Deep End | Hyunlix

64

Hyunjin stood in the center of his studio, staring at the wreckage he'd made. Morning light filtered through the high windows, dusty and thin, spilling across overturned canvases, shattered brushes, streaks of dried paint smeared across the floor like bruises.

He let out a long, tired sigh. I did this. He bent down, picking up a broken frame, the wood splintered from where he'd hurled it. His movements were slow, mechanical, each piece he collected another reminder of how far he'd come undone.

Every step, every breath made the memories of last night press in harder, Felix's arms carrying him, the feel of unfamiliar sheets under his back, the quiet steadiness in the younger man's eyes when he woke. And the things he'd said. The things he almost said.

Hyunjin swallowed hard, lips tightening as he gathered paintbrushes from the floor, bristles crushed, handles snapped. He dropped them into the trash with a dull thud.

This last year... The thought hit like a stone dropping into dark water. He braced a hand on the table, breathing shallowly. One year since everything began to unravel. One year of Felix.

Felix, who walked into his life as an enemy, who should have remained one, but didn't. Felix, who made him feel like something sharp inside him wasn't a weapon, but a heartbeat. Felix, who should have stayed far away but didn't. Who saved him last night without being asked. Who looked at him like he was someone worth protecting.

Hyunjin's hands shook as he reached down and found the one canvas he hadn't meant to destroy. Felix. Or rather, the unfinished painting of him, freckles, cheekbones, the first strokes of his eyelashes. Hyunjin sat back on his heels, breath catching as he ran a trembling finger across the curve of Felix's cheek on the canvas. He hadn't finished it. He couldn't finish it. Looking at it now made something warm and aching swell in his chest.

I want to believe in you. I want to believe you'll save me. From Lee Know. From the clan. From myself. His phone pinged. Hyunjin's heart lurched painfully. He grabbed it, thumb unlocking the screen.

Lee Know: We need to talk.

A cold rush washed down his spine. What does he know? His pulse hammered. Fingers tightened around the phone. God, does he know about Felix? His throat dried out instantly.

He thought of Changbin then, of the older man's strange expression the last time they crossed paths, of the quiet warning he'd given Felix. Changbin had been spying for Lee Know, shadowing Hyunjin, watching him. Had he reported something? Was he setting Hyunjin up? Or had he actually been trying to help? Why send Felix to me? Why warn him? Whose side is Changbin on? Nothing made sense.

He looked at the message again, dread twisting in his gut. He needed answers. But going to Lee Know meant stepping into a lion's jaws. Denying him meant worse. With fingers that weren't entirely steady, Hyunjin typed:

Hyunjin: Where?

His hands hovered over the phone after sending it, knuckles white. He looked back at the canvas on the floor, Felix's freckles softly painted, frozen in time like a promise he wasn't sure he deserved. Whatever came next, whatever Lee Know wanted, whatever trap this might be...Hyunjin knew one thing with painful clarity: He wasn't ready to lose Felix. Not now. Not ever. Even if holding onto him meant burning everything else down.

Hyunjin stared at his phone, chest tight enough to bruise. It didn't take long for Lee Know to respond, barely a minute.

Lee Know: Safe House 3. Outside the city. Two hours. Don't be late.

Hyunjin's stomach dropped. Safe House 3. No one met there unless something was wrong. Deeply wrong. Why there? Why not neutral ground? Why somewhere isolated, where no one would hear if things went bad?

Because it's a trap. Because he knows something. Because he's waiting for you to walk straight into the slaughter. His pulse thudded painfully in his neck. He wiped his palms on his jeans, breathing through the rising panic. He typed back with fingers that felt numb.

Hyunjin: I'll see you there.

The moment he hit send, dread slid cold and heavy over him. He had two hours. Two hours before he walked into whatever Lee Know had planned. Two hours to unravel or to brace himself. Two hours before everything changed, again.

He looked around the studio, jaw tight. The mess still spread across the floor, shards of frames, twisted metal easel legs, streaks of dried paint. The remnants of a breakdown, now echoing the one he felt building inside.

Should I text him? The thought came sharp, uninvited. Felix. His hand trembled as he lifted his phone again, thumb hovering over the younger's contact. What would he even say? Lee Know wants to see me. I think he knows something. I might not come back. I don't know how to keep you safe anymore.

No. He couldn't do that to him. Felix had enough to worry about with his team. With the investigation. With everything about them already spiraling.

There was nothing to worry about... Right? Right? He swallowed hard, tasting bitterness. You don't believe that.

Hyunjin forced himself to keep cleaning. He picked up shredded papers, scooped broken pastels into a box, righted the overturned table. His movements were stiff, unfocused, his mind running a hundred miles ahead of his hands.

Every few minutes he'd stop and check the time. One hour, thirty minutes. One hour, fifteen. One hour.

He kept drifting back to the canvas of Felix, still by the wall. The ghost of freckles beneath his fingertips. A reminder of something fragile and hopeful, something he wanted more than he could admit.

Something Lee Know could destroy with a single command. Maybe I should warn him. Maybe I should give him a chance to run. His throat closed at the thought. Felix wouldn't run. He'd come straight for Hyunjin, straight into danger.

Hyunjin reached for his phone again, a cracked breath escaping him. He opened Felix's contact, saw the familiar name, the little constellation of emojis he'd once teased Felix about. His thumbs began typing before he fully realized what he was doing.

Lee Know wants to meet. Don't...He stopped. Backspaced slowly, each letter erasing itself until only a blinking cursor remained.He stared at the empty screen, heart hollow. No. I can't drag him deeper. Not yet. Hyunjin locked the phone, letting his hand fall limply to his side.

His headache had returned, slow, throbbing, pulsing at his temples. He rubbed at them, sighing shakily as he surveyed the studio one more time. Still a mess, but less of one. Still ruined in places, but recognizable again.

It would have to do. He grabbed his jacket from the hook by the door. His keys were on the table, Felix must've left them there. Another small, quiet gesture that made Hyunjin's chest twist. He pocketed the keys and forced himself to breathe.

Don't think about him. Don't think about that room. Don't think about the way he looked at you, like he still believed there was something worth saving. Hyunjin stepped outside, locking the door behind him. The air was cold. Heavy. The sky still gray.

The drive out of the city felt too fast and too slow all at once. Buildings blurred past him, then gave way to trees, then empty stretches of road. His mind ran circles the entire way, each thought darker than the last.

By the time he turned onto the gravel path leading toward Safe House 3, his hands were cold on the steering wheel. His pulse a frantic drum against his ribs.

Whatever waited inside...Whatever Lee Know knew... Hyunjin wasn't ready. But he had no choice.

Not anymore.

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1265 words