The Conquest (Underworld 5) SH

32: Not Alone

As Soonyoung drove back toward the Seoul headquarters, the city's neon lights flickered in the misty evening, reflecting off the slick pavement. His mind was a chaotic whirlpool, the conversation with the therapist about Ethan and Jisoo still weighing heavily on him. He clenched the steering wheel, jaw tight, trying to process everything that had been unearthed. It was almost too much—too raw. But just as he crossed the Han River bridge, something caught his attention, jolting him out of his thoughts.

A figure, still and small, was standing near the edge of the railing, too close to the drop-off, too close to the dark waters below.

His heart skipped a beat, then pounded faster, blood rushing to his ears.

Jihoon.

Soonyoung's stomach twisted painfully as recognition slammed into him. Jihoon stood there, motionless, staring at the water as though the abyss had spoken to him in a voice only he could hear.

Without hesitation, Soonyoung swerved his car to the side of the road, the tires screeching loudly in protest. His hands fumbled with the door handle before he threw it open and bolted out of the car, sprinting toward Jihoon as if his life depended on it. And maybe it did. Maybe both of their lives did.

"Jihoon!" Soonyoung's voice was hoarse, strained with the panic rising in his chest. He covered the distance between them in long strides, his heart beating erratically. "What are you doing?!" he shouted, his words cutting through the misty night.

Jihoon didn't react, didn't flinch, didn't even turn his head. His gaze remained fixed on the black void below, the slow current of the Han River looking too peaceful, too inviting.

No. No, no, no.

Soonyoung's breath came out ragged as he reached Jihoon, his trembling hands grabbing onto Jihoon's arm. He pulled him back—hard—until Jihoon stumbled and crashed into his chest. Soonyoung gripped him tightly, refusing to let go, as if letting go meant losing him forever.

"Are you insane?!" Soonyoung yelled, his voice rough, his heart still racing from fear. "What the hell were you thinking?"

Jihoon didn't resist, didn't fight him. He was limp, almost lifeless in Soonyoung's arms. His voice, when it finally came, was soft, barely above a whisper. "Let me go, Soonyoung. Please... just let me fall."

The words hit Soonyoung like a punch to the gut. He held Jihoon even tighter, shaking his head vehemently. "No!" he growled. "No, I'm not letting you do this. You don't get to just—" His voice cracked, breaking under the weight of the moment. "You don't get to leave like this."

For the first time, Jihoon's dull eyes turned to meet Soonyoung's. They were hollow, lifeless, drained of the spark that had once defined him. "What's left for me?" Jihoon's voice was broken, devoid of hope. "There's nothing... no one left. Not anymore."

Soonyoung felt his chest constrict, the ache inside him growing unbearable. How had it come to this? How had Jihoon fallen so far, and how had he not seen it? All the anger and resentment Soonyoung had felt toward Jihoon over the past year, all the bitterness—it paled in comparison to the guilt that now washed over him in waves.

"You think no one cares about you?" Soonyoung whispered, his voice barely holding together. "Jihoon... I—" His breath caught, emotion choking him. He didn't know how to say it, how to express everything he'd been holding back. "I don't hate you. I never hated you. I was just... I didn't know how to deal with everything. But this? This isn't the answer."

Jihoon's lower lip trembled, his resolve finally breaking as tears welled up in his eyes. His body shook with suppressed sobs, and Soonyoung could feel it—the deep, gut-wrenching pain pouring out of him like a flood. "I'm sorry," Jihoon whispered, the words barely audible as he crumbled in Soonyoung's arms. "I'm so sorry... for everything."