Sempiternal ♢ Jicheol

오십 일 • cheating

TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT SEVENTEEN's COMEBACK!!!
P.S. Angst ahead.

*
Jihoon knows. Oh, he sure does. He knows how Seungcheol would wake up at 3AM just to talk to someone secretly on his phone. He knows that Seungcheol had some unfamiliar scent on his shirt the other night. He surely damn knows that Seungcheol's cheating on him, and the hardest part is with his best friend.

Whenever Jihoon would try to speak up about it, he just loses the courage to do so because he can't afford to pick up a fight with the limited time they had together. He would rather spend the night cuddled next to Seungcheol than screaming and fighting with each other.

So he endured it. He shut his eyes and acted as if he doesn't know that Seungcheol meets up with his bestfriend every thursday night. He acted as if he didn't see those text messages saying how they loved each other so much.

Until one night while Seungcheol was taking a bath, a message notification popped up on his phone. Jihoon carefully looked towards the bathroom and checked if Seungcheol was still inside. After seeing that his lover's still having his time inside the bathroom, he grabbed the phone and checked the message.

"Can't wait to see you tonight, babe. I'm excited."

Jihoon couldn't stop himself from gripping the phone too hard. After enduring the pain for too long, he couldn't stand it anymore. His heart was shattered and his body felt so lifeless. He feels hollow and empty inside.

"What are you doing with my phone?" Seungcheol—who just got out of the bathroom fully dressed—snatched the phone from Jihoon's grip. He was about to lecture Jihoon about giving him some privacy when the younger smiled at him.

To say that Seungcheol was shocked was an understatement. He's 100% sure Jihoon saw the text, but how can he smile at him and not get angry? He expected to see Jihoon cry and scream at him.

"I think we need to talk, Seungcheol. Follow me." Jihoon said with a calm voice. He composed himself and stood up, walking towards the living room and sitting down on the sofa. He waited until Seungcheol was sitting in front of him before he spoke up again.

"You lied to me, you know." He started off with a smile. Seungcheol was about to say something when Jihoon interrupted him. "Shut your fucking mouth, Choi. Let me finish this in one piece."

Seungcheol obeyed and stopped himself from speaking. He couldn't think of anything for now, but one thing he knows for sure, he's late for his date.

"You made a mistake cheating on me, Choi. But I made a bigger one, and that's trusting you. Good bye." Jihoon plainly said. His voice was monotonous and his facial expression was too hard to understand. What shocked Seungcheol the most is that Jihoon didn't even shed a single tear for him.

Jihoon stood up and started walking towards the door. He glanced at Seungcheol one last time before smiling at him. "Happy 2nd year anniversary."

Seungcheol couldn't fathom what was happening right now. Jihoon should be the one crying and broken. He should be the one begging for Seungcheol to stay. He should be the one hurting but why is everything the opposite?

It was Seungcheol who was crying and broken. He's the one who's on his knees right now, sobbing and muttering apologies. He's the one hurting up to the point where he could feel his heart literally aching. How could Jihoon just walk away like that without even tearing apart nor getting mad at  him? Did he even care? Did he even love Seungcheol? How? Why?

Thoughts kept on running inside Seungcheol's mind. His date long forgotten and his heart shattered to pieces. What he did was surely a dumb thing; cheating on the person he truly loved the most. He knows Jihoon tried to keep them together, but he was too busy being blinded by the thought that Jihoon wasn't enough for him.

Truth is, he was the one who's not enough for Jihoon. He payed too much attention to what he was missing rather than what he already has.

Maybe it's true that you'll only realize the true value of something once you lose it.