TRAPPED

Chapter 8

---

Two days passed in an uneasy silence, thick with the tension that neither Jeonghan nor Seongcheol was willing to break. The space between them only seemed to stretch wider, but the anger that simmered beneath the surface hadn't diminished—it had grown, festering into something sharp and dangerous.

Jeonghan tried to focus on work, on anything that didn't involve thinking about Seongcheol, but it was impossible. His mind kept replaying their argument outside the café, the kiss, and the way Seongcheol's grip had lingered on his arm. No matter how hard he tried to push it all away, the weight of their unresolved emotions clung to him like a second skin.

Seongcheol, on the other hand, was done with waiting. He had given Jeonghan space—two days of silence that felt like an eternity—and it only fueled his frustration. He wasn't one to let things fester, and the longer Jeonghan shut him out, the more his anger grew. It gnawed at him, twisting into something more intense than he was willing to admit.

By the time the third day rolled around, Seongcheol had had enough.

That evening, the door to their shared apartment slammed open, and Jeonghan barely had time to look up from the couch before Seongcheol was storming into the living room. His expression was dark, a thunderous scowl etched across his face.

Jeonghan tensed, his body instinctively bracing for the confrontation he knew was coming. He sat up straighter, his heart already racing.

"Two days, Jeonghan," Seongcheol's voice was low, almost eerily calm, but the undercurrent of anger was unmistakable. "Two days, and not a single word. Dont you think that's enough?"

Jeonghan felt his own frustration rise, the bitterness creeping into his voice. "What do you want me to say, Seongcheol? I needed space."

"Space?" Seongcheol scoffed, stepping closer. His presence loomed over Jeonghan, suffocating in its intensity. "You've had enough space. We're *married*, Jeonghan. You can't just keep running away every time things get difficult."

"I'm not running away," Jeonghan snapped, standing up from the couch to meet Seongcheol's gaze. His pulse was racing now, his skin prickling with the familiar tension that always flared between them. "I'm trying to survive."

"Survive?" Seongcheol's voice rose, his anger spilling over as he closed the distance between them, his chest nearly brushing against Jeonghan's. "You think you're the only one struggling here? You think this is easy for me?"

Jeonghan glared up at him, refusing to back down. "You're not exactly making it any easier, Seongcheol! You're always trying to control everything, and I can't—"

"I'm trying to keep us from falling apart!" Seongcheol roared, grabbing Jeonghan by the wrist and yanking him closer. His grip was firm, bordering on rough, but not enough to hurt—just enough to remind Jeonghan of the strength behind it. "But you keep pushing me away!"

Jeonghan's breath hitched as Seongcheol's face was suddenly inches from his, his grip unrelenting. The intensity between them crackled like electricity, the air thick with anger, frustration, and something else—something far more dangerous.

"Let go of me," Jeonghan hissed, trying to pull his arm free, but Seongcheol held on, his eyes burning with a fierce, almost primal need.

"No," Seongcheol's voice was a low growl, his anger mixed with something rawer, something darker. "You're not walking away from me this time, Jeonghan. You're not running."

Jeonghan's chest heaved, his heart pounding in his throat. The way Seongcheol was looking at him—it wasn't just anger. It was possession. It was need. And Jeonghan hated how his body responded to it, hated how the pull between them never seemed to weaken, no matter how much they hurt each other.

"You think you can just disappear for days and I'll be okay with it?" Seongcheol's grip tightened, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper as he leaned in closer, his breath hot against Jeonghan's skin. "You think I'll just let you slip away?"

Jeonghan's pulse quickened, a mix of fear and something else flooding his veins. He tried to push Seongcheol away, but the strength behind his movements was half-hearted, his mind spinning with the intensity of it all.

"You don't own me," Jeonghan ground out, but even as he said the words, he felt the heat building between them, the undeniable pull that made it impossible to think clearly.

Seongcheol's eyes darkened, his lips curling into a dangerous smirk as he backed Jeonghan up against the wall. His hands came up, pinning Jeonghan in place, trapping him between the hard surface of the wall and the overwhelming presence of his husband.

"No?" Seongcheol murmured, his voice dripping with a mix of anger and desire. "Then why are you still here?"

Jeonghan's breath came in short, ragged bursts, his body betraying him as Seongcheol pressed closer, the heat between them suffocating. He hated that Seongcheol could still get to him like this, that even now, when he wanted nothing more than to break free, his body craved the connection that only Seongcheol could provide.

"Let go of me," Jeonghan tried again, his voice trembling, but the fight in his words was fading fast.

Instead of letting go, Seongcheol's hand slid up Jeonghan's chest, his touch firm but not painful, his fingers curling around Jeonghan's throat—not enough to hurt, but enough to make Jeonghan's heart race with a mix of fear and something far more dangerous.

"You don't want me to let go," Seongcheol whispered, his lips ghosting over Jeonghan's skin, sending shivers down his spine. "You never have."

Jeonghan's breath hitched, his mind spinning with the heat of Seongcheol's touch, the way his words sliced through his defenses, leaving him raw and exposed. He hated it—hated that Seongcheol was right. Because even now, after everything, there was a part of him that didn't want to be free. A part of him that still belonged to Seongcheol, no matter how much he tried to deny it.

Seongcheol's lips crashed against Jeonghan's with a force that stole the breath from his lungs, the kiss hot and desperate, filled with all the anger, frustration, and need that had built up between them for so long.

Jeonghan responded without thinking, his hands fisting in Seongcheol's shirt as he kissed him back with equal intensity. It wasn't soft, wasn't gentle—it was raw and unrelenting, the years of unresolved tension spilling over all at once.

Seongcheol's hands roamed Jeonghan's body, pulling him closer, as if trying to claim him, to remind him of the connection that still existed between them, no matter how broken their marriage had become.

For a brief moment, everything else fell away—the arguments, the pain, the bitterness. All that existed was the heat between them, the overwhelming need that neither of them could deny any longer.

But even as their lips clashed and their bodies pressed together, Jeonghan's mind screamed at him to stop. This wasn't right. This wasn't what he wanted.

With a sharp gasp, Jeonghan broke the kiss, his chest heaving as he pushed Seongcheol away. His heart pounded in his ears, his mind spinning as he tried to catch his breath.

"We can't keep doing this," Jeonghan whispered, his voice shaky.

Seongcheol's eyes blazed with frustration, his breath ragged as he stared at Jeonghan, his hands still clenched at his sides. "Then what do you want, Jeonghan?" he growled, his voice raw. "Because I'm done pretending like this doesn't matter."

Jeonghan swallowed hard, his heart twisting painfully in his chest. He didn't have an answer—not one that would fix the mess they had created. All he knew was that they were trapped, bound together by a marriage neither of them wanted but couldn't seem to escape.

"I don't know," Jeonghan whispered, his voice breaking.

Seongcheol's jaw tightened, his eyes burning with a mix of anger and something far more dangerous. "Then stop running."

With that, Seongcheol turned and stormed out of the apartment, leaving Jeonghan standing there, his breath coming in shallow gasps, his heart still racing from the intensity of the moment.

And as the door slammed shut, the silence that followed felt heavier than ever.

—-
Hope y'all like it