The second Jeonghan's eyes locked onto Seungcheol's, his heart stuttered in his chest.
Seungcheol was standing in the crowd, his jaw clenched, his shoulders tense. His entire being radiated fury and worry in equal measure. His hands were curled into tight fists at his sides, and Jeonghan could see how hard he was trying to restrain himself.
Jeonghan barely had a second to react before Seungcheol stormed toward him.
"What the hell were you thinking, Yoon Jeonghan?" Seungcheol's voice was sharp, strained with emotion, his tone biting but shaking just slightly.
Before Jeonghan could even begin to come up with an excuse, Seungcheol was crouching in front of him, his eyes scanning over every inch of Jeonghan as if making sure he was actually okay with his own eyes. His fingers twitched at his sides, like he wanted to touch Jeonghan, to hold him, but was too angry to let himself.
"Seungcheol—"
"You handcuffed me to a goddamn bed, Jeonghan." Seungcheol's voice dropped, and Jeonghan winced.
"I can explain—"
"Oh, you will explain." Seungcheol exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "But do you have any idea what I felt when I finally got out of those damn cuffs, only to find out that you—" His voice cracked. He swallowed thickly, closing his eyes for a brief second before looking at Jeonghan again.
"You almost died, Jeonghan."
The words were quiet, but they hit Jeonghan harder than any of Seungcheol's yelling ever could.
"I knew what I was doing," Jeonghan tried, but even he didn't believe his own words.
Seungcheol's expression twisted into something between anger and disbelief. "Did you? You really knew what you were doing? Because from where I was standing, I saw you falling and not knowing how the hell to land!" His voice was louder now, emotions spilling over.
Jeonghan hesitated, looking away. "...I didn't want you to stop me."
Seungcheol sucked in a breath through his teeth, his body tensing again. "So you lied to me."
Jeonghan winced. "I didn't lie—"
"Don't," Seungcheol cut him off, his tone low and dangerous. "Don't lie to me right now." His hands were still clenched into fists, his breathing ragged. But beneath all of that, Jeonghan could see the truth.
He was terrified.
Seungcheol wasn't just mad—he was scared.
And Jeonghan understood.
The weight of what had just happened was finally settling in. He had almost died. If Ten hadn't caught him, if the rope hadn't held, if the timing had been even a second off...
Seungcheol would have been left alone, standing in that crowd, watching him hit the ground.
Jeonghan swallowed, suddenly feeling guilt creep up his spine.
Seungcheol's hand lifted, hesitating for a second before finally pressing against Jeonghan's cheek. It was warm, solid— grounding.
"You can't do that to me," Seungcheol whispered, voice rough with emotion.
Jeonghan's breath caught in his throat.
"You can't put me through that again."
Jeonghan slowly leaned into Seungcheol's palm, eyes softening. "I'm sorry."
Seungcheol exhaled shakily. His anger was still there, but now it was overshadowed by sheer relief. He let out a broken, humorless chuckle. "You're so lucky you're okay."
"I really am." Jeonghan gave him a small, tired smile.
Seungcheol let out another breath before, finally, finally pulling Jeonghan into his arms.
Jeonghan melted into him instantly, letting Seungcheol's warmth surround him. Seungcheol's grip was tight, almost desperate, like he was afraid that if he let go, Jeonghan would slip through his fingers again.
"You're not getting out of my sight for a long time after this," Seungcheol muttered into Jeonghan's hair.
Jeonghan huffed out a soft laugh. "That sounds like a threat."
"It is." Seungcheol pulled back just enough to press his forehead against Jeonghan's, his hands still gripping Jeonghan's arms tightly. "I swear to God, Jeonghan. Never again."
Jeonghan smiled slightly, his own hands moving to grip Seungcheol's wrists. "I promise."
Seungcheol studied him for a moment before sighing and pulling Jeonghan into another tight hug.
The world around them still buzzed with noise—guests murmuring, security handling Hiyun, paramedics making sure everything was okay—but in that moment, none of it mattered.
All that mattered was that Seungcheol had Jeonghan in his arms. And Jeonghan was alive.
-
Well Well Well, Look who's back!
