Left Out Friend

12

—THE TRUTH—

"Heeseung, look."

Sunghoon’s voice was sharp yet controlled as he thrust his phone toward Heeseung. His eyes, dark with unreadable emotions, stayed fixed on the screen.

Heeseung leaned in, his brows furrowing as he processed the image in front of him. A moment of silence passed before his expression twisted into something between frustration and disbelief.

"Wait—don’t tell me—again?!" His voice was laced with anger, sharp enough to cut through the tense atmosphere.

At the sound of his outburst, the rest of the members turned toward them. Curiosity quickly turned to unease as they gathered around Sunghoon’s phone, eyes scanning the screen.

"What do you mean by this?" Jay’s voice was calm, but there was an edge to it, a silent demand for answers.

Ni-ki let out a dark chuckle, shaking his head before turning to Jungwon. "I told you, didn’t I? We should’ve agreed with him. But no, you just had to be stubborn. And now look—he's with that idiot."

Jungwon’s grip tightened at his sides. His jaw clenched. "That idiot should know his place. He’s stepping into something he shouldn’t."

***

"I told you, Hee... I don’t want to play this game anymore."

The weight of Sunoo’s words still lingered in Heeseung’s mind.

He let out a frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair before covering his face. His head throbbed. His thoughts were a mess.

The air in the dorm felt suffocating, tension wrapping around them like an unrelenting force. Everyone was in the living room—everyone except Sunoo. He was nowhere in sight, and that fact alone made their stomachs churn with unease.

Jake scoffed, arms crossed over his chest. "Blame you? I didn’t even say anything!"

"You might as well have," Heeseung shot back. "If it weren’t for that stupid bet, Sunoo would probably be happy with us—no pain included, just—"

Jay’s expression darkened. "If it weren’t for your fucking bet," he interrupted, voice thick with suppressed anger, "none of this would’ve happened."

Heeseung’s gaze snapped to him. "And then what? You think everything would’ve turned out just fine? We would’ve been at war with each other, fighting over him like selfish assholes."

Jungwon scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. "Selfish? You were the one who made the bet in the first place!" His brows furrowed as his voice grew heavier. "Because of it, we hurt him! Do you understand that? We should’ve confessed instead of playing this sick game."

Heeseung let out a hollow laugh, his eyes glinting with something almost manic. "Right. Great idea from our oh-so-great leader. And then what? What do you think would’ve happened if we did that, huh?" He stepped closer, his voice lowering into something sharp, almost mocking. "He would’ve avoided us. He’d feel uncomfortable around us. You wouldn’t be able to stand that, would you?"

Jungwon fell silent, his fingers curling into fists.

"Ha." Heeseung scoffed. "Possessive asshole."

The room fell into a heavy silence.

Because deep down, they all knew Heeseung was right.

None of them could bear the thought of rejection.

***

"What are we gonna do?"

It was Ni-ki who broke the silence, his voice quieter than before. His usual bravado was gone, replaced by something more fragile. "He probably hates us right now."