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Heeseung & Aera
Heeseung stood frozen for a moment as he watched Aera storm out of the dining hall. Her sudden departure had caught everyone off guard, but for him, it felt like a punch to the gut. He could tell something had been off all night, but he didn't expect her to just get up and leave like that. The table fell into an awkward silence, everyone looking at each other with wide eyes, unsure of what to say.
Heeseung sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. He knew he needed to follow her, to figure out what the hell had just happened. Without another word, he stood up, ignoring the confused looks from his friends, and headed out after her.
The cool breeze hit him as soon as he stepped onto the deck. The sun had completely set now, and the soft glow of the ship's lights barely illuminated the sea around them. He spotted her near the railing, her arms crossed, staring out into the dark horizon. Her back was tense, her posture rigid, and Heeseung could practically feel the anger radiating off of her.
Taking a deep breath, he approached her, his footsteps slow and deliberate. He didn't know what he was going to say—he just knew he had to say something.
"Aera," he called out softly as he got closer, but she didn't turn around. She didn't even acknowledge his presence.
Heeseung clenched his fists at his sides, his frustration starting to bubble up. "Aera," he repeated, this time more forcefully, stepping up beside her. "What the hell was that back there?"
Finally, she turned to face him, her eyes blazing with anger. "What the hell was that? You seriously don't know?" she snapped, her voice low but filled with venom.
Heeseung blinked, caught off guard by her tone. "Is this about this morning?"
Aera let out a harsh, bitter laugh, shaking her head. "You're unbelievable, Heeseung. You seriously don't get it, do you?"
"What am I supposed to get, Aera?" Heeseung shot back, his patience wearing thin. "You've been acting weird all night, and then you just get up and leave. Now you're out here, pissed off."
"Oh, don't act like you're clueless," Aera spat, stepping closer to him, her eyes narrowing. "You've been ignoring me all day. All fucking day, Heeseung. You've been so wrapped up in Bitna that you didn't even notice. It's like ever since she showed up, you've been gone."
"That's what this is about?" Heeseung scoffed, his own anger starting to rise. "You're jealous of Bitna? Are you serious right now? I already told you she's just a friend. Plus why does it bother you so much?"
Aera's jaw clenched, her fists tightening at her sides. "Don't twist my words, Heeseung. It's not just about her. It's about you completely shutting me out."
Heeseung threw his hands up in frustration. "Shutting you out? Aera, we've barely had a normal conversation in days! Every time I try to talk to you, you get all weird and distant."
"Maybe because I'm tired of feeling like I'm just some fucking placeholder to you!" Aera snapped, her voice rising. "You've been treating me like I don't matter ever since she showed up. Like I'm just... nothing."
Heeseung's eyes widened in disbelief. "A placeholder? Are you hearing yourself right now? You're acting like I owe you something—like you own me or some shit!"
Aera's heart was racing now, her blood boiling as she took a step closer, their faces inches apart. "It's not about owning you, Heeseung. It's about you pretending like what we had didn't mean anything. You just fucking tossed me aside the second she showed up, like all of this was just some fucking game."
Heeseung's eyes darkened, his voice dropping to a dangerous tone. "A game? You're the one who wanted to do this 'experiment' in the first place. Don't turn this on me, Aera. Don't act like you haven't been confused about what you want from the start."
"That's not—" Aera's voice cracked, and she quickly swallowed, trying to hold back the frustration. "This isn't just about the fucking experiment. This is about how you've treated me. You don't even see it, do you? You don't see how much you hurt me."
Heeseung flinched, her words hitting harder than he expected. "And what about you, huh? You think you haven't hurt me too?" He took a step back, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "You've been hot and cold this whole time, Aera. One minute you're all in, the next you're acting like none of this matters. I don't know where I stand with you anymore."
Aera's breath caught in her throat, her anger momentarily faltering. "That's not fair, Heeseung," she whispered, but he wasn't finished.
"You want to talk about being treated like you don't matter?" Heeseung's voice grew louder, his own emotions bubbling to the surface. "How do you think I've felt this whole time? Like I'm just some experiment for you to figure out your own feelings. One day, you're all about me, the next, you're all cold and guarded up."
Aera's hands shook as she tried to keep her voice steady. "You don't know what you're talking about. You don't know what it's like—"
"Oh, don't give me that bullshit, Aera," Heeseung interrupted, his eyes blazing with frustration. "You think you're the only one who's confused? You think you're the only one who's hurting here? I don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore. I don't know what you want from me."
"I want you to care," Aera shouted, her voice breaking. "I just want you to fucking care about me the way I care about you."
The words hung in the air between them, heavy and raw. Heeseung's eyes widened, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. The sound of the ocean crashing against the side of the ship was the only thing that filled the silence.
Aera's heart was pounding in her chest, the adrenaline still coursing through her veins. She had said too much—way too much. She had exposed herself, her feelings, and now there was no going back.
Heeseung stared at her, his expression unreadable. "You... care about me?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Aera took a shaky breath, her chest tightening as if the air had turned to stone. "I never wanted it to end up like this," she muttered, her anger giving way to something raw and exposed. "But yeah, I do. Fucking ridiculous, isn't it? Guess it's out now." She let out a bitter, humorless laugh. "Little old Aera has a thing for the big and talented Heeseung."
Heeseung's eyes searched hers, and for a split second, Aera thought he might say something—anything—to make this all better. But then, his expression hardened again.
"You can't just throw that at me now," he said, his voice cold. "I don't know where to go from here, Aera."
Aera's heart sank, the weight of his words crashing down on her. She felt a lump form in her throat as the realization hit her—this wasn't going to end well. There was no fixing this.
"I know," she whispered, tears stinging her eyes. "I know."
They stood there for a moment, the tension between them thick and suffocating. Neither of them said another word, but the damage had already been done.
Finally, Heeseung turned away from her, his jaw clenched tight. "I can't do this right now, I'm sorry." he muttered before walking away, leaving Aera standing there alone, her heart shattered into pieces.
As he disappeared into the distance, Aera felt the tears she had been holding back finally spill over. She collapsed against the railing, her body trembling with the weight of everything that had just happened.
It was over. Whatever weird, twisted thing they had was over, and there was no going back now.
