You Belong With Me | Jeongcheol Fanfic

Chapter 38

When Jeonghan finally returned to school, it wasn't the reunion everyone had been hoping for. Instead of the bright smile that usually lit up the halls, his expression was blank—hollow. And by his side, as if tethered to him, was Jaehyun.

As Jeonghan walked down the hall, students stared, whispers filling the air. He moved mechanically, eyes vacant, and his usual light seemed extinguished. His once lively aura was replaced with something heavy and unsettling. He didn't speak to anyone. He didn't laugh or joke like he used to. He simply followed Jaehyun, almost like a shadow.

Seungcheol watched from across the hallway, his heart sinking as he saw Jeonghan pass by. It was painful to see him like this. The boy who had once been the life of every moment now seemed like a ghost of his former self. Seungcheol clenched his fists, resisting the urge to confront Jaehyun right then and there, but something held him back. The fear that Jeonghan might push him away even further.

Mingyu and Seungkwan stood beside him, equally troubled.

"That's not Jeonghan," Mingyu whispered, disbelief etched into his features. "He looks...lost."

Seungkwan nodded, his face drawn with concern. "It's like he's not even here. Like Jaehyun has him under some spell."

Seungcheol's gaze never left Jeonghan, who continued down the hall without so much as a glance in their direction. He had been trying to give Jeonghan space, respecting his grief and the complexity of everything he was going through. But now, seeing him like this, it hurt more than Seungcheol could put into words.

"He doesn't have his smile," Seungcheol murmured quietly, mostly to himself.

Jeonghan used to light up the world with his smile, with his teasing and warmth. But now, he was just there—existing. Following Jaehyun like a puppet with invisible strings.

Seungcheol's heart ached, and the more he thought about it, the more he realized something had to be done. He couldn't just stand by and watch Jeonghan slip away. Not like this.

~

Despite everything, Jeonghan had never officially ended things with Seungcheol. The silence between them, the way he avoided him, and his closeness to Jaehyun—it all felt like a wall had formed, but there was never a clear line drawn, never a word of goodbye. That lingering connection gnawed at Seungcheol as he watched Jeonghan from a distance, trailing behind Jaehyun without his usual spark.

Even with Jaehyun beside him, something in Jeonghan's eyes looked... lost, like he wasn't entirely there. Seungcheol clung to the hope that the Jeonghan he knew was still inside, just buried beneath layers of grief and confusion. But seeing him every day like this, without the warmth they used to share, was painful.

Seungcheol spent countless nights replaying their memories, wondering what had gone wrong and if he had failed Jeonghan somehow. He never got closure, never understood why Jaehyun was suddenly the one by Jeonghan's side, comforting him in ways Seungcheol wished he could.

Mingyu and Seungkwan had tried to pull Seungcheol away from his thoughts, but the truth was, he still loved Jeonghan. That never changed, no matter how distant they had become.

One afternoon, as Seungcheol sat in the quiet of the library, his mind racing, his phone buzzed with a message.

It was from Jeonghan:
"Can we talk? Tonight."

Seungcheol's heart leapt, a mix of hope and fear swirling inside him. He didn't know what Jeonghan was going to say, but for the first time in weeks, Jeonghan was reaching out to him.

Maybe—just maybe—it wasn't over yet.

~

That evening, Seungcheol found himself sitting at a small, cozy restaurant waiting for Jeonghan. The place was quiet, tucked away from the busy streets, just the kind of spot where they used to hang out—low lights, warm atmosphere, the faint hum of quiet conversation around them.