Pt. 9, Pt. 10
summary: You owe him. For what?â letâs just just say you and Seongje have a history that haunts you to this day.
content warning: mdni, strong language, smoking, violence, mentions of wounds and blood
word count: 2 853
,,Seongje!â You desperately pulled at the door handle again.
,,Unlock the door.â
He didnât even look at you,
,,No.â
,,Im serious, Seongje.â
,,So am I.â
You fold your arms, glaring at him, pure disbelief plastered across your face.
,,You donât get to tell me what to do.â
A dry laugh escapes him.
,,Funny. You didnât have a problem listening to Baekjin.â
That hits a nerve.
,,At least he didnât replace me without saying a word.â
He finally turns to look at you,
,,Is that what you think this is about?â
His cheeks were flushed, his breathing still uneven. His jaw was locked so tightly you thought his teeth might crack.
,,Isnât it?â Your tone was petty, dry.
He studies you for a long second, then, he lets out a short humourless chuckle.
,,Youâre unbelievable.â
,,And youâre an asshole.â
Another beat of silence passes.
The car was humid from the rain.
Water drummed steadily against the roof, the sound filling the silence between your uneven breaths.
His hand suddenly tightens around the steering wheel.
He stared through the windshield for a few long seconds before finally speaking.
,,You saw me with her.â
You donât answer.
That was answer enough.
A tiny smirk appears on his faceâ not because he is mocking you, but because he finally understands why youâve been acting the way you were.
,,Youâre jealous.â
Your heart skipped a beat.
Then, you immediately snapped back,
,,Donât flatter yourself.â
,,Then why are you angry?â He pushes.
You look out the window.
,,Drive.â You let out an annoyed sigh hoping he just listens to you for once.
,,Answer me.â
Of course.
,,Drive.â
He didnât.
His fingers tapped against the steering wheel once. Twice.Â
,,Look at me.â
You scoffed, keeping your eyes on the rain streaking down the window. It was starting to pour again.
,,No.â
,,Y/N.â He just couldnât let this go.
,,What?â
,,Look at me.â
You finally turned your head.
His expression had changed. The anger was still there, but now it looked⌠tired.
,,You scared the shit out of me tonight.â
The words hung in the air.
You frowned.
,,You donât get to say that, Seongje.â
,,Why not?â He was scanning your face for answers.
,,Because you spend the last days pretending I didnât exist.â
Silence.
,,Of courseâŚâ that earned an annoyed huff from you. The silence.Â
,,I was trying to keep you out of it.â
,,By replacing me?â
,,Yes.â
,,With her?â
He sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.
,,You really think thatâs what this is about?â
He leaned back in his seat, letting out a slow breath.
,,Youâre impossible.â
,,Im impossible?âÂ
,,You walk into Baekjinâs office, take a job you know nothing about, almost get yourself killedâŚâ
His laugh was short, humourless.
,,Then you look at me like Iâm the asshole.â
You roll your eyes,
,,You are the asshole.â
He just looks at you.
A long beat passes again.
Then, despite himself, the corner of his mouth twitches.
,,Yeah.â
You were exhausted.
After everything that had happened tonight you just wanted to get home.
,,Can you justâŚgo?â
You look into his eyes, your voice barely above a whisper.
,,Please.â
He didnât answer.
He simply started the engine and pulled away from the curb before the police noticed his car parked down the street.
Sirens still echoed throughout the night, slowly fading as the club disappeared in the rearview mirror.
The drive felt like hours.
You started noticing the path is different than if you were being taken back home.
,,Seongje, where are we going?â
You immediately turned to look at him, visibly confused.
,,To my place.â
,,What? Why?â Your tone was almost whiny, you needed to sleep.
,,Youâre not gonna be on your own tonight. End of story.â
Oh.
You were too tired to fight it. At this point you just wanted to lay down in bed and drift off.
Your vision was getting blurry and you could swear you wouldâve fallen asleep if the car didnât stop so abruptly.
You were in front of his apartment complex.
He shut the door behind him and took the bag with the money from the back seat.
You climbed out of the car, groggy.
You yawned and walked in his steps towards his designated apartment on the second floor.
Suddenly Seongje stopped in his tracks.Â
And when you see his apartment, you do too.
You look at him, his expression changesânot soft, just tired.
She was there.
Sitting in front of his apartment.
Her mascara was smeared, puffy eyes, cut on her forehead and near her lip, hair a mess and bruises all over her arms.
,,What happened?â He asks.
You just stare in disbelief. The first thing that crosses your mind is that sheâs there because she got caught.
Oh, how wrong you were.
She was sobbing and trembling, unable to even answer the question.
So he asked again,
,,You got caught?â
She shook her head slowly, looking up at him.
He sighed.
,,Get inside.â
The girl nodded immediately.
You stayed frozen.
Because she listened to him.
Because she knew where to go.
Because she looked like she belonged there.
You hated yourself for it.
You hated that, for a moment, you forgot the obvious. The girl sitting in front of you was hurt. She was scared.
But your mind couldnât get past the image in front of you.
Her walking into his apartment like she had done it before.
Like she had a place there.
You hated how jealousy could make you forget the part of yourself you were most proud of.
The part that cared.
How stupid.
Then Seongje looked back at you.
His expression changed slightlyâ not much. Most people probably wouldnât have noticed.
But you did.
He knew exactly how this looked.
And the worst part was, he probably didnât even know how to explain it.
,,Y/N, come inside.â
He pulled a cigarette from the pack, lighting it as he stepped toward the apartment.
It was almost ironic.
He had spent so much time outside tonight, and the first thing he does after walking inside his apartment was fill the air with smoke again.
You hesitated.
,,Y/NâŚâÂ
A warning.
Not angry.
Just firm.
Slowly, you took a step forwardâ listening to him.
Because somehow, after everything that happened tonight, you still couldnât bring yourself to walk away.
 This night couldnât possibly get any worse at this point.
The soft light from the lamp in the corner of the living room filled the dark apartment. You walked towards the couch and sat down, your body finally starting to feel the exhaustion from everything.
Then your eyes drifted back to her.
She was sitting quietly, staring out the window.
The city lights reflected faintly on the glass, the distant sounds of sirens and passing cars filling the silence between you.
For once, she didnât look like someone who belonged here.
She just looked scared.
Seongje disappeared into another room, returning a minute later with a first aid kit in his hand.
He took out the supplies for your wound before handing the rest of them to the girl sitting on the right to you.
,,Do it yourself?â
She nodded, taking them carefully.
,,Thanks, Jeâ she whispered.
Your chest tightened
Je?
A fucking nickname?
You hated how quickly your mind jumped to conclusions.
You needed to calm down.
A heavy breath escaped your lips before you could stop it.
Her eyes immediately moved towards you. You looked away, pretending you hadnât noticed.
A second later, the couch shifted beside you.
Seongje sat down.
Close.
Too close.
His thigh brushed against yours, and suddenly you were painfully aware of every inch of space between you.
His voice dropped lower, almost too quiet for anyone else to hear,
,,Youâre next, Iâm taking care of that wound when sheâs gone.âÂ
For a second you forgot how to breathe.
Because that wasnât Seongjeâs usual voice.
There was no teasing.
No arrogance.
No stupid smirk.
Just him.
The room stayed quiet for a moment.
Seongjeâs eyes stayed on the girl sitting across from him.
She looked exhaustedâ scared.
The kind that wasnât fake.
He leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees.
,,Start talking.â
She looked up at him, wiping at her face quickly.
,,IâŚâ
Her voice cracked.
Seongjeâs expression didnât change.
,,What happened?â
A few seconds passed.
,,Why were you outside my apartment crying?â
,,I was supposed to finish the deliveryâŚâ
Her fingers tightened around the fabric of her sleeve.
,,But someone stopped me.â
Seongjeâs eyes narrowed.
,,Who?â
She hesitated.
,,Some guy named Jae.â
The room went silent.
You looked up immediately.
The burning cigarette between his fingers stopped halfway to his lips.
,,Jae?â
The way he repeated the name made the room feel colder.
Jae.Â
You felt sick. The name itself felt wrong. Not because you thought he was innocent.
But because some part of you still couldnât process what he turned into.
Your stomach twisted.
Suddenly your first thought wasnât anger.
This happened because of you.
,,What was his point of all this?â His voice was low.
Seongjes words pulled you out of your thoughts.
,,He saidâŚâ
She took a brief pauseâ looking at you now.
,,He said next time it wouldnât be me.â
You froze.
She continued,
,,He said next time heâd make sure it was Y/N.â
Seongje immediately looked at you.
Not the girl.
You.
Because his biggest fear just became real.
Nobody moved.
The girl looked between the two of you, suddenly realising she had said something she probably shouldnât have.
Seongje didnât take his eyes off you.
Not even for a second.
,,You should go clean yourself up.â
His voice was quieter now.
The girl blinked, almost surprised.
,,What?â
,,You heard me.â
He looked at her briefly.
,,Get some rest. Iâll handle the rest.â
She nodded slowly, standing up from the arm chair.
,,OkayâŚâ
She hesitated, looking at him one last time.
,,Thank you.â
He didnât answer.
Not because he didnât hear her.
But because his attention was already somewhere else.
On you.
The door clicked shut behind herâ leaving just you two in the dimly lit apartment.
Suddenly the apartment felt too quiet.
The sound of the city outside became the only thing filling the space between you.
Cars passing by.
Distant voices.
The faint hum of the light from the lamp.
Neither of you spoke.
You couldnât.
Then you heard the sound of his lighter flicking open and closed between his fingers.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
A habit.
A distraction.
You knew him well enough to know when he didnât have an answer.
And that scared you more than anything.
There were too many things sitting between you, too many words that had been ignored for too long.
You looked down at your hands, picking at your fingers without realising it.
Seongje watched you.
You hated that you could feel his eyes on you.
You hated even more that a part of you wanted to look back.
Because now you knew.
The girl wasnât taking your place.
She never was.
Your throat tightened.
,,Why?â
His eyes lifted to yours.
,,Why didnât you tell me?â
The words came out quieter than you intended.
,,Because you wouldâve done exactly what you did tonight.â
His tone wasnât angry.Â
Just⌠clinical.
,,So you just decide what I can handle?â
Your voice started getting louder, the anger finally breaking through.
,,You pushed me away, you replaced me, and now look what happened.â
Your eyes flicked towards the door where she had disappeared.
,,She got hurt because of this.â
Your voice cracked slightly.
,,If you just hadnât pushed me away, maybe it wouldâve been me.â
The words let your mouth before you could stop them.
Seongjeâs expression changed.
,,Donât say that.â
But you couldnât stop anymore.
,,Why? Because itâs true?â
Your eyes burned.
,,She didnât deserve that, Seongje.â
You swallowed, trying to hold yourself together.
,,She was just someone you put in my place because you thought you could protect me.â
A bitter laugh escaped your lips.
,,And now sheâs the one being used as a warning.â
You stood up, unable to stay still anymore. Your fingers immediately found your mouth. Picking the skin like you could somehow release all the frustration trapped inside your body.
,,If it wasnât her, it wouldâve been someone else.â
The words hung in the air.
He lit another cigarette, staring at the flame for a second longer than necessary before taking a drag.
,,Heâs not after her.â
His voice was quiet.
,,Heâs after us.â
You stopped moving.
Smoke left his lips slowly as he looked away.
,,Heâll use anyone to get to me.â
A pause.
,,Because he knows he can get to me through you.â
The words came out almost like he hated admitting them.
And maybe he did.
Because Seongje had spent his whole life making sure nobody could reach him.
Nobody could hurt him.
Nobody could become a weakness.
Until you did.
Your chest tightened.
Because buried underneath all the fear and anger was something you didnât want to admit.
He was scared because of you.
Not because you were a burden.
Because you mattered.
The room fell silent again.
This time, neither of you rushed to fill it.
The anger was still thereâ the questions were still there.
But so was the fact that you were both exhausted.
Seongjeâs eyes dropped to the side of your neck.
The small cut that had been forgotten between everything else.
His expression changed.
,,Sit down.â
You frowned.
,,Seongjeââ
,,Y/N.â
Hit tone wasnât angry.
Just firm.
You hated that you still listened, once again.
He sat down in front of you, opening the kit. The apartment was so quiet you could hear every small movementâ the opening of the disinfectant, the rustling of the bandages, his breathing.
,,Itâs not deep.â
,,You donât know that.â
His eyes lifted to yours.
,,I do.â
You almost laughed.
,,Of course you do.â
After he cleaned the wound he suddenly spoke again,
,,Youâre still staying here tonight.â
You looked at him immediately, ,,Excuse me?â
,,Itâs late.â
,,I can go home.â
His jaw tightened.
,,No.â
,,Seongjeââ
,,Iâm not arguing about this.â
Youâve had enough.
,,You donât get to order me around anymore.â
A pause.
,,âŚPlease.â
The word caught you off guard.
Because Seongje didnât ask for things.
And Seongje never said please.
,,I donât have any clothest to change into.âÂ
You shifted your weight, suddenly feeling the cold of your rain-soaked clothes again.
,,You can borrow one of my shirts.âÂ
His answer came without hesitation.
Silence settled between you.
Then, slowly, you nodded.
He picked up the first-aid kit and disappeared down the dark hallway towards his bedroom.
A minute later, he came back with a folded black t-shirt in his hand, his expression unreadable.
,,Here.â
You took it carefully,
,,Thanks.â
Your voice was barely above a whisper.
You slipped into the bathroom, quietly closing the door behind you. The light flicked on with a soft click.
You peeled off your clothes one piece at a time, wincing slightly as the fabric brushed against the cut on your neck.
Finally, you unfolded the shirt.
Your movements stopped.
A white wolf was printed across the front.
His favourite one.
Youâd seen him wear it more times than you could count.
And nowâŚ
Heâd given it to you.
Your heart skipped for reasons you didnât want to think about.
You slipped the shirt on.
It smelled like him.
A warm feeling spread across your chest.
You fixed your hair a bit before leaving the bathroom, heading to his bedroom, where the light was coming from now.
You stepped into his bedroom, tugging the oversized shirt down over your thighs.
Seongje looked up for a brief second before looking away again.
,,Come here.â
You walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed while he checked out the cut on your neck again.
Another silence.
You glanced towards the hallway.
,,Iâll sleep on the couch.â
,,No.â
You sighed.
,,Seongjeââ
,,Youâll sleep here.â
,,Thereâs literally one bed.â
,,Iâm aware.â
You scanned the bed, memories of the one time you slept over flooding back.
,,Youâll be uncomfortable.â
,,I wasnât the last time.â
,,I donât want to kick you out of your own bed.â
He looked at you, almost annoyed that you were still arguing.
,,Youâre not.â
You searched his face for a jokeâ there wasnât one.
With a quiet sigh, you climbed beneath the grey sheets, leaving as much space between the two of you as possible.
A second later, the mattress dipped as Seongje laid down beside you.
The room fell dark.
Rain continued to tap softly against the window.
Neither of you said goodnight.
There were still too many things left unsaid.
You lay on your side, facing the door of the room, convinced he had already fallen asleep.
Then you felt it.
His hand.
Not holding yours.
Not pulling you closer.
Just resting lightly against your hip.
Like he needed to know you were still there.
You closed your eyes.
For the first time in a long whileâŚ
You didnât fall asleep alone.
taglist: @luvnarra @d1seongjeglazer








