Broken Promises

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 48: ᴀ ɢʟɪᴍᴘsᴇ ᴏғ ʜᴏᴘᴇ

Jeonghan leaned back against the door, his hand still clutching the knob as if it were the only thing keeping him upright. His heart was pounding in his chest, a mix of fear, confusion, and something else—something that made his cheeks burn and his stomach flutter.

He couldn’t believe what had just happened. Seungcheol, the same Seungcheol who had always been cold and distant, had not only saved him from Hyungwon but had brought him back to his dorm afterward.

Seungcheol’s words echoed in Jeonghan’s mind, the gruff way he had said, “Let’s go. You’re coming with me,” and the firm yet oddly gentle grip on his wrist as he led Jeonghan out of the garden.

The memory of Seungcheol’s hand wrapped around his sent another wave of warmth through Jeonghan’s body.

He let out a shaky breath, trying to steady himself, but his heart wouldn’t slow down. It felt like it was about to burst out of his chest.

He had expected Seungcheol to drop him off at the entrance of the dorms and leave without another word. After all, why would Seungcheol care what happened to him?

They weren’t friends—far from it. They were more like… rivals. Or enemies. But that wasn’t the right word either.

Their relationship was complicated, a mess of unspoken words, cold stares, and moments that left Jeonghan feeling like he didn’t know which way was up.

But tonight, Seungcheol had been different. He had defended Jeonghan, protected him.

And then, instead of leaving him to deal with the aftermath alone, he had walked him all the way to his dorm.

Jeonghan could still feel the weight of Seungcheol’s hand on his shoulder, the way his fingers had squeezed gently as if to reassure him.

“Get inside and rest,” Seungcheol had said, his voice low and serious. He didn’t wait for Jeonghan to respond, just turned and walked away, his footsteps echoing down the empty hallway.

Jeonghan had watched him go, unable to move, unable to speak, until Seungcheol disappeared around the corner.

Only then did Jeonghan unlock the door and step inside, closing it softly behind him. Now, standing alone in his small dorm room, Jeonghan finally allowed himself to breathe.

He felt like he was on the edge of something, teetering between disbelief and a wild, uncontrollable hope that maybe—just maybe—Seungcheol wasn’t as indifferent as he seemed.

Jeonghan shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He was being ridiculous.

This was Seungcheol they were talking about—the same guy who had never shown him anything but coldness and disdain.

He shouldn’t be reading too much into this. Seungcheol had said it himself; he was only protecting Jeonghan because of what had happened to his sister. It had nothing to do with Jeonghan personally.

And yet… Jeonghan couldn’t stop the small, giddy smile that spread across his face. He couldn’t help the way his heart raced whenever he thought about the way Seungcheol had looked at him tonight.

There had been something in his eyes, something that Jeonghan had never seen before—something that made him want to believe that maybe Seungcheol did care, even just a little bit.

“Stop it,” Jeonghan muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

“You’re just setting yourself up for disappointment.” But even as he said the words, the smile wouldn’t leave his face.