𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 | 𝗦𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗿.𝟮 ✓

11

Ho-Seok’s hands shook as he gripped Yoon-Gi’s shirt, his fingers curling into the fabric in a desperate attempt to hold onto something—anything. His breath came in short, broken gasps, his chest tight with sorrow. His teary eyes locked onto Yoon-Gi, pleading, searching for some trace of the warmth he once knew in the other man’s gaze. But all he saw now was coldness, indifference.

"Why did you leave me like this?" Ho-Seok’s voice broke on the words, his sobs echoing through the emptiness. His hands trembled as he pressed against Yoon-Gi's chest, trying to find any connection, any sign of the love they once shared. "I waited... I hoped... I thought you'd come back to me. You promised you’d marry me. You said you’d always be here."

Yoon-Gi’s face remained stoic, his eyes dull, as if the man standing before him no longer meant anything. Without a word, he tore Ho-Seok’s hands off his collar and shoved him backward. Ho-Seok stumbled, his breath catching in his throat as he fell to the ground, the harsh impact rattling through his bones. He quickly reached out, instinctively protecting his belly.

"Marry you?" Yoon-Gi’s voice was sharp, his words cutting through the thick air like a blade. "Never."

Ho-Seok froze. His world tilted, the ground beneath him spinning. His heart sank into his stomach, and his mind went blank with disbelief. He looked at Yoon-Gi, searching for some flicker of the man he had loved, but all he found was a stranger’s face—one that had grown cruel.

"Why?" Ho-Seok whispered, his voice barely audible. His heart thundered in his chest, but his breath was slow, each word feeling like it took a lifetime to say. "What did I do? Why are you doing this to me? What went wrong?"

Yoon-Gi took a step back, his jaw clenched, his eyes hard as stone. "You did everything wrong," he said, his voice dripping with contempt. "And, I don't love you anymore. I don't love you or the baby inside of you. I’m done. I don’t want any part of this."

Ho-Seok’s stomach churned, the sharp pain of those words slicing through him. His hand instinctively moved to his belly, cradling it as if the small life growing inside him could somehow protect him from the hurt that was consuming him. His lips trembled as he tried to speak, but no words came out at first. When he finally managed, his voice was barely a whisper, full of disbelief. "No... you... you said you loved me. You said we’d raise this child together. Why… why are you leaving me now? After everything?"

Yoon-Gi’s eyes burn with anger hearing Ho-Seok's words. His mouth twisted into a hard, bitter line. "I’m leaving. I’m done with you, Ho-Seok. I’ll find someone better, someone who doesn’t come with all this baggage."

The words hit Ho-Seok like a punch to the gut. His legs buckled beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground, the tears falling freely now, hot and relentless. His heart shattered in his chest. “Please, Yoon-Gi... don’t leave me,” he whispered, his voice breaking, his hands reaching out to grab at the air where Yoon-Gi had been. "You promised you’d always be here... please don't go. Why won’t you just talk to me? Why won't you let me fix it?"

But Yoon-Gi didn’t even glance back. His footsteps echoed coldly as he walked away, leaving Ho-Seok on the ground, helpless and alone.

Ho-Seok tried to get up, his body aching with the weight of his emotions. He stumbled after Yoon-Gi, but his foot caught on a stone in the dirt, sending him sprawling to the ground. He landed hard, the shock of it rattling his belly and warm liquid filling his thighs. He looked up, reaching out, but Yoon-Gi was already gone and so was his baby.

And just as quickly as it had started, everything faded to black.

Ho-Seok gasped, his body jerking upright in the bed, his breath ragged and uneven as his eyes darted around the room. His skin was slick with sweat, his hands trembling as they flew to his belly. His chest ached with the remnants of his nightmare, the cruel words of Yoon-Gi still echoing in his ears and his baby was gone. But it wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real. He had to remind himself over and over that it had just been a nightmare.

He looked around, disoriented, trying to ground himself in the present. He was inside a bedroom, the soft sunlight streaming in through the window. His hand caresses his belly, feeling the gentle curve of his stomach beneath the soft fabric of his gown. His baby was still there, still alive, but the emptiness inside him felt unbearable. His tears began to fall again, as the dream—no, the truth—settled over him like a suffocating weight. Yoon-Gi had left him. Yoon-Gi had walked away.

Ho-Seok’s sobs grew louder, his chest heaving with the force of his grief as he cried out, "Yoon-Gi... Yoon-Gi… where are you?" His voice cracked, full of raw desperation, but there was no answer, just the painful silence that surrounded him.

And then, the door creaked open, and his heart jolted in his chest as he turned toward the sound. He hoped… no, prayed that it was Yoon-Gi. That somehow, impossibly, he had come back.

But it was Woo-Seok, standing in the doorway with a soft, sad expression on his face. Woo-Seok’s dark eyes were filled with concern as he walked toward Ho-Seok’s side, his steps careful, measured.

"Ho-Seok," Woo-Seok said gently, his voice steady, though it was laced with the same sorrow Ho-Seok felt in his heart. He knelt beside the bed, his hand resting on his husband’s trembling shoulder.

Ho-Seok's hand still clutched tightly to his belly as his voice was desperate, barely above a whisper. "Did you find him? Did you find Yoon-Gi? Where is he? Hyung, please... where did he go? Why isn’t he here?"

Woo-Seok’s expression faltered, and for a moment, it seemed as though he didn’t have the words to comfort his husband. He shook his head slowly, his voice gentle but firm. "No, Ho-Seok. We haven’t found him yet. But please… please stop crying. It’s not good for you or the baby."

Ho-Seok’s heart felt like it was breaking all over again. He looked down at his belly, his fingers trembling as they brushed over the small life growing inside him. "How can I stop crying, hyung?" Ho-Seok choked out, his voice a broken whisper. "How can I stop when he’s not here? He promised… he promised he’d be with me. He promised he’d be with our baby... Why did he leave me?"

Woo-Seok’s chest tightened with sorrow as he wrapped his arms around Ho-Seok, pulling him close. He held his husband tightly, as if to shield him from the weight of the world that seemed to be pressing down on him.

“You did nothing wrong,” Woo-Seok murmured softly, his hand resting gently on Ho-Seok’s back. “Nothing at all. Yoon-Gi’s the one who’s made a mistake. He’s an idiot for leaving you. But you’re not alone, Ho-Seok. We’ll find him. We’ll find him, and until then, you need to take care of yourself. You need to take care of the baby.”

Ho-Seok nodded, his sobs slowly quieting, though the ache in his heart remained. The flutter of his baby beneath his hand was the only thing that reminded him there was still something worth fighting for. But the emptiness of Yoon-Gi’s absence was a void he couldn’t yet fill.