WILD HEART | SEOJUN X SUHO | TRUE BEAUTY

CH6

SeoJun cannot remember how long he has been standing, gazing at the dark sky from the window. The night breeze caresses his face, but his heart races, suffocated by a feeling of emptiness and despair that consumes him from within. He knows he is about to make the most difficult decision of his life, but at the same time, he feels he has no other option. His mind is in chaos, a war between what he desires and what he believes is right.

"JuKyung... it has always been SuHo," he repeats to himself, over and over, like a mantra trying to calm the storm of emotions threatening to overwhelm him.

The echo of the words he never said, the feelings he never allowed to fully bloom, torments him. He could have fought; he could have tried to be the close friend he wanted to be. After all, his feelings were genuine. But every time he saw JuKyung smile when she was with SuHo, something inside him broke. That was the smile he could never provoke in her.

Finally, he makes a decision. He knows he must talk to JuKyung, but this time not to fight or cling to the impossible. He is going to let her go. He will do the right thing.

The sun is just beginning to set when SeoJun arrives at the place where he has arranged to meet JuKyung. She is there, sitting with the same kind expression that has always baffled him. For a brief second, he doubts his decision. Could he really walk away from her?

"SeoJun, is everything alright? You look... tired," JuKyung comments, noticing the shadow on his face.

"Yeah... I'm fine," he lies. SeoJun takes a deep breath and forces himself to sit next to her. For a moment, neither of them speaks. The silence between them is thick, but SeoJun feels it is time to break it, to release what he has held in his chest for so long.

"JuKyung," he begins, his voice trembling slightly, "there's something I need to tell you." JuKyung looks at him, concerned.

"What's wrong?" SeoJun struggles to find the right words, the ones that won't hurt her, but he knows anything he says will be painful.

"I... know I've been selfish, that I've tried to hold on to you, even when I knew... deep down, I knew it was always SuHo who truly makes you happy." JuKyung falls silent, surprised by what she has just heard. Her eyes widen, but she does not interrupt. "SuHo is the best man for you," SeoJun continues, his voice breaking slightly. "I've known it from the start, but I was too proud, too stubborn to accept it. You deserve someone who makes you feel whole, someone who understands you without you even having to say a word. And that... isn't me."

JuKyung opens her mouth to say something, but SeoJun interrupts her before she can speak.

"Let me finish," he pleads, his gaze fixed on the ground. "I've loved you, JuKyung. I loved you so much that I convinced myself I could change everything, that I could make you happy. But it was never enough, was it?" JuKyung lowers her head, tears welling in her eyes.

"SeoJun..."

"No. Don't cry," he whispers, feeling his own heart shatter at the sight of her. "I don't want you to feel bad. I'm here to tell you that I'm stepping back. That I won't stand in the way of you two anymore." The words leave his mouth like a knife, cutting him from the inside. He has never felt so vulnerable, so exposed. And as JuKyung tries to process what she has just heard, SeoJun stands up, unable to remain there for another second. "Goodbye, JuKyung," he whispers, and without giving her a chance to respond, he turns and walks away.

When he reaches his motorcycle, his body begins to tremble. The facade of strength he had maintained in front of JuKyung starts to crumble. He gets on his bike and rides off aimlessly, driving under the dark sky, without a destination in mind. The city lights blur as the tears he has been holding back finally spill over.