[BL/Short Novel] 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓖𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓖𝓸𝓸𝓭

Chapter 3: 𝕋𝕙𝕖 ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕟𝕥 ℕ𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕞𝕒𝕣𝕖

It didn't take long for Jae-woo to crumble under the weight of Minhoo's words. Each sentence felt like a bullet piercing his heart, tearing through him with brutal precision. Jae-woo felt raw and exposed, as if an invisible hand were stripping away the layers of indifference and nonchalance he had carefully constructed.

He clung to the doorframe, his knuckles turning white, as though it was the only thing keeping him from falling apart. But it was becoming increasingly difficult to hide the pain.

"Please..." he whispered, his voice trembling. "Just... shut up..."

But Minhoo's relentless words pushed him past his breaking point. "Shut UP!" Jae-woo finally shouted, his voice breaking and echoing with the weight of years of suppressed emotions.

Minhoo halted, his gaze remaining impassive, as if he were a program rather than a human being.

The silence that followed Jae-woo's outburst was thick with tension. He stood there, breathing heavily, his body rigid, and his mind a storm of confusion, anger, and pain. His grip on the doorframe had left his hands trembling, and without the mask of apathy and coldness, he was defenseless in front of the white-haired man.

Unable to face Minhoo, Jae-woo dropped his gaze to the floor, avoiding the piercing stare that seemed to see straight through him, peeling away his last remaining of his fragile pretense.

The silence dragged on for what felt like an eternity, each second stretching longer than the last. Jae-woo's breathing slowly steadied, but beneath that calm surface, a storm of emotions raged. He felt laid bare, as if all his scars and traumas were on display for Minhoo to scrutinize.

Why Minhoo had shown up in the middle of the night and pushed him to the edge was beyond Jae-woo. But one thing was clear—he was at his breaking point.

"What... what do you want... from me?" he asked after a long, strained silence, his voice barely more than a whisper.

He hated how weak he sounded, how exposed he felt. The weight of his memories, pain, and guilt bore down on him, almost suffocating.

Jae-woo struggled to pull himself together, but each of Minhoo's words seemed to tear open old wounds, leaving him more raw than before.

"I told you, didn't I?" Minhoo's voice remained unnervingly calm, a stark contrast to Jae-woo's turmoil. "I want your help with the second S-rank dungeon, the Banshee."

This wasn't their first encounter over this issue. A few days ago, Minhoo had come to Jae-woo's door asking for help with the second dungeon. Jae-woo had turned him down immediately, and when Minhoo tried again the next day, the answer was the same.

Minhoo, undeterred, had taken drastic measures. First, he invaded Jae-woo's dreams to dredge up old traumas. Then, he pushed him further by confronting him in person. And now, here they were.

The mention of the second S-rank dungeon yanked Jae-woo out of his spiraling thoughts. His chaotic mind struggled to latch onto Minhoo's words.

"You come here... in the middle of the night... just because of that?" Jae-woo huffed, each word coming out in short, labored breaths. Despite the turmoil inside, he couldn't help but let out a scoff. "You still haven't given up, huh?"

He leaned back against the doorframe, trying to mask his inner chaos with a semblance of composure. His eyes narrowed. "You think... after all this, I'd just... agree?"

"You should," Minhoo said bluntly, his expression unchanged. He stared at Jae-woo with a steady gaze. The flickering hallway light only added to the surreal atmosphere. "Or I'll keep coming back, again and again. You can run, sure, but I'll track you down. We're both S-rank, after all. It shouldn't be that hard."