Sacrifice || ENHYPEN FF

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 120

~hi. idk im back again after almost 3 weeks i think despite not having 15 votes idk~

~omga help. By mistake I published chapter 122 instead of this. Oops~

-Start of Chapter 120-

Jungwon blinks.

His head turns slightly, his eyes meeting hers, and Isla notices just how tired he looks. Not physically—no, he's always composed, always upright—but there's something else beneath the surface. A quiet exhaustion that lingers in the way his shoulders sit, in the way his lips press together as if holding something back.

For a second, he doesn't say anything.

Then, almost too softly, he exhales a quiet sigh—his eyes going back to distant. "Why do you ask?"

Isla hesitates, fingers curling slightly around the fabric of his blazer. She debates whether to speak, whether she should say what's on her mind.

But the image is still fresh in her memory—the sight of him alone in this very spot, the quiet tremble of his shoulders under the moonlight. The sound of his barely-there breaths, so shallow and shaky, as if holding in something that had long been breaking.

Her voice comes out softer than she intends.

"A week ago..." She pauses, gathering the courage to continue. "I saw Your Highness here."

Jungwon's gaze sharpens slightly, but he remains silent.

Isla swallows. "You were crying."

Jungwon stiffens.

His posture, so naturally composed, tightens. His fingers twitch where they rest against his knee, and though his face remains unreadable, there's a sudden tension in the air—like a string pulled too taut, moments away from snapping.

His voice is lower when he finally speaks. "What were you doing here that late at night?"

"I couldn't sleep." Isla answers truthfully. "So I went for a walk... but then I saw you."

She looks at him then, searching his face for anything—any flicker of emotion, any sign that she hasn't crossed some invisible boundary.

"I wasn't sure what to do." she admits, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't want to intrude. But... it hurt to hear you cry."

Jungwon shifts, exhaling a slow, shaky breath.

He looks away.

For a moment, Isla thinks he might not respond at all. The silence between them is deafening, stretching longer than before. Then, almost imperceptibly, his jaw clenches. His fingers dig slightly into the fabric of his pants.

"...You shouldn't have seen that." His voice is quiet, but there's an edge to it. Not anger—something else.

Isla doesn't flinch. Instead, she watches him, her expression soft.

"I'm sorry." she murmurs.

Jungwon sighs, long and quiet, his breath disappearing into the night air. His shoulders, usually held high with unwavering composure, seem to sink slightly.

Isla watches him carefully, feeling the hesitation in the space between them. Still, she gathers her courage and asks, "If you don't mind me asking... what happened?"

Jungwon doesn't respond at first. The silence stretches between them, thick and unmoving, like a barrier he isn't sure he's ready to cross.

But then, after what feels like forever, he finally speaks.