TRAPPED

Chapter 6

**

Jeonghan sat across from Joshua, his hands wrapped around a warm cup of coffee, though he hadn't taken a sip in what felt like ages. The café was quiet, with only a few other customers scattered around. Joshua eyed him with concern, the kind that came from years of friendship. He didn't need to ask; Jeonghan's mood was written all over his face.

"You haven't said much," Joshua finally broke the silence, his tone light but probing. "Everything alright?"

Jeonghan's fingers tightened around the cup, the warmth seeping into his palms, but it did nothing to ease the cold knot of frustration in his chest. He hadn't told Joshua the full truth about the marriage. Hell, he hadn't told *anyone*. Not about Seongcheol. Not about the forced union. And certainly not about the fact that the person he was tied to for the rest of his life was the same person who had broken his heart not so long ago.

"Yeah," Jeonghan muttered, his voice flat. "Just... dealing with some stuff."

Joshua raised an eyebrow. "Stuff like what?"

Jeonghan sighed, leaning back in his chair. He could feel the weight of the evening pressing down on him. The argument with Seongcheol still echoed in his mind, sharp and raw, like a wound that refused to close.

"It's... complicated," Jeonghan finally said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Joshua nodded slowly, his eyes softening with understanding. "Complicated like... married life?"

Jeonghan froze, his breath catching in his throat. He hadn't expected Joshua to go there, but of course, he would. Joshua was the only one who knew about the marriage, though not the details. Jeonghan had told him it was a family arrangement, that it was all for show. He hadn't mentioned Seongcheol's name once.

"Something like that," Jeonghan said, his voice tight.

Joshua took a sip of his drink, his eyes never leaving Jeonghan. "You know you can talk to me, right? I know things have been weird since the wedding, but... I'm still here."

Jeonghan's heart ached at the sincerity in Joshua's voice. He wished he could tell him everything. How suffocating it felt. How being married to Seongcheol was like being trapped in a room with no windows, no air. But what could he say? How could he explain the tangled mess of their past and present without unraveling everything?

"I know," Jeonghan said softly, offering Joshua a small, forced smile. "I appreciate that."

But before Joshua could push further, Jeonghan's phone buzzed on the table, vibrating against the wooden surface. He glanced at the screen, his stomach flipping when he saw Seongcheol's name flash across the display. Without thinking, he picked it up and swiped to silence the call.

Joshua's eyes flickered to the phone, then back to Jeonghan. He didn't ask, but Jeonghan could see the unspoken questions in his eyes. Instead of addressing it, Jeonghan shoved the phone into his jacket pocket, as if putting it out of sight could make it disappear altogether.

"Sorry," Jeonghan muttered, his voice tight.

"No need to apologize," Joshua replied easily, though the concern lingered. "But if you need a break from... everything, I'm always around. We could take a trip or something. Just you and me. Like old times."

Jeonghan wanted to take him up on the offer more than anything. To escape. To run. To pretend, even for just a few days, that he wasn't tied to Seongcheol, that he wasn't trapped in this nightmare of a marriage. But he knew that wasn't an option. He couldn't escape Seongcheol, not really. No matter how far he went, the weight of their past would follow him.