Sacrifice || ENHYPEN FF

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 107

~I have been having problems with my wattapd. Like when i published the last ch no one else was getting notified of my story update.~

~So pls check if you've read the last ch (Chapter 106) or not~

-Start of Chapter 107-

A/N's POV

Jungwon blinks rapidly, suddenly aware of himself—of the way his gaze lingers, the way his heart pounds just a little too fast. Isla's head tilts slightly, confusion flickering across her face.

"Your Highness?" she repeats, brows raising. "Is there something wrong?"

Jungwon stiffens. Say something. Anything.

"N-no. Nothing," he blurts out, his voice betraying him with its uncharacteristic lack of control.

Isla narrows her eyes slightly, suspicion creeping in, but she doesn't push. Instead, she lets out a soft hum, glancing down at the now-empty stem of the dandelion still between her fingers.

Isla twirls it between her fingers, and then, with a small tilt of her head, she asks,

"So... what did you wish for?"

Jungwon tenses. His gaze flickers away, fixating on a distant point beyond the garden walls.

"I didn't," he says simply. "I don't believe in things like that."

Isla raises an eyebrow. "Things like what?"

"Wishes," Jungwon exhales, shifting his weight. "They bring nothing but false hope. People cling to them, thinking they'll change something, but in the end, they're just empty words carried by the wind."

A soft breeze rustles through the garden, brushing against Isla's skin. She watches Jungwon for a moment, then smiles—small, knowing.

"Maybe" she says lightly, "but sometimes, it's not about whether the wish comes true."

Jungwon finally looks at her again, brows furrowing slightly. "Then what's the point?"

Isla shrugs. "Maybe it's just the act of wishing. The hope itself. Even if nothing changes... for that moment, you believe it could." She pauses, glancing down at the stem between her fingers. "And maybe that's enough to make things feel a little lighter."

Jungwon doesn't reply right away. His fingers twitch slightly at his sides.

Hope.

It's such a fragile, dangerous thing. He's spent his whole life learning not to rely on it. Yet...

The image of the dandelion seeds drifting away flashes through his mind. The way Isla smiled as she blew them into the wind. The freckles on her cheeks, like tiny constellations. The quiet, fleeting moment where, just for a second—

He almost believed her.

Jungwon exhales, shaking his head. "That sounds foolish."

Isla doesn't respond right away. Instead, she just laughs—light and airy, like she's amused by something far bigger than just his words.

Jungwon's brows knit together slightly. "What's so funny?"

Isla shakes her head, the corners of her lips quirking up as she tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Nothing" she muses. "Just... you."