Beyond the Horizon

Ghosts of the Past

Dunk tried to brush off the conversation with Offroad and the doubts that crept in during his talk with Joong, but a sense of unease lingered. It wasn’t just Offroad’s warning or Joong’s confession—it was the feeling that something was waiting to resurface.

A week later, Dunk and Joong were finally able to spend a quiet evening alone at Dunk’s apartment. After ordering takeout and queuing up their favorite movie, Dunk felt his worries slip away, at least for a little while.

In the middle of the movie, Joong shifted closer, casually draping an arm over Dunk’s shoulders. Dunk leaned into his touch, breathing in Joong’s familiar scent. They sat in comfortable silence, until a notification buzzed on Joong’s phone, making Dunk glance over.

Joong tensed as he glanced at the screen, his expression unreadable.

“What is it?” Dunk asked, sensing the change.

Joong hesitated before sighing. “It’s from… someone I used to know. Someone from my past.”

Dunk’s heart skipped a beat. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Joong set his phone down and rubbed his temples. “I don’t want to drag you into this. It’s… messy.”

Dunk felt a surge of determination. “Joong, if we’re in this together, I want to know everything. I want to be there for you.”

Joong looked at Dunk, his expression softening. “You really mean that?”

Dunk nodded. “I’m not going anywhere.”

After a long pause, Joong began to open up. “This message is from someone named Mark. We dated a couple of years ago. It was… intense. We thought we were in love, but things got toxic really fast. We fought a lot, and when it ended, it wasn’t clean. I cut ties with him, but he’s reached out from time to time. I’ve always ignored it, but…”

“But this time is different?” Dunk asked quietly.

Joong sighed. “Yeah. He’s saying he wants to meet. To ‘clear the air.’ I don’t know what he really wants, but ignoring him didn’t work before. Maybe facing it would finally give me some closure.”

Dunk felt a pang of apprehension but forced himself to stay supportive. “Then maybe that’s what you need to do. But… just promise me you’ll be careful.”

Joong nodded, his gaze softening as he reached out to hold Dunk’s hand. “I will. And thank you, Dunk, for understanding.”

Dunk managed a small smile, trying to ignore the nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to believe Joong could handle it, but part of him feared that confronting his past might stir up more than they were ready for.