ꨄ︎ꨄ︎ꨄ︎ꨄ︎ꨄ︎ꨄ︎ꨄ︎ꨄ︎ꨄ︎ꨄ︎ꨄ︎ꨄ︎ꨄ︎

"I thought you'd never want to see me again." Jeonghan batted his eyelashes, exuding his usual compelling aura. His hands slowly trickled up Seungcheol's arm, making him lose focus.

Seungcheol shook his head, pulling his hand away from Jeonghan's grasp. "I never said that, Jeonghan. What I did say before, is exactly why I'm here now."

Jeonghan retracted his hand, crossing his legs as he looked at Seungcheol who sat across from him at the dinner table. "And what did you say before?" He inquired with his arms crossed.

"I told you, the night I saved your life, that you need to stop Jeonghan, you need to stop all your meddling and all your dangerous games." Seungcheol began to plead, his concern dripping all over his words and his face.

He wanted Jeonghan to be safe and him trying to take down some of Korea's strongest men and their empires was only going to land him in trouble, a lot of trouble and a lot of danger.

Jeonghan rolled his eyes, standing up from his seat, "If this is truly what you came to tell me Seungcheol, then you can kindly leave."

He turned around, his steps slow, seductive and deliberate as he walked off. Seungcheol stared at Jeonghan from top to bottom, doing his best to resist the urge.

"Jeonghan." He called and the man faced him a bit, proudly smirking as he did. "Please just, think about it... I don't want you getting hurt."

Jeonghan's smirk gradually faded as Seungcheol's words sank in. Seungcheol didn't want him getting hurt and he still cared about him.

Unfortunately, Jeonghan was not ready to stop, not now or ever until he took them all down one by one. They were demons, demons who owned the biggest money making companies in the country.

It wasn't like he was destroying them all. Only the ones whose sins trailed behind them like a coat, whose actions haunted them through their shadows.

That was something he knew Seungcheol wouldn't understand. But it didn't matter, he didn't have to explain either. He wasn't going to stop.

"I'm not stopping Seungcheol so I guess you'll just have to pick a side." He responded before he walked towards the front door. He didn't have any real feelings for Seungcheol or at least he didn't think he did but he couldn't lie to himself and say that it didn't hurt.

Because it did. Seungcheol begging him to stop and Seungcheol most likely deciding to choose Soonyoung's side stung almost like he'd been punched in the heart.

Seungcheol gulped, breathing in and out as he began to think. There was only one logical, rational, reasonable option which was to choose Soonyoung.

So why couldn't he? Why was he seeing the good and the bad in both, why was he teetering over the edge of the two fences?

It didn't make sense. He knew what to choose so why didn't he just say it? Why couldn't he just say it?

He reached the front door which Jeonghan had positioned himself beside, that naturally attracting look in his eyes not making Seungcheol's indecisiveness any better.

Jeonghan stood with his legs crossed and his focus on his nails as he glanced at Seungcheol. "So who's it going to be?"

•••••••••••••

Soonyoung's eyes opened as he yawned, stretching his arms while he sat up. The sunlight from outside illuminated him, making him squint. His eyes darted to his alarm clock.

It was just 7am, outside had no business being this bright. Soonyoung smiled as he remembered who else was in bed with him.

He rolled over, Jihoon's exquisite beauty gracing his line of vision. Soonyoung used all his self control to not pat Jihoon, play with his hair or squeeze his cheeks. It was certainly one of the hardest things he'd ever done because Jihoon looked so unreal.

Everyday, he cheered at the fact that this perfect man was literally his husband. Jihoon was actually his.

Eventually, he got out of bed, knowing that he had somewhere to be. Today was the day he was going to visit his mother at rehab and the first time seeing her since she was readmitted 2 years ago.

He needed to ask her if she was really the one sending him the eery messages he'd been receiving because he needed to know if it was just his mother being her usual strange self or if this was something bigger.

He walked over to the curtains, sliding them open and allowing sunlight inside but as he did, he heard a squirm and swiftly spun around to see Jihoon waking up.

God, he looked so cute.

Soonyoung watched in awe as Jihoon wiggled around, finally sitting up and stretching his arms out. "Good morning, darling." Soonyoung said sweetly, moving back to the bed.

Jihoon's head turned to Soonyoung, the flashback of their hug last night and them sleeping in the same bed suddenly coming back to him. He instantly looked away, his whole face turning red as he hid it in the pillows.

Soonyoung chuckled, sitting on the edge of the bed. "You don't have to hide your pretty, red face, I've seen it a lot already." He smirked as Jihoon removed the pillow just for Soonyoung to see him rolling his eyes.

"I hate you." He uttered, hiding his face again. Soonyoung chortled, crossing his arms as he got up. "Yeah, sure you do sweetheart."

Jihoon's heart picked up its pace, the never-ending nicknames tugging at his heart and making him blush even more.

"Why are you up so early?" Jihoon asked, although his voice muffled through the pillow. "I'm going to see my mother today." He replied and Jihoon didn't waste time in raising his head up.

He looked at Soonyoung, a flash of concern and care in his eyes. "Do you want me to come with you?" He inquired but Soonyoung shook his head with a faint smile.

"You don't have to, plus you have to go to your dad's company right?" Soonyoung reminded Jihoon who nodded, his lips pursed as he remembered, "Yeah, I do... maybe another time?"

Soonyoung responded with a nod and a smile, loving Jihoon being so caring and intrigued in his personal affairs. He didn't know what he'd done to deserve Jihoon's attentiveness but he wouldn't change it for the world.

"Yeah, maybe another time." He conceded, although he wasn't sure if he would ever visit his mother again. Their relationship was too strained, just like his relationship with his father.

It had been broken beyond repair.

•••••••••••••

"Seungkwan hyung." Chan's fingers waved across Seungkwan's face, bringing him back to the present. His eyes blinked repeatedly as Chan slowly reentered his vision.

"What's wrong? You've been zoning out." He informed Seungkwan who sighed, rubbing his temple. "It's just... I have this friend whose brother is making really bad decisions, one he thinks is for the greater good but is actually just going to endanger him for life."

Chan's pupils dilated, showing curiosity as he tuned into the story. "And my friend is extremely worried about him, like seriously worried cause he could... die because of this and he doesn't know what to do."

Chan could see that Seungkwan was quite bothered about this friend, whoever he was, because his eyes were starting to water.

"Has your friend talked to his brother?" Chan questioned and Seungkwan nodded as soon as the question ended. "Countless times." He replied and Chan huffed, folding his arms.

"And his brother doesn't care, he just continues regardless?"

The question took Seungkwan off guard, penetrating his thoughts with a sadder edge to them than usual. He nodded slowly.

"I don't know this friend or his relationship with his brother but if his brother is continuously risking his life and doesn't really care about his brother's concern... then I don't think he's a very good brother... I also don't think there's much your friend can do."

Seungkwan listened to Chan intently, resting his head on the table as he groaned. "Why does that make so much sense?" He asked, his words slurring and Chan shrugged.

"Maybe I should be a counselor, what do you think?" Chan asked and Seungkwan sat up, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, definitely not."

•••••••••••••

Soonyoung gazed out of the window, calming down as he breathed in the fresh air from outside which grazed his face.

"10 minutes left, Sir." The driver informed Soonyoung who nodded, but didn't audibly respond. The reality descending on him.

In 10 minutes, he would be preparing to see his mother. Someone who had made his childhood a living hell and yet someone he could never truly hate because in the midst of his hatred was a longing for her love and affection.

The driver parked the car, unlocking the doors. Seungcheol got out first before opening the door for Soonyoung who stepped out, trying to stabilise his breathing and heartbeat.

He was so anxious that his hands shook even as he hid them in his pocket and trails of sweat lined his hairline. "Are you okay, Sir?" Seungcheol asked and Soonyoung nodded, adjusting his suit.

"I'm fine, let's go." He said but his words quivered as he let them out and Seungcheol knew behind his confident and relaxed facade was simply a little Soonyoung, scared to be rejected by his mother, again.

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Ⓒ︎𝙾𝙷𝚆𝙰𝚈𝙾𝙷𝚆𝙰𝚈𝙾𝙷
𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙴𝙳 - 11•01•2025
𝙴𝙽𝙳𝙴𝙳 - 𝙽•𝙰