jaewon had always consisted of just as much fire as ice. freezing cold unreadable exterior with white-hot burning temper coiling inside of him. rage in his veins and an expression set in stone, feeling so much (anger, hatred, frustration but also insecurities, self-loathing, overwhelming doubt) and showing so little. it only made sense that when scorching fury came breaking through the surface, it came out in explosive bursts. for as long as he could remember, his hands had brought nothing but destruction and misery, he’d hurt enough people by simply being to know it was best to stay as withdrawn as possible, because while the cold shoulder may hurt it never hurt as much as the wounds he seemed to leave, the lesser of two evils. yet some individuals threw all those warnings in the wind, foolishly insistent that they could prove him wrong, show him that somewhere deep, deep down he was a good person. not that they ever succeeded, no, they shattered all those boundaries and forced their way close to him just to be disappointed upon the discovery that he’d been right all along and he was just so, so tired of it, of hurting people just because they just refused to listen and take a step back.
and yeoreum, god she just was the shining example of that, wasn’t she? their entire relationship from the moment jaewon had first asked her out to now, voices raised and tension thick in some practice room a crystal clear reminder of what he had always known how to be true, that under his touch nothing could stay beautiful forever, that sooner or later, he’d manage to turn it into a ruin. he’d hurt her enough when their blissful infatuation turned sour so after they split, he removed himself almost completely from her life, making sure to inflict no more harm but she kept coming back and it made jaewon wonder just how much more yeoreum would have to take before she learned her lesson. “and you’re basing that off what? our relationship? a bit of a lousy example don’t you think.” but it wasn’t, she was entirely right, far too right for him to be able to face because all he could think about was samsoo, that they were doomed to go down the same way he and yeoreum had because jaewon wasn’t mean for healthy, wholesome intimate relationships. if what she was saying was true, it meant that sooner or later there’d be nothing but resentment left between him and soo. jaewon couldn’t have that be true, he wouldn’t know what to do with himself if it were so yeoreum was wrong, she just had to be. “it’s time for you to accept we never were that much to begin with. there’s a reason we went down as we did yeo, you never actually managed to make me care enough, to make me feel enough to want to open up to you. our relationship wasn’t profound or deep, it was nothing more than a fleeting attraction fizzling out as soon as we became aware we had nothing else going for us.” because if what they had was fake and empty, jaewon could at least tell himself their relationship didn’t set the tone for his current relationship.
the problem with having someone like yeoreum that used to be so close to him pressing his buttons in such manner, was that she confirmed all the thoughts he’d been trying to talk out of his own head to be true and the only way he could make those claims out to be untrue was by taking away any value he held towards her and her words. “has rebellion ever stopped after giving in? you don’t know what you’re talking about so stop pretending you do. some decisions just have to be made even if they don’t like them or disagree with them and being strict on all of them while they so recklessly go about their love lives is one of those. just because you two decide to take that personal doesn’t mean i’m going to let namsoo off the hook, the same applies to him as applies to the other boys.” the regulations had never been implanted solely to make things harder on the couple, it just so happened to be that namsoo seemed to be the number one offender when it came to them. “there is nothing more important to me than his or any of these boys’ happiness. i’ve been with namsoo almost every single day for over 2 years, you’ve known him what? 2 months? do not try to lecture me on how much i care about him.” the bond between the members of unity, the next thing on a long list of things jaewon was incredibly protective over. “like i said, i’m not trying to break you two up, i’m not gonna meddle in your relationship or try to sabotage it. i will, however, draw the line at turning a blind eye to your little late night rendezvous’ and all the other risks you’re taking without thinking of the consequences.”
throughout this conversation, yeoreum was beginning to wonder why her past kept coming back to HAUNT her in various forms, but most importantly, why the sweet nothings, the late night conversations, then the tears against the solid ground of the sidewalk as she walked home after breaking apart from her first love were being dragged up from the hidden caverns of her mind. whether he wanted to admit it or not, the chanteuse had a feeling that jaewon knew his stance with her, & that as much as he attempted to put on a bold — faced, icy façade, there was still an ounce of him that cared ; that wanted to see her happy & reveling in halcyon days filled with nothing but bubbles of champagne & kim namsoo. however, for whatever reason, he kept doing his darnedest to thwart any opportunity at sunshine that she had —— the scars left on her cardiac system a testament to how the frigid cold of his apathetic personality damaged her from the inside out. if only she could reach her hands into him & WARM HIM UP just a little, if only she could breathe the breath of summertime into the depths of his below — zero disposition... but, alas, that would never happen, & she knew that, for all intents & purposes, her former sweetheart would probably never resemble the man that he once was : one whose smile rivaled that of the springtime sun & had such a vivid display of variegated hues in his irises. now, instead of illuminating whatever room he traipsed into, he brought an eternal winter with him ; a blizzard that never ceased, but only grew stronger & stronger by the millisecond. how anyone could live in such an ice age, such an ice box left her ridden with concern, but at what cost ?? at what danger to her soul & spirit ?? that was the true question.
as he spoke, she couldn’t help but fall prey to the INTENSITY captured in his pupils ; the eye contact given almost unwelcome at this point, but she was glad that he was finally giving her some sort of attention —— especially after months of treating her like a ghost. each glacial vocable that reverberated from his palate threatened to destroy the strength of her ultra — violet rays, but today & for the rest of time, she was prepared to stand her ground, to protect her season of glistening heat & ripened fruits. so, she continued to erect her posture & stand in a warrior — like position. if he was going to fight her on this, she was determined to win this war, even though it’s one that she in no way wanted to be apart of. ❝ i don’t think that it’s a LOUSY EXAMPLE at all, jaewon. ❞ she combatted, her voice still level & flowing gently like a river. ❝ why is it that you’re so hesitant to even speak of our past with one another ?? is it because you know you’re wrong & you’re refusing to live in a blissful ignorance for the rest of your life ?? ❞ sure, their failed romance was long over, but that didn’t mean that it never happened, & that it wasn’t in anyway an important part of either of their lives. while it might’ve been a shred more crucial for yeoreum, it couldn’t have all been just fun & games for her ex — boyfriend. there was SOMETHING there in the beginning, & she knew that he felt it, too. he had to have. ❝ i can’t believe that you’re actually blaming me for why our relationship went awry... it’s seriously so shocking that you’d even try to point fingers right now, especially when you’re the one that froze, the one that gave me NOTHING but the cold shoulder for months & months... ❞ eyes grew wide in awestruck disbelief, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip to halt its quivering.
❝ i have so many things that i want to say right now, but you’re not here to fight with me about the lack of closure we had, or how you shriveled up like a wilted flower towards the end of us, but please know that, no matter what, i still love you... & always fucking will because you were the first man that ever LOVED ME. whether you like it or not, i was so headlessly & hopelessly in love with you... why ?? i have no idea now, but back then, it’s because you gave me something to believe in... something to look forward to. ❞ tears began to swell in her russet rondures, & she shook her head back & forth ; looking up so that none of them dared to stream down the length of her heart — shaped cheek before bringing them back down. ❝ you know everything about me... about my dad, & about how it takes me longer to trust men because of that, but i trusted you... & you just didn’t care. ❞ at the mention of her late father, she couldn’t control her emotions any longer & finally allowed herself to weep gently ; loathing that he still had this much power over her. ❝ you’re a good leader, jaewon, but i’m not going to let you stand in the way of me & namsoo... i’m not going to let you DESTROY another trust i’ve built with a man that actually fucking cares about me... that actually wants to see me happy, & thriving... ❞ subtle sobs fell from betwixt rosy petals, but even in her distress, she still resembled a summer storm ; one that still revealed brightness in all of the cascading clouds. ❝ i don’t know what to tell you anymore... i’m going to fight for my happiness, & even if that means getting permission from you to see my boyfriend, then so be it, but i swear to god... you’re not going to ruin this for me. so, knowing that, tell me... what the fuck is it that you want out of me ?? ❞