LOVE BITES -Jeongcheol

5

"Why kill Seokmin when I can kill what he loves?"

"Don't!" Seokmin's voice shattered the silence, cracking under the weight of fear. He dropped to his knees beside Joshua, hands trembling as they hovered near him. "Please, I'll do anything—just don't hurt him!"

Jeonghan's gaze sharpened, his smile cold and calculated. "Your mistake was looking at him, Seokmin. You gave yourself away right when you thought you were about to die. And Joshua..." His gaze flicked to him, a knowing glint in his eyes. "you confirmed my suspicion the moment I turned to look at the three of you. Everything adds up, doesn't it? I've had my eyes on you for a while now."

Seokmin's chest heaved, panic settling deep in his bones. "Just take my life," His voice cracked with desperation. "Don't hurt Joshua! Please, I'm begging you. He doesn't deserve this!"

Wonwoo stood rigid, frozen in disbelief. "Seokmin—no. Stop it." His hand gripped Seokmin's arm, tugging in vain to pull him away from Jeonghan's gaze. "You don't have to do this."

But Seokmin shrugged him off, resolve burning behind his eyes. He drew a knife from his jacket, the cold metal glinting under the dim light. Without hesitation, he pressed the blade against his skin, just hard enough to draw a thin line of red. "If you won't take me, I'll do it myself." His voice was steady now, fierce. "Take my blood, my life—whatever you want. Just let him go."

"Seokmin..." Joshua's voice was thick with sorrow, pain knotting in his chest, seeing the love of his life on his knees begging for his life.

Jeonghan raised an eyebrow, amusement laced with cruelty. "Either you're in love with him, or you're just the best actor I've ever seen." He released Joshua with a lazy shrug, letting him slump forward as he turned his attention back to Seokmin. "If that was an act, you deserve an Oscar.

He extended a hand toward Joshua, pulling him to his feet with a firm, almost gentle grip. "Why do you look so scared?" A soft, amused smile curved his lips. "You know I wouldn't actually hurt you. I just wanted to see how far he'd go for you."

Joshua swallowed hard, his heart still pounding. "We... we are in love," he admitted, voice low but steady.

Jeonghan nodded, "I can see that."

Joshua's gaze dropped to the ground. "I'm sorry," he whispered, regret curling tight around his words.

Jeonghan tilted his head, his expression softening—not with pity, but with understanding. "Don't apologize for loving someone." He glanced at Seokmin, nodding toward him. "Get up. It's over."

Seokmin hesitated, tears clinging to his lashes as he tried to catch his breath. Slowly, he pushed himself off the ground, still shaky on his feet.

Jeonghan turned to Joshua, eyes flicking between him and the others. "You didn't try to kill me to protect him," he said, as if confirming something aloud. "So now I know I can trust you. That goes for these hunters too."

Wonwoo gave a flat, exhausted sigh, deadpanning, "All of this... just to see if you could trust us?"

Jeonghan's grin was sharp and unapologetic. "Would you have preferred I killed one of you?"

"Honestly, I wonder what Seungcheol sees in him?" Wonwoo whispered to Seokmin.

Jeonghan chuckled, the tension finally easing. "Beauty and brains," he said smugly, throwing a wink in Wonwoo's direction.

Mingyu muttered under his breath, "Yeah right."

Jeonghan shot him a playful look before turning serious again. "Alright, let's focus. We've got a mess to clean up. You hunters still want to save your friends, right?"