♡𝙱𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚂𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎♡

𝙿𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝙸𝚅

↶♡♥︎♡♥︎♡↷

The faint glimmer of hope in Jeongin's eyes was fleeting. The next morning, it was as if nothing had changed. He was back in the armchair, staring out the window with that same vacant expression. The silence hung heavily between them, more oppressive than ever.

Seungmin tried everything he could think of to break through to him—offering breakfast, suggesting a walk, even sitting beside him and quietly scrolling through his phone, hoping Jeongin might eventually speak up. But nothing worked. Jeongin was retreating further into himself, and no matter how hard Seungmin reached, it felt like Jeongin was slipping away.

The turning point came late one night when Seungmin woke to the sound of muffled sobbing. It took him a moment to realize it wasn't coming from the couch but from the bathroom.

Heart pounding, he got up and quietly approached the door. It was locked.

"Jeongin?" he called softly, his hand resting on the doorknob.

The sobbing stopped abruptly, replaced by a strained silence.

"Jeongin, open the door," Seungmin said, his voice steady but firm.

"I'm fine," Jeongin croaked, his voice hoarse.

"No, you're not," Seungmin replied, his heart clenching at the raw emotion in Jeongin's voice. "Please, just open the door. I'm not going anywhere."

There was a long pause, and then the sound of the lock clicking. Seungmin pushed the door open slowly.

Jeongin was sitting on the floor, his knees drawn to his chest, his face buried in his arms. His sleeves were pushed up, and Seungmin's breath caught in his throat when he saw faint scars running along the inside of Jeongin's arms—some old, others fresh enough to still be pink.

"Jeongin..." Seungmin's voice broke as he crouched down in front of him.

"I didn't do anything," Jeongin said quickly, his voice defensive and panicked. "I was just—just sitting here, I swear."

Seungmin didn't know what to say. He felt like the ground had been ripped out from under him, but he forced himself to stay calm. This wasn't about him. This was about Jeongin.

"I believe you," he said gently, his hands trembling as he reached out to touch Jeongin's arm. "But these..." He hesitated, his throat tightening. "How long has this been going on?"

Jeongin shrugged, avoiding his gaze. "I don't know. A while."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Seungmin asked, his voice filled with quiet anguish.

"Because what's the point?" Jeongin snapped, finally looking up at him. His eyes were red and puffy, his face streaked with tears. "What are you going to do, Seungmin? Fix me? You can't. No one can."

Seungmin's chest ached at the sheer hopelessness in Jeongin's voice. He sat down beside him, leaning his back against the cold tile wall.

"I can't fix you," he admitted softly. "But I can be here. I can listen. I can help you carry this, even if it's just a little."

Jeongin shook his head, his expression crumpling. "You don't deserve this. You don't deserve to have to deal with someone like me."

Seungmin reached out, gently turning Jeongin's face toward him. "Stop deciding what I do or don't deserve. That's not up to you."

Jeongin's lower lip trembled, and he let out a broken sob, collapsing against Seungmin's shoulder. Seungmin wrapped his arms around him, holding him tightly as Jeongin cried, his body shaking with the force of it.