❝chaconne forever❞ jaywon sunsun

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The car ride back to the dormitory was unusually quiet. The streets were dimly lit, the soft hum of the engine filling the silence between them. Both of them seated in the backseat. The shopping bags thrown in the trunk, forgotten for now.

Sunoo glanced at Sunghoon from the passenger seat, watching the way his fingers tensed slightly, then relaxed again. He had been acting normal all afternoon, teasing, playing along with Sunoo's antics, but something felt different now. Maybe it was the way he exhaled, slow and controlled, or the way his shoulders sat just a little lower than usual.

Sunoo turned his gaze back to the road. "I can't believe you tried to get expelled," he said casually, but it carried a sense of urgency, as if he had been thinking about it for this whole time.

Sunghoon blinked, caught off guard. He kept his eyes on the window, his reflection faint against the glass.

"Had other things in mind too." His voice was quiet, but the weight of his words settled thickly between them.

Sunoo didn't react immediately. He let the words sink in, rolling them over in his mind. He had suspected Sunghoon was struggling, but hearing it out loud made it feel more real.

He swallowed hard, his throat tightening. The streetlights flashed by, painting fleeting patterns of gold across Sunghoon's profile.

"Because of one injury?" Sunoo tried to ask softly, but his voice cracked.

Sunghoon let out a humorless laugh, "One, but tragic. I can't dance. Not like before. What's the point of livin-" His lips parted as if he wanted to take the words back, but they had already slipped too far. Sunoo turned to him, waiting, listening. Sunghoon peeked at Sunoo's face, then shifted his gaze down to his trembling hands. He inhaled sharply, steadying himself. "What's the point of staying in a school like ours if I can't even do the one thing I was meant to do?"

Sunoo opened his mouth, then hesitated. He didn't know what to say to that. No words could erase the frustration Sunghoon was feeling. No reassurance could fix the ache of losing something so important.

So instead, he stayed quiet.

They stopped at a red light. Sunghoon exhaled sharply and leaned back against the seat. He ran a hand through his hair, staring at the traffic lights ahead.

"But you didn't leave," Sunoo finally said, watching him carefully.

Sunghoon scoffed. "Yeah, I didn't."

Sunoo shook his head slightly, a small smile tugging at his lips. He let out a quiet sigh, barely audible over the hum of the engine.

"I'm glad you stayed," he said.

The light turned green. The car moved forward again, the silence between them shifting into something quieter, something more understanding.

Sunghoon turned his head slightly, just enough to glance at Sunoo. Something flickered in his expression, was it surprise, maybe, or something heavier, something unspoken.

For a moment, he didn't respond. Then he let out a slow breath, one that sounded just a little less heavy than before.

"Yeah. Me too."

After a moment, Sunoo spoke again, this time with a teasing tone in his voice. "So... will you continue being emo, or are you gonna start teaching me properly instead of yelling at me every time I mess up?"

Sunghoon huffed a laugh, shaking his head. "You're unteachable."

Sunoo gasped dramatically. "Excuse me? I have natural talent."