𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 (𝐉𝐚𝐞𝐒𝐚𝐡𝐢)

Ch 5 : Beneath the Mask

The room, cloaked in shadows, held its breath as Asahi stood before Jaehyuk, overwhelmed by the tension crackling in the air. Asahi's heart raced, the gravity of the moment compelling him to peel back the layers that hid the truth about the scythe-wielding killer before him.

"What do you want from me, Asahi?"

Jaehyuk asked, his voice low yet laced with a tremor of uncertainty, a hint of something fragile beneath his confident façade.

"I want to know who you really are,"

Asahi replied, determination glinting in his eyes.

"Not the monster everyone fears, but the man beneath the mask."

Jaehyuk hesitated, an unfamiliar vulnerability coursing through him. Finally, he raised a hand, fingers trembling as they brushed the edge of his mask.

"You may not like what you find,"

he warned, the weight of his centuries of existence heavy on his shoulders.

"I need to see,"

Asahi urged, stepping closer, his gaze unwavering.

"Please, Jaehyuk. I want to know you."

With a deep, resigned breath, Jaehyuk slowly lifted the mask from his face. An ageless beauty was revealed, haunting and captivating. High cheekbones and full lips framed a face that seemed to belong to another time, but it was his eyes-dark pools with flickers of hidden warmth-that drew Asahi in.

"What do you see?"

Jaehyuk asked, his voice trembling as he stood bare before Asahi, a man stripped of his defenses.

"I see you,"

Asahi breathed, realization washing over him like a wave.

"Not a soulless monster, but a cursed being trapped in this cycle of violence. You've suffered so much."

A flicker of hope flashed in Jaehyuk's eyes.

"You don't understand. I am the end of things, a creature bound by darkness."

"No,"

Asahi insisted, closing the distance between them, feeling the heat radiating from Jaehyuk's body.

"You're more than your past. You deserve a chance at redemption."

Asahi reached out, cupping Jaehyuk's face, his fingers brushing against cool skin. Jaehyuk leaned into the warmth, an involuntary shiver coursing through him.

"You don't know what you're asking for,"

he murmured, the fear of his own darkness threatening to consume him.

"I've taken lives, Asahi. I've become a monster to survive. The darkness isn't just a part of me; it is me."

Asahi searched Jaehyuk's eyes, finding a raw pain that resonated deep within.

"You're not just a monster. You're a person who's been trapped for too long. And you deserve to feel something more than this endless cycle of violence."

In that moment, the barriers between them shattered, and Jaehyuk felt himself drawn to Asahi's warmth, the fierce determination in his gaze igniting something deep within him.

"You are a fool to believe you can save me,"

he murmured, but the challenge in his voice was softened by a hint of longing.