TRAPPED

Chapter 3

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"With or without?"Jeonghan asked, barely looking at Joshua as he struggled with the collar of his wedding outfit.

"Without,"Joshua replied, leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. His eyes lingered on Jeonghan's trembling hands. "Stop stressing, Jeonghan."

Jeonghan's lips thinned as he tried to control his breathing. "I'm not stressing,"he said, though his voice betrayed him. "I just don't want to marry Seongcheol. I don't love him, and I never will."

Joshua's expression softened, knowing the weight of Jeonghan's words. "Whatever you say. But don't come crying when you fall for him again."

Jeonghan shot him a sharp look, but his heart wasn't in it. Joshua knew him too well, understood the layers of emotion Jeonghan hid behind his indifferent facade. The truth, however, was that Jeonghan's own heart had long been a battlefield of conflicting desires.

The sound of the door creaking open snapped them both out of the moment. Seongcheol entered, dressed in a flawlessly tailored wedding suit, exuding power and confidence. His presence filled the room in an instant, the weight of who he was inescapable.

Joshua, sensing the tension spike, straightened and smiled awkwardly. "Well, I'll leave you two to it. Good luck, Jeonghan."He patted his friend on the back before slipping out of the room, throwing one last concerned glance over his shoulder.

"You don't seem happy, darling,"Seongcheol said, his voice laced with a teasing smirk as he approached, eyes locked on Jeonghan.

Jeonghan scoffed, glancing at his reflection in the mirror, the wedding attire feeling more like a chain than a suit. "Why would I be? I'm marrying someone I don't love."

Seongcheol's smirk widened. "Shut up. You know you love me."

Jeonghan's expression hardened, but the truth behind Seongcheol's words stung. "Do I?"His tone was cold, detached, but the emotions churning beneath the surface were anything but.

"Oh, I think we both know the answer to that, love,"Seongcheol whispered as he stepped closer, coming to stand behind Jeonghan who still faced the mirror.

Seongcheol's hands moved deliberately, sliding over Jeonghan's waist and pulling him close, his body pressing firmly against him. The heat of Seongcheol's breath against the nape of Jeonghan's neck made his skin prickle. Even now, even with everything, Seongcheol had this infuriating effect on him. His touch was electric, his presence overwhelming.

Jeonghan's breath hitched, but he quickly regained his composure, yanking Seongcheol's hand away with a scowl. "Don't touch me, Choi. Not today."

For a moment, silence hung thick in the air, broken only by the muffled sounds of wedding preparations outside the door.

Seongcheol tilted his head slightly, his eyes dark and piercing as he regarded Jeonghan in the mirror. "Not today? Is it because you're scared, Jeonghan? Or is it because you know that once you let your guard down, you won't be able to resist me?"

Jeonghan's jaw tightened, his heart pounding in his chest. "You're delusional. This marriage—this whole thing—is a farce. I'm only here because I have to be. It's a business arrangement, nothing more."

Seongcheol's grip on Jeonghan's waist tightened for a brief second before he released him entirely. His gaze never wavered from Jeonghan's reflection, studying every flicker of emotion in those sharp eyes.

"You keep saying that, "Seongcheol murmured, his voice low and dangerous. "But I know better. You can't hide what's inside forever, Jeonghan."

Jeonghan spun around to face him, his fists clenched at his sides. "You think I'm hiding something? That I'm going to magically fall into your arms and confess that I've loved you all along? That's not happening. Not today, not ever."

The tension between them was palpable, the air thick with unspoken desires, with the weight of words left unsaid. Outside, the wedding ceremony was being prepared, the guests were gathering, and the world expected them to stand together as one. But inside this room, Jeonghan's heart felt trapped.

Seongcheol took a step forward, closing the gap between them again. His hand reached up to tilt Jeonghan's chin so their eyes met directly, no barriers between them.

"You don't have to say it now," Seongcheol whispered, his voice soft but commanding. "But you will. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but you will. Because no matter how much you push me away, you've always come back."

Jeonghan jerked his head away from Seongcheol's touch, stepping back until he could breathe again. "Stop assuming you know everything about me."

"I know enough,"Seongcheol said, his smirk returning as he straightened. "Enough to know that when you walk down that aisle today, it won't just be for business."

Jeonghan's chest tightened, anxiety mixing with frustration. The truth was, deep down, he didn't know what would happen when he walked down that aisle. Every part of him screamed to run, to break free from the chains this marriage represented. But there was a quieter, more dangerous voice—the one that whispered that maybe, just maybe, Seongcheol wasn't entirely wrong.

Outside, a soft knock on the door startled them both. A voice called through, muffled by the heavy wooden frame.

"It's time," came the announcement, signaling the beginning of the ceremony.

Jeonghan swallowed hard, his hands shaking as he adjusted his collar for the final time. The gravity of what was about to happen hit him all at once, making it hard to breathe.

Seongcheol watched him closely, his expression unreadable, but his eyes still burned with that intense, unwavering gaze. "I'll see you at the altar, Jeonghan."

Without another word, Seongcheol turned and left the room, leaving Jeonghan alone with his reflection once again. The door clicked shut, and the silence that followed was deafening.

For a moment, Jeonghan stood there, staring at himself in the mirror, wondering how things had come to this. How he had ended up on the edge of a marriage he didn't want, with a man he couldn't figure out.

His mind raced as he took a deep breath. He couldn't escape now. The world was waiting for him. Seongcheol was waiting for him.

But as much as Jeonghan tried to push it down, one thought kept surfacing, tugging at the edges of his heart.

Would walking down that aisle really be the end of his freedom—or the beginning of something entirely different?

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Okay I'm definitely so bad at writing romance shi but at least I tried 💀💀