MANIAC | SEOKSOO FF ✔️

PART 11

Jeonghan hurried to Soonyoung's apartment, his heart racing as he replayed Jisoo’s frantic voice over the phone, the barely-contained panic in every word.

Since the bizarre messages and unsettling gifts had started, Jisoo hadn’t been the same, and Jeonghan knew his brother’s fragile grip on reality was slipping.

Each call from Jisoo in the past few days had seemed more paranoid, more fragmented.

But today… today was different. There had been fear in Jisoo’s voice—fear and accusation, as if Jeonghan himself was a threat.

When Jeonghan reached the door, he could hear Jisoo’s muffled voice from inside, rising and falling in a tense conversation. His fists clenched.

Soonyoung had warned him before he came over, but nothing could prepare him for what he saw when the door opened.

Jisoo was standing in the middle of the living room, his arms wrapped around himself tightly, eyes wild and frantic. Soonyoung, Jihoon, and even little Dino stood nearby, watching helplessly.

The moment Jisoo’s gaze landed on Jeonghan, his entire body went rigid, his face twisting with a mixture of fear and anger.

"Stay back," Jisoo whispered, his voice trembling, but his tone held a sharp edge. "I know what you’re doing. You can’t hide it anymore, Jeonghan. I know you’re the one… you’re the one behind all of this."

Jeonghan’s heart sank, and he took a cautious step forward, hands raised in a gentle gesture of peace. “Jisoo… it’s me, it’s Hanie. Your brother. I’m not here to hurt you.”

But Jisoo flinched, his eyes darting around the room as if searching for an escape. “Don’t lie to me!” he shouted, his voice breaking. “You’ve been watching me, haven’t you? All this time, you’ve been following me, leaving those… those things. That music player, the notes, all of it… it was you!” His voice cracked, and in that moment, Jeonghan could see the terror in his brother’s eyes, the same eyes he’d watched grow up, that used to look at him with unspoken trust.

“Jisoo, please,” Jeonghan whispered, his own voice shaking. “I would never hurt you. I would never do this to you. You know me, don’t you? You know me.”

Jisoo shook his head vehemently, his hands trembling as he pointed accusingly. “No! I thought I knew you. I thought… but you’ve been lying, haven’t you? Following me, making me question everything. And now you’re here, pretending to care, but it’s all just part of your game. Isn’t it?”

Jeonghan felt a lump rise in his throat, tears prickling at the corners of his eyes. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself, even as his heart shattered at the sight of his brother’s fractured trust. “Jisoo, look at me,” he pleaded softly. “I’m here because I love you. I’m here because I’m worried. You’ve been through so much, and I… I just want to help.”

But Jisoo looked at him with something closer to betrayal than fear, his lip trembling as he backed away further, bumping into Soonyoung’s coffee table. “Stop saying that,” he whispered, voice raw. “Stop pretending. I can see it now—every word, every look. It was all an act. You’ve been playing me for years, haven’t you? Watching me, waiting for the right moment to… to do this.” He gestured vaguely, his fingers trembling as if he could barely bring himself to look at Jeonghan.

Jeonghan’s chest felt like it was being torn open, the pain of watching his brother unravel in front of him, knowing that nothing he could say would break through the wall of paranoia that had consumed him.

Jeonghan took a shaky breath, forcing himself to keep his voice steady. “Jisoo, you’re my brother. I have loved you  your whole life. If I could take this pain from you, I would. I would do anything to see you safe and happy.”