my blood | park seonghwa

eighteen

You didn't flinch when you heard the door to your room being pushed open. Seated with your back resting against the headboard, knees pulled up to your chest, you weren't exactly in a position to object as the familiar male approached you.

San silently sat on the side of the bed, leaving a bit of space between you both as he tried to gather which words would be best. It had almost been a week since Hongjoong had died. You hadn't seen anyone from the manor since San brought you back to your apartment. Axel had tried to call a few times but opted for a simple text to express his sympathy when you chose to not answer.

"I know you said you needed time," He eventually speaks up, breaking the silence between you both. "But there's something you need to know, and I feel it may help you with your thought process. It's also best if it does come from me, because Seonghwa didn't take it well."

You manage to emit some sort of sound which signals for the silver locked male to go on, unable to bring yourself to form any words just yet. Part of you felt relieved to see San seated so close to you again, having his presence providing you with a sense of comfort. Yet, there was still that sense of uneasiness as he mentioned Seonghwa's name.

"Hongjoong knew he was going to have to die for Seonghwa to be rescued," These were not the words you were expecting. "Before it all went down, he came to see me and what he told me wasn't what he had planned with you. It had grown apparent that for Seonghwa to return, he needed to die, but he knew you wouldn't agree with it, so he conjured a fake plan of sorts. He needed me to help make sure you didn't get in the way and save him."

"You helped him die?" The words flee your tongue without much thought, the betrayal beginning to take hold of your emotions.

San pauses for a moment, carefully calculating what to say next. "There was a small chance of him being able to escape with a mere scratch, but he was filled with guilt for how he had treated Seonghwa over the past century. In his words, 'death would be his payment.'"

You didn't want to believe it. Rapidly, you began to shake your head in pure denial. The familiar weight of tears were resuming their build in your eyes as San turned to meet your stare. His was filled with a sorrow that you supposed was meant to calm you.

Yet, it did the complete opposite. Swinging your legs over the side of the bed you stand up, San following suit. He steps in front of you, trying to gauge what your next move is going to be. Raising your hands, you close them into fists and commence weakly punching at his chest.

"You killed him," Your cries take over your voice, completely shattering you silence. "There had to of been some other way for us to save Seonghwa. Some way where he didn't have to die."

"I know," San mutters softly. He lets you punch and push away at him until your sobs engulf you into a position where you are almost paralysed where you stand. Wordlessly, he steps forwards and wraps his arms around you.

Burying your head into his chest, your tears begin to stain his shirt. San uses one hand to trace soothing circles on your back, the other tucked within your hair as he holds you in his solidarity and warmth.

"I'm sorry it came to this," He whispers, own voice cracking slightly. "If there were any other way, you have to know I would've done it. I knew Hongjoong for a while before him and Hwa became enemies. We were close too."

How could you have been so selfish? The thought of San having attachment to Hongjoong hadn't really risen to your mind. You weren't the only one who was suffering from this. You had seen how broken Seonghwa was and even if you didn't want to admit it, that hurt.