Deep End | Hyunlix

53

Hyunjin lay still, eyes fixed on the ceiling. His body was warm, tucked under the heavy duvet, limbs relaxed against the soft mattress, but his mind hadn't rested once since he opened his eyes. His phone was still clutched loosely in one hand, the light from the screen casting a pale glow across his face.

He sighed softly and thumbed out a message.

Lee Know: I'll be back at the office later this morning.

That was all he could manage. He didn't wait for a reply. He knew better than to expect softness from Lee Know, especially after ignoring his calls all night. Hyunjin could almost see the older's jaw clenched in irritation, the accusatory glare that would greet him later. But none of that mattered right now. Not with Felix still asleep beside him.

The younger man had curled up again sometime during the early morning hours, arm wrapped loosely around Hyunjin's waist, face buried against the slope of his neck. Hyunjin could feel Felix's soft breaths ghosting over his skin, each exhale grounding him in a way he didn't know he needed. He turned slightly, careful not to disturb him, just to get a better look.
Felix looked so peaceful like this. Lips parted slightly, hair tousled and messy, lashes dark against the pale gold of his cheekbones. There was something innocent about the way he slept, something untouched by the weight of the world Hyunjin belonged to. And that made it worse.

Hyunjin didn't know how long he stayed there, watching, memorizing, aching, but it felt like a lifetime and an instant all at once. He wished he could stay. He wished that this bed, this quiet room, this steady heartbeat beside him, could be his world. But it wasn't. It never would be.

I need to break ties, he thought. He closed his eyes, the thought cutting deeper than he expected. I can't put him in more danger than he already is. He doesn't know what it means to choose me. It would be betraying everything he knows. And he couldn't ask Felix to carry that weight.

Because the truth was brutal, the only way out of this life was to disappear. To run. To leave behind everything and everyone. Hyunjin had known that for years. And maybe, in another life, he would've had the luxury of choosing love. But not this one.

The sun began to rise, casting golden lines across the walls. The light brushed against Felix's bare shoulder, making his skin glow. Morning was coming fast. And with it, reality.

Hyunjin exhaled slowly, carefully peeling the covers off his lower body. He took his time, moving with the kind of silence only someone trained in stealth could manage. He eased Felix's arm off his waist, replacing himself with a pillow.

The younger shifted slightly but didn't wake. Hyunjin stood, naked and cold, and grabbed his clothes from the floor, quickly pulling on his underwear and jeans. He'd made it to his shirt when he heard the rustle of sheets behind him.

"Really?" Felix's voice, low and rough with sleep, cut through the quiet. "You were actually going to sneak out?"

Hyunjin froze, one sleeve halfway up his arm. He turned slowly, startled to see Felix sitting up in bed, blanket pooled around his waist. His hair was messy, his eyes puffy with sleep, but wide awake now.

"You're awake," Hyunjin said lamely.

"And you're leaving," Felix replied, voice flat, unreadable.

Silence settled between them. Hyunjin's heart pounded in his chest. His throat went dry.

Felix looked at him, eyes flicking to the phone in his hand, then back to his half-buttoned shirt. "No note? No goodbye? You were just going to vanish?"

"I didn't want to wake you," Hyunjin said quietly.
Felix let out a sharp laugh, humorless. "You didn't want to wake me, or you didn't want to face me?"