Deep End | Hyunlix

31

Hyunjin finally woke up and the first thing he noticed was the empty bed beside him. His hand reached out, brushing against the cool sheets where Felix had been. For a brief moment, he thought Felix might still be in the room, maybe in the bathroom. But as he sat up and was greeted by the silence of the room. Felix was gone.

Hyunjin's chest tightened, and an overwhelming sense of abandonment washed over him. He stared at the rumpled sheets, his mind racing. Had Felix regretted last night? Had he left because he didn't want to face me? Or was it something else entirely? he thought.

The alcohol-induced haze from the night before were gone, and were replaced with a suffocating amount of vulnerability. Hyunjin buried his face in his hands, his thoughts spiraling. He'd let Felix see a side of him that no one else had, fragile, exposed, submissive. And now Felix was gone, leaving him to pick up the pieces of his shattered composure.

A bitter laugh escaped Hyunjin's lips as he leaned forward, burying his face in his hands. He was the mafia boss, the most feared man in the city and yet, here he was, feeling small and discarded. He'd let his guard down, and now he was paying the price.

The knock at the door startled Hyunjin. He froze, his heart racing as the sound echoed through the room. He wasn't expecting anyone, and he wasn't in any shape to face anyone either.

"Boss?"

Hyunjin hesistated, not wanting the other to see him like this, but exhaled slowly, pushing himself off the bed. Throwing on a robe, he shuffled to the door and opened it, his hand gripping the edge tightly. Slowly, he lifted his head, his red-rimmed eyes meeting Changbin's uncertain gaze.

Changbin stood a few steps away, his usual confident air replaced by something hesitant. He'd never seen Hyunjin like this before, so unguarded, so broken. It unsettled him. What the hell happened last night?  He asked himself. He had stopped following them once he they arrived at the restaurant.

"Why are you here?" Hyunjin asked, his voice hoarse.

Changbin hesitated. "I was...just passing by," he lied, his voice lacking conviction.

Hyunjin's eyes narrowed, the mask of authority slipping back into place for a moment. "Passing by? Changbin I'm not fucking stupid," he said harshly.

Changbin winced inwardly. That was a lame excuse, he thought.

Hyunjin straightened, his eyes narrowed. "You've been following me."

Changbin didn't answer immediately, his silence confirming Hyunjin's suspicion.

"Why?" Hyunjin asked his tone edged with both anger and exhaustion.

Changbin exhaled, debating whether to tell the truth. He'd been following Hyunjin at Lee Know's request, but admitting that would mean betraying Lee Know's trust, and it would likely infuriate Hyunjin even more.

"I was worried about you," Changbin said finally, choosing his words carefully. It wasn't the whole truth, but it wasn't a lie either.

Hyunjin's jaw tightened, his eyes boring into Changbin. "Worried about me?" he repeated, his voice laced with bitterness. "Since when do you care?"

Changbin flinched at the accusation, but he didn't back down. "Since you haven't been acting like yourself," he said firmly. "Lee..." He cut himself off, biting his tongue before Lee Know's name could slip out.

Hyunjin caught the hesitation, his eyes narrowed. "Lee Know put you up to this, didn't he?"

Changbin froze, his heart sinking. He hadn't meant to give that away.

"I see," Hyunjin said, his tone cold. "So my second-in-command thinks I can't handle myself anymore. That's why you've been trailing me?"

"It's not like that, Boss," Changbin said quickly, stepping closer. "Lee Know just...he's worried. We all are. You've been distracted, and that puts you at risk. He asked me to make sure you were okay, that's all."

Hyunjin let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "Lee Know has never been worried about me. I don't need babysitters," he muttered. "What I need is for people to trust me to handle my own damn life. So what exactly have you seen, Changbin?"

Changbin hesitated, his gaze flickering away for a moment.

"Don't lie to me," Hyunjin warned, his voice low and cutting.

Changbin sighed, reluctantly meeting Hyunjin's gaze. "I saw you with him...with Felix," he admitted.

Hyunjin's eyes widened, a wave of embarrassment washing over him. "And? How long have you been following us?"

"Once you left your studio and arrived at the restaurant I left," Changbin said firmly. "When Lee Know called and said you weren't at the headquarters this morning I drove back here and found your car and tracked you down here from there."

Hyunjin studied him for a long moment, his piercing gaze making Changbin shift uncomfortably. Finally, he spoke, his tone icy and authoritative. "You'll keep everything you saw to yourself. Do you understand me?"

Changbin nodded. "Of course, Boss."

"Swear it," Hyunjin pressed, his eyes narrowing.

"I swear," Changbin said, his voice steady despite the weight of Hyunjin's scrutiny.

Hyunjin leaned forward, getting closer to Changbin, "Good. Because if I hear even a whisper about this..." His voice trailed off, but the threat was clear.

"You won't," Changbin said quietly. "I wouldn't do that to you."

For a moment, the two of them stood in silence, the tension hanging heavy in the air. "But you would follow me," Hyunjin let out a long sigh, his voice quieter now. "You can tell Lee Know I'm fine. No more no less, and if he asked you to follow me again you better tell me."

Changbin hesitated, torn between respecting Hyunjin's wish for independence and fulfilling Lee Know's request. "I'll let him know," he said, carefully.

Hyunjin nodded, though he didn't look convinced. "You can go now," he said, his voice regaining some of its usual authority.

Changbin left without another word. Guilt racked his brain as he drove away, watching Hyunjin close the door. Well, this took an unexpected turn, he thought. He needed to figure out what to tell Lee Know, without having the older suspect anything else. 

Hyunjin sat back down on the bed, staring at the empty spot. His heart ached from the hurt he was feeling, but he had bigger issues. Lee Know was having him followed this could but him in a dangerous position.

————
1056 words