𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐘 | Haobin

23 - Yuji's influence, Hanbin's path

| MONDAY AFTERNOON

Hanbin sat at the edge of the bed, his mind racing as he tried to keep his composure. Hao was tucked beneath the blankets, looking pale and exhausted after Yuji's unexpected and unwelcome intrusion. The air was thick with the tension that Yuji had left behind, a tension that made Hanbin's skin crawl.

Hao looked up at him, his eyes filled with curiosity and concern. "What's your relationship with Yuji?"

Hanbin took a breath, forcing himself to remain calm. "Yuji's someone I met last summer," he began, carefully choosing his words. "There was... an incident at my home while we hosted an event. I had an argument with my father"

He paused, the memory sharp and painful. His father's face, twisted in anger, his hands clenched into fists. The shouting, the accusations, the threats.
His father's hands were everywhere, fists hammering into him with relentless, bone-crushing force.
His father's rage was a storm, and Hanbin was caught in the eye of it, helpless to do anything but endure. He tried to back away, tried to find some corner of the room where he could curl up and make it stop, but his father was on him in an instant, yanking him by the collar, slamming him against the wall with a force that rattled his skull.

His head hit the wall with a sickening crack, the world spinning out of control as stars exploded behind his eyes. Before he could even think to recover, his father's hands were at his throat, squeezing, choking the life out of him. Hanbin clawed desperately at the iron grip, his nails digging into flesh, but it was like trying to tear down a brick wall with his bare hands.

The pain was unbearable. His chest was on fire, his lungs screaming for air that wouldn't come. His vision was narrowing, black creeping in from the edges as his father's grip tightened. He could feel the life draining out of him, could feel himself slipping into that dark, bottomless void. And still, the blows kept coming, his father's free hand slamming into his ribs, his gut, any place it could reach, each hit a fresh wave of agony that made his entire body convulse with pain.

Hanbin was on the verge of blacking out, the room spinning, his thoughts fracturing into a thousand desperate pleas for mercy that would never come. He could feel the cold of the wall against his back, the roughness of his father's knuckles as they drove into his flesh over and over again. And then, just when he thought he couldn't take another second, when he was sure this was the end, there was a sudden blur of movement in the room.

That night, Yuji had been there, almost by chance. She had seen everything, the raw violence, the desperation in Hanbin's eyes. And somehow, she had managed to step in, to pull him out of that nightmare. She had helped him find a way to keep his father at bay—a way to protect himself from the man who was supposed to care for him. But Hanbin didn't say any of this to Hao. He couldn't.

"She helped me when I needed it," he continued, his voice steady. "But we haven't really kept in touch since then. Not until now, anyway."

Hao's gaze didn't waver. "And now she wants to be closer?"

Hanbin nodded, avoiding Hao's eyes. "Yeah, I guess she does. We're on the same campus now, so I suppose it makes sense."

Hao wasn't convinced. "What about that video she posted? It really damaged your reputation."

The memory of the video cut through Hanbin like a knife. He could still feel the weight of it, the way it had spread like wildfire, turning his life upside down. But he couldn't tell Hao the real reason behind it. He couldn't admit that Yuji had done it deliberately, as punishment.

Instead, Hanbin forced a small, hollow laugh. "That was just Yuji's twisted sense of humor. She likes to mess with people—especially me."

Hao narrowed his eyes, clearly not buying the explanation. "A joke? Really? It didn't seem like she was joking."

Hanbin's stomach twisted in knots. He knew Hao was right, but he couldn't let him see the truth. Not yet. "Yeah, well, she has a strange way of showing it. It'll blow over soon enough."

Flashback:

The memory hit Hanbin like a wave, pulling him back to that night at the party. Hao had just walked in, looking a bit lost among the crowd. Hanbin had noticed him immediately, something about him drawing his attention like a magnet. Maybe it was the way Hao's eyes scanned the room, or the slight hesitation in his step. Whatever it was, Hanbin had smiled, feeling a spark of interest.

But then Yuji had appeared, sliding into view like a shadow. She had seen the way Hanbin had looked at Hao, the way his smile had lingered.

And she hadn't liked it.
Not one bit.

She interrupted Hanbin's conversation with Hao and another guy, her hand gripping his arm with a force that left no room for protest. "We need to talk," she said, her voice low and insistent as she steered him away, leaving no chance for objections.

"Hanbin," she hissed, her tone cutting through the air like a blade, "stay away from these worthless nobodies."

Hanbin had raised an eyebrow, refusing to back down. "I'm just having some fun, Yuji. It's a party."

Her eyes had narrowed, a dangerous glint in them. "Fine. Have your fun while it lasts."

And that's when everything had gone to hell. The video had been posted not long after, turning a simple moment into a scandal. Hanbin had been shocked, but when he'd messaged Yuji, asking her to take it down, her response had been as icy as ever.

"It's for entertainment," she'd said. "You wanted fun—so here it is."

Back to Present:

Hanbin pushed the memory away, forcing himself back to the present. Hao was still watching him, his expression skeptical, like he knew there was more to the story than Hanbin was letting on.

Hanbin tried to keep his expression neutral, but inside, his thoughts were spiraling. He could feel the storm coming, the tension building with every passing second. Yuji wasn't someone who let things go easily, and after today's confrontation, he knew she was planning something. Something big. But he couldn't let Hao know that.

"I'm going to rest on the couch for a bit," Hanbin muttered, getting up from the bed. "Just try to sleep, You need it."

Hao looked at him, his eyes full of questions that Hanbin didn't want to answer. "Yeah... sure," he said quietly.

Hanbin left the room, his heart pounding as he made his way to the living room. The couch looked as uninviting as ever, but it was the only place where he could be alone, where he could let his guard down for a moment. He sank onto it, staring up at the ceiling, his mind racing.

He was on edge, a mix of apprehension and curiosity gnawing at him. The uncertainty of what Yuji might plan next loomed over him, both intriguing and unsettling. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was coming, and though he tried to mask his unease, he couldn't help but wonder what she had in store for him and Hao.

But he knew he couldn't let another scandal hit.
Not now, not after everything that had already happened. But there was no way to know what Yuji was planning. She was like a storm, unpredictable and destructive, and Hanbin was caught in her path. He closed his eyes, trying to shut out the thoughts, but they kept coming, swirling around in his mind like the winds of be an approaching hurricane.

The storm was coming—he could feel it in his bones. And all he could do was wait for it to break.

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The next chapters gonn be wild 🫣🥂
I'll try to upload some tonight but I lowkey wanna go out and watch the sunset ✨

See u~