Chapter Eleven: The Breaking Point
"_"
The door opened.The sound wasn't loud or dramatic, but it cut through the tense room like a blade. Both Mingji and Jun turned at the exact same moment. Their bodies reacted before their minds could catch up—shoulders stiffened, breath caught in their throats, and muscles coiled tight as they stared toward the entryway.For a single, agonizing heartbeat, Mingji expected the worst. A staff member. A manager. Someone about to catch them in the middle of a disaster and make everything infinitely worse.Instead, it was Lee.He stood silently in the doorway, one hand still resting heavy against the frame. His eyes lifted just enough to take in the sheer destruction of the room. Shattered glass glittered across the floor like a constellation of broken stars. A stray chair lay abandoned on its side, one of its wooden legs cracked completely through. Books—Mingji's books—were scattered everywhere. Pages were bent, covers torn, and years of accumulated knowledge and memories thrown into absolute chaos.And right in the center of the wreckage stood Mingji. He was breathing hard, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles bled white, his eyes burning with an unreadable fire.Lee froze. He had seen Mingji angry before. He had witnessed his disappointment, his frustration, his cold distance, and his sharp words. But this was something entirely different. This wasn't anger that lashed out to destroy. This was an explosion of anger that had been held inside for far too long.Something deep inside Lee's chest twisted painfully as Mingji's gaze locked onto him. It wasn't just fury swimming in those dark eyes. It was fear. And that terrified Lee more than anything else ever could.For a fraction of a second, time folded in on itself. Lee remembered scraped knees and shared beds from their childhood. He remembered Mingji standing fiercely in front of him during street fights, taking heavy punches that were never meant for him. He remembered promises whispered in the dark: I'll always be here.And now, Mingji stood there looking like he wanted to tear the entire world apart.Jun noticed the shift, too. The silence stretching between the two of them was growing suffocatingly long. Stepping forward quickly, Jun clapped his hands together once—a sharp, loud crack to break the spell."Okay," Jun said, forcing a heavy breath through his lungs. "Now it's clear."Mingji didn't look at him. Lee didn't move an inch.Jun's eyes flicked between them, his jaw tightening in frustration. "You really messed up," he told Lee flatly. "Like—seriously messed up."Lee opened his mouth to speak, but Jun instantly lifted a warning hand. "Don't. Whatever this is? You two need to deal with it." He turned toward Mingji, his voice softening just a fraction. "I'm leaving. Before this turns into something worse."Mingji didn't stop him. He didn't even acknowledge that Jun was in the room. Jun hesitated for just a second at the threshold, then stepped out.The door closed. Click.That small, metallic sound echoed louder than the crash of the chair had earlier. Now, there were only two of them left in the wreckage. Mingji and Lee.The air between them felt thick, almost unbreathable. Mingji's gaze didn't soften; if anything, it sharpened into ice. He took a single, deliberate step forward. Lee instinctively straightened his spine."M–Min," Lee started, his voice cautious, placating. "Let me explain—""Get lost."The words were quiet, but they were lethal."I don't want to see you right now."Lee swallowed hard, his throat dry. "I just—"Mingji moved. Before Lee could even register the motion, Mingji's hand snapped around his wrist. The grip was iron-tight, bruisingly hard. Lee gasped softly as Mingji violently yanked him toward the door, absolute fury pouring off him in waves."Min—wait—!"With a final burst of strength, Mingji shoved him out into the empty hallway. The door slammed shut between them.For a second, there was nothing but dead silence. Then—"Ah—!"It was Lee's voice. Sharp. Full of sudden pain.Mingji froze in his tracks. His heart dropped violently into his stomach, leaving him hollow. No. No, no, no.Panic ripped through his veins, erasing his anger in an instant. He spun back, yanking the door open so fast it nearly slammed off its hinges against the wall."Lee—!"Lee stood there in the hallway, perfectly fine. He was breathing evenly. His eyes were bright, and a small, knowing smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.Mingji stared at him, the realization hitting him like a physical blow. "You—" Mingji's breath shook with a volatile mix of relief and renewed fury. "You lied."Lee's smile widened just a fraction. "Worked, didn't it?"Mingji surged forward, his rage exploding all over again. "Get out—"He reached out to slam the door in his face, but stopped dead. Lee had already moved. He had jammed his foot firmly into the space between the door and the frame.Mingji's eyes dropped to look at the obstruction. The foot. The injured foot.His blood ran entirely cold."Move it!" Mingji shouted, panic crashing violently through his anger. "Are you insane?!"Lee didn't budge. Instead, he threw his weight forward and pushed. Hard.The door flew open. Mingji stumbled backward, caught entirely off guard, and before he could recover, Lee was inside. The door slammed shut behind them, locking them in together once more.Lee didn't give Mingji time to think or react. He stepped into Mingji's space and wrapped his arms around him tightly—far too tightly—pulling him in until Mingji's face was pressed hard into the warm curve of his neck. It was a familiar, safe heat.Mingji began to struggle immediately. "Let go!" he snapped, writhing against the hold. "What the hell are you doing—!"Lee only tightened his grip, anchoring them both. "No." His voice was low, calm, and unshakably steady.Mingji cursed under his breath, trying desperately to shove him away, his fists pushing uselessly against Lee's solid chest. Lee didn't move. He didn't budge an inch. Instead, he leaned down just slightly, his lips brushing against the shell of Mingji's ear as he murmured, "Why are you behaving like this?"Mingji stiffened."Min," Lee whispered softly, using the childhood nickname he never dared to use in public. "You know I don't like this version of you."Mingji's breath hitched in his throat."I don't like it when you're angry at me."Mingji fought back harder, his movements frantic. "Shut up," he growled, his voice breaking. "You don't get to say that—!"Lee hugged him tighter still. Enough to stop him from speaking. Enough to stop him from running away.Slowly, Mingji's strength began to fade. The fight drained out of him like air escaping a punctured lung. His tight fists loosened against Lee's shirt. His shoulders sagged. He stopped pushing.Lee felt the surrender immediately. He loosened his hold just a fraction—careful, cautious, testing the waters. But Mingji didn't pull away. Instead, he stayed right there, buried in Lee's shoulder, breathing unevenly.Then, a sound broke the quiet. Small. Utterly broken.Lee's heart skipped a violent beat. He pulled back just enough to look at Mingji's face, and what he saw made him freeze.Mingji wasn't yelling anymore. He was crying.He wasn't sobbing openly or dramatically. Tears simply clung to his thick lashes, slipping silently down his flushed cheeks. His lips trembled, his jaw clenched so tightly it looked painful, as if he were holding his entire soul together by sheer force of will.Lee felt genuine, paralyzing fear for the first time in his life. In all the years they had known each other—from playground scrapes to adult arguments—Lee had never seen Mingji cry. Never. Not once.Without a second thought, Lee dropped to his knees right there on the floor. He didn't care about the shards of glass crunching sharply beneath his weight."Min," he said desperately, looking up at him. "I didn't know..." His voice cracked, the cockiness entirely gone. "I didn't know I hurt you this much."Mingji turned his face away, his shoulders shaking with silent tremors. Lee reached out for him, his hands trembling in the air."I'll do whatever you say," Lee rushed out, the words tumbling over one another. "Anything. Just... please don't cry."A heavy silence fell over the ruined room. Then, Mingji finally spoke, his voice hoarse and raw. "If you want me to stop... then leave this show."The words hit Lee like a physical punch to the chest."...Okay." The answer came instantly. No hesitation. No second-guessing.Lee began to stand back up, but Mingji's head snapped toward him, his tear-filled eyes wide with shock. "What?""I said okay," Lee repeated softly. "If that's what you want." He turned a few inches toward the door, pausing for a quiet moment. "But... don't you think you'll feel guilty?"Mingji's chest tightened painfully."My team," Lee continued, his voice gentle but honest. "If I leave now, they'll have one less member. It's a team round. Everyone worked so hard."Mingji clenched his fists, the emotional whiplash tearing at him. "Then leave after this round," he snapped, unable to handle the guilt. "And don't ever put yourself in a situation where you get hurt again." His voice cracked, exposing the raw nerve underneath. "You know why I'm worried."He inhaled sharply, trying to anchor himself. "If you do that again... then go to hell. I won't care." He turned his back, unable to look at Lee anymore.Before he could utter another syllable, Lee hugged him again. It was sudden, firm, and unyielding.This time, Mingji didn't have the energy to resist. He stood still as Lee lifted a hand and gently tapped the back of Mingji's head in a slow, rhythmic motion—like comforting a frightened, trembling puppy."Okay..." Lee whispered into the quiet room.And for the first time all night, Mingji finally let himself breathe.