Betting on Love [JEONGCHEOL] ✓

Chapter Thirty-three: A ray of hope

Jeonghan rushes after Seungcheol, his voice desperate. "Wait! Please, sugar—"

Seungcheol stops in his tracks, his voice cold and sharp. "Don't call me that."

Jeonghan freezes, his heart sinking at the harshness in Seungcheol’s tone. "Please, just listen to me," he pleads, taking a step forward, but Seungcheol turns around, his expression unreadable.

"You don’t get to talk to me like that anymore," Seungcheol says, his voice steady, but Jeonghan can hear the pain laced within it. "Not after everything."

Jeonghan feels his chest tighten. "I... I messed up, I know. But I never meant to hurt you. It wasn’t supposed to be like this."

Jeonghan’s voice trembles as he steps closer, his hands reaching out, desperate to bridge the gap between them. “Seungcheol, I swear... none of it was real, not the bet, not the stupid game Joshua pushed me into. You—” his voice cracks, “—you were the only real thing.”

Seungcheol’s eyes flash with hurt as he turns to face Jeonghan fully, tears brimming. “Do you even hear yourself?” His voice rises, anger barely holding back the devastation. “You played with me, Jeonghan. You made me believe in something that was never there, and I—" he breaks, a sob escaping before he chokes it down, “I gave you everything.”

Jeonghan’s breath hitches, his own tears falling. “I know. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I’m begging you—please believe me when I say that I fell for you, Seungcheol. This wasn’t part of the plan. I—” he clenches his fists, his chest aching, “—I fell in love with you.”

Seungcheol shakes his head, his body trembling. “You fell in love?” he repeats, his voice hollow. “Or did you just get caught up in the game and now you're regretting it?” His eyes, red and swollen, burn into Jeonghan’s. “I can't... I can’t be the fool who believed you loved him, only to find out it was all a lie.”

“I never lied about loving you!” Jeonghan cries, stepping closer, but Seungcheol backs away, shaking his head again, this time more fiercely.

“No, Jeonghan. You don’t get to say that. You don’t get to rewrite what happened just because you feel bad now.”

Jeonghan’s heart feels like it’s breaking in his chest, his tears flowing uncontrollably. "I don’t want to lose you, Seungcheol... I can't."

Seungcheol looks away, his face tightening as he fights back his own tears. “You already did.”

With that, he walks away, leaving Jeonghan standing there, the weight of his regret crushing him.

Jeonghan stands frozen in place, the sound of Seungcheol’s footsteps growing fainter with each passing second, like the final nail sealing the coffin of everything they once had. His chest tightens, and his knees threaten to give out as the realization sinks in—he’s lost him. Truly lost him.

“No…” Jeonghan whispers, his voice shaking. He takes a step forward, then another, his legs moving on their own. “Seungcheol! Please!” His voice cracks, louder this time, but Seungcheol doesn’t turn back. Jeonghan breaks into a run, his heart pounding as he reaches out again, desperate, broken.

“Don’t walk away from me! Not like this!” Jeonghan’s voice wavers, thick with tears. “Please… don’t leave me.”

Seungcheol pauses for the briefest moment, his back still turned, and Jeonghan’s heart leaps, hoping against hope. But when Seungcheol speaks, his voice is hollow, devoid of warmth. “You didn’t leave me a choice.”

The finality in those words hits Jeonghan like a punch to the gut. He stumbles, his outstretched hand falling to his side, powerless. “I know I messed up,” he gasps, his tears flowing freely. “But I love you. I love you, Seungcheol. That’s the truth—”