Say You Love Me Again
Toxic Jinwoo x Reader
Tw; Toxic relationship dynamics, emotional manipulation, gaslighting, infidelity, obsessive behavior.
Authors note; this made my heart heavy writing this ughhhh i hate cheaters 😭
~~~~~~~~~~
You’d lost count of the times he came home smelling like betrayal.
Different perfume. Scratches on his neck. Lipstick that wasn’t yours staining the collar of his black dress shirt. The same one you bought him on your anniversary.
And he never bothered to hide it.
No. Jinwoo wore guilt like a crown.
“You’re overthinking again,” he said coolly, tossing his keys on the counter, like you weren’t standing there on the verge of collapse.
“Overthinking?” Your voice cracked, sharp with disbelief. “You disappeared for three days, Jinwoo.”
He rolled his eyes. “I told you. Dungeon business.”
“Dungeon business doesn’t wear red lipstick and smell like vanilla and smoke!”
That made him stop. Just for a moment. The flicker of annoyance in his eyes was instant—faster than a shadow crawling across the floor.
“I don’t have to explain myself to you,” he said, tone clipped now.
“You’re my girlfriend, not my handler.”
You laughed. Cold. Broken.
“I’m not even sure I’m that anymore.”
He looked at you then. Really looked. And for a second, his expression shifted. Not guilt.
Wounded pride.
“You always do this,” he said, voice rising now. “Every time I get a little busy, you spiral. You twist everything into some betrayal because you’re insecure.”
“Insecure?” you echoed. “You cheat, and I’m the problem?”
“I didn’t cheat,” he snapped. “And even if I did—what did you expect?”
Your heart stopped.
“What?” you whispered, like maybe you heard him wrong.
“I’m not normal, okay? I’m the Shadow Monarch. I’m worshiped. Hunted. You think that doesn’t come with… options?”
You took a step back, tears burning behind your eyes.
“You really want credit for not being faithful?”
“I want credit for choosing you every time,” he hissed, stalking toward you. “Even after everything,your doubts, your questions, your constant need for reassurance.I’m still here.”
“Still here?” you laughed, bitter and shaking. “You’re never here, Jinwoo. You’re a ghost in my bed. A stranger in my home. You don’t love me. You love the way I make you feel.”
He grabbed your arm—not hard, but enough to make your breath catch.
“You don’t get to turn this on me,” he said, voice low and dangerous now. “You don’t get to villainize me because you can’t handle the way I love.”
You ripped your arm away, chest heaving.
“I’m done.”
The words tasted like blood.
Final. Solid.
And for once, he didn’t have anything to say.
You walked past him, brushing against the cold air that followed wherever he went. Your suitcase was already packed—how pathetic was that? You’d been waiting for the final straw.
And he just handed it to you.
But as your fingers touched the doorknob, his voice cut through the silence.
“You’ll come back,” he said.
Not a plea. A promise.
“You always come back.”
You turned your head slowly, meeting his eyes one last time.
Not glowing. Not soft. Just hollow.
“Not this time.”
And then you left.
You didn’t cry on the ride over.
You didn’t answer when he texted:
“Come home. Let’s talk.”
“You’re being dramatic.”
“You know I love you.”
Love.
He said it like a weapon.
But you swore you’d never let it cut you again.
~~~~~~~~
It had been six days.
Six days without him. Without the phone lighting up. Without his voice dripping venom through the receiver, just to reel you in with sweet nothings minutes later.
You blocked him.
Phone. Shadows. Everything.
You thought that meant peace.
But narcissists don’t believe in endings they didn’t write.
So when you opened your apartment door that night and saw him standing there in all black—uninvited, unbothered, and too goddamn beautiful to look at—you froze.
“I missed you,” Jinwoo said softly.
Your breath hitched.
“No.”
Just that. One word. A lifeline. A boundary.
But he stepped inside anyway, shadows curling under his feet like obedient dogs.
“You’re mad,” he said like it was a joke. “Okay. I deserve that.”
“You deserve worse,” you snapped, voice tight. “You broke me. Repeatedly. On purpose.”
He didn’t flinch.
He smiled.
That infuriating, soft smile he wore when he knew he was getting under your skin.
“And yet,” he said, stepping closer, “you’re still standing. Still just as breathtaking. Still mine.”
“I’m not yours.”
“Yes, you are.”
Your back hit the wall. You hadn’t realized you were backing up until you felt the cold plaster against your spine. He was in front of you now, arms braced on either side, not touching but close enough to cage you in with presence alone.
“You left,” he whispered, his voice suddenly sharp with hurt. “You left me like I meant nothing.”
“You cheated on me like I meant nothing,” you threw back.
He shook his head, just once.
“I cheated because I didn’t know how to need someone until I lost you. I didn’t know how to be seen until you looked at me like I was more than a weapon.”
His hand rose slowly, thumb brushing your cheek with a softness that made your stomach turn.
“You were the only thing in my world I didn’t have to conquer.”
“Then why did you ruin it?”
“Because I ruin everything I love,” he said, eyes flashing with something between grief and obsession. “But I always come back. And so do you.”
He kissed you then.
Hard. Desperate. Like he was punishing you for leaving and thanking you for existing at the same time. You tried to fight it, you really did. But your hands betrayed you, fists curling into his jacket like anchors.
His lips were familiar. Too familiar. Like every argument, every apology, every lie wrapped into one unbearable collision.
“I love you,” he said against your mouth. “Say you love me.”
“No,” you whispered, breathless.
He kissed you harder.
“Say it.”
“I hate you.”
“Say it.”
Tears blurred your vision. Your voice cracked.
“I love you.”
He smiled like he’d won a war.
“Good girl.”
And then he pulled you in and held you like you were the only thing left standing between him and madness.
You knew it wasn’t right.
But you were already drowning again.
And gods, drowning had never felt so sweet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Authors note; Thank you so much for reading this story. It was messy, emotional, and heavy at times—and that’s exactly what it was meant to be.