flutedrum | woosan ✓

40

Seonghwa sat on the edge of the couch, staring out the window as the afternoon light filtered through the curtains. His mind was a storm, torn between the anger and betrayal he felt and the small flicker of hope that somehow, things could still be fixed. The door creaked open behind him, but he didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Hongjoong had asked to meet him, and despite everything, Seonghwa had agreed. But now that the moment had come, he didn't know if he had the strength to face it.

"Seonghwa..." Hongjoong's voice was soft, tentative. He stood near the door, hands in his pockets, not daring to come closer without permission. His eyes never left Seonghwa, filled with a mixture of guilt and sadness. "Can we talk?"

Seonghwa let out a long, tired sigh, still not turning around. "Talk about what, Hongjoong? About how you destroyed everything we built? About how I'm supposed to forgive you for that?"

Hongjoong flinched at the bitterness in Seonghwa's voice, but he didn't back down. "I know I hurt you," he said quietly. "And I know I can't undo what I've done. But I'm here because I want to fix this. I want to make things right, even if it's too late."

Seonghwa's shoulders tensed, and he finally turned to face Hongjoong, eyes sharp with the remnants of his anger. "Make things right?" he scoffed. "And how exactly do you plan to do that? The company is gone, Joong. We've lost everything."

Hongjoong stepped closer, cautiously, as though approaching a wounded animal. "Not everything," he said, his voice steadier now. "There's still us. There's still the group. We don't have to lose that."

Seonghwa's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

Taking a deep breath, Hongjoong knelt down in front of Seonghwa, finally close enough that he could look him in the eye. "Clockwork Entertainment has agreed to take you up under their supervision," he said. "AURORA won't be disbanding—not completely. You'll still be able to release our collaboration song together. And even after that, you can still release music, just...not as AURORA. As solo artists if you want to. But we'll still be a family, Hwa. We'll still have each other."

Seonghwa blinked, his heart pounding in his chest. This wasn't what he expected. "You...what?"

Hongjoong reached out, gently taking Seonghwa's hands in his own. "I'm proposing you join Clockwork Entertainment, under their guidance," he explained. "The group might not stay the same, but you can still keep your bond. You can still release music , even together with us sometimes if you want. You don't have to lose it all."

Seonghwa's breath hitched, his mind racing. The idea of disbanding had been eating away at him for days. The thought of losing the group, losing their music, losing everything they had built together—it had crushed him. But now, Hongjoong was offering him a lifeline. A chance to keep AURORA alive, even if it wasn't exactly the same.

"You really think this will work?" Seonghwa whispered, his voice wavering.

Hongjoong nodded, his grip on Seonghwa's hands tightening. "I know it will. Clockwork is willing to help you guys. And it helps us, too. You're free from JWSM now. And you...you'll still be able to lead us, Seonghwa. You'll still be our anchor."

Seonghwa looked down at their hands, Hongjoong's fingers warm and familiar against his skin. For the first time in what felt like forever, a small flicker of hope sparked in his chest. Could he really keep his group safe? Could they still make music together, even if things had to change?

But before he could speak, Hongjoong continued, his voice softer now. "I'm so sorry for everything, Seonghwa," he murmured. "I know I should have talked to you, should have trusted you. But I promise, from now on, I'll never make a decision without you again. I'll make it right. I swear."

Seonghwa's throat tightened, and before he could stop himself, tears began to blur his vision. The weight of everything—the anger, the hurt, the fear—was finally crashing down on him, and he couldn't hold it in any longer. "How am I supposed to forgive you, Hongjoong?" he asked, his voice breaking. "You almost took everything away from me."

Hongjoong stood up, pulling Seonghwa to his feet with him. "I know," he whispered. "I know. And I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you if I have to."

Seonghwa's tears fell freely now, and before he could think, before he could stop himself, he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Hongjoong, burying his face in the crook of his neck. He didn't know what to say, didn't know how to process everything he was feeling. But in that moment, all he wanted was to hold onto Hongjoong and never let go.

Hongjoong's arms came around him instantly, pulling him close, holding him like he was afraid to lose him. "I'm so sorry," he whispered into Seonghwa's hair. "I'm so sorry."

Seonghwa sobbed against him, his grip tightening. "You idiot," he choked out. "You...you idiot."

For a long time, they stood like that, wrapped in each other's arms, neither of them wanting to let go. The world outside could wait—their broken pieces could wait. Right now, all that mattered was that they had found each other again.

Eventually, Seonghwa pulled back just enough to look Hongjoong in the eye. He was still crying, but there was a softness there now, a tenderness that hadn't been there before. "I hate you," he whispered, though the words held no malice. "But I love you too."

Hongjoong smiled through his own tears, his forehead resting gently against Seonghwa's. "I love you too," he whispered back, his breath warm against Seonghwa's lips.

And then, before either of them could think, could hesitate, Seonghwa leaned in and pressed his lips to Hongjoong's. The kiss was soft, tentative at first, but it quickly deepened, filled with all the emotions they had kept bottled up for so long. It was a kiss of forgiveness, of promises unspoken, of love that had endured through the worst.

When they finally pulled away, both of them were breathless, their foreheads still touching. "We'll make this work," Hongjoong whispered, his voice filled with determination. "I promise."

Seonghwa nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips. "We will," he agreed softly.

And for the first time in a long while, Seonghwa felt like maybe—just maybe—they could still build something beautiful together, even in the aftermath of everything that had fallen apart.