments that left him heartbroken and helpless in the end.

"Josh, please don't." Seokmin fell to his knees, rubbing his hands together as he begged Joshua to not pull the trigger while simultaneously begging Joshua to give him another chance, to not make him leave.

"Get out, Seokmin." The name felt foreign on his tongue, unfamiliar, bittersweet but a lot more bitter than sweet.

Seokmin sighed, his head hanging downwards, knowing he had to leave. Knowing that Joshua was perfectly capable of killing himself right then and there if he didn't.

"I love you." Seokmin said as he got up, met by more of Joshua's crying. "Leave, Seokmin." He said one last time, his hand on the trigger as he looked away.

"I don't even know who you are."

Joshua's words felt like a direct hit, stabbing Seokmin as he absorbed them, engraving them unto his brain. It was the truth and nothing but the truth.

Joshua didn't know who Seokmin was.

"I'm sorry." Seokmin apologized, one last time, before picking up his briefcase and leaving the office, closing the door behind him.

He didn't even wipe away his tears as he walked out, receiving stares of disgust and resentment from the staff. His heart, no, his whole body filled with regret as he used the elevator and got downstairs, walking out of the building.

"Mr. Lee." A voice called and Seokmin turned around to see Vernon. He was the only one who didn't look like he wanted to pin Seokmin down and choke him until he started seeing red.

"The access card, the briefcase and your work ID." Vernon stretched his hand out and Seokmin's breath hitched, coming to the realisation that it was truly over.

Everything was truly over.

No more Joshua in his life.

He handed Vernon the items, taking in the sight of the building one more time before tapping his pocket.

The envelope was still there.

He reached for it, pulling it out and giving Vernon. "I know I'm in no position to ask you to do this but please, give this to Joshua."

Vernon took a moment to think before accepting the envelope, keeping it in the inner pocket of his suit.

"Thank you." Seokmin managed to give Vernon a thankful smile although it was pretty faint and his eyes were still blurred by unshed tears.

"You're welcome Sir, goodbye." Vernon waved subtly before turning and walking back into the company.

Seokmin took a deep breath before stopping a cab and getting in. His eyes fixed on the company as he drove away. Leaving everything in the past, once again.

❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎

𝐀/𝐍 - I cried a little guys 😭

Ⓒ︎𝐎𝐇𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐎𝐇𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐎𝐇
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 - 06/10/2024
𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 - N/A