But i wasn't a liar ✔️[ENG ver]

Part 28

Part 28

The weight of the world seemed to press down on Leeknow's shoulders as he stepped out of the house, his chest tight with frustration and helplessness. The air outside did little to ease the storm inside him—Hyunjin's cold dismissal, the suffocating memories of the past—all of it coiled around his heart like thorns. 

He pulled out his phone again, staring at the unanswered call log. His fingers trembled slightly as he typed out a message, then deleted it. What was there to say? "What did I do wrong?"
"Answer me! Pick up your phone!"

Leeknow clenched his jaw, forcing back the sting in his eyes. He wasn't weak. He couldn't be weak. But the more he tried to lock away the pain, the more it bled through the cracks of his carefully built walls. 

Meanwhile, inside the car, Hyunjin stared blankly at his phone screen, Leeknow's name flashing before it dimmed again. His grip tightened around the device, knuckles turning white. 

The desperation in Leeknow's voice echoed in his mind, but he couldn't bring himself to respond. Not when every word, every glance, every moment between them felt like a landmine—one wrong step, and everything would shatter. 

The driver glanced at him through the rearview mirror. "Sir, are you sure—" 

"Just drive," Hyunjin muttered, cutting him off. 

He couldn't afford to care. Caring meant attachment. Attachment meant loss. 

And he had already lost enough. 

With trembling hands, Leeknow wiped the last traces of blood from his nose, the metallic taste lingering on his lips like a bitter reminder of the fight. His fingers fumbled as he adjusted his wrinkled clothes - the same outfit he'd carefully chosen for tonight's special occasion. The walk to his mother's house felt heavier with each step, the weight of ruined expectations pressing down on his shoulders. 

"I'm here..." His voice cracked as he pushed open the door, the cheerful decorations he'd hung now feeling like cruel jokes. "Mom! What are you doing? Please, let me clean that up." His words came out rushed, desperate, as he watched her scrubbing at the mess Hyunjin had left behind - overturned chairs, the physical evidence of everything gone wrong. 

"I can clean it up myself," Mrs. Lee snapped, her back rigid with barely-contained anger.

"Mom, please don't do that!" Leeknow reached for the cleaning supplies, his hands hovering uncertainly. He could still see Hyunjin's retreating back, could still hear the awful things they'd shouted at each other. 

"He was very rude!" His mother finally turned, eyes blazing. "Did I raise you to be friends with such people?" 

The accusation hit harder than any punch. "Mom, please don't say that," Leeknow begged, voice breaking. "He's a really good boy, he just—" 

"Whatever you say," she cut him off, returning to her furious cleaning. "Just give me some space to clean up here." The dismissal in her tone was worse than shouting. 

"Mom!" His plea hung in the air, unanswered. For one endless minute, he stood there - a child again, waiting for comfort that wouldn't come. When she didn't even glance his way, something inside him shattered. 

The door closed behind him with a quiet click that echoed louder than any slam. Outside, the afternoon air did nothing to cool the burning in his chest. He pressed his forehead against the cold exterior wall before walking away into the darkness, alone with his bleeding heart and unanswered questions

Leeknow's room felt like a tomb—silent and suffocating. The walls seemed to press in on him as he sank onto the edge of his bed, his hands gripping his hair like he could physically tear the pain from his skull.