Don't Blame Me || Jeongcheol

Chapter 35

Seungcheol's heart thumped in his chest. The moment he had been dreading had arrived. He nodded wordlessly, stepping into the room and closing the door behind him.

The room seemed to shrink as the door closed, leaving them in a thick, silent tension. The only sound was Haneul's soft hiccups from Jeonghan's arms, his small body still quivering with lingering sobs.

Jeonghan gently stroked Haneul's hair, hushing him softly before shifting the boy in his arms to rest against his shoulder. Once Haneul's sobs had quieted a bit, Jeonghan looked up, his gaze fixed on Seungcheol.

"We need to talk." he spoke, his voice gentle yet determined.

There was a moment of silence as Seungcheol waited. The weight of unspoken words and strained emotions hanging heavily between them. Then, Jeonghan swallowed hard and let the words spill out.

"I'm sorry." his voice a whisper, echoing a sentiment that had been lodged in his chest for what felt like forever. "I'm sorry for...for everything. I'm sorry."

Seungcheol said nothing, his face giving nothing away. He stood there, looking at Jeonghan, the words hanging in the thick air between them.

Finally, he reached up and brushed his hair back calminghis own racing heart down. His voice sounding almost weary as he spoke. "I know you're sorry." He said, his tone neutral yet tinged with a hint of sadness.

Jeonghan's heart sank at Seungcheol's reply. The man's tone, the resignation in it, it...it wasn't what he had hoped for. He had expected anger, expected shouts and accusations. But this...this was somehow worse.

"That's it?" Jeonghan asked, disbelief creeping into his voice. "You're not even going to yell at me? You're just going to stand there and say 'I know you're sorry'?"

Seungcheol sighed softly, his shoulders tensing a bit. "What else do you want me to say?" he asked, his voice still carefully neutral. "You apologized. I'm not going to yell at you."

"I want you to scream at me," Jeonghan snapped, frustration slipping into his tone. "I want you to yell and curse and punch me if you need to. I don't want this cold, stoic act you're putting on!"

Haneul, who had been resting against Jeonghan, stirred at the tone of Jeonghan's voice. The boy lifted his head from Jeonghan's shoulder, his small eyes widening as he looked between his father and Uncle Cheol.

Jeonghan felt the boy's movement and quickly tried to soften his tone, his hand returning to stroke Haneul's hair.

"Sorry, buddy." he murmured, his voice more gentle once again. "Didn't mean to scare you."

Haneul nuzzled against Jeonghan's chest, his small fingers gripping the collar of Jeonghan's shirt. He was tense, still shaken by the sudden rise in voices.

Jeonghan held the boy tighter, his hand continuing to stroke his hair. He couldn't let Haneul get involved in this, not when things were already so tense between him and Seungcheol.

Haneul cuddled closer, his small body seeking comfort and security in his arms. He peeked over Jeonghan's shoulder, eyes wide and wary as they looked at Seungcheol.

Seungcheol held Haneul's gaze for a moment, a hint of sadness in his eyes. He sighed and walked towards the bed, taking a seat on the opposite edge of where Jeonghan was holding Haneul.

The bed creaked softly under Seungcheol's weight, the silence in the room growing thicker. Haneul fidgeted in Jeonghan's arms, the boy able to feel the tension between the two men.

Jeonghan watched as Seungcheol settled on the bed, his heart thumping in anticipation. The man was so close now, close enough that Jeonghan could almost reach out and touch him - almost but not quite.