it's hard to believe that there had been a point in time where he might've even considered soo-jin a friend. at the start, at least. he wasn't blind ━━ he could see that there was something different about the other, but ha-joon was never one to judge, always one to give the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise.
that was, at least, until he'd seen the other interact with dae-ho. it was different than how he ever acted with anyone else ━━ subtle, but different. it was as though he thought he had some sort of ownership over sunshine personified, and as time went on, he became strangely . . . possessive. even ha-joon, who had known dae-ho for years at this point, would often feel the other's gaze burning holes into the back of his head, as though he was getting too close.
it had been around then where he began to suspect something wasn't quite right, not that he could put his finger on it at the time. but the more he dug, the more he followed ━━ the less he liked what he saw.
that night in the studio was a fluke, mere chance ; whatever had overtaken him that night was still something he couldn't quite explain, but it had led to many more nights that were far too similar in nature. thinking back on it now, ha-joon can't help but feel disgusted in himself ; that he'd lost sight of his original goal, that he'd enjoyed it, that he'd craved it. what good would any of that do him now, when he was so close to his end ?
hand grabs his face to slam him back into the ground and ha-joon cannot help but cry out in pain. his head is pounding, his vision blurred and he swears there's three of soo-jin in front of him now. eyes squeeze shut in an attempt to block out the pain, unaware of the shadows that curl around him, that keep him in place.
it's only when the demon speaks up that he opens his eyes again ━━ it's difficult to focus, soo-jin's words almost like an echo in his mind, but he catches enough to make sense of it. " more of . . . a . . . chance than . . . you. " a lie, perhaps, because he'd never worked up the courage to say anything to dae-ho - and it's a bitter pill to swallow, knowing that he never will.
the feeling of hand moving down his chest is not an unfamiliar one, though this time it brings a certain kind of sickness with it that settles deep within. he didn't want soo-jin to touch him, tries to move away and it's only then that he notices the shadow-like tendrils keeping him tethered, keeping him still ━━ and it only makes him try harder. " don't . . . fucking touch ━━ ugh ! " it's pain that he feels, indescribable and red hot. he doesn't want to give soo-jin the satisfaction of knowing how much it hurts, and bites down on his lip until it bleeds, determined not to make a single noise.
but if there was one thing he'd learned about soo-jin, it was that he always seemed to get what he wants ; and as claws dig further into flesh, as blood flows fast and freely, staining his shirt, he gets exactly what he wants.
for there is only so much that the human body can take before stubbornness falls flat. " don't ━━ " a cry of pain, body writhing with no place to go as he's held firmly in place. tears that pool in the corners of his eyes and threaten to spill. a plea, on the tip of his tongue ; not for himself, for deep down he knew there was no hope for him as much as he wished there to be. but for dae-ho ━━ who didn't know what he'd gotten himself into, who always saw the best in everyone, who didn't deserve any of this.
jung dae-ho ━━ the person he'd loved for years.
" don't hurt him ━━ please . . . "