CHAPTER TWENTY ONE; BENEATH THE SURFACE
Heeseung sat in silence, his eyes fixated on Jaeyun’s motionless body. He hadn’t left his side since the boy fainted earlier that day, collapsing right in front of him. The sight of Jaeyun’s pale, weakened figure had sent a sharp pang of panic through him, something he hadn’t felt in years.
The penthouse was eerily quiet except for the rhythmic beeping of the medical monitor, and the only light in the room came from the dim lamp beside the couch where Jaeyun lay. Heeseung, seated on the floor with his back against the couch, stared blankly ahead. His mind, usually calm and calculating, was a storm of unfamiliar emotions. Fear. Worry. Desperation.
This wasn’t like him.
Heeseung had always prided himself on his cold, unflinching demeanor. Emotions were a weakness, and weakness had no place in his world. But seeing Jaeyun so fragile, so helpless… it triggered something deep inside him that he couldn’t control. For the first time in a long while, he didn’t know what to do.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Heeseung muttered to himself, running his hands through his hair. “Why didn’t I see this coming?”
His gaze fell on Jaeyun, whose face was still pale, but a little more peaceful than it had been hours ago. Heeseung reached out, brushing a strand of hair away from his forehead. He couldn’t deny the protectiveness that surged through him every time he looked at the boy. It wasn’t just obsession anymore—it was something more complex, more consuming.
The doctor had been there earlier, hooking Jaeyun up to an IV to stabilize his condition. “He’s exhausted,” the doctor had said. “Dehydrated, malnourished, and feverish. He needs rest, care.”
Care. The word echoed in Heeseung’s mind. What did he know about caring for anyone? He was ruthless, merciless, a man who didn’t hesitate to crush anyone who stood in his way. And yet, here he was, helplessly watching over Jaeyun like a man afraid to lose something precious.
Heeseung stood up and walked to the window, staring out at the sprawling city below. The world kept moving, business as usual, but here, in this room, everything felt frozen. The usual thrill of control, the satisfaction of having Jaeyun under his watch, didn’t exist right now. All that mattered was making sure Jaeyun would be okay.
“Why didn’t I see it?” Heeseung whispered, his reflection in the glass a reminder of the cold man he used to be.
Suddenly, a faint sound behind him drew his attention. He turned sharply, eyes locking onto Jaeyun, who was stirring slightly. His fingers twitched, and his eyelids fluttered open. Heeseung rushed over, his heart pounding as he knelt beside the couch.
“Jaeyun?” His voice was soft, uncharacteristically gentle.
Jaeyun blinked slowly, his eyes glassy and unfocused. He looked disoriented, like he wasn’t sure where he was. “Heeseung…?” he rasped, his voice weak and hoarse.
“You’re okay,” Heeseung said quickly, his hands trembling slightly as he touched Jaeyun’s arm. “You’re safe. You fainted earlier, but I had the doctor come. You just need to rest.”
Jaeyun’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Why… are you here?” he whispered. “You never—”
“I know,” Heeseung cut in, his voice almost pained. “I know I haven’t been… kind. But you scared me, Jaeyun. I didn’t realize how sick you were.”
Jaeyun looked at him, his expression softening, but there was still hesitation in his eyes. “You’re… worried about me?”
Heeseung clenched his jaw, the words feeling foreign on his tongue. “Yes, I am. More than I’d like to admit.”
Jaeyun blinked, struggling to sit up, but Heeseung quickly placed a hand on his shoulder, gently pushing him back down. “Don’t,” he said firmly. “You need to rest. You’re too weak to move right now.”
There was a long pause, Jaeyun studying Heeseung’s face, as if trying to understand what was happening. This wasn’t the cold, terrifying man he was used to. The one who kept him trapped here, the one who had made his life a living nightmare. This was… different.
Heeseung sighed, his hand lingering on Jaeyun’s shoulder longer than necessary. “I can’t lose you, Jaeyun,” he said quietly, his voice filled with an emotion that even he wasn’t sure he recognized. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Jaeyun stared at him, bewildered by the sudden change in Heeseung’s behavior. “Why… why are you doing this now? Why do you care all of a sudden?”
Heeseung’s eyes darkened, the intensity returning to them as he struggled with his emotions. “I’ve always cared,” he admitted, his voice raw. “I just didn’t know how to show it.”
Jaeyun’s lips parted slightly, but no words came out. He was too tired, too confused to make sense of Heeseung’s sudden tenderness. And before he could ask any more questions, his body betrayed him, pulling him back into unconsciousness.
Heeseung sat there, staring down at him, the weight of his own emotions suffocating him. He wasn’t used to this, to feeling this much, to caring this much. But one thing was clear—he would do whatever it took to keep Jaeyun safe.
Even if that meant protecting him from the world, from others, and from himself.
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BOUND BY OBSESSION|| L.HS X S.JY
FanfictionSim Jaeyun is Lee Heeseung's obsession, his weakness, his world. Once heeseung claimed jaeyun his, there is no one who can saprate him from his little angel. The light in his life. A DARK ROMANCE WITH A LITTLE TWIST
