By Zephyria “I don’t need it!”
He burst out the suppressed voice, but he couldn’t get the words out properly.
“When did I ever… say I needed something like that…!”
His eyes were so hot that he couldn’t open them properly. No matter how much he rubbed his eyes, it didn’t get any better, and he felt like his chest was about to burst.
“Se-han! Please, don’t do anything unnecessary! What’s so important about that crap….”
‘Then wait a minute. After I sober up a bit….’
‘I don’t have time, Hyung.’
Kang Robin tried to persuade him, but Sung Se-han turned around busily as if he couldn’t delay.
‘Don’t worry. I’ll be right back.’
“No!”
Don’t go, Sung Se-han! You can’t drive today!
He ran mindlessly and grabbed Sung Se-han, but again, there was nothing to grab. Sung Se-han, who had left his hand, walked out of the living room without hesitation and walked quickly down the hallway.
“Se-han! Wait! Please…!”
He kept reaching out and grabbing Sung Se-han’s arm, desperately clinging to his waist.
“I was wrong! Se-han! I don’t like figures! I don’t need that! I don’t need it!”
Since he was young, he had been collecting and relying on ‘The Lord of the Prince’ figures because of a wound in his heart.
When he watched that movie, he could forget about his father, who had cruelly abandoned them and left. It was a pain he couldn’t tell anyone.
He tried to erase the image of his father leaving home without regret, leaving Mom and Tae-min behind, by watching The Lord of the Prince.
Whenever he saw the Lord of the Prince risking his life to protect his family and people from evil enemies, it felt like the emptiness in his heart was being filled.
The Lord of the Prince was a hero who protected him.
But at some point, he stopped watching the movie repeatedly.
He also spent less time looking at the figures.
Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. Sung Se-han was always by his side. He realized now that he had been living, forgetting about the absence of someone.
“Se-han! I only need you! So don’t go!”
Tears were flowing and he couldn’t see. Even though he knew it was useless, he clung to Sung Se-han until the end.
He could never let him go.
“Se-han! Please don’t go!”
Sung Se-han, who had suddenly stopped in front of the front door, turned around. The moment he saw his questioning brown eyes, it felt like his heart stopped.
But that was it.
Sung Se-han turned his body, put on his sneakers without hesitation, and pulled his Ball Cap down low.
There was nothing he could do.
All he could do was capture the tall figure of Sung Se-han, armed with a black jumper, Ball Cap, and mask, in his eyes.
His existence was being erased into whiteness by the overwhelming sense of helplessness.
Click, the moment Sung Se-han left through the front door, he gritted his teeth until they shattered. And without giving up, he rushed at Sung Se-han.
Even if he had to die, he could never let Sung Se-han go.
But clatter, the front door closed in front of his eyes with a thunderous sound.
“Why, why won’t the door open! Se-han, Se-han!”
Even if he punched and hit the door with his fists, he couldn’t leave the front door. It was impossible to follow Sung Se-han.
“Se-han! Se-han!”
No one listened, even though he screamed until his throat was hoarse. There was nothing he could do in a place where he couldn’t go any further.
“Se-han….”
He slowly turned around.
He was standing in the darkness that had become dark again. His legs were trembling, but he couldn’t sit down.
January 8th.
Sung Se-han, who left the house, gets into a drunk driving accident on a rainy road.
Because of him.
He wanted to pass out as it is, but he couldn’t understand why he was so clear-headed.
“Tae-kyung!”
He was startled by the loud voice and raised his head.
“What are you doing here? I’ve been looking for you, and you’re not answering your phone….”
When he blinked, Gun-woo Hyung, who was looking down at him, looked blurry. He tried to smile first, but it didn’t work out well.
“Ah… Hyung. I was just thinking for a bit.”
“Get up first.”
Gun-woo Hyung picked him up from the floor and sat him on a chair.
“Tae-kyung.”
He didn’t like Gun-woo Hyung looking at his face next to him, so he lowered his head.
“Tell me what’s wrong. Did you fight with Se-han?”
“No.”
He shook his head immediately. And he looked at the door behind Gun-woo Hyung.
He wanted to get out of the conference room quickly. He wanted to go somewhere where no one was.
“But… why were you crying?”
“Yes? I wasn’t crying?”
“Look in the mirror. Your face is a mess right now.”
He rubbed his face roughly with both hands. He just wanted them to leave him alone, whether he cried or not.
“It’s not good for your eyes if you rub it like that.”
Gun-woo Hyung forcibly lowered his hand and took out his cell phone.
“Tae-kyung, I’ll tell Doo-hyun Hyung to take you home. Go home and rest for now.”
“Rest? We have a lot to discuss today….”
“We got a 3-day vacation. The Team leader and I discussed and decided.”
Vacation. It was a very unfamiliar word. He couldn’t even remember when he had rested comfortably.
“We finished our debut activities, so we should rest at least a little bit. That way, we can run hard again. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes….”
Only 3 days. Would he have the strength to run again if he rested for 3 days?
He must have been sitting too blankly. Gun-woo Hyung’s face was getting darker and darker.
“Tae-kyung, I know you’ve been under a lot of stress. I’m too lacking as a leader….”
“Gun-woo Hyung.”
It was a chore to have to comfort someone in a state of no energy, but he had to force himself to smile. Gun-woo Hyung was also a precious person living with him.
“Our team atmosphere is good because Gun-woo Hyung is the leader. The kids follow you without complaint because you’re a good person.”
“That’s because our kids are too nice….”
“Everyone’s nice. Except for me.”
Gun-woo Hyung’s eyes widened at the self-deprecating laughter that he couldn’t hold back. He patted Gun-woo Hyung’s hand and got up from his chair.
“I think it would be better to rest at home as Hyung said.”
When he opened the front door and entered the house, what greeted him was a silence as if he were dead.
“It’s good to be quiet….”
As he trudged into the living room, he saw a few unfamiliar pieces of furniture. The display case, the TV, and even the sofa in the living room had been changed without his knowledge.
“This looks expensive.”
The milk-colored leather sofa didn’t look like it would be at an ordinary price at first glance.
“I heard the cafe is doing well. Is that really true…?”
If so, that’s really fortunate. He flopped down on the sofa and looked at the ceiling, and he noticed a wood ceiling fan that he didn’t know when it was installed.
“Well….”
After the divorce, she didn’t have the financial means, so she just lived without being greedy, but originally, Mom liked decorating the house.
Uuung. The cell phone in his hoodie pocket kept vibrating. He couldn’t ignore it because he knew the caller.
“Yeah, Mom.”
-Did you get home?
“Yeah, just now.”
-Oh my. What should I do, our Tae-kyung came home, but there’s nothing to eat. Tae-kyung, Mom will leave work early and make you something delicious. Okay?
Mom’s voice was so bright that it seemed to lift his spirits.
“It’s because I came suddenly. Mom, don’t worry and come home slowly. Okay?”
-Okay, my son. See you at home!
As Mom’s cheerful voice disappeared, his body sank back into silence.
“Hoo….”
He couldn’t let go of his cell phone and was hesitating.
It was already past five o’clock, so he had to contact Sung Se-han now. He had been worrying about it all the way in the car, but he couldn’t figure out what to do.
If he said he wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t meet today, he would definitely ask what was wrong.
If he said he had come home after getting a vacation for the first time in a while, he would obviously come to his house again. That was natural. They were that close.
Yeah. The problem was that they had become too close. That’s why Sung Se-han had an accident because of him.
Because of him, he was being cursed at by fans for no reason, and his flawless image was tarnished. And because of him, who didn’t know anything….
Uuung. He was startled and dropped his cell phone because it was vibrating in his hand. He hurriedly picked up the cell phone that had fallen on the rug. Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any problems.
The cell phone with Sung Se-han’s name on it was still vibrating violently.
“Yeah, Se-han.”
His fingers accepted the call without even thinking. He didn’t want to make Sung Se-han wait, so he couldn’t help it.
-Tae-kyung, I texted you, but why haven’t you checked it?
“Ah… sorry. I didn’t know.”
After a moment of silence, Sung Se-han’s low voice was heard.
-What’s wrong? Are you sick somewhere?
He easily notices even his small changes. Just like he does to Sung Se-han.
“Se-han, I’ve been thinking.”
Either way, ambiguous excuses don’t work for Sung Se-han. He can’t persuade Sung Se-han except with clear and firm words.
“I think it would be better for us to be apart for a while.”
-…….
It wasn’t common for Sung Se-han to drag out his answer. The time waiting for the words that rarely came out was so difficult that he clutched his chest and took a breath.
-Why?