Unspoken Longing | Mulmyungz AU

Chapter 24

Jaehyun's heart raced as he stood in the rain, face to face with Leehan. He tried to run, his instinct to flee overwhelming, but Leehan's firm grip on his hand stopped him in his tracks. Jaehyun's eyes filled with tears, though he desperately tried to keep them from falling. He looked away, unable to meet Leehan's concerned gaze.

"Jaehyun, please," Leehan's voice was soft yet insistent, "we need to talk."

Jaehyun struggled to free himself, but Leehan tightened his grip, pulling him close. Their bodies collided, almost an embrace. Jaehyun's resolve crumbled, and he stopped fighting, standing still in Leehan's arms.

"Let's find some shelter," Leehan suggested, guiding Jaehyun towards a nearby awning. The rain continued to pour around them, creating a cocoon of sound that drowned out the world.

Under the awning, Jaehyun stood silently, drenched and shivering. Leehan watched him, his expression a mixture of frustration and worry. "Jaehyun, why are you avoiding me?" he asked, his voice cracking with emotion. "What did I do to make you hate me?"

Jaehyun's silence was deafening. He refused to look at Leehan, his eyes fixed on the ground. Leehan's patience wore thin. "Talk to me!" he demanded, his voice rising. "Tell me what's wrong!"

Still, Jaehyun said nothing. The rain hammered on, each drop a painful reminder of the storm within him. Leehan's anger flared, and he tried a different tactic. "You think you have it bad?" he accused. "You think you're the only one hurting? I don't even know why my best friend hates me now!"

"Why won't you say anything?" Leehan's voice cracked with a mixture of anger and desperation. "Why are you avoiding me? Do you think it's fair to treat me like this?"

Jaehyun flinched at the intensity in Leehan's voice but held his ground, his lips pressed into a thin line. Leehan, seeing no other option, decided to push harder, his words cutting deeper.

"Is this really how you treat your friends? By running away and shutting them out?" Leehan's voice was sharp, a deliberate attempt to provoke a response.

Jaehyun's composure cracked at that. He turned to Leehan, his eyes blazing. "You really don't get it, do you?" he spat, his voice trembling with suppressed emotion. "You don't understand anything."

Leehan stared at him, taken aback. "Then make me understand," he said, his tone softer but desperate. "Please, Jaehyun."

Jaehyun's resolve shattered completely. All the pain, all the heartbreak he had been bottling up, burst forth in a torrent of words. "I caught feelings for you, Leehan!" he yelled, his voice raw and anguished. "I fell in love with you, and it hurts every single day!"

Leehan's eyes widened in shock, but he remained silent, letting Jaehyun continue.

"Do you know how it feels to see you with Hana?" Jaehyun continued, his voice breaking. "Every time I see you two together, it's like a knife to my heart. Every moment we spent together, I wished it was something more. I wished you could see me the way I see you."

He paused, his breath hitching as he recalled the memories. "That night during winter break, when we walked back to the lodge... it was perfect. I didn't want it to end. And all those times I helped you with Hana, setting up dates, giving you advice... it was torture. I did it because I wanted you to be happy, but it killed me inside."

Jaehyun's tears flowed freely now, mingling with the rain on his face. "I thought maybe if I distanced myself, I could get over you. But seeing you every day, pretending like everything is fine, it's tearing me apart."

Leehan listened, his expression a mix of sorrow and confusion. He reached out, as if to comfort Jaehyun, but stopped himself, unsure of what to do. Jaehyun took a shaky breath, trying to compose himself. "You want to know what my problem is? It's you, Leehan. It's always been you."

The weight of his words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. Jaehyun looked at Leehan, waiting for the inevitable rejection. He braced himself for the pain, the final blow that would shatter his already broken heart.

But before Leehan could respond, a car horn blared nearby. Both boys turned to see Hana waving from the backseat window of a car. "Leehan, hurry up!" she called. "We're going to be late for dinner!"

Leehan's face paled as he glanced between Jaehyun and Hana. Panic flashed in his eyes. He took a step towards Jaehyun, then hesitated. "Jaehyun, I..."

Jaehyun's heart sank as he saw Leehan's indecision. He turned away, unable to bear the sight of Leehan torn between him and Hana. "Just go," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the rain. "Go to her."

Leehan hesitated for a moment longer, then turned and ran towards the car. Hana smiled at him as he climbed in, oblivious to the turmoil she had left behind.

Jaehyun stood there, the rain pouring down around him, sobbing uncontrollably. He felt his heart shatter into a million pieces, the pain unlike anything he had ever experienced. "This is the most painful heartache," he whispered to himself, his voice lost in the storm. "The worst feeling I've ever felt."

The scene faded to black, leaving Jaehyun alone in his anguish, the rain continuing to fall.

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