♡𝙱𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎♡

𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝙸𝙸

↶♡♥︎♡♥︎♡↷

The walk back to Seungmin's apartment was heavier than before. The air had shifted, weighed down by the things Jeongin had let slip and the things Seungmin wished he could say but didn't know how. Seungmin walked slightly ahead, glancing back every so often to make sure Jeongin was still behind him.

Jeongin's earlier tears seemed to have drained him, leaving him pale and quiet. He followed Seungmin, dragging his feet along the pavement as if his body wasn't entirely his own.

When they got back, Seungmin unlocked the door and stepped inside, holding it open for Jeongin. The younger man hesitated on the threshold, staring at the dimly lit apartment as though it was some kind of prison.

"You coming in?" Seungmin asked softly, his hand still on the doorknob.

Jeongin nodded, stepping inside without a word.

↶♡♥︎♡♥︎♡↷

Hours later, the apartment was silent again, but this time it was suffocating. Seungmin sat on the couch, staring at his phone, pretending to scroll through messages he wasn't reading. Jeongin had curled up in the corner of the room, his knees drawn to his chest, his hoodie pulled so far over his head that only the tips of his hair were visible.

The light of the TV flickered across the room, but neither of them was paying attention to the nature documentary playing on the screen.

"Why do you even bother?" Jeongin's voice cut through the quiet like a blade. It was the first thing he'd said since they got back, and it made Seungmin's heart stop.

"What?" Seungmin turned toward him, but Jeongin didn't lift his head.

"Why do you keep trying?" Jeongin repeated, his voice dull and flat. "You know I'm broken, right? I'm never going to be okay. You should just... give up."

Seungmin's chest tightened. "Don't say that."

"It's true," Jeongin said, finally looking up. His face was pale, his eyes rimmed red, but there was something raw and desperate in his gaze that made Seungmin feel like he was staring at someone on the edge of a cliff. "I don't even know why you put up with me. I'm dragging you down."

"You're not," Seungmin said firmly, but Jeongin scoffed, shaking his head.

"Don't lie to me," he said, his voice trembling. "You're wasting your time, Seungmin. I'm not worth it."

Seungmin stood abruptly, his fists clenched at his sides. "Stop it. Stop saying that like it's true. You don't get to decide what you're worth to me."

Jeongin flinched, his eyes widening slightly at the sharpness in Seungmin's tone.

Seungmin sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice softening. "I just... I hate hearing you talk about yourself like that. You matter to me, Jeongin. You're my best friend, and I'm not going to give up on you."

Jeongin laughed bitterly, the sound hollow and broken. "Maybe you should. It'd probably be better for both of us."

"Don't," Seungmin said sharply. "Don't say that. Don't you dare say that."

Jeongin stared at him, his expression unreadable. For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Then Jeongin stood, his movements slow and deliberate, and crossed the room to stand in front of Seungmin.

"You don't understand," he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "You don't know what it feels like to wake up every day and wish you hadn't."

Seungmin's breath caught in his throat. "Jeongin..."

"You can't fix me," Jeongin continued, his voice trembling. "You can't make this go away. And I hate that you're trying so hard because I know I'm just going to let you down."

"You're not letting me down," Seungmin said, his voice thick with emotion. "You're hurting, and that's okay. But don't you dare think that means you're not worth saving."

Jeongin's lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes filling with tears again. He turned away, his shoulders shaking.

"I don't know how to keep going," he admitted, his voice cracking.

Seungmin stepped closer, placing a hand on Jeongin's shoulder. "Then lean on me," he said quietly. "Let me help you carry it, even if it's just for a little while."

Jeongin didn't respond, but he didn't pull away either. Seungmin took that as a small victory, even though his chest still ached with the weight of everything unsaid.

↶♡♥︎♡♥︎♡↷

That night, Seungmin lay awake on the couch, staring at the ceiling. He could hear Jeongin's uneven breathing from the other side of the room, where he'd finally fallen asleep in the armchair.

Seungmin's mind raced with thoughts of what else he could do, what he hadn't tried yet. He hated that he didn't have the answers, that he couldn't just take Jeongin's pain away. But he knew one thing for sure: he wasn't going to give up.

Even if it broke him.

↶♡♥︎♡♥︎♡↷