BOUND BY OBSESSION|| L.HS X S.JY

T W E N T Y F I V E

CHAPTER TEWNTY FIVE: CRACKS IN THE ICE

Heeseung stood in front of the mirror, his hands gripping the sink as he stared at his reflection. The man looking back at him was cold, unyielding—everything he had trained himself to be over the years. The ice that had settled in his veins had been his armor, protecting him from the vulnerability of caring too much. But lately, that ice had begun to crack.

Jaeyun.

Heeseung couldn’t get the image of him—sick and fragile—out of his mind. That moment when Jaeyun had looked up at him with those wide, confused eyes had stirred something inside him, something he didn’t know how to handle. It wasn’t just obsession anymore. It was something else. Something that made him want to be more than the cold, ruthless man he’d always been.

He had told himself for so long that keeping Jaeyun was about control, about possessing something beautiful. But now, he found himself wanting Jaeyun to look at him without fear. He wanted Jaeyun to trust him, maybe even... care for him.

Heeseung straightened, his expression hardening as he made a silent vow to himself. He would change—for Jaeyun. He didn’t know how to be soft or kind, but he would try. For Jaeyun, he would try.

---

Jaeyun sat up in bed, the fever finally subsiding, though he still felt weak. He couldn’t shake the strange feeling that had settled in his chest since the night before. Heeseung had been so different, so... gentle, even if only for a moment. It was as if the terrifying man who had kept him prisoner for so long had vanished, replaced by someone he didn’t recognize.

A knock at the door pulled Jaeyun from his thoughts. Before he could respond, the door opened, and Heeseung stepped inside. His usual intimidating presence filled the room, but something was off. He wasn’t as rigid, his face softer than Jaeyun had ever seen it.

“How are you feeling?” Heeseung asked, his voice lower than usual, as though he were afraid of breaking the silence.

Jaeyun blinked, taken aback by the question. It was such a simple thing, and yet, coming from Heeseung, it felt like a monumental shift.

“I’m... better,” Jaeyun replied cautiously, unsure of how to navigate this unfamiliar version of Heeseung.

Heeseung nodded, his eyes flickering with something that Jaeyun couldn’t quite place. He took a few steps closer, standing at the edge of the bed as if he were testing the waters, unsure of how close he was allowed to be.

“I brought you something,” Heeseung said, holding up a tray of food. It wasn’t much—just soup and some fruit—but the gesture was unexpected. Heeseung had never done anything like this before.

Jaeyun stared at the tray, his heart skipping a beat. Was this the same man who had locked him away, the same man who had claimed him like a possession?

“I figured you’d need to eat,” Heeseung continued, a little awkwardly, as if he wasn’t sure how to act in this new role. He set the tray down on the bedside table, avoiding Jaeyun’s gaze for a moment. “You need your strength.”

Jaeyun hesitated, glancing between Heeseung and the food. “Thank you,” he said quietly, his voice softer than usual.

Heeseung didn’t respond right away, just watched Jaeyun as he tentatively took a bite of the food. The room was filled with a strange kind of tension—not the usual suffocating tension that came with Heeseung’s presence, but something different. Something... gentler.

As Jaeyun ate, he couldn’t help but notice how different Heeseung was behaving. There was no anger, no coldness. It was as if Heeseung was trying—really trying—to be something else. And for reasons Jaeyun couldn’t quite understand, it made his heart soften just a little.

When Jaeyun finished eating, Heeseung sat down in a chair next to the bed, his movements slow and deliberate, as if he didn’t want to scare Jaeyun. For the first time since he had been taken, Jaeyun didn’t feel the overwhelming need to keep his guard up. There was something about Heeseung’s presence now that made him feel... safe.

The realization shocked Jaeyun. How could he possibly feel safe around the man who had taken everything from him? And yet, here they were—Heeseung sitting beside him like a protector rather than a captor.

“I’m sorry,” Heeseung said suddenly, his voice breaking the silence. Jaeyun looked at him, eyes wide with disbelief.

“What?” Jaeyun asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Had he heard that right?

“I’m sorry,” Heeseung repeated, his gaze locked on the floor. “For everything. I know I’ve... hurt you.”

Jaeyun’s mind raced, trying to process the words. Heeseung—Lee Heeseung—was apologizing to him. The man who had kidnapped him, who had controlled him with fear, was sitting here, apologizing. It didn’t make sense. But at the same time, it felt... sincere.

“I don’t know how to be any different,” Heeseung continued, his voice low and strained. “I’ve spent so long being cold, keeping people at a distance. But with you... I want to be better.”

Jaeyun’s heart clenched at the words. He could see the struggle in Heeseung’s eyes, the conflict between who he had been and who he was trying to become. For the first time, Jaeyun saw the man behind the monster, and it made his chest ache with something he wasn’t ready to admit.

“I...” Jaeyun started, unsure of what to say. “I don’t know what to think, Heeseung.”

Heeseung nodded, as if he had expected that. “I don’t expect you to forgive me. Not yet. But I’ll change. I swear I’ll change, Jaeyun.”

For the first time in months, Jaeyun felt something other than fear or anger toward Heeseung. It was small—just a flicker of warmth—but it was there. Maybe, just maybe, there was a part of him that wanted to believe Heeseung could change.

Maybe he wasn’t the monster Jaeyun had thought he was.

As the days passed, Heeseung continued to try. He became more patient, more caring—bringing Jaeyun meals, sitting with him in silence, offering quiet comfort. It wasn’t easy; Heeseung was still rough around the edges, still prone to moments of darkness. But there was an undeniable shift in him, one that Jaeyun couldn’t ignore.

And slowly, against his better judgment, Jaeyun found himself softening. He wasn’t falling in love—not yet—but something in Heeseung’s efforts was reaching him. The man who had once terrified him now seemed almost... human.

And for the first time, Jaeyun didn’t hate Heeseung for it.

this chapter is for tulipsmay