BOUND BY OBSESSION|| L.HS X S.JY

T H I R T Y

CHAPTER THIRTY: TOGETHER AGAIN

'AURTHOR'

The park was quiet that day, bathed in the golden light of late afternoon. The soft rustle of leaves in the breeze and the distant sound of children playing created a strange contrast to the silence that hung between two figures on opposite sides of the path.

Jaeyun sat alone on a bench, dressed in simple clothes. He had sunglasses on, but it wasn't hard to see that he was hiding—emotionally more than physically. The world knew him now as the CEO of a vast company, but here, in this quiet park, he was just a man trying to make sense of the wreckage in his chest.

Heeseung saw him from a distance. His steps halted as if his body recognized Jaeyun before his mind could catch up. Something about the curve of Jaeyun's shoulders, the way he sat, spoke of a loneliness that mirrored his own.

Heeseung hesitated, unsure if he should disturb that fragile peace. But his heart beat louder than reason. Slowly, he walked forward.

Jaeyun didn't look at him.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Heeseung said softly.

Jaeyun remained silent, staring at the pond in front of him, his expression unreadable. The silence dragged, but Heeseung didn’t leave.

“I know you don’t want to see me. I probably deserve that,” Heeseung said, his voice lower now. “But… when I saw you today, I couldn’t just walk away again.”

“You should have,” Jaeyun said coldly. “Just like you did the last time.”

Heeseung’s chest tightened. “I let you go because I thought that’s what you deserved. Freedom. Power. Everything I stole from you.”

Jaeyun finally looked at him, eyes sharp. “And what about everything else you took? My peace? My trust? You broke me, Heeseung. Then walked away like you were doing me a favor.”

“I know,” Heeseung whispered. “And I’ll regret it every day.”

There was another pause before Jaeyun sighed and looked away. “So why are you here now?”

“Because I miss you,” Heeseung admitted. “Because the silence without you is louder than anything I’ve ever faced. Because I want to change—no, I have changed. But I won’t ask for your forgiveness. I just… wanted you to know.”

Jaeyun turned back to him. “You think that’s enough? Saying you’ve changed?”

“No. I don’t. That’s why I’m not asking you for anything,” Heeseung said. “I just needed you to know that I still love you. That maybe… I always did, in my own terrible, broken way.”

There it was again—silence. But this time, it wasn’t cold. It was full. Heavy with memory and pain and longing.

Finally, Jaeyun stood. He was close enough now for Heeseung to see the way his hands trembled.

“I don’t know if I can trust you again,” Jaeyun said honestly.

“You don’t have to,” Heeseung replied, stepping back slightly. “But I’ll be here. However long it takes. Even if it means waiting forever.”