𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐖𝐄? // 𝐉𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐍

𝟎𝟎𝟓

Jake stood frozen, the cold seeping into his bones. The ache in his chest had spread, gripping tighter with every passing second. The silence around him was suffocating, and his thoughts were spiraling, crashing against the realization that maybe this was it-maybe Sunghoon was truly gone.

He felt Heeseung's presence beside him, solid and steady, but it didn't ease the gnawing emptiness. Jake clenched his fists, trying to find something, anything to hold onto, but everything felt out of reach. His heart thudded dully in his chest, the adrenaline from their confrontation leaving behind a hollow ache.

"I don't understand," Jake muttered, more to himself than to anyone else. His voice cracked, betraying the emotions he had tried so hard to hold back. "I thought we were... I thought I was enough for him."

Heeseung, who was rarely at a loss for words, shifted uncomfortably. "Maybe you were," he said quietly, his gaze distant. "But sometimes, it's not about that. Sometimes it's about timing, about where you both are... and right now, it seems like you're in different places."

Jake shook his head, unwilling to accept that. "How did it get this bad? We used to be so good together."

Sunoo sighed from behind him, a sad smile tugging at his lips. "People change, Jake. Sometimes they change in ways you can't predict or control. Sunghoon... maybe he's dealing with things you don't even know about."

The words hit him harder than expected. What if that was it? What if there was a whole side to Sunghoon's struggles that Jake had been too blind to see? But even thinking that felt like an excuse-one that couldn't erase the way Sunghoon had looked at him, like their history wasn't enough to save them.

Heeseung was watching him carefully, his eyes filled with something close to pity. "You can't keep blaming yourself for this, Jake."

But Jake couldn't stop. His mind churned through every moment they'd spent together, combing over the smallest details, searching for where it had all gone wrong. He felt like he'd failed, like he'd let something precious slip through his fingers because he wasn't enough-wasn't good enough, wasn't paying enough attention.

"I should've fought harder," Jake whispered, guilt gnawing at the edges of his thoughts. "I should've seen this coming."

Sunoo and Ni-ki exchanged a glance, unsure of how to comfort him. Ni-ki stepped forward, hesitant, his voice low. "Sometimes no matter how hard you try, it's not enough. People drift, Jake. It doesn't always mean you did something wrong."

But Jake didn't want to hear that. He didn't want to accept that there was nothing more he could've done. His chest tightened as if the weight of everything was pressing in on him, crushing the air out of his lungs.

"What if this is it?" Jake asked, the question raw and jagged in the stillness of the night. "What if he never comes back?"

No one had an answer. The silence was thick, swallowing up any comfort they might have offered. Jake's breath hitched, the cold air stinging his throat as he tried to keep it together. His mind kept replaying the moment Sunghoon had walked away-the moment Jake had realized it was over.

Suddenly, the anger resurfaced, burning beneath the surface of his skin. He clenched his fists tighter, his nails biting into his palms as the frustration overwhelmed him. "He didn't even fight," Jake spat bitterly. "He didn't even try to fix it. He just-gave up."

Heeseung's expression softened, but his words were firm. "Maybe he didn't know how to. Maybe he's just as lost as you are."

But that explanation wasn't enough for Jake. It didn't make up for the fact that Sunghoon had walked away when everything was crumbling, had chosen to leave instead of staying to fight for what they had. It felt like betrayal, even though deep down, Jake knew it was more complicated than that.