Even after reaching home, Chahyuk's words refused to leave Han's mind.
Some pieces of the puzzle felt clear, others only made things more confusing.
He sat at his study table and started writing:
Jisoo and Seungmin were together in middle school.
They used to hate each other, then suddenly after that day Jisoo protected him and they got close.
Mr. Choi didn't do anything to jisoo even thou he was standing right infornt of him. That's crazy.
Why did he allow Seungmin to stay with Jisoo after that day?
They broken up but I don't know the reason.
Did he force them to break up later? Or was there another reason?
Jisoo still cared for Seungmin in high school — he brought him lunch every day. They meet eachother secretly.
Han slammed his pen down.
"Why is this so hard to understand!?" he shouted into the empty room.
He stood up, pacing — anger and betrayal swirling inside him.
"The only thing I know for sure is… they both betrayed me. Especially Jisoo. I trusted him more than anyone. And Seungmin… he used me. Used me as a cover so he could keep his affair going."
He pressed his hand against his chest, breath shaking.
"That's why he never cared who I talked to. Why he always pretend to get jealous. Why everything now feels so… empty."
His voice cracked.
"Am I that hard to love? Will I ever mean something to someone? Why do I even exist if no one needs me…?"
He didn't sleep the entire night.
Morning came harsh and early.
At 7 a.m., Han walked out of his room, fully dressed. Chaewon was setting the table.
When he saw Han awake on his own, he froze — quietly surprised.
Han sat down and ate silently, scrolling through his phone.
Chaewon joined him, but neither touched the silence.
It wasn't peaceful anymore.
The air felt heavy — full of sadness neither could speak.
After university, Han dropped him home.
"Chaewon… I need to go somewhere. Eat and rest. I'll be late."
He didn't wait for a reply.
---
Han headed straight to Seokmin's apartment.
He prayed Seokmin could prove his fears wrong — that Seungmin truly loved him.
But Seokmin wasn't there.
Instead, familiar voices echoed from inside the room.
Han froze when he recognized them — Seungmin and Jisoo.
He stayed hidden by the half-closed door, heart pounding.
Seungmin laughed lightly, voice filled with cruel amusement:
"Come on, Jisoo. He's just a kid. You dated a kid. Let him play around.
And listen carefully — your relationship with him… was just part of the plan."
Han's world shattered.
His knees nearly gave out — but he stayed silent.
Jisoo's voice cracked:
"You're lying. He loves me. He would never—"
"If he loved you, why did he leave?" Seungmin cut him off.
Jisoo snapped back:
"Didn't you do the same? You ran away even though you loved me back then! You never let me explain. You never listened. You left me alone!"
Seungmin's tone turned ice-cold.
"I don't want to talk about that. Stop it."
Jisoo's voice broke into a whisper that hurt to hear:
"And now you're making him do the same. You're using him, Seungmin… He doesn't know anything. He doesn't even know what he's doing.
You wanted this. You wanted revenge on me."
Seungmin scoffed, satisfied:
"I never wanted revenge. But watching you suffer?
It makes me very, very happy."
Jisoo gasped — like someone stabbed him through the heart.
"I wish Han could see this side of you. He thinks you're so innocent. What would he do if he saw this? Should I tell him?" Jisoo choked out, trembling.
Seungmin's voice sharpened, dangerous:
"Don't you dare ruin my plan.
If you do… what's left between us will be destroyed."
Han stopped breathing.
Plan?
What plan?
Jisoo's voice dropped to a sorrowful whisper:
"You think there's something left between us? There's nothing. You ruined us."
Jisoo collapsed to his knees — falling into Seungmin's lap as if clinging to the last ruin of their past.
Seungmin grabbed his arm harshly and dragged him toward the door.
"Get out. I don't want to see you. Come back when you get some sense!"
As he pulled Jisoo forward — his eyes lifted.
And he froze.
Han was standing there.
Destroyed.