Archive of Our Own

.・。.・゜✭•┈┈┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈┈┈•.・。.・゜✭

[The Boy in the Ring]

The clock ticked beside Jaehyun’s desk, the time seeming to slow down more and more as the boy read over arrangement documents his father had just given him. Each sound felt like it hammered another nail into the life he never wanted.

The papers were spread neatly across the polished mahogany desk; contracts, proposal outlines, a schedule for engagement meetings, legal jargon he understood perfectly but wished he didn’t. His father insisted on explaining them anyway, standing tall beside him like a pillar he was expected to resemble one day.

“This marriage isn’t optional,” his father had said before leaving. “You will sign where needed.”

And then he walked out, as if he hadn’t just carved Jaehyun’s future into stone.

Jaehyun ran a hand through his perfectly styled hair, messing it up for the first time that day. His reflection in the glossy desk glared back at him; tired eyes, stiff shoulders, a tie tugging too tightly at his throat.

He looked like a boy playing dress-up as a man. A man he didn’t choose to be. His gaze drifted reluctantly back to the main document, bold and cold at the top:

Proposal for the Alliance Marriage Between Heir Myung Jaehyun and—

He stopped reading. He already knew the name. He’d been hearing it all week. His mother had spent hours talking about the family: what they owned, who they knew, the reputation they held. All Jaehyun heard was everything he’d lose.

Freedom. Choice. The slightest chance of being someone else.

He leaned back in his chair, pressing his palms against his eyes until stars burst behind them. He wasn’t stupid, and he wasn’t naive. This was how their world worked. Marriages were contracts dressed up as celebrations. Feelings were liabilities.

But Jaehyun had never felt so hollow before.

A soft buzzing on his phone broke the silence. He wasn’t expecting anyone. He rarely got messages unless they were from family or assistants or tutors reminding him about obligations.

But this one was different.

| Leehan: Hyung, you home?

Jaehyun exhaled a shaky breath and typed back.

| Jaehyun: Yeah. Why?

The reply came instantly.

| Leehan: You sound boring already. I’m coming up.

Jaehyun stood so abruptly his chair nearly slid back. “No wait—” he muttered, but it was too late. Leehan was probably already past the front gate. No one ever stopped him; everyone liked him too much.

Jaehyun straightened the documents, shoved the engagement folder closed, wiped the exhaustion from his face with both hands, and tried to look less like a boy quietly drowning.

A knock echoed against his bedroom door.

“Jaehyun? You alive?”

He swallowed and pulled the door open.

Leehan stood there wearing a mischievous smirk, eyes sweeping over Jaehyun’s expression like he was reading a mood board. “You look awful.”

“Thank you,” Jaehyun deadpanned.

“Good news,” Leehan announced, pushing past him and entering the room without waiting for permission. “I’m kidnapping you.”

“No,” Jaehyun said immediately. “Whatever it is—no.”

“Yes,” Leehan said with the same energy. “You need to stop rotting in here.”

Jaehyun crossed his arms. “I’m not rotting.”

Leehan gestured at the documents on the desk. “You’re rotting.”

Jaehyun glanced at them, and something in his chest twisted so tightly he felt the pressure in his ribs. He turned away before Leehan could see the look on his face.

“Hyung,” Leehan said more gently now, “you’re twenty two, not eighty. You shouldn’t look this tired.”

Jaehyun let out a humorless breath. “Life happens.”

“No,” Leehan corrected, walking toward him with a sudden spark in his eyes. “Life is what I’m about to show you.”

Jaehyun raised a brow. “What does that mean?”

“It means,” Leehan said, grabbing Jaehyun’s wrist with a grin that was too excited to be safe, “we’re going out.”

“I have work to—”

“Your father’s work,” Leehan interrupted. “Not yours.”

Jaehyun opened his mouth to argue. Then he closed it. Because suddenly the room felt too small. The documents felt too heavy. His future felt too decided. And maybe he shouldn’t have let Leehan pull him toward the door.

But when Jaehyun glanced back at the sleek desk, the arranged marriage folder sitting like a verdict

He looked away before he broke.

“Fine,” he muttered. “One hour.”

Leehan grinned like a wolf. “Hyung, you have no idea where we’re going.”

Jaehyun frowned. “Where are we—”

“Down,” Leehan said cryptically.

“Down?”

“You’ll see.”

Jaehyun sighed and grabbed his jacket. “This better not be illegal.”

“…Define illegal.”

“Leehan.”

“Just trust me!” Jaehyun didn’t trust him.

But he followed anyway

Because anything.. anything felt better than sitting alone in that room with a future he didn’t want.

The elevator dinged open in the a sketchy garage a few blocks from Jaehyuns neighborhood, and Leehan bounced on his feet, eyes bright with secrets. Jaehyun hesitated at the entrance.

Leehan nudged him forward.

And just like that.

They stepped into the night that would change everything.

Jaehyun realized he’d made a mistake the second the elevator doors rattled shut behind him.

The air grew heavier the deeper it sank, buzzing faintly with bass he could feel through the soles of his shoes. Leehan stood beside him, practically vibrating with excitement, hands shoved into his jacket pockets like he had been waiting for this moment all week.

“You’re gonna thank me,” Leehan said, tilting his head, eyes shining under the dim elevator lights.

“For what?” Jaehyun muttered. “calling me rotten and taking me to a sketchy garage to kill me?”

Leehan snorted. “Relax. You need to see that the world is bigger than board meetings and etiquette lessons.”

That stung a little because Jaehyun knew it was true. He had spent the past month suffocating under expectations, under decisions made for him, under a life that fit him like a steel cage disguised as a suit. And maybe that was why he didn’t say no when Leehan offered something different. Something real.

The elevator jolted to a stop and opened with a hiss.

Heat hit him first—thick, humid, laced with sweat and cigarette smoke. Then came the sound: chanting, shouting, metal clanging, the low hum of a crowd that hadn’t come for fun. They’d come to watch blood. A warehouse stretched out before them, lit by flickering neon signs strapped to rusted pillars. The air smelled like adrenaline and spilled beer. People pushed past them wearing ripped jackets, scuffed boots, and expressions that said they’d seen more than Jaehyun ever would.

Jaehyun swallowed. He was painfully out of place in a crisp white shirt and polished shoes.

“This way,” Leehan said over the noise, weaving through bodies like he belonged here.

Jaehyun followed, trying not to stare at everything at once. The center of the warehouse was dominated by a boxing ring. Ropes frayed, mat stained with things he didn’t want to identify. A harsh overhead light hung above it, humming like an insect about to die.

The moment he saw the ring, something in Jaehyun’s chest tightened. This wasn’t a sport. This was survival. The announcer shouted something, and the crowd erupted just as someone climbed over the ropes.

And that’s when Jaehyun saw him.

A boy with red hair, the kind of red that didn’t look dyed but burned.. his eyes either bruised or dressed in smoky eyeshadow, Jaehyun couldn’t tell from far away. Sweat made the strands stick to his forehead, glowing under the lights like embers.

Jaehyun stopped walking.

The boy was all sharp lines and coiled strength. His hands were wrapped in tape that had once been white but was now stained a dozen shades of brown and crimson. Bruises bloomed along his ribs in faded purples and fresh blues.

And yet, he stood like nothing in the world could touch him.

“Who is that?” Jaehyun breathed, barely aware he’d spoken aloud.

Leehan paused, glanced back, followed Jaehyun’s line of sight and smirked.

“Oh. Him?” Leehan shrugged. “That’s Taesan.”

The name itself felt rough, like stone scraping along stone. Jaehyun couldn’t look away.

“He’s pretty famous around here, most fighters refuse to go up against him.”

Taesan rolled his shoulders once, then lifted his head, his gaze swept over the crowd with the calm precision of someone who’d spent a lifetime searching for threats.

And then his eyes reached Jaehyun.

They stopped.

Jaehyun forgot what breathing was.

For a single, suspended second, it felt like Taesan wasn’t looking at the heir of a company, or the boy in expensive clothes, or someone who didn’t belong here.

He looked at him like Jaehyun was just another person. Just a boy standing in a crowd. And somehow, that stripped Jaehyun bare.

The bell rang, snapping the tension.

Taesan turned away, and the fight started.

Jaehyun watched, hypnotized.

Taesan didn’t fight like the other boxers; wild and desperate. He moved with a chilling, controlled brutality, every strike clean and purposeful. His red hair whipped with each dodge, streaks of flame cutting through the dim warehouse. His body was a map of past battles, but none of it slowed him.

He fought like someone who had built himself from nothing but grit. Someone carved from the things Jaehyun’s world didn’t allow: danger, freedom, hunger.

Every time Taesan landed a blow, the crowd roared, but Jaehyun barely heard them. His heartbeat overshadowed it all, thudding in time with Taesan’s movements.

Then, midway through the fight, Taesan’s opponent swung wide. Taesan ducked, turned—

—and his eyes flicked to Jaehyun again.

Just for a heartbeat. But Jaehyun felt it like a collision.

Heat rushed up his neck, pooling beneath his collar.

Taesan’s expression didn’t change, but something in his eyes sharpened in curiosity, maybe. Or recognition of something Jaehyun didn’t know he was showing.

The fight ended with Taesan landing a final, brutal strike that sent his opponent crashing to the mat. The crowd exploded in cheers, drowning Jaehyun in noise and movement.

But Taesan didn’t join them.

Breathing hard, chest rising and falling, he lifted his head.

And looked for Jaehyun.

Found him.

Held his gaze.

Jaehyun’s pulse stumbled.

Leehan slapped Jaehyun’s back. “Now you see why people come down here.”

But Jaehyun barely heard him.

Because Taesan stepped to the edge of the ring, resting his taped knuckles on the ropes, eyes still locked on Jaehyun’s like a question neither of them had asked aloud yet.

Jaehyun’s breath shook.

He wasn’t supposed to be here.

But suddenly, he knew.. absolutely, terrifyingly—

He was going to come back.

Even if he didn’t understand why. Even if he wasn’t allowed to.

“Shit.”

.・。.・゜✭•┈┈┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈┈┈•.・。.・゜✭

[Close enough to burn.]

The hallway wasn’t quiet.

It should’ve been just concrete walls, flickering lights, the faint smell of rust and old detergent. But Jaehyun could hear something roaring in his ears as he walked toward the metal door Taesan disappeared through.

His heartbeat.

Too fast. Too loud. Too scared and too drawn in at the same time.

He reached the door before his thoughts caught up, his hand pushing it open without permission from the rest of him. Leehan lost behind him and forgotten.

The room inside was dim, lit by a single bulb that swung lazily overhead, casting long, breathing shadows across the walls. It smelled of sweat and old dust, but underneath it was something warmer. Something alive.

Taesan.

He stood with his back to the door, shirt tossed aside, tape half-unwrapped from his knuckles. His red hair was damp. His shoulders broadened as he lifted a hand to wipe blood from his lip, muscles flexing, skin marked with bruises Jaehyun couldn’t begin to imagine earning.

Jaehyun didn’t mean to stare, but he also couldn’t stop.

Then Taesan spoke, voice low and rough from the fight:

“You gonna stand there all night?”

Jaehyun jolted.

Taesan didn’t turn yet. Didn’t look. But something in the air shifted again.. like he knew exactly what Jaehyun looked like right now, exactly what staring at him did.

Slowly, too slowly, Taesan turned his head.

And Jaehyun fell into that gaze.

Up close, Taesan’s eyes were darker than in the ring. Warmer. Sharper. Like they cut through him all at once and lingered on the pieces.

“You followed me,” Taesan said.

This time it sounded like a question, but it wasn’t one. It was a confession. An accusation. A dare.

Jaehyun’s throat tightened. “I… I was worried. You were bleeding.”

Taesan’s gaze dropped slowly to Jaehyun’s hands. Clean hands. Careful hands. Hands that had never been wrapped for a fight.

“Does my bleeding bother you?” Taesan asked softly.

Jaehyun swallowed. “I didn’t say that.”

Taesan stepped toward him. One small step. But it was enough to change everything in the room. Jaehyuns back pressed against the door before he realized he’d moved. The metal was cold. Taesan was not.

He stopped less than a breath away; so close their inhales tangled in the space between them, so close Jaehyun could smell heat on his skin.

Taesan braced a hand against the door beside Jaehyuns head.

Jaehyuns breath stuttered.

His heartbeat slammed.

Taesan’s voice dropped lower. “Then why are you here?”

Jaehyun’s mouth felt dry. “I didn’t want you to be alone.”

Taesan breathed out through his nose; short, quiet, almost a laugh. “You look scared.”

“I’m not scared,” Jaehyun lied.

Taesan leaned closer, just enough that Jaehyun felt warm breath trace along his cheek, down to the corner of his jaw.

“Then why are you shaking?” Taesan whispered.

Jaehyun hadn’t noticed he was. Not until Taesan said it. Not until Taesan’s eyes dragged down his throat like they could feel the pulse hammering there.

Jaehyun managed, “You’re too close.”

Taesan’s lips twitched. “You’re the one in my space though”

His voice wasn’t mocking, it was soft. Dangerous. Like he couldn’t believe Jaehyun really came looking for him.

Like it meant something.

Taesan lifted his hand to Jaehyun’s collar, not touching, just hovering, tracing the shape of it with his eyes like he wanted to see if Jaehyun would flinch, but he didn’t.

Taesan’s voice dropped even lower. “Say it. Say you didn’t want to see me.”

Jaehyun’s breath caught. “I… can’t.”

Taesan’s jaw clenched. His eyes closed for a moment, like the admission hit him somewhere he didn’t expect.

When they opened again, they were darker.

“Then don’t lie to yourself,” Taesan murmured.

Jaehyun felt heat crawl up his neck. His hand lifted on instinct.. barely, just a few inches, like he might touch Taesan’s arm.

Taesan glanced at Jaehyun’s hand and something flickered in his expression. Something hot. Something hungry.

“You’re shaking again,” Taesan whispered, voice rougher now.

“I’m not afraid of you,” Jaehyun said, breath trembling.

Taesan leaned in until the tip of his nose almost brushed Jaehyun’s cheek. Barely there. Almost contact. Almost.

A whisper away.

“Good,” Taesan murmured. “You shouldn’t be.”

Jaehyun’s chest felt like it was on fire.

And then Taesan slowly.. so slowly.. drew back a few inches. His hand slid down from the door, knuckles grazing the fabric of Jaehyun’s shirt before he pulled away completely.

The space between them still felt crowded.

“I should go,” Jaehyun whispered.

Taesan’s eyes lowered to his lips for a fraction of a second. A single heartbeat.

Then he said, voice softer than anything he’d said yet:

“If you walk out now… you’ll come back.”

Jaehyun swallowed. “How do you know?”

Taesan took one step back, the first space he’d given him since Jaehyun entered the room.

“Because I can feel you looking at me,” he said.

“And you don’t stop.”

The door behind Jaehyun suddenly felt too warm.

His knees weak, his pulse unsteady.

Taesan turned away, grabbing a towel from the crate like he hadn’t just unraveled every solid thought Jaehyun had left.

“Go,” Taesan said quietly. “Before I make it harder for you.”

Jaehyun escaped before he found out whether Taesan meant it. He didn’t make it three steps down the hallway before realizing the truth:

He was going to come back, and it wasn’t for the fight.

.・。.・゜✭•┈┈┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈┈┈•.・。.・゜✭

Jaehyun told himself he wasn’t coming back. He repeated it over and over as he walked the familiar hallways, as if saying it out loud could keep him sane. He had no right to be here, no reason to want this, no excuse to throw himself back into Taesan’s world. And yet, every step toward the door felt magnetic, pulling him forward whether he wanted it or not.

Leehan wasn’t even with him, he wasn’t being forced to do this. For crying out loud he’s walking out in broad daylight, 2:00pm and searching for the warehouse in hopes to find the boy who caught his attention yesterday.

And there he stood, right in front of the very same elevator.

The door opened into heat and sweat, into the thrum of movement and the scent of blood and leather. Taesan was there, shirtless, glistening under the dim light, knuckles wrapped, red hair plastered to his damp forehead as he struck the sandbag with precision and force. Each punch made the bag sway and thump against the concrete floor, and the motion was hypnotic. Every muscle in Taesan’s body flexed like a living sculpture, dangerous and beautiful, and Jaehyun felt his chest tighten at the sight.

He tried to convince himself he was here to talk, to ask questions, to learn something, to… anything that would mask the fact that he wanted this. Wanted him. And yet the moment Taesan shifted, pivoted, and caught sight of him, all rational thought evaporated.

“You came back,” Taesan said without turning, voice low and smooth, edged with amusement. “Alone this time. I can’t tell if you’re brave, or stupid.” He smirked, landing another sharp hit to the punching bag, the sound echoing the empty practice room.

Jaehyun stood there silently, his thoughts now collectively screaming at him. Why did he come back without having anything to say? What is he even supposed to say? and why the fuck does Taesan look so goddamn hot right now?

“Listen pretty boy, i don’t have enough patience for you to just stand there and look at me” Jaehyun snapped out of his thoughts at Taesans direct sentence, his cheeks flushed red in embarrassment as stammers slipped past his lips

"You know, you're the first one who's made me this interested. Normally I'd have punched someone who stared at me like that."

“I didn’t— first of all my name is Jaehyun a-and i’m not..” Jaehyun muttered, his eyes only glued to Taesans physique. He was tall.. very tall. His toned yet slim stomach flexing as he rolled back his shoulders to prepare for another punch at the bag, clearly trying to impress him.

“You know you didn’t have a reason to come back” Taesan broke the silence, his eyes swept over the frozen boy, sharp, piercing, and unsettlingly aware, as if he could read every impulse Jaehyun had tried to bury since the last encounter.

“But you did. that means you liked what you saw, correct?”

Taesan grinned, awfully widely. Jaehyun groaned in slight annoyance, the youngers teasing getting to him. Taesan approached closer, ducking under the ropes of the ring and taking painfully slow steps towards Jaehyun, like he was taunting him.

Heat now radiated from his body, slowly pressing into Jaehyun, and for the first time, he realized he didn’t want him not to.

“You’re following me”

“I’m not… following you,” Jaehyun said, voice trembling slightly despite himself.

“You are,” Taesan said softly, tilting his head, one corner of his mouth tugged into that teasing, infuriating smile. “And you like it.”

Jaehyun wanted to deny it. Wanted to swear he wasn’t here because of this, because of him, because of the way his heart raced and the way every nerve in his body responded without permission. But he couldn’t. Not completely. Instead he crossed his arms, tugged at his own sleeves, trying to appear indifferent. “You’re full of yourself.”

Taesan laughed softly, the sound low and teasing, a growl wrapped in amusement, and stepped closer. Just close enough that Jaehyun felt the heat, the brush of breath, the pull of something magnetic that made it impossible to look away.

“And yet, here you are,” Taesan said, voice husky. “Watching me. Followed me to practice. Do i have a little fanboy in my arms now?”

Jaehyun swallowed hard, a sudden awareness prickling through him. He hated that it thrilled him. That he didn’t recoil from the closeness, that he wanted it, needed it, even though every rational thought screamed otherwise. “I—I didn’t come to see you,” he murmured, hating the slight tremor in his own voice.

“You lie well,” Taesan said, smirking, stepping closer again. His fingers trailed lightly along the edge of Jaehyun’s shirt collar, not enough to touch fully, just enough to make Jaehyun shiver, to make his own skin ache for more. “But if that’s so.. who are you here to see then, hm? i’d be interested in having a conversation with the person who’s stolen your attention from me”

Jaehyun could’ve sworn he felt a spark down his spine. He gazed up into Taesans eyes, his hands twitched, fingers brushing against his own chest as if to steady himself. He tried to back away, to pull his mind together, to remind himself that this was wrong, reckless, dangerous.. but his gaze kept finding Taesan’s. His pulse thudded against his ribs, and every nerve screamed in a language he refused to admit out loud.

“No one” Jaehyun muttered, his voice barely audible

“I know. Your body doesn’t lie very well” Taesan whispered leaning close enough for Jaehyun to feel his breath ghosting against his cheek. Jaehyun blinked rapidly, head spinning, mouth dry. “I’m not.. i’m not here for—” he tried again, voice cracking, “Im here.. because—”

Taesan didn’t let him finish. He stepped forward, slow and deliberate, until their foreheads almost touched. Their breaths mingled, his red hair brushing lightly against Jaehyun’s temple; his lips hovered a whisper away, close enough to feel but not close enough to claim.

“Because you want me,” Taesan murmured. “Right?”

Silence. A single, devastating heartbeat of it.

“You’re impossible,” Jaehyun breathed, half-admission, half-resisting, his heart threatening to betray him entirely.

Taesan grinned, brushing the hair off his forehead, leaning just slightly closer, letting the warmth and proximity speak louder than words.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he whispered.

And then his lips closed over Jaehyun’s in the lightest, softest, almost hesitant kiss—barely there, but enough to make Jaehyun’s knees weaken. Enough to draw a quiet, involuntary sigh from his lips before he jerked back a fraction, overwhelmed, terrified of how much he wanted more.

His hands reached for Taesan’s chest without thinking, only to pull away again, panicked and trembling from the heat of contact and the dizzying tension flooding his senses.

Taesan chuckled, low and rough, his chest brushing Jaehyun’s as he leaned close without fully closing the distance again. “You’re cute,” he said again, teasing, watching Jaehyun squirm under the heat and the force of want that had no words.

“I should go,” Jaehyun whispered, voice thick, trying to regain control, trying not to admit that every nerve and fiber in him was screaming to stay. But Taesans grip on his waist immediately stopped him, like he could read his mind.

“You don’t want to leave..” Taesan murmured, inching closer till his breath now ghosting over Jaehyuns neck, teasing his soft and heating skin that’s just begging to be marked. “and i don’t want you to either.”

Before Jaehyun could speak, before he could convince himself to resist, the sharp graze of teeth pressed into his neck. Not hard enough to hurt, just enough to make him gasp, to send a shiver running through him so intense he felt it in his fingertips. A small, strangled groan slipped from his lips before he could swallow it.

“T-Taesan…” Jaehyun breathed, voice cracking, heart hammering wildly. He shouldn’t let this happen. He shouldn’t give in. But god.. he wanted to. There was something about Taesan that hooked into him and refused to let go.

Taesan’s intentions became painfully clear as he slowly guided Jaehyun backward. Each step was slow, controlled, Taesan’s hand still warm on his waist, their bodies close enough that Jaehyun could feel every breath.

Taesan didn’t move back once Jaehyun hit the wall. If anything, he stepped closer, closing the last inches of space with a deliberate slowness that made Jaehyun’s breath catch in his throat. His hand stayed firm on Jaehyun’s waist, fingers digging in just enough to make the contact feel possessive, grounding, dizzying.

“Look at you,” Taesan murmured, voice low, amused, darkened by something that made Jaehyun’s stomach twist in the warmest, most alarming way. “You’re shaking again.”

“I’m—” Jaehyun tried, but Taesan lifted his chin with two fingers, forcing his gaze upward. The gesture wasn’t rough—just confident, steady, the kind of touch that told Jaehyun he’d already lost this fight long before it began.

“Say you don’t want me to touch you,” Taesan whispered. His forehead pressed gently against Jaehyun’s, their breaths mixing, hot and uneven.

“Say it, and I’ll stop.”

Jaehyun opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

His breath hitched. His heart thundered. His hands lifted, hovering uselessly between them, wanting to push Taesan away and wanting to pull him closer with equal desperation.

Taesan smiled—slow, triumphant, and one of his hands slid from Jaehyun’s waist to the side of his jaw, tilting his face ever so slightly.

“Yeah,” he breathed. “That’s what I thought.”

Before Jaehyun could gather enough breath to protest, Taesan kissed him again, but this time it wasn’t hesitant. It wasn’t testing. It was slow, deep, intentional. A claiming kind of kiss, warm and hungry, the kind that stole thought and breath and resistance all at once.

Jaehyun’s hands finally moved, fisting weakly into the front of Taesan’s shirtless chest, gripping him not to push him away but to hold on. His fingers trembled against his hot skin, nails scraping lightly along muscle, a soft gasp breaking against Taesan’s mouth. His knees threatened to give out entirely.

Taesan groaned low in his throat, the sound vibrating against Jaehyun’s lips, his grip on Jaehyun’s waist tightening as he pressed him more firmly against the wall. Their bodies lined up, heat to heat, chest to chest, enough to make Jaehyun’s breath stutter and his pulse explode in his ears.

“See?” Taesan whispered against his lips, voice husky. “You feel better when you stop pretending.”

Jaehyun didn’t answer, couldn’t answer, not when Taesan’s mouth trailed along his jaw, not when warm lips brushed just below his ear, not when teeth grazed lightly at the sensitive skin and pulled another shaky breath from him. His hands moved on instinct, fingers threading into Taesan’s damp red hair, pulling him back in without thinking.

That was all Taesan needed.

He kissed Jaehyun deeper, hungry but controlled, his hands roaming Jaehyun’s hips, his back, his jaw, exploring with a confidence that made the older’s mind blur at the edges. Every nerve fired. Every part of him leaned forward, wanting more, wanting him.

A soft, helpless sound escaped Jaehyun’s mouth into Taesan’s. It barely existed, but Taesan heard it. Felt it, and responded instantly—his hand sliding under Jaehyun’s shirt just enough to touch warm skin, just enough to drag a shiver straight up his spine.

Jaehyun gasped sharply, breaking the kiss for half a second.

“Taesan—” he whispered, half warning, half plea.

Taesan smiled against his skin. “I know,” he murmured. “I’ve got you.”

Another kiss, hotter, deeper, stealing thought from him again.

Jaehyun’s back arched against the wall. Taesan pressed closer. Their breaths tangled, fast and uneven, the air between them charged and thick and heavy.

Jaehyun’s hands roamed without permission, pulling him in, giving himself away inch by inch.

Taesan’s mouth traveled from Jaehyun’s lips to his throat, jaw, collarbone.. slow, deliberate, leaving warmth and possibility in every touch.

Jaehyun’s breath shook. His eyes fluttered shut. His fingers clenched in Taesan’s hair. The tension climbed, each kiss slower and more devastating than the last.

Taesan’s voice dropped to a whisper against his skin, barely audible, breath hot.

“Tell me to stop.”

Jaehyun didn’t say anything except let out a pathetic and needy whimper.

The next thing he knew, he was being dragged to the back of the practice room, a corner that was subtly hidden by a rusty metal wall. The corner reeked of sweat and blood, but Jaehyun couldn’t care less as he pressed himself closer against Taesan, growing needier and desperate.

Jaehyun was perfect, maybe too perfect, especially for a disheveled mess Taesan. His expensive clothes slowly being discarded to the side and the younger’s hands roamed Jaehyuns now bare torso, and gazed into his eyes. Those irresistible puppy eyes that Taesan felt so drawn to.

“Fuck.. why are we doing this out in the open? anyone can walk in right now..-“ Jaehyuns breath shook, wrapping his arms around Taesans neck to pull him closer, as if shielding his bare body from the possible exposure for anyone who would walk into the place.

“Relax puppy.. no one comes by around this time. and we can make this quick” Taesan grinned, his lips now hovering over Jaehyuns neck again and pressing gentle kisses over his hot skin.

“D-did you just call me..” Before Jaehyun could even finish his sentence, the younger slipped his knee between Jaehyuns legs, eliciting a shuddered moan out of him, his eyes fluttering closed.

Taesans eyes darkened with satisfaction at his reaction, pressing his knee harder against the trembling boy. "That's right, puppy. I called you exactly what you are - desperate and needy."

"And I love breaking needy little things like you."

Jaehyuns heart was beating harshly against his chest as he felt himself giving in completely and grinding against Taesans leg desperately, his moans slowly becoming more audible.

“Please.. please do something, anything” Jaehyun pleaded weakly, gripping onto Taesans shirt as he bucked his hips faster, but that was quickly stopped by Taesans strong grip on his waist, pushing him further against the corner and swiftly slipping his hand down Jaehyuns pants.

"You're so eager it's pathetic," Taesan purred, his fingers wrapping around Jaehyuns hardening member through his underwear "What if i just leave you like this right now and untouched?"

“N-no! no please.. don’t leave..” Jaehyun pleaded even more pathetically, looking up at Taesan with begging puppy eyes, it made the youngers knees buck slightly. “i want you.. don’t keep me waiting”

“You’re lucky you’re pretty..” Taesan smirked, now wrapping his hand around Jaehyuns cock while his other hand helped take off the his pants.

Jaehyun moaned at the contact and bucked his hips upwards against Taesans hand, weakly attempting to fuck into it but failing once Taesan gripped his hips tighter to stop his movements.

“Stay still puppy.. let me do the work” he whispered into Jaehyuns ear that’s now flushed a bright red. He suddenly spun the older around and pinned him fully against the wall, grinding his growing bulge against Jaehyuns ass with a possessive growl.

"I can feel how much you want me to ruin you," Taesan purred, biting down on Jaehyun's neck while grinding harder. "Your body's so honest, it's making me want to fuck you right here."

His hands roamed possessively over the olders chest, fingers teasing his nipples as he pressed his weight against him, effectively trapping Jaehyun between him and the wall.

“Fuck fuck— please,” Jaehyun moaned weakly, desperately grinding against Taesans hand, but the younger quickly stopped him.

"Please what, puppy? Use your words properly." Taesan's voice was thick with desire as he continued marking his neck, leaving visible marks.

“god just fuck me already, please! i need it so bad”

Taesan let out a low chuckle, his fingers moving to Jaehyun's entrance while he continued grinding against him. "Such a demanding little thing. But you're not in charge here."

He pushed one finger inside without warning, starting to stretch Jaehyun roughly while his other hand gripped his hair. "I'll fuck you when I decide you deserve it. And right now, you're begging a little too much."

Jaehyun let out a loud groan at the rough treatment, his grip now tightening against the wall as he pressed his face against the cold metal, panting heavily and spreading his legs wider, but he kept his words to himself this time.

"That's better," Taesan praised, adding another finger and scissoring them inside Jaehyun's tight hole. “Such a good puppy when you submit."

He twisted his fingers deliberately, hitting that sensitive spot while his free hand moved to squeeze Jaehyun's ass possessively.

Taesan removed his fingers suddenly, causing Jaehyun to whimper at the loss. He quickly undid his own pants, his hard cock springing free.

"I'm going to ruin you so good" he whispered, positioning himself at Jaehyun's entrance while spreading his cheeks apart with one hand. "And you're going to take everything I give you, aren’t you, pretty?"

Jaehyun nodded so eagerly it was pathetic, this is so wrong. This is so very wrong.

But he wanted it so bad.

Taesan lined himself up and slowly slipped inside, Jaehyun whimpering loudly at the painful stretch—reminding him that he was in fact doing this raw and completely unsafe.

But.. did he really care? no. not when Taesan fully bottomed out with a quick thrust, making Jaehyuns knees buck with a low moan.

The younger set a steady pace, starting slow and adjusting to the tightness.

“Fuck.. you feel so good baby. So tight and pretty” He whispered sweet nothings into Jaehyuns ear. All the older could respond with was a shaky moan.

He hasn’t done something like this in so long. It felt so hot, so sticky and gross, but so fucking good. He backed his hips up against Taesan with a desperate plea to the younger to go faster.

Taesan didn’t waste any time and smirked widely, thrusting roughly against Jaehyuns ass, skin slapping echoed the gym along with Jaehyuns weak moans. “F-fuck! taesan—“

"Look at you, taking my cock so fucking well," Taesan grunted, his pace becoming even more punishing as he reached around to stroke Jaehyun's neglected cock

"Such a perfect little hole for me to keep” Taesan whispered possessively, a shiver running down the older’s spine.

Jaehyun bucked his ass back, meeting Taesans quick thrusts as they both felt themselves get closer.

“You gonna cum for me, pretty?” Taesan growled against Jaehyuns ear, stroking his cock even faster as his thrusts became more brutal.

Weak and desperate nods were all that Jaehyun could do as he felt his orgasm crash over him, spilling onto Taesans palm with a shaky moan.

The younger followed and quickly pulled out, coming right onto Jaehyuns ass with a groan.

“oh.. fuck.”

꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚꒷︶

Jaehyun barely slept. It was already 8:30 in the morning.

Every time he closed his eyes he felt it again, Taesan’s breath against his neck, the sound of his voice dropping to a low murmur, the weight of his hands holding him steady as if Jaehyun belonged there.

He hated that he remembered the warmth. He hated that the memory made his heart stutter instead of recoil.

Worse, his body remembered every second more vividly than his thoughts did.

He shot upright in his bed, shoving the blankets away as if the heat under them was Taesan’s fault too. “God,” he muttered, dragging a hand down his face. “What am I doing?”

He wasn’t supposed to want him, he wasn’t supposed to do that in the first place. His dad would be furious, unforgiving.

Jaehyun knew he fucked up, his mind was racing with unforgiving thoughts of last night. but he couldn’t stop..

Couldn’t stop thinking about how much he wanted Taesan again. He refused to admit it himself, that he wasn’t starting to develop some sort of feelings for this guy that he had just met two days ago. But he was, and it only got worse the more he thought about last night.

Though his thoughts were interrupted when he heard his phone buzz on top of the nightstand.

His heart dropped for a second.

A message from Taesan;

“Come to my fight tonight. I want to see you”

A simple, casual, yet confident message that made Jaehyuns stomach churn in need. “Fuck” he muttered under his breath. Should he go? he wasn’t sure. but his fingers were faster than his brain

“Yeah sure, i’ll be there” he messaged back.

Jaehyun can’t tell his mom or daddy.

“Dress pretty, baby” Taesan had replied back immediately

He could have sworn his stomach exploded with butterflies as he read the message. He didn’t even hear his room door opening as Leehan waltzed in and froze by the doorway looking at Jaehyun with a suspicious glint

“What the fuck happened to you?” Came a voice from the doorway.

Jaehyun jolted so hard he nearly fell out of bed. Leehan stood there, staring at him like he’d walked in on a crime scene.

“What— nothing! Nothing happened— what are you doing here?” Jaehyun blurted, scrambling upright, patting down his hair and trying to erase the expression on his face. His phone slipped from his hand and landed somewhere on the floor.

Leehan stepped inside, eyebrows raised. “Don’t worry about why I’m here. Worry about why you look like you’re about to pass out. Your face is as red as a devil’s ass cheek.”

Jaehyun glared at him. “Can you not—”

But Leehan just grinned, wide and obnoxiously. “So? Who is he?”

Jaehyun froze.

And that was all Leehan needed. He crouched down, grabbed the fallen phone before Jaehyun could stop him, and read the two messages on the screen.

The smirk dropped. Then came back ten times stronger. “Oh my god,” Leehan whispered. “Oh my god. You.. you and— holy shit.”

“Don’t!” Jaehyun reached for the phone, mortified. “It’s not like that! it wasn’t—”

“You have.. THE Han Taesan, calling you baby,” Leehan hissed, trying not to yell. “And telling you to dress pretty for him? Jaehyun, what the hell did you do last night?!”

Jaehyun collapsed back onto his bed with a groan. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Too bad,” Leehan said, tossing the phone beside him and crossing his arms. “Because I’ve never seen you look like this. You’re freaking out. And also weirdly glowing? seriously what happened?”

Jaehyun swallowed, throat tight, eyes darting away. “I… went back to that warehouse.”

“With Taesan.”

“Leehan—”

“you guys FUCKED?!”

Jaehyun pressed his palms over his face, the shame and want and fear swirling violently inside him. “STOP..- It was stupid. I shouldn’t have gone. And I definitely shouldn’t have… shouldn’t have let things go that far.”

Leehan’s expression softened for a moment. “Jaehyun… okay. I’m not judging. But you’re clearly losing your mind over this.”

“Because I can’t do this,” Jaehyun whispered, almost desperate. “I can’t be.. involved with him. With anyone. Not right now.”

Leehan blinked. “Why not?”

This part was harder to say than everything else. He stared at the blanket, voice barely above a whisper. “Because… I’m getting engaged.”

Leehan’s jaw dropped slowly, and silence crashed over the room.

“Engaged,” Leehan repeated. “You?”

Jaehyun nodded, miserable. “My parents arranged it for business. I’m supposed to meet them next week.”

“Oh my god.” Leehan sank onto the edge of the bed. “Jaehyun, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because I didn’t want it to be real,” Jaehyun whispered, his eyes shaking with held back tears.

Leehan stared at him for a long moment. “So you’re caught between Taesan and an engagement you never asked for.”

Jaehyun shut his eyes, chest tight. “Yeah.”

“And Taesan… doesn’t know.”

“No.” His voice cracked. “He can’t.”

Leehan sighed deeply, rubbing his temples. “Okay. Tell me the truth then, how do you feel about him?”

Jaehyun’s heart lurched. He tried to form words, excuses, denials, anything—
but what slipped out was raw and unguarded:

“…I can’t stop thinking about him.”

Leehan dropped his hand slowly. “Yeah. That’s what I thought.”

Jaehyun swallowed, throat burning. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to handle this. I don’t want to hurt him and I don’t want to get hurt either.”

“So why’d you say yes to seeing him tonight?”

Jaehyun didn’t respond. He didn’t have to.

They both knew the answer.

Jaehyun sat there for a long moment, letting the weight of everything sink into him. The more he tried to calm down, the more the memory of Taesan’s voice, Taesan’s hands, Taesan’s mouth pressed right back into his mind; feverish, unwanted, humiliatingly addictive.

He could feel the ghost of last night on his skin like a mark no one else could see, and it made him tremble with something dangerously close to craving. It wasn’t denial anymore; he knew exactly what he wanted, and it was the one person he absolutely shouldn’t.

He stared down at his phone lying on the bed beside him, screen dim but radioactive in its own way. Just the thought of checking it again made something tighten in his stomach.

Leehan continued watching him with raised eyebrows, completely unbothered by Jaehyun’s internal collapse.

“So,” Leehan drawled, “you’re going.”

Jaehyun didn’t bother denying it this time. The message was already sent. Telling Taesan he’d show up felt almost like a confession. One Jaehyun wasn’t ready to say aloud, but one he couldn’t take back.

His fingers brushed the edge of the phone, the memory of Taesan’s message echoing:

Dress pretty, baby.

It replayed again. And again. Warmth crawled up his neck, settling in his chest like it planned to stay.

Leehan noticed immediately. “Wow,” he muttered. “You’re actually blushing. What is happening right now?” Leehan couldn’t help but stifle a laugh seeing his friend so wrapped up in his head about a boy. It’s the first time Leehan has seen him like this.

“Nothing, shut it” Jaehyun said, though there was no real bite behind it. His voice was too heavy, too restless. He ran a hand through his hair, the movement sharper than necessary. “I just… need to get ready.”

“For your not-date,” Leehan said with a grin, stepping further into the room to annoy him more efficiently. “At an underground fight. With a pretty infamous boxer you apparently can’t stop thinking about.”

Jaehyun ignored him and crossed the room to his closet. Beneath the neatly arranged shirts and color-coordinated designer clothes, the ones chosen by stylists, parents, anyone but him. He searched for something that felt like him, not the version of himself his family crafted.

His hand paused over a black turtleneck he never wore but always kept. Soft fabric. Clean lines. Simple but striking. It made him think of the way Taesan looked at him; direct, lingering, consuming.. as if stripping Jaehyun out of every mask he’d ever worn.

Without second-guessing, he pulled it out.

Leehan gave a low whistle when he slipped it on. “Okay. not too shabby, but im pretty sure Taesan said ‘pretty’.”

“Okay well i don’t know how to dress ‘pretty’.” Jaehyun muttered, though his reflection told a different story. “I just want to look put-together.”

“Right,” Leehan said. “Because you always dress like you’re trying to ruin a man’s entire week.”

Jaehyun shot him a glare, but the comment hit too close, too honestly. He didn’t want to ruin anything, but he wanted to be seen.

He wanted to walk into that warehouse and feel Taesan’s eyes lock onto him again. He wanted to feel that heat, that pull, that dizzy, terrifying hunger.

He wanted Taesan, he knew it, and hating that truth didn’t make it any less real.

As he adjusted his collar again, Leehan’s teasing faded into something gentler, more concerned. “You look like you’re about to explode. What’s going through your head right now?”

Everything.
Too much.

Jaehyun leaned both hands against the dresser, breathing in slowly. “I really just.. can’t stop thinking about him, im going insane” he admitted quietly, surprising even himself with how easily it came out. “It’s like—ever since that night, I can’t get him out of my head. And I don’t know if that makes me pathetic or reckless or both.”

“Maybe it just makes you human,” Leehan said.

“It makes me screwed,” Jaehyun whispered. “Because I want him. And I can’t have him. Not with the engagement. Not with any of it.”

Leehan opened his mouth to argue, but Jaehyun continued before he could.

“But even knowing that… I still want to see him.” He lifted his head, eyes stormy and raw. “What does that make me?”

Leehan stepped closer, expression softening. “It makes you someone who’s finally feeling something real. And maybe that terrifies you more than the engagement does.”

Jaehyun sighed. He slipped on the jacket draped over the back of his chair. It framed him perfectly, accentuating everything he wished Taesan wouldn’t notice but desperately hoped he would.

Leehan watched him gather himself with a small nod of approval. “Look at that. Ready for trouble.”

Jaehyun exhaled slowly, letting the fabric settle around him. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“But you’re still going.”

“…Yeah,” Jaehyun said, voice low, almost resigned. “I am.”

Because despite everything, the engagement, the guilt, the danger, a magnetic pull tied itself around his ribs, tugging him toward Taesan again.

And the terrifying part was realizing he didn’t want that pull to stop.

“Let’s go,” Jaehyun said, grabbing his keys. “Before I change my mind.”

Leehan smirked. “You’re not changing anything. You already made that decision the second you woke up.”

Jaehyun couldn’t deny that for sure.

.・。.・゜✭•┈┈┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈┈┈•.・。.・゜✭

The warehouse was already pulsing with life when Jaehyun and Leehan pushed through the doors, lights flickering across the packed crowd, music vibrating through the floor. The energy hit like a wave—hot, chaotic, charged with the kind of tension that stuck to your skin. Jaehyun swallowed hard, nerves tightening with every step. He didn’t want to admit how much he hoped Taesan was already looking for him, or how his pulse jumped with every glimpse of red hair in the crowd.

He followed Leehan up the metal stairs toward the balcony, the higher vantage point giving them a perfect view of the ring where fighters were getting warmed up. Jaehyun scanned the floor, breath catching when he finally spotted him. Taesan standing near the cage entrance, hoodie off, knuckles wrapped, hair sticking up in messy fiery strands that somehow made him look even more irresistible. One glance at him and Jaehyun felt heat rush through his chest, a memory from last night slamming into him so hard he had to grip the railing.

“Dude,” Leehan muttered beside him, “you look like you’re gonna pass out.”

“Shut up,” Jaehyun hissed, dragging his eyes away, though not for long.

A buzzer sounded. The announcer introduced the fighters. Taesan rolled his shoulders, stretching out the tension, jaw tight, eyes razor-sharp. Every movement screamed confidence. Power. Control. Jaehyun’s breath stuttered watching the way his muscles tightened and released, how the crowd cheered his name like he owned the entire place.

The fight began. Taesan moved like he was made for this; quick footwork, clean hits, sharp dodges, each strike landing with precision that sent ripples through the screaming crowd. Jaehyun couldn’t look away, heart pounding every time Taesan’s gaze flicked upward.. brief, searching, almost instinctive. It felt like every punch he threw was fueled by the memory of Jaehyun against the wall last night, by the heat they’d shared.

Then someone stepped up beside Jaehyun on the balcony railing, leaning in way too close.

“Well damn,” the stranger said, voice smooth, confident. “Didn’t know the fights were attracting pretty boys now.”

Jaehyun turned, startled. The guy was tall, sharp-featured, wearing expensive rings and a smirk that made Jaehyun’s stomach twist, not in a good way. He recognized him from earlier talk in the crowd: Sungho, the one who ran the betting numbers and handled the deals for the warehouse.

“Oh, uh—thanks?” Jaehyun managed, trying to inch away without making it obvious.

Sungho noticed and only smirked more. “First time here? You should’ve told me. I’d personally give you a tour. I know every inch of this place.” His hand slid halfway toward Jaehyun’s lower back before Jaehyun shifted with a half-step.

He wasn’t interested. At all. But Sungho either didn’t see it or didn’t care.

Down in the cage, Taesan blocked a punch, twisted his opponent’s arm, and drove him into the mat. The crowd roared. But Taesan didn’t look at them.

His eyes snapped up.

Straight to Jaehyun.

Straight to Sungho standing too close.

Taesan froze for half a second, just enough for Jaehyun to see the change in his expression, the flicker of something feral cutting through his focus. Jealousy. Anger. Possessiveness so sharp it felt like it charged the air.

Then Taesan turned back to his opponent with a force that bordered on vicious.

His hits landed harder, every movement sharper than before, fueled by something raw. The crowd went wild as Taesan took control of the fight completely, dominating with brutal efficiency until the final blow knocked the opponent down for good.

The buzzer sounded. Victory.

Taesan didn’t celebrate. He didn’t smile. He didn’t even lift his arms.

He just looked up again.

Jaehyun’s breath caught when their eyes locked.

Sungho followed the direction of Jaehyun’s stare, then let out a low whistle. “You know him? He’s staring like he’s about to jump up here and drag you off.”

Jaehyun felt heat flood his cheeks. “We’re… acquaintances.”

“Sure,” Sungho said, amused. “If that’s what you wanna call it.”

As the crowd dispersed, Taesan left the cage, but he didn’t head toward the locker rooms like the other fighters. He walked with purpose toward the back hallway, muscles tense, jaw set, every step loud with irritation he wasn’t bothering to hide.

A minute later, Jaehyun’s phone buzzed.

| Taesan: “Come down. Now.”

The message was short, and unmistakably Taesan.

Jaehyun’s stomach twisted in panic, excitement, dread, and want all at once. Leehan gave him a knowing look and shoved him lightly. “Go before he climbs up here and grabs you himself.”

Jaehyun descended the stairs with his heart pounding, slipping through the corridor until he reached the door marked ‘private’. He barely knocked before Taesan opened it from the inside and pulled him in.

The door slammed shut.

The room was warm, dim, still smelling faintly of sweat and metal. Taesan stood close, too close, breathing heavy from both the fight and something darker. His knuckles were still wrapped, shoulders glistening with sweat, hair sticking to his forehead in fiery strands.

“You really let him talk to you like that,” Taesan said, voice low and dangerous, pacing once as if trying to contain the storm building inside him.

Jaehyun blinked, startled. “Taesan-”

“He was practically on you,” Taesan growled, stepping toward him with slow, deliberate steps. “Touching you. Smiling at you like he had a chance.”

“He didn’t,” Jaehyun said quickly. “I wasn’t—”

“You didn’t move away,” Taesan said, stopping in front of him. “You let him stand there. You let him talk to you.”

Jaehyun felt heat crawl up his neck. “You were in the middle of a fight, what was I supposed to do, shove him off the balcony?”

“I don’t care what you did,” Taesan said, voice dropping even lower. “I care that you looked at him.”

“I didn’t,” Jaehyun said, cheeks burning. “I was watching you.”

Taesan’s jaw clenched.

Jaehyun hadn’t planned to admit that. The moment the words left his mouth, Taesan’s fingers curled at his sides like he was holding himself back.

“You were watching me,” he repeated, quieter now, more dangerous in the softness.

Jaehyun swallowed. “Yes.”

Something in Taesan snapped.

Not violently. Not loudly.

But in the way he closed the distance, his hand lifting to Jaehyun’s jaw, thumb brushing the corner of his mouth while his body pressed, warm and unignorable, against him.

“You came here for me,” Taesan said, breath ghosting over his lips. “Not him.”

Jaehyun couldn’t breathe. “I know.”

“And you dressed for me.”

“well.. yeah”

“And you watched me fight like you wanted me to win for you.”

Jaehyun’s knees nearly buckled at the low rumble of Taesan’s voice. “Taesan—”

“I’m not letting him touch you again,” Taesan murmured, his forehead brushing Jaehyun’s. “You understand?”

Jaehyun’s breath shook. “Yeah. I understand.”

Taesan’s hand slid to the back of Jaehyun’s neck, slow and sure, pulling him closer until their lips almost brushed.

“Good, I like my pretty treasures all for myself.” he whispered.

Then he kissed him. It was deep, heated, possessive, the kind that left Jaehyun’s hands fisting in his shirt, the kind that made thinking impossible. Taesan pressed him back against the lockers, breath mixing with his, the fight’s adrenaline still thrumming under his skin.

The room grew darker. Warmer. Their movements slower, then urgent, like Taesan was trying to prove a point that Jaehyun wasn’t going anywhere any time soon.

꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚꒷︶꒷꒥꒷‧₊˚꒷︶

The first thing Jaehyun felt was heat.

Not the thick, stifling kind from the warehouse floor the night before, but a warm, steady heat pressed along his side. The lingering warmth of a body that had been next to his minutes ago. His eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the dim lighting of the small private room. The faint hum of an overhead bulb buzzed somewhere above him. His head rested on a firm pillow, his shirt was unbuttoned halfway down, and his hair was a complete mess.

Everything from last night hit him at once.

The way Taesan had backed him against the wall without raising his voice. How Jaehyun had leaned in instead of pulling away. The kiss that hadn’t been soft or hesitant, it had been hungry, certain, like Taesan had known Jaehyun would completely melt and writhe the second he was inside.

Jaehyun sat up too fast, a hand rising to his throat as if he could push the memory away. His fingertips brushed the faint mark there, and heat shot straight down his spine. He cursed under his breath and squeezed his eyes shut.

He shouldn’t have done this. He couldn’t be doing this. But the thought of not doing it again made his stomach twist in the best way possible.

He dragged a hand through his hair, forcing himself to breathe normally before the door behind him clicked open. Jaehyun snapped his head up.

Taesan stepped inside, still toweling off damp hair, a clean tank top clinging to his chest and sweatpants hanging just low enough to be distracting. His eyes landed on Jaehyun immediately, sweeping over him like he was checking which parts he’d left flushed the night before.

The smirk came slowly.

“Morning.”

Jaehyun’s pulse jumped. He tried to keep his expression neutral, but Taesan walked toward him like he already knew exactly how fast his heart was beating at a thousand beats per minute.

“You stayed longer than I thought you would,” Taesan murmured, tossing the towel aside and sitting beside him on the bed without asking. Their knees brushed. Jaehyun’s breath hitched; quiet, but not quiet enough.

“I didn’t stay,” Jaehyun shot back, looking away. “I just… fell asleep.”

“Mhm.” Taesan reached out and tipped Jaehyun’s chin up with two fingers, turning his face toward him. “Looks like you slept well.” he smirked.

Jaehyun swallowed. His throat felt too tight. Taesan’s thumb brushed along the faint marks and bites on his neck before Jaehyun jerked back, but it was too late, the shiver had already betrayed him.

“I need to go,” he said quickly, standing.

Taesan didn’t grab him, nor did he block the door. He didn’t even stand all the way up. He simply leaned forward, elbows on his knees, watching Jaehyun like he was memorizing the way he tried and failed to put distance between them.

“Okay, bye.”

Jaehyun’s fingers hovered over the doorknob, but he didn’t turn it. Taesan’s quiet voice reached him before he could.

“Come back later tonight.”

“I can’t,” Jaehyun said, even though part of him was already imagining the way Taesan would look at him if he showed up.

“Alright.”

Jaehyuns stomach churned in guilt for a moment, but quickly shook away his thoughts and left through the door.

.・。.・゜✭•┈┈┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈┈┈•.・。.・゜✭

Jaehyun lays on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling as if he could somehow make his brain shut up. It didn’t work. Not even close.

Every time he tried to think about anything else, his mind drifted back to Taesan.. the heat of his hands, the way he said Jaehyun’s name like it already belonged to him, the low, confident murmur that still clung to Jaehyun’s ears.

He rolled onto his stomach and buried his face in his pillow, letting out a frustrated groan.

He wanted him. God, he wanted him so badly it scared him. But wanting him meant risking everything: the engagement, his father’s plans, the reputation he had never wanted but still had to maintain. He knew all of it, but none of it mattered when he remembered the way Taesan touched him.

His phone buzzed against the comforter.

He hesitated before checking it— a part of him already knowing who it would be.

| Taesan: “You up?”

Jaehyun’s heart flipped. He typed back quickly before he could think:

| Jaehyun: “Yeah… why?”

A second buzz.

| Taesan: “Look outside.”

He blinked, sat up, and crossed the room to push open the curtains.

Taesan somehow snuck in to his backyard. Standing under the glow of the light post, hands in the pockets of his black hoodie, looking up at Jaehyun’s window like he had every right to be there at 11:43 PM.

Jaehyun felt his pulse slam against his ribs.

He rushed down the stairs as quietly as possible and slipped out the back door, pacing towards Taesan while burying himself in his hoodie and crossing his arms.

“What are you doing here?” Jaehyun hissed, glancing instinctively toward the house. “My parents—”

“I didn’t come to see your parents,” Taesan grinned, stepping closer with that same slow, unbothered confidence that always made Jaehyun’s stomach twist. “I came to see you.”

“That’s not— you can’t just show up here,” Jaehyun stammered, even though the sight of him standing there made something soft curl inside his chest.

Taesan raised a brow and looked Jaehyun up and down. “So this is what you look like at home. Cute.”

Jaehyun flushed. “Shut up.” he mumbled under his breath, crossing his arms further as if covering himself.

Taesan didn’t. Of course he didn’t.

His gaze drifted past Jaehyun to the tall windows, the expensive stonework, the neatly trimmed hedges.

“So this is where the little rich boy lives,” he said with a slow grin. “Explains a lot.”

Jaehyun’s jaw dropped. “I am not a ‘little rich boy.’”

“You literally are.” Taesan scoffed, amused. “All this? Big house, fancy gates, lawn that probably costs more than my bike?”

“It does not— okay, maybe it does, but that’s not the point—”

“A nepo baby,” Taesan declared with mock seriousness.

“I’m going back inside,” Jaehyun muttered, turning around.

Taesans hand wrapped around his wrist. Warm, steady. Enough to stop him without force.

“Hey.” Taesan’s voice softened, but a small smile remained plastered on his face. “I’m messing with you.”

Jaehyun didn’t look back at first, not until Taesan stepped around him, brushing their shoulders together before stopping inches from his face. Under the porch light, Taesan’s expression shifted completely, losing all sarcasm.

“I just wanted to see you,” he said quietly.

The words knocked the air out of Jaehyun as he looked up at his soft smile

It wasn’t the flirtation. It wasn’t the teasing. It wasn’t the heat that sparked whenever Taesan looked at him too long.

It was the sincerity.

Jaehyun felt himself weaken in a way he wasn’t ready for.

“You could’ve just texted,” he whispered, though the sentence lost its strength halfway through.

“I did,” Taesan murmured. “And you said you were awake.”

“That doesn’t mean ‘oh yeah come show up in my backyard’..”

Taesan stepped closer again, close enough that Jaehyun could smell the faint hint of smoke and soap clinging to him. His hand dropped from Jaehyun’s wrist only to settle at his waist, fingers curling naturally, like he’d been waiting to touch him all night.

“You wanted me to come though.”

Jaehyun’s breath hitched. He hated how easy it was for Taesan to read him. Hated the way his body reacted before his mind caught up.

But he didn’t lie.

“I did,” he whispered.

Taesan’s thumb brushed along Jaehyun’s waist, slow and warm. It sent a line of heat up his spine.

“Good,” Taesan murmured, leaning in just enough that Jaehyun felt his breath touch his cheek. “Because I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

Jaehyun froze.

That…
That was unfair.
That was too soft.
Too real.
Too risky.

“Why?” Jaehyun asked before he could stop himself. The word came out small, breathy, almost scared.

Taesan looked at him like the answer was obvious.

“Because you’re the first person in a long time who’s made me feel anything.”

Jaehyun’s heart nearly broke on the spot.

Not from pain, not from guilt—but from the overwhelming, terrifying warmth that spread through his chest so fast he didn’t know what to do with it.

He couldn’t stop looking at Taesan. Couldn’t breathe properly. Couldn’t deny the way he was falling into something he knew he shouldn’t even be touching.

Taesan lifted his other hand and brushed a piece of hair away from Jaehyun’s forehead, fingers lingering longer than necessary.

And Jaehyun leaned into the touch without thinking.

Taesan’s brows softened, something almost vulnerable flickering across his face, a softness Jaehyun hadn’t seen before.

“You don’t have to pretend around me,” Taesan said quietly. “Not here. Not with me.”

Jaehyun felt his throat close up. Emotion swelled, hot and tight, behind his ribs—guilt mixing with yearning so painful it almost hurt.

“I’m scared,” Jaehyun admitted, voice trembling. “I shouldn’t want this. I shouldn’t want you.”

“..Okay, then stop wanting me,” Taesan whispered.

The challenge hung in the air.

Jaehyun couldn’t answer.. or move.. or look away.

Taesan smiled. Not cocky, not mocking. Warm, and Dangerous.

“I didn’t think so,” he murmured.

He leaned in slowly, giving Jaehyun time to pull away. Jaehyun didn’t move.. he didn’t want to. Instead his hands lifted to Taesan’s hoodie, fingers curling into the fabric.

The kiss was warm, slow, unlike everything that had happened in the warehouse. It wasn’t about heat or tension or being overwhelmed.

It was gentle.

And it broke Jaehyun completely.

Taesan kissed him like he mattered.

Like he wasn’t just a toy or a distraction.

Jaehyun clutched his hoodie tighter, breath catching as they kissed again, and again, each one more devastatingly soft than the last.

When they finally pulled apart, forehead against forehead, Jaehyun’s entire world felt tilted.

“Let me see you again,” Taesan whispered. “Tomorrow, or whenever you want.”

Jaehyun didn’t hesitate this time.

“Okay..”

Taesan smiled, thumb tracing Jaehyuns cheek ever so gently, and Jaehyun fell hard enough that he knew the crash later would destroy him.

And he couldn’t stop, not after seeing the boy behind the fighter; the warmth, the softness, the part of Taesan he had never shown anyone else.

Jaehyun wasn’t just falling.

He was already gone.

.・。.・゜✭•┈┈┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈┈┈•.・。.・゜✭

They had a routine now

Not one they ever talked about, not one they planned but one that happened naturally, like gravity. Jaehyun found himself drifting toward Taesan every night he could escape. Taesan found excuses to text him first. They met in hidden corners, dim garages, quiet rooftops, borrowed rooms behind the warehouse.

It wasn’t supposed to become something real.

But it did.

Some nights, Taesan would pull Jaehyun into his side and kiss him slow, like he had all the time in the world. Other nights, they’d lie there catching their breath, Jaehyun tracing the curve of Taesan’s jaw while Taesan played with his fingers, brushing soft circles into his skin.

Jaehyun didn’t remember the last time someone made him feel that safe.

Or that wanted.
Or that alive.

Tonight, Taesan was a bit late.

Jaehyun leaned against the back wall of the warehouse, hoodie pulled tight around him, checking his phone more than he should. He tried not to worry, but Taesan rarely kept him waiting. Rarely made him feel uncertain.

Eventually, footsteps echoed through the hallway

Taesan stepped into the light. His knuckles were scraped raw. There was dried blood on his cheek and sweat in his hair.

But his smile when he saw Jaehyun?

So soft and warm.. a real smile.

“You’re early,” Taesan said, dropping onto the worn-out couch and patting the spot beside him.

“No,” Jaehyun said, sitting down. “You’re late.”

Taesan smirked. “Miss me?”

“Shut up,” Jaehyun muttered, though his body immediately relaxed against Taesan’s side.

Taesan leaned his head back, eyes half closed. “Long fight. Coach was on my ass.”

“…Did you win?”

A slow, tired grin. “Always.”

Jaehyun wanted to say several things, that Taesan should be careful, that he hated seeing him bruised, that this life seemed too dangerous. But every time he tried to speak, Taesan leaned into him, and Jaehyun forgot what caution even was.

They sat in comfortable silence for a long time, Taesan’s thumb tracing lazy patterns on Jaehyun’s thigh. It felt domestic. Like something neither of them wanted to break.

“Hey,” Taesan murmured after a while. “You okay? You seem… off.”

Jaehyun stiffened slightly.

He was off because every day this went on, the guilt got sharper. His father expected progress on the marriage arrangement. Meetings had been discussed. Dates whispered. Jaehyun dodged every conversation, but he couldn’t dodge it forever.

“I’m fine,” Jaehyun lied.

Taesan frowned and shifted, sliding a hand to Jaehyun’s jaw and forcing him to meet his eyes. “You’re such a bad liar.”

The older swallowed, his heart tightening. Taesan’s touch was gentle, so gentle it hurt, he could feel his heart slowly shattering.

Because he didn’t deserve it.

Because he knew he was going to break Taesan.

He knew he would hate himself long before anyone else got the chance to. He leaned into Taesan’s hand despite himself. Just a moment.. just a little longer.

“Whatever’s going on baby.. you can tell me.”

Jaehyun’s chest burned. “Not yet.”

Taesan hesitated, then nodded, not pushing nor demanding, just trusting.

And that—that was what tore Jaehyun apart.

He curled into Taesan’s side and held him close, let himself pretend for one night longer that this wasn’t doomed.

But he knew.

Every bruise kissed on Taesan’s knuckles.
Every gentle kiss Taesan pressed to his hair.
Every moment they spent tangled together in stolen hours,

It only made the ending feel worse, inevitable

Because Jaehyun wasn’t allowed to choose happiness. And Taesan had no idea he was falling for someone already promised to someone else.

.・。.・゜✭•┈┈┈••✦ ♡ ✦••┈┈┈•.・。.・゜✭

Jaehyun knew something was wrong the moment he stepped into the dining room. His father never waited for him like this—seated, composed, reading glasses perched low on his nose, a stack of heavy envelopes spread neatly across the polished table. His mother stood near the windows with her arms crossed, posture stiff in a way that made Jaehyun’s stomach twist before a single word was spoken.

“Sit,” his father said, tone calm but firm.

Jaehyun obeyed, an unease curling in his chest. He’d been expecting this moment for months, but expecting it didn’t soften the blow waiting in the center of the table. His father slid the papers toward him with a kind of quiet triumph, the kind he always had when something fell exactly into place.

“It’s done,” he said. “The arrangement is now official.”

The words dropped like a stone into Jaehyun’s chest, and for a second he couldn’t breathe at all. He stared down at the crisp documents, the signatures, the seals, the proof that his entire future had been signed and exchanged without his voice ever mattering. His name written beside another he barely knew, binding him to a life he had never chosen.

His father continued speaking, explaining alliances and mergers and stability, but Jaehyun couldn’t hear any of it. His pulse drowned out every word. The air felt too thin, his vision too sharp around the edges, as if the room itself knew exactly what this meant and pitied him for it.

Taesan flashed into his mind so abruptly it hurt. Taesan leaning into his space, hands warm against his waist, voice low and teasing, breath brushing his lips in a way that made the world tilt. Taesan walking through Jaehyun’s window at night with that confident half-smile, asking if he’d missed him. Taesan kissing him like no one had ever dared to. Taesan holding him like he was something worth choosing.

All of it collided violently with the weight of the documents in front of him.

His hands curled into fists and tears welled in his eyes, his throat closing up as he tried to hold everything back.

“So you’ll begin meeting with the family next week,” his father said, stacking the remaining pages with cold precision. “There will be dinners, introductions, photographs. It’s important you behave properly. This is bigger than you, Jaehyun. You understand that, correct?”

He didn’t. He hated it. He wanted to rip the papers in half and shout that he wasn’t a bargaining chip, that he wasn’t a pawn to be moved around. But when he met his father’s expectant gaze, the rebellion died somewhere in his throat. Fear, duty, years of conditioning—they all pressed down on him until he nodded stiffly.

“Yeah,” he forced out. “I understand.”

His mother offered a shallow smile, the kind that didn’t reach her eyes. “This will secure everything for our family. It’s a great honor.”

Honor, duty, responsibility.. words that felt like chains around his ribs.

After a few more instructions, they dismissed him, and Jaehyun walked out with the papers still burning in his hands. He made it halfway down the hall before he had to stop, pressing his back to the wall as his breath came in shallow, uneven bursts. The reality of it wrapped around him like ice, suffocating and unrelenting.

He didn’t want this life. Not like this. Not with someone chosen for him by business strategies and family pressure. Not when he had tasted something entirely different—messy, dangerous, intoxicating, real. so fucking real.

Taesan.

Every part of him ached at the thought, because he knew exactly what this meant. Whatever they had been doing; sneaking around, touching like they couldn’t help it, kissing like it was something inevitable—it had no place in the future his family had carved out for him.

And yet, the stupidest part of him still wanted Taesan anyway.

Still wanted to see him tonight. Still wanted to feel his hands again, hear his voice, kiss him until the rest of the world blurred out long enough for Jaehyun to pretend he wasn’t trapped.

He slid down the wall slowly, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes. He couldn’t tell Taesan. Not yet. Not when everything between them was tangled with feeling he didn’t know how to name. Not when the guilt was already tearing at him from the inside.

But one thing was clear, undeniable, terrifying:

The arrangement was official. And he couldn’t do anything about it.

┅┅┅┅┅┅┅༻❁༺┅┅┅┅┅┅┅

Taesan looked like he had sprinted through the night just to get here. His hair was a little messy, his cheeks flushed, his breath still uneven when he slipped in through Jaehyun’s window with that stupid, radiant, heart-splitting smile. His hands were full, too full, one clutching a small bouquet of wildflowers he must’ve picked on the way, the other carrying a crushed paper bag holding something he’d clearly planned.

Jaehyun could tell instantly. Tonight was meant to be something beautiful.

“Told you I’d figure out how to climb this tree quieter,” Taesan snickered, voice buzzing with excitement. “Didn’t break a single branch this time.” He dropped down into the room, chest swelling with pride. “Aren’t you proud of me, pretty boy?”

Jaehyun couldn’t speak.

Taesan kept going, oblivious, walking over with a grin so warm Jaehyun felt physically sick. “Also—uh.. these are for you.” He lifted the flowers awkwardly. “You said you liked this tiny blue one, remember? I don’t know a lot about flowers, but..! I found it, so.”

Jaehyun’s throat tightened so hard he almost choked.

“And,” Taesan added, his smile softening, “I kinda wanted to give them to you when I asked you something. Something I’ve been thinking about for weeks now already, haha”

Jaehyun froze entirely.

Taesan noticed. He set the flowers carefully on the desk, then turned back, stepping closer, reaching for Jaehyun’s waist with the same gentle confidence he always had.

That was when Jaehyun stepped back.

Taesan stopped like someone had jammed a knife between his ribs.

“Hey,” he said quietly, brows pulling together, “what’s wrong? You… you look like you’re about to cry.”

Jaehyun was about to cry. He sucked in a shaky breath, and when he finally spoke, his voice broke on the first word.

“Taesan… I can’t.”

Taesan’s whole world seemed to go still. His hands dropped to his sides, fingers twitching. “Can’t what?” he asked, voice thin. “Did something happen? Did I- did I do something wrong?”

“No,” Jaehyun whispered. “No, no.. you didn’t. It’s me. It’s my.. my family.”

Taesan blinked, confused but trying desperately to understand, trying to stay calm. “Okay.. So talk to me. I’m right here, yeah? Just tell me.”

Jaehyun’s eyes burned as he finally forced the words out.

“An arrangement,” he chocked out. “My father signed it, and it’s official. I’m getting married…”

Something in Taesan snapped, not violently—just a quiet, devastating crack that almost made Jaehyun collapse with it.

Taesan didn’t move at first. His jaw clenched, unclenched, chest rising in short, sharp breaths. He looked away, looked back, looked away again—like he couldn’t make his eyes stay still long enough to process what he’d just heard.

His voice came out low, strained.

“You’re joking.”

“I’m not.”

“You’re joking,” Taesan repeated, stepping forward as if he could force reality to bend. “Tell me you’re joking. Tell me this is.. this is something your dad said just to mess with you, or scare you, or—”

“It’s real,” Jaehyun whispered. “It’s real, Tae.”

Taesan’s hands curled into fists, not out of anger—pure, raw panic.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he rasped. “Why didn’t you say anything? I-I’ve been planning tonight for a week, Jaehyun, I- I had this whole stupid speech and.. fuck—” He dragged a shaking hand over his chest, like the ache there was making it hard to breathe. “You should’ve told me.” he burst out, a little louder than he intended.

Jaehyun felt tears spill before he could stop them.
“I didn’t know how to.”

“So you were just gonna let me fall harder?” Taesan’s voice cracked, painfully. “You were gonna let me show up here with flowers like an idiot? You were gonna let me ask you to be mine while you were promised to someone else?”

Jaehyun flinched. “Don’t say it like that—”

“How the hell am I supposed to say it?” Taesan snapped quietly, running both hands through his hair, pacing once in a tight, frantic circle. “I- God, Jaehyun, I can’t lose you like this. I can’t—”

He stopped, voice breaking again, but softer this time, completely stripped of pride. slowly getting on his knees, he crawled closer to Jaehyun, slipping between the older’s legs as he sat on the bed, looking up at Jaehyun with a devastating gaze.

“I will fight the whole world for you, Jaehyun.” he whispered.

Jaehyun sobbed, covering his mouth.

Taesan inched closer, desperate. “Just.. run away from it. Say no. Tell your father you won’t do it. Tell him you don’t want this. He can’t control everything you do—”

“You don’t understand,” Jaehyun choked out. “My family, my dad, this arrangement isn’t optional. It’s bigger than me.”

“I don’t care,” Taesan whispered fiercely.

“You should.”

“Why?” Taesan demanded, voice trembling with anger he didn’t know where to put. “Why should I care about a stupid deal your father made? Why should I care about some arrangement with some girl you don’t even know? Why should I care about anything except the fact that you want me! because you do, Jaehyun, you do—”

“I do,” Jaehyun whispered, broken. “i do, Taesan, it hurts so fucking much.”

Taesan inhaled shakily, as if those two words both healed him and destroyed him.

“Then stay,” he begged. “Choose me. Don’t marry someone else. Don’t pretend we never happened.”

Jaehyun shook his head helplessly. “It’s not that simple.”

“It is,” Taesan said, voice rising, not loud but strained with everything he was desperate to hold onto. “It is that simple when you love someone.”

Jaehyun’s heart dropped to the floor.

“Don’t.. say that.. don’t fucking—”

Taesan stepped forward, cupping Jaehyun’s face with trembling hands, thumbs brushing tears he didn’t know how to comfort.

“But I do,” he whispered, voice raw. “And I’m sorry if it’s too soon or too much or too messy, but I do. I love you. And I can’t stand here and pretend like I don’t when the person I love is being handed to someone else like he’s furniture.”

Jaehyun broke completely. He reached out, gripping Taesan’s wrists, holding onto him like drowning.

“I love you too,” he whispered, shaking violently. “And that’s why it hurts. Because I can’t choose you. I can’t choose anyone.”

Taesan exhaled a sound that wasn’t quite a sob but close—half heartbreak, half disbelief.

“You’re choosing your cage,” he whispered. “Over me.”

“Don’t say it like that—”

“What other way is there?” Taesan asked helplessly. “Tell me what you want, Jaehyun. Not what your father wants. Not what the arrangement demands. You. What do you want?”

Jaehyun didn’t answer, because answering would ruin everything.

Taesan saw it, and he shattered.

He dropped his hands, stepping back as though Jaehyun’s silence had physically struck him.

“So that’s it?” he murmured. “After everything? After every night, every minute—this is where it ends?”

“Taesan please—”

But Taesan shook his head, tears finally spilling, his breath breaking apart.

“No. No, because I can’t accept that. I can’t sit back and watch you walk into a life you don’t want. I can’t lose you to something so fucking meaningless. I—”

He swiped angrily at his face, frustrated that he was crying, frustrated that he cared this much.

“I’m not angry at you, Jaehyun,” he said, voice shaking. “I’m angry because I love you and I’m powerless. Because I can’t save you unless you let me. Because it feels like you’d rather destroy yourself than risk disappointing your father.”

Jaehyun sobbed, unable to speak.

Taesan stepped forward one last time, gently gripping his jaw, forcing him to meet his eyes.

“I will always choose you,” he whispered. “Even if it kills me.”

Jaehyun’s chest completely caved in.

Taesan pressed his forehead to Jaehyun’s, voice trembling, breath warm and uneven.

“I love you.” he whispered, pressing a kiss against Jaehyuns temple. The older tried resisting, tears flowing down his face as he tried pushing Taesan away but he wouldn’t budge. The younger tried to kiss him deeper, his heart breaking by the second as Jaehyuns voice muttered a broken:

“stop,”

“I don’t want to” another desperate kiss, another escaped sob from Jaehyuns trembling lips.

Jaehyun finally managed to fully push Taesan away, who now desperately clutched onto his shirt.

Because he knew that once he let go, he wasn’t gonna be able to come back.

“Leave, please.”

┅┅┅┅┅┅┅༻❁༺┅┅┅┅┅┅┅

The days after their fight did not collapse dramatically. They decayed quietly, almost politely, as if the universe did not want to disrupt anything while tearing both of them apart.

Everything fell in silence, slowly.

Everything fell too late for either of them to save.

Taesan broke louder.

He still fought at the warehouse, but he entered the ring like someone had removed the core of him. His movements were slower, his mind unfocused. The crowd yelled for him, but he barely reacted. Punches he normally dodged landed hard. Strategies he once relied on slipped through his fingers.

He lost one fight, then another, then another.
Each loss chipped away at him with a surgical precision that no blow from an opponent had ever managed.

People whispered from the sidelines. Some said he was distracted. Others said he was losing his edge. A few muttered he must have experienced a loss. But no rumor captured the truth of it: the only thing that grounded him had been torn from his hands, and now he walked through the world with a grief so clinging and heavy that it pressed into every muscle he used to fight.

He barely cleaned his wounds before heading out again. He trained until his knuckles split. He ignored his coach’s concerns and brushed off everyone who tried to ask him what happened.

And almost every night, his feet carried him to the same neighborhood without him realizing.
He would stand across the street from Jaehyun’s house, breathing quietly, staring up at the window he used to climb through. He stood there until the ache in his ribs pulsed harder than the bruises from his fights.

He never knocked, never sent a message, only watched, then turned away and disappeared back into the night.

He was losing more than matches.

He was losing himself.

————————————

Jaehyun broke quietly.

He did not leave his room for days. He slept too little, ate too little, and thought too much. The air in his room was thick with silence, the kind that felt heavy enough to drown in. Leehan tried everything to coax him out. He joked, barged in, lectured, and eventually started leaving food by the door without saying anything.

None of it worked.

Jaehyun barely moved except to get closer to the wilted flowers Taesan had brought him on the night everything ended. They sat on the corner of his desk, dried and colorless, a cruel memorial to the future he wished he could’ve chosen.

He stared at them until his eyes burned, then covered his face and cried into his hands so quietly that no one outside the door would know. He missed Taesan with a desperation that frightened him. He wanted him back. He wanted his warmth, his voice, his stupid grin, the way he whispered Jaehyun’s name like he owned it. He wanted every part of the life he had let go.

But wanting it changed nothing.

Every time he thought about calling Taesan, guilt sank its claws into him. His father’s expectations echoed in his head. His family’s reputation hung over him like a weight he could never drop. The engagement was no longer a threat; it was a reality. Invitations had been sent. Contracts had been signed. His future was a neatly locked cage with no key.

He sat on the floor most nights, hugging his knees, eyes swollen, breathing in short, shaky bursts. The pain never eased, and the longing never faded.

He whispered Taesan’s name in the dark like a confession, apologies to no one.

The more his heart broke, the quieter he became.

————————————

The wedding day arrived with cruel indifference.

The sun was bright, clouds were cotton soft and scattered. The venue shone with polished floors and white flowers arranged with flawless precision.

Every detail was perfect except the groom.

Jaehyun let the stylists adjust his jacket and fix his collar, but his expression was empty. He stared into the mirror without recognizing the person staring back. His face was pale. His lips trembled every time he breathed. Shadows under his eyes hinted that he had not slept for more than an hour at a time since that night.

His mother fretted over him, trying to brush his hair gently with trembling hands.

“You look exhausted. Are you sure you’re alright?”

He said nothing, didn’t trust his voice enough to try.

He looked down at his hands, and for a moment he imagined Taesan’s fingers between his, warm and grounding. The memory hit him so hard he had to grip the chair to steady himself.

People outside the room were laughing, celebrating, praising the union between two powerful families. But Jaehyun felt like he was suffocating in a room with too much air.

———————————

Taesan was running.

He had woken up before sunrise with an ache so sharp it forced him out of bed. He did not shower. He did not bandage his ribs. He did not think. He simply moved, driven by something instinctive and consuming.

He sprinted through alleys, crossed streets without looking, pushed past startled crowds. Every step felt like dragging himself through fire, but stopping was impossible.

He needed to see Jaehyun one last time.

Even if it shattered him.

Even if it changed nothing.

He needed to know he tried.

By the time he reached the venue, sweat soaked his shirt, his lip was bleeding from reopening the scab, and his chest was heaving. Security tried to block him, but his desperation was sharper than their commands.

He pushed through the doors with wild determination, ignoring the stares, ignoring the gasps, ignoring everything except the single door at the end of the hallway that he remembered from the wedding schedule posted online.

He reached it. Opening it without knocking.

And there was Jaehyun.

Standing in front of the mirror in a pristine white suit, shoulders trembling, eyes red and exhausted. He looked heartbreakingly beautiful and completely destroyed at the same time.

Their gazes met.

The room froze.

“Taesan,” Jaehyun whispered, his voice cracking in disbelief. “What are you doing here?”

Taesan stepped in slowly, trying to keep his voice steady.

“I couldn’t stay away. I tried. I swear I tried to let you go.”

Jaehyun’s face crumpled, and his hand flew to his mouth as if holding back a sob.

“I miss you,” Taesan continued. “Everything feels wrong without you. I can’t fight. I can’t sleep. I can’t think about anything except how empty I feel.”

Jaehyun’s tears spilled instantly.

“I lost every match this month,” Taesan said, voice rough. “I walk around like I’m bleeding from the inside. I don’t care about anything anymore. Nothing feels real without you.”

Jaehyun shook his head violently, desperate. “Don’t say that.”

“It’s the truth,” Taesan whispered. He took a careful step closer. “And look at you. You’re barely breathing. You look like you’ve been drowning for weeks. This is killing you.”

Jaehyun’s voice was small and raw. “I know.”

“Then leave,” Taesan whispered fiercely. “Walk away from this. Walk to me. We can run, we can disappear, we can start over somewhere else. I’ll take care of you. I’ll work, I’ll fight, I’ll bleed, I don’t care what it costs. I’ll take every consequence if it means you’re happy.”

Jaehyun squeezed his eyes shut, tears streaming down his face.

“I can’t.”

“You can.” Taesan stepped so close their foreheads nearly touched. “And I’ll be there every step. I’ll fight anyone who comes after us.”

Jaehyun’s breathing trembled uncontrollably.

And Taesan whispered the sentence that broke him open.

“I love you.”

A sob tore out of Jaehyun, sharp and helpless. He clutched his chest like he could hold himself together by force.

Taesan cupped his cheeks, desperate and trembling.

“Please. Come with me.”

Jaehyun shook his head again, voice raw and nearly inaudible.

“I love you. I do. But I can’t tear my family apart. I can’t bring shame to my father. I can’t ask you to give up your entire life for a future that might swallow us whole. I can’t do that to either of us.”

Taesan froze.

The silence that followed felt like a knife driven between them.

“You’re choosing them,” Taesan whispered. “Not even because you want to, but because you’re scared.”

“I’m doing what I have to,” Jaehyun cried.

“No,” Taesan said painfully. “You’re doing what they want.”

Jaehyun looked at him with a grief so deep it nearly ended Taesan’s ability to breathe.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

Taesan took a step back. Then another. He was shaking so hard his teeth nearly chattered. His voice sounded hollow when he finally spoke.

“Congratulations. You got everything your father wanted.”

He swallowed, and his next words came out as a whisper so broken it barely carried across the room.

“But you lost everything you ever wanted.”

Then he turned, opened the door, and left before the sound of Jaehyun collapsing to the floor could reach him.

The world outside kept celebrating.

The flowers remained bright.

Music drifted through the hallways.

But inside that room, two lives had fallen completely apart. It was now nothing except Jaehyuns broken sobs, kneeling on the floor with clutched fists.

He’s lost everything. His life. His meaning.

Even his best friend.

Leehan had stopped talking to him. He’s ignored him ever since he refused to talk or listen to his advice. He couldn’t stand watching Jaehyun fall apart, so he decided to run away from it and never look back.

A loud bell rung from outside.

It was time.

The wedding march began, Jaehyun walked down the Aisle, emotionless, controlled.

He felt like nothing but a doll. a doll controlled by the heir of his family. His limbs felt numb.

And that was it. Just like that.

This was the end.

Jaehyun no longer felt human.

||Unread Text Message||

| Unknown: “I would have fought the world for you.”