𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀 | 𝗦𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗿.𝟮 ✓

21

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Ho-Seok stared at Yoon-Gi, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. The weight of the moment pressed heavily against his chest, suffocating him. He had come here to make a choice, to tell Yoon-Gi that he chose him over his understanding husband. But hearing Yoon-Gi’s words—the cold admission that he was ready to walk away, to watch from a distance as Ho-Seok continued his life with Woo-Seok—it burned him, twisted him inside out.

He had been ready to fight for them, to prove that their love was worth the chaos, the mess, but hearing that Yoon-Gi was already prepared to let go shattered him. Anger, sharp and hot, surged through him, clouded his thoughts and he spilled things he didn't mean and he couldn’t take it back now, and the guilt gnawed at him, even as rage took over.

"Did you ever love me?" The question left his lips, jagged and raw, a desperate plea. His heart seemed to fracture with each syllable, breaking for the man he love with all his heart. His eyes never left Yoon-Gi, desperate for the truth, but equally terrified of it.

Yoon-Gi’s face crumpled with pain, his heart breaking at the accusation. He shook his head furiously, his voice thick with emotion. "I’ve loved you, still love you with all my heart," Yoon-Gi confessed, his words soft but full of undeniable sincerity. Every time he looked at Ho-Seok, his heart skipped a beat.

Ho-Seok’s breath caught at the confession, the warmth in Yoon-Gi’s words washing over him, but the confusion remained. His mind raced. How could Yoon-Gi say he loved him, yet still want to leave? He felt his knees weaken as his emotions overwhelmed him, and before he realized it, he had stepped forward and reached for Yoon-Gi’s arm, pulling him closer. His hand pressed against Yoon-Gi’s chest, his head resting there as if the proximity could somehow ease the turmoil inside him.

"Then why were you ready to leave me and our son again? Why did you leave me on our wedding day?" Ho-Seok’s voice was muffled against Yoon-Gi’s shirt, but the hurt and desperation were unmistakable.

Yoon-Gi flinched at the question, the weight of the past crashing down on him. He pulled away slightly, leaning down his tear-streaked face to look into Ho-Seok’s eyes. "You deserve someone better than me," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. His eyes were filled with pain and self-loathing. "I'm not the same person anymore. Woo-Seok hyung... he would make you happy. He can take care of you. Isn’t that what you want? To be with him?"

The mere suggestion of Woo-Seok being with him was like a knife to Ho-Seok’s heart. He shook his head violently, his hands trembling as he gripped Yoon-Gi’s arms tighter. "I don’t want him. I only want you, hyung," he said, his voice raw with emotion. "Whatever I said earlier… it was out of anger. I would never want anyone but you. I love you so much."

Tears welled up in his eyes again, threatening to spill over, but he held them back. The love he felt for Yoon-Gi surged through him like a tidal wave, but the confusion and fear still lingered in the air. Yoon-Gi’s face twisted in pain as he looked away, unable to meet Ho-Seok’s gaze for a moment.

"But once you know what happened to me…you wouldn’t want me anymore," Yoon-Gi murmured, his voice trembling with unspeakable pain. His hands curled into fists at his sides, and his body trembled as the memories of what he had endured resurfaced. Ho-Seok’s heart clenched at the sorrow in Yoon-Gi’s voice, but he didn’t understand. What could have happened to make Yoon-Gi feel so broken?

Ho-Seok’s own heartbeat quickened, his breath shallow as fear gnawed at him. "That's for me to decide. Tell me, hyung. What happened?" he asked, his voice strained with urgency. His chest felt tight, as if he was bracing for something terrible. He needed to know.

Yoon-Gi closed his eyes for a moment, struggling to find the courage to speak. He drew in a shaky breath before looking up at Ho-Seok, his expression haunted. "I was abducted on our wedding day," Yoon-Gi began, his voice barely above a whisper, while Ho-Seok gasped. "I was on my way to the wedding venue...with portrait of your parents." He paused, a flash of pain crossing his face before he continued, "But... before I could reach you, I was taken. A rival of Dad’s company—they kidnapped me. They wanted to destroy everything... to humiliate our family. For two months, Ho-Seok, they kept me. They did unspeakable things to me. They... they violated me. I don’t even know how many of them there were. One after the other… I lost count." Yoon-Gi’s voice faltered as the memory of those horrors overwhelmed him. "I thought… I thought I was going to die there. I thought I’d never see you again. But then… the police found me. They rescued me."

Ho-Seok’s heart stopped, the world around him spinning as the weight of Yoon-Gi’s words sank in. He couldn’t breathe. The pain in his chest was unbearable, a crushing wave of guilt and sorrow. He pulled Yoon-Gi closer, clutching him tightly, his own tears falling freely as he held the man who had endured such unspeakable horrors alone. He had been angry, blaming Yoon-Gi, but it wasn’t Yoon-Gi who was at fault.

"I couldn’t come back to you after that," Yoon-Gi whispered, his voice breaking. "I couldn’t face you. I was so ashamed, Ho-Seok. I thought you would be disgusted by me. I thought I didn’t deserve you, that I wasn’t worthy of your love anymore." His words were thick with regret, his body trembling in Ho-Seok’s arms. "That’s why I left. That’s why I said I couldn’t be with you and encouraged our parents to pressure you both to give a chance to your marriage. Would you still want me Ho-Seok?"

Ho-Seok’s heart shattered as he listened to the anguish in Yoon-Gi’s voice. He had been angry at him, cursed him for leaving, but the truth was far worse than anything he could have imagined. His arms tightened around Yoon-Gi, pulling him in as though he could shield him from the pain that haunted him.

"I love you," Ho-Seok whispered, his voice raw. "You are the strongest person I’ve ever known. You went through hell, and yet you’re still here, still fighting. I could never not want you. I could never let you go." He cupped Yoon-Gi’s face, his thumb gently brushing away the tears. "Please, hyung... let me back into your life. Let me love you."

Yoon-Gi’s eyes fluttered closed, overwhelmed by the tenderness in Ho-Seok’s voice, by the sincerity of his words. Slowly, almost tentatively, Ho-Seok reached forward, pressing his lips to Yoon-Gi’s in a kiss that was both gentle and full of longing. It was a kiss filled with all the words neither of them could say—hope, healing, and the promise of a future they would build together, no matter the past.

The kiss deepened, soft and slow, as if they were both savoring the moment, holding on to the love they had almost lost. The world around them faded away, and for the first time in what felt like forever, there was only the two of them—together, bound by their love, and ready to face whatever the future held.