Alive

Trial Of Hearts

You stood up slowly, adjusting your underwear back into place, still trembling from what had just happened. Both of you dressed in silence, the soft rustle of fabric the only sound between you. When you were done, Jaebeom reached for you without hesitation. His strong hand gripped your waist and pulled you close, his lips meeting yours in a kiss that was shockingly tender.

It wasn't rushed. It wasn't demanding. It was soft—achingly soft.

Your hand instinctively pressed against the warmth of his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath your palm. The other hand found its way to the back of his neck, your fingertips brushing against the short hairs there. His skin radiated heat against your touch, a comfort you hadn't expected.

When he finally broke the kiss, the absence of his lips left you feeling strangely cold. His smile appeared then—genuine, charming, devastatingly perfect. The very same smile Jinyoung had warned you he never showed. But you had seen it. More than once.

To you, Jaebeom wasn't just the ruthless, commanding man everyone else seemed to know. He was also strict, respectful, unexpectedly kind. And that smile—God, that smile made your chest ache and your mind whirl with feelings you weren't ready to name.

"You are learning quickly," he said, his voice flat, his smile fading as if it had never been there at all. The mask was back in place.

He unlocked the heavy door and pushed it open. The creak of the hinges echoed in the silence, followed by the slow sound of his footsteps as he left.

You followed soon after, every step reminding you of the soreness lingering between your thighs. When you reached your own room, you closed the door behind you and let yourself collapse face-first into your bed, burying yourself in the soft white comforter.

"Am I just a toy to him?" you whispered into the pillow, rolling onto your back and staring blankly at the ceiling. Your voice cracked with the weight of your own thoughts. "He doesn't have any feelings towards me... I just—I need to stop falling for him. I don't want to be hurt again."

Your chest tightened as the words left your mouth. Speaking them aloud made the ache sharper, more real.

"Even if he did care, we'd never be together," you whispered bitterly, hugging the blanket to your chest. "He seems like the kind of man who likes to stay single... just fuck around and never settle."

You hadn't noticed the faint shadow at your door, or the way the handle turned just slightly.

"That's not all true."

The deep voice froze you where you lay.

You sat up in alarm, your eyes widening as Jaebeom stepped into the room. He had left the door open just a crack, and he must have heard everything. Shame burned through your veins as you quickly averted your face. "I-I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to—"

The mattress dipped beside you as he sat down, the sudden weight making your heart race.

"It may seem like I'm only fucking around," he said quietly, staring straight ahead at the dresser instead of at you, "but the truth is... the reason I do it is to see if the women are real. If they're willing to stay. If they're capable of love that doesn't fade when things get difficult."

His voice was steady, but beneath the surface there was something raw. Something vulnerable.

"If they pass that test," he continued, "if they stay even when it's hard, I marry them. But I have to like them—love them—for it to mean anything."

His hand rested on the bed beside him, close enough to touch.

You hesitated before reaching out, your fingers brushing lightly against his. He didn't pull away. Slowly, he turned his palm upward and laced his fingers with yours. The warmth of his hand swallowed yours whole, and when his thumb brushed across your skin, your breath hitched.