NEVER NOT • H.RENJUN

24

| chapter twenty-four |
for once in this horrid universe..
« but i still want you »

The following two weeks, Hyewon spent them on edge. She never went out with Renjun. She didn't want to risk being seen with him. The only time she saw him was at dusk when the streets were too dark to be seen together, but even then they only met for a few hours.

For his sake, she was distancing herself.

Today was another night of those. She lay in his bed with him sleeping peacefully in her embrace. She wanted to stay. But she couldn't. When the clock struck 12 am, Hyewon carefully, to not wake him up, moved from underneath him. She was ready to leave once again. The Angel who was peacefully sleeping awoke, annoyed groans slipped past his lips at the discontent he felt whenever she pulled away.

"You're leaving already?" He frowned, holding her wrist back. She nodded. "I thought you'd stay with me today. Can't you stay?"

"I'm sorry, I have to be with Jaemin and Yoon tonight," She told him. "But maybe, I'll come over tomorrow."

"Maybe?"

Hyewon sighed, "I don't have time right now. Jaemin has some things going on and he really needs me to help him." She told a white lie.

"How much longer? It's been weeks," Renjun didn't mean to be selfish but he couldn't help but notice how distant she was becoming. He was scared that she had fallen out of love, or even worse, that she had never been in love with him.

"Just trust me, okay?" She held both of his hands and looked into his tender eyes. The angel shrugged and pulled his hands away.

The small action hurt the demon's heart more than it should've. She looked at him, taking in his expression. He refused to look at her. He was sad, disappointed almost.

I'll fix everything and we can be together again, I swear, Renjun.

Instead of bothering him anymore, she stood up from his bed and walked towards the door. She looked back at him once more before walking out to the living room. She looked once at Jeno who didn't pay any mind to her as he read his book.

"You're leaving already?" Jeno asked without peeling his eyes off the book. Hyewon turned around, "Yeah, something came up." When Jeno didn't say anything else, she turned the knob and walked out of their home.

The cold, winter air nipped at her skin, making her want to turn around and snuggle back into Renjun's warm embrace. But she couldn't.

"What are you planning to do?" Jeno had followed her. Hyewon stopped dead in her tracks. She turned around and met his eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

"I heard it all, Hyewon. The conversation between you and Jaemin when he came over." He told her and she felt her chest tighten.

"Don't tell Renjun."

Jeno sighed. "It won't work out, whatever you're planning. No matter where you hide, and how much you beg..things will never happen in your favor, Hyewon."

The demon frowned. She already knew that. But it still hurt, the fact that she brought Renjun into this situation.

"As long as nothing happens to Renjun.." She confided, "I'll be willing to do anything. I won't let him hurt in any way, trust me."

Jeno hated to be harsh but their reality had come to that point. It was brutal. "You already are hurting him. And it will only get worse from here."

Hyewon couldn't say anything else. She was sure that if she opened her mouth even a little, she'll burst out crying in front of him. So she simply nodded and turned around, walking away from him.

Jeno watched her back as she left. He truly hoped for the best for the two. But the line between hope and despair was thin for them.

. . .

Hyewon was in a daze as she walked into Jaemin's room. The vampire didn't fail to notice her expression of dreadful misery.

"Are you okay? What's wrong?" He asked her.

Only then, she let her walls crumble down and she broke in front of him. She fell to her knees and sobbed into her palms. Jaemin sat with her, his arms wrapped around her securely.

"Everything is wrong." The demon muttered. "I can't do this, Jae. No matter what I do, I'm gonna end up hurting him."

Jaemin didn't know what to say. He only listened and rubbed her back in soothing circles.

"This is so fucked up. I'm so fucked up for dragging him into this relationship. If only I wasn't so selfish and stupid."

"Hey, you're neither of those things," Jaemin attempted to calm her down. "You just..fell in love with the wrong person. It happens. It happened to me...For some of us, this kind of love–the painful one that we believe will last forever–is inevitable."

Hyewon shook her head, disagreeing, "Renjun isn't the wrong person..he truly is my person. He makes me happy. For once in this horrid universe, I was genuinely happy and it was all because he was there by my side." She wiped her tears. "With him, everything feels easy. It's pathetic but I can smile, laugh, and even cry easily around him. Everything is wonderful with him. Sometimes, I even catch myself forgetting that I am nothing but a miserable demon. He is so perfect and I don't deserve him. I never did."

The two remained silent for a while. "You've never talked about anyone like that. You really do love him," Jaemin said as if she didn't know that already. "So, don't give up on him."

Hyewon let out a sad chuckle, "It is so hard not to when every odd is against you."

"Well, I'm not against you. I might've started off on a bad foot with the Angel but that was before I knew how important he was to you," He told her.

The demon rolled her eyes as she recalled the horrifying events. "Doing all that was so unnecessary," She told him.

Jaemin laughed, "I kn–"

The door to Jaemin's room swung open inter- rupting him. Yoon stood at the doorway breathing heavily.

"Hani is here."

i need someone to talk about me the way hyewon talks about renjun ☹️