Sacrifice || ENHYPEN FF

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 115

~ill be goneee for a whileeee due to examsss~

-Start of Chapter 115-

Jungwon blinks.

Isla continues to watch him, her expression calm despite the weight of her words.

"Your Highness?" she prompts gently. "You said you had something to tell me?"

Jungwon snaps out of his daze, straightening his posture. "Nothing" he mutters, looking away. "You can get back to work."

Isla doesn't move immediately. Instead, she exhales softly and says, "Please don't take my words to heart. You don't have to reply to them—I just wanted to let you know."

Jungwon's grip tightens at his sides.

"I don't like hiding my thoughts and feelings" Isla continues, her voice steady but kind. "That's all."

Jungwon swallows hard. His throat feels dry.

"R-right. Of course..." He clears his throat. "Um... I have work to do. I should head back."

Isla nods and bows respectfully. "Of course, Your Highness."

~~~~~~~

Jungwon stares at the document in front of him, but the words blur together. His mind keeps drifting back to Isla's voice, the way she looked at him—calm, sure of herself.

Did she really mean it?

She said it so easily, like it wasn't a big deal. And then she just moved on, like it didn't affect her at all. But Jungwon—he doesn't know what to do with it. He doesn't even know what he's supposed to feel.

The door swings open.

"Jungwon, this document—" Heeseung walks in, holding a stack of papers.

Jungwon barely looks up. "Hyung."

"Hm?"

Jungwon clears his throat, still looking at his desk. "What do you feel when you look at Jia?"

Heeseung freezes. His face turns bright red. "W-what kind of question is that?!"

"Just answer my question, Hyung."

Heeseung shakes his head like Jungwon just said something insane. "No! Why Jia? What—why are you even—"

Jungwon sighs and puts his quill down. "As much as I don't care about whatever useless feelings you have, my powers don't help me with this. You care for her. I can feel it."

Heeseung groans, dragging a hand down his face before collapsing into the chair in front of Jungwon's desk. "You're so annoying," he mutters.

Jungwon waits.

Heeseung hesitates, then exhales slowly. "I'm not sure how to explain it" he says carefully. "She's... admirable. Even when things get chaotic, she stays the same. She works hard, she's kind, and she doesn't expect anything in return. I respect that about her."

His fingers drum lightly against the armrest of the chair as he thinks. "She notices things about people. Small things that most wouldn't pay attention to. She's thoughtful in a way that feels natural, not forced." He pauses, then adds "I suppose I just want to look out for her the way she looks out for others."

Heeseung shakes his head slightly, a small smile on his lips. "I don't know if that answers your question, but that's how I feel."

Jungwon doesn't say anything.