The Conquest (Underworld 5) SH

47: It's Their Fate

Jihoon couldn't take it anymore. The celebration felt hollow when the weight of guilt pressed on his chest, making it hard to breathe. He excused himself from the others, slipping away unnoticed. His mind was filled with thoughts of Soonyoung, bound and alone. He had been avoiding this confrontation, but he knew he couldn't run from it forever.

As he approached the room where Soonyoung was being held, the farmhouse was eerily quiet. The echo of his own footsteps seemed too loud in his ears as he opened the door and stepped inside. Soonyoung lay on the bed, hands and legs still tied, his face pale, the tension thick in the air.

Jihoon swallowed the lump in his throat and walked over, his fingers fumbling slightly as he untied the ropes. Soonyoung didn't fight him, nor did he say anything. Once his hands were free, he sat up slowly, rubbing his wrists, avoiding Jihoon's gaze.

There was a long silence between them, and Jihoon could feel the weight of everything unspoken hanging heavily between them. Finally, Jihoon broke the silence, his voice quiet but firm.

"I didn't want this for you, Soonyoung."

Soonyoung chuckled bitterly, his voice thick with emotion. "Did you really think tying me up and leaving me here would change anything?" He glanced up at Jihoon, his eyes filled with pain. "I know you're just following orders."

Jihoon looked away, unable to face the raw hurt in Soonyoung's gaze. "I'm trying to protect you."

"From what? Yourself?" Soonyoung scoffed. His hands shook as he clenched them into fists, trying to hold himself together. "Do you know what it's like to love someone who tears you apart and holds you together at the same time?"

Jihoon closed his eyes for a moment, his heart twisting painfully. "Yes, I do," he admitted softly.

Soonyoung's voice cracked, his emotions spilling over. "Loving you has always felt like both a blessing and a curse." His hands trembled as he finally let the dam break, tears spilling down his cheeks. "I loved you, Jihoon. I still do. But you never let me in... never let me be part of your world."

Jihoon's chest tightened as he watched Soonyoung break down in front of him. He didn't know what to say or how to fix the mess they found themselves in. Slowly, he reached out, hesitating for a moment before placing his hand on Soonyoung's shoulder.

"Then let's hold on to the blessing," Jihoon said quietly, his voice shaking ever so slightly. "Even if it's killing us."

Soonyoung looked at Jihoon through his tears, a deep sadness in his eyes. "It already is," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "It's already killing me."

Jihoon's grip on Soonyoung's shoulder tightened, his own emotions threatening to spill over. He had never been good with words, never been good at expressing how much Soonyoung meant to him. But in that moment, he wished he could. He wished he could make Soonyoung understand just how much he cared, how much he regretted every lie, every moment of distance.

"I'm sorry," Jihoon whispered, his voice barely a breath. "I'm so sorry, Soonyoung."

Soonyoung shook his head, wiping at his tears. "Sorry won't change anything. I don't know if we can go back... or if we even should."

The words hung in the air, heavy with uncertainty and pain. Jihoon stayed silent, knowing that there was no simple answer, no easy solution to the mess they were in. All he could do was sit there with Soonyoung, both of them broken, both of them hurting.

The silence between them grew heavy, charged with an unspoken tension. Jihoon's hand lingered on Soonyoung's shoulder, and in that moment, everything—the years of love, pain, betrayal, and regret—seemed to collapse in on itself. Neither of them spoke, the weight of their emotions too heavy to put into words.