Minjae's Apartment – After the Rooftop Incident
The door clicked shut behind them with a finality that seemed to echo in the silence. Minjae's hands were still shaking as he guided Jiho to the couch, watching helplessly as the boy he cared about most collapsed into the cushions like a marionette with severed strings.
Jiho sat there, perfectly still but trembling all over. His eyes were wide open but saw nothing—lost somewhere between the rooftop wind and Hyunwoo's cruel laughter that still rang in his ears. The livestream comments scrolled endlessly behind his glassy stare, each hateful word carving deeper into wounds that never seemed to heal.
Minjae's chest tightened as he knelt in front of him. God, what do I do? How do I bring him back?
He hurried to the kitchen, fumbling with a water bottle, his own hands betraying him with their tremor. When he returned, he held it out like an offering.
"Jiho... please, drink this."
Nothing. Not even a flutter of eyelashes.
"Just a little bit?" His voice cracked despite his efforts to stay calm.
Still nothing. Jiho might as well have been carved from stone, beautiful and broken and unreachable.
Minjae stared at the bottle in his hands, desperation clawing at his throat. Then, without overthinking it, he took a small sip and leaned forward, pressing his lips gently against Jiho's.
The cool water passed between them like a secret, and suddenly Jiho gasped his eyes focusing for the first time since they'd left the rooftop. But instead of relief, his face crumpled, and he pushed Minjae away with trembling hands.
"Why..." The word came out as a broken sob. "Why does everyone hate me so much?"
Minjae's heart shattered as Jiho curled into himself, shoulders shaking with the force of tears he'd held back for too long.
"What did I ever do to deserve this?" Jiho's voice was raw, years of pain pouring out all at once. "Hyejin, Hyunwoo, those bullies—I never hurt anyone. I just wanted to study. That's all I've ever wanted."
He wiped his nose with the back of his hand, looking so young and lost that Minjae had to bite his lip to keep from crying too.
"I thought if I just stayed quiet, if I made myself invisible, maybe it would stop. Maybe things would get better." Jiho laughed, but it was hollow and bitter. "But they didn't, did they? They got worse. And now it's because of you."
The words hit Minjae like a physical blow.
"They say I deserve it now—all of it—because I'm with you." Jiho's eyes were red-rimmed when he finally looked up. "And you... you always show up to save me. Every single time. You must feel so sorry for me, right? Poor, pathetic Jiho who can't even stand up for himself."
"That's not"
"I actually thought..." Jiho's voice dropped to a whisper, so quiet Minjae had to lean closer to hear. "I was stupid enough to think you might actually like me. But that night, you said you wanted to end our fake relationship."
The words hung between them like a blade.
"So you must hate me too, don't you?" Jiho's laugh was broken glass. "Then why? Why do you keep protecting me? I don't understand..."
Before Minjae could answer, Jiho grabbed the front of his shirt with desperate fists, his composure finally cracking completely.
"I don't understand any of it!"
That's when Minjae couldn't take it anymore. He reached up with gentle hands, cupping Jiho's tear-streaked face, thumbs brushing away the wetness with infinite tenderness.
And then he kissed him.
The kiss was soft and deep and full of everything Minjae had been too scared to say. It tasted like apologies and promises, like coming home after being lost for too long.
Jiho went perfectly still in his arms, lips trembling against Minjae's. The tears didn't stop, but they changed—became something softer, something that spoke of healing rather than breaking.
When they finally parted, Minjae rested his forehead against Jiho's, their breaths mingling in the space between them.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, his own eyes bright with unshed tears. "I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you from all of this. But Jiho... I've never pitied you. Not once."
He brushed away another tear with his thumb, the gesture so tender it made Jiho's breath hitch.
"You're the strongest person I know."
Jiho stared at him, stunned and searching, trying to understand why that kiss had felt like safety itself, why Minjae's apology sounded like a love confession.
The Confession
The moment stretched between them, fragile and precious, until Jiho's phone buzzed against the couch cushions. The sound made them both jump.
Seungwoo's name flashed on the screen.
Jiho hesitated, then answered with a shaky "Hello?"
"Jiho-ya! Thank god—are you okay?
I'm such an idiot, I should have been there.
I was so caught up in moving and unpacking, I didn't even think about what you might be going through. I'm the worst friend ever, aren't I?"
"It's okay," Jiho managed, his voice still rough from crying. "Really, I'm fine now—"
But Minjae gently took the phone from his hands before he could finish.
"He's with me," Minjae said, his voice calm but protective. "I'll have him call you back later."
"Wait, Minaje-ya? I need to know he's—"
"He's safe. I promise. But I need to talk to him about something important right now."
Minjae ended the call before Seungwoo could protest, setting the phone aside with deliberate care.
"What—" Jiho started, but Minjae was already taking his hands, holding them like they were made of spun glass.
"I need to explain something," Minjae said, his voice barely above a whisper. "That night when I said I wanted to end our fake relationship—it wasn't because I hated you."
Jiho's heart stuttered in his chest.
"I said it because..." Minjae's eyes met his, dark and sincere and impossibly gentle. "Because I didn't want it to be fake anymore. I want something real with you, Jiho-ya..."
The world tilted sideways. This has to be a dream. People like Minjae don't fall for people like me.
But Minjae was still talking, still holding his hands like they were precious.
"I don't know exactly when I fell for you. Maybe it was that day you gave me your melon bread when I was too grumpy to eat lunch."
Jiho's eyes went wide. He remembers that?
"Or when you lent me your umbrella and ran home in the rain yourself because my driver was late." Minjae's smile was soft and wondering. "Or maybe it was in the nurse's office when I had that fever. I was burning up, could barely think straight, but having you there made everything better."
Jiho felt tears threatening again, but these were different—warmer somehow.
"I know now what this feeling is," Minjae continued, his voice growing stronger with each word. "It's love. I love you, Jiho-ya. So much it feels like drowning sometimes."
The confession hung in the air between them, beautiful and terrifying.
"I'm happiest when you're around. I want to protect you, hold you when you cry, laugh with you when you're happy. I want all of it."
Then, with a reverence that made Jiho's heart ache, Minjae lifted both of his hands and pressed gentle kisses to his knuckles, first one, then the other.
Jiho was still trying to process everything—his brain spinning like a broken record—when Minjae's phone started ringing.
"Ah, shit," Minjae muttered, glancing at the screen. "I forgot about Potato."
He answered quickly. "Hey, Eunsu—"
"HYUNG!" A tiny voice shrieked through the speaker, so loud that Jiho could hear every word. "Why aren't you here yet?! And why is that mean girl here again? I don't like her! I want YOU!"
Jiho had to bite back a smile at the indignant tone.
"Yah, don't be rude," Minjae said, but his voice was warm with affection. "Ha-eun noona is being nice to you."
"I don't care! She's not you! And she's not mom either!"
"Listen, Potato," Minjae said gently, "Jiho hyung isn't feeling well today. Can you be a good boy and play with Ha-eun noona instead? Just for today?"
A long pause, then a dramatic sigh that sounded far too mature for a four-year-old.
"Fine... but next time you come, you HAVE to bring Jiho hyung too! I wanna meet him!"
"I promise," Minjae said without hesitation, and Jiho felt something warm unfurl in his chest.
He didn't even ask me first, Jiho thought, but instead of being annoyed, he found himself smiling. Why does that make me happy?
When Minjae hung up, Jiho looked at him with curious eyes.
"So your little brother knows about me?"
"Yeah," Minjae said, like it was the most natural thing in the world. "I talk about you all the time. He's been wanting to meet you for weeks."
Their eyes met, and something shifted in the air between them. Jiho could see it in Minjae's gaze the way he was looking at him like he was finally seeing something he'd been searching for. Like maybe this impossible thing between them could actually work.
Minjae's hand came up slowly, his fingertips barely grazing Jiho's cheek. "Jiho-ya... can I"
The way he said made Jiho's chest tight. Soft. Careful.
Then Minjae was pulling him close, and when their lips met this time, it felt like everything clicked into place.
God, this was so different from before. Minjae kissed him like he meant it—like he'd been wanting to do this for months and finally didn't have to hold back. Jiho's hands found the front of Minjae's shirt, gripping tight, and he kissed back just as desperately.
They fit together perfectly, lips moving like they'd done this a hundred times before. Minjae's hands were in his hair, gentle but sure, and Jiho could taste something sweet on his tongue—maybe it was just Minjae, but it made his head spin.
Time went weird. Two minutes, three, maybe more. Jiho didn't care. He could have stayed like this forever, with Minjae's heartbeat against his chest and the quiet sounds he made when Jiho's fingers tangled in his hair.
When they finally had to breathe, Minjae didn't let go. He just pulled back enough to look at Jiho, his eyes dark and a little dazed.
"Is this really happening?" Jiho whispered, his forehead still pressed against Minjae's. His voice came out shaky, but he didn't care anymore. "I keep thinking I'm gonna wake up."
Minjae's thumb brushed across his cheekbone, so gentle it made Jiho want to cry again but the good kind this time.
"You're not dreaming," Minjae said quietly, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of Jiho's mouth. "I'm right here. We're right here."
Jiho smiled then really smiled and it felt like something breaking open in his chest. The good kind of breaking. Like maybe all those cracks were just making room for something better.
"Yeah," he breathed, leaning into Minjae's touch. "We are."
For the first time in forever, everything felt like it might actually be okay. Better than okay, even.
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