The wind was brutal tonight.
It slapped against their faces, sharp and cold, making their eyes water. The sky was still dark.
Han and Seungmin walked slowly along the shore, their fingers intertwined. Han's hands were freezing, his fingertips stiff, but he didn't pull away. Seungmin's grip was warm—steady, almost protective.
Han wore two jackets, but the cold still crept in. His shoulders kept shaking.
Seungmin noticed right away.
Without saying anything, he tugged Han closer, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. Han felt the sudden warmth of his chest, the steady rise and fall of his breathing. For a moment, he let himself melt against it.
For just a moment, it felt like safety, like love. Like something that could last.
Then reality hit him like cold water.
I wish this were real. I wish everything between us wasn't breaking.
Seungmin looked peaceful on the outside, but his eyes were distant. They were focused somewhere deep inside him—somewhere heavy, sad, and impossible to reach.
Han swallowed hard.
His throat felt tight.
"I'm tired… let's sit," he whispered.
Seungmin nodded immediately, almost too quickly, as if he didn't want Han to step away. They sat on the cold sand. Grains stuck to Han's palms. A thin layer of frost bit at the back of his legs through his jeans.
The ocean's breath—the constant sound of waves—seemed to soften around them.
Han leaned back slightly, staring at the moon above the water. His breath came out in small, shaky clouds.
"Seungmin…" His voice trembled. "You know I love you. To the moon and back."
Seungmin didn't react.
He didn't blink.
He didn't even take a breath.
He just stared at Han with a silent, heavy knowing.
Han's chest tightened.
He finally forced himself to look into Seungmin's eyes.
"Let's break up."
The words dropped between them like stones.
Seungmin's eyes widened—not dramatically, but enough to break his heart. A tiny crack in a man who never cracked.
He drew in a slow breath. His shoulders stiffened, like he was physically holding himself together.
"Han, what are you saying? Don't you love me anymore?" His voice was soft, almost childlike.
"I do," Han whispered. "I still do. But I can't keep loving you like this."
A small tremble touched Seungmin's jaw. His eyes darted over Han's face like he was searching for some hidden answer.
"What did I do?" he asked quietly. "Tell me. I'll fix it. Just say it."
Han looked down at his hands. They were shaking.
"No, please, Seungmin, not this time. I wish there were something we could do to fix it. But if I stay with you any longer. I'll lose myself," he confessed. "I'll end up hating myself."
Seungmin moved closer, almost in panic. He took Han's hand, brought it to his cheek. His skin was warm, almost burning.
"Please," he whispered, eyes trembling. But voice still cold "Han, please, it will be the last time, just give me one more chance, just one more. Let's not break up."
Han squeezed his eyes shut as more tears spilt.
"I can't," he whispered. "I can't."
Seungmin's hand slowly fell away.
He bowed his head and rested his forehead against Han's shoulder. Han felt his breath—uneven, shaky, each exhale hitting his skin like little bursts of desperation.
"Why are you doing this to me?" Seungmin's voice was low, hoarse.
"You're the only one who ever loved me. Everyone leaves. Everyone. And you promised you wouldn't."
He lifted his head.
A broken, painful smile twisted on his lips.
"If you stop loving me… what's left of me then?"
A hollow laugh escaped him—short, sharp.
"You think breaking up will save you? Han… What about me?"
Then everything shifted.
His face changed.
His eyes sharpened.
Something inside him cracked open.
His voice exploded—
"YOU'RE KILLING ME!"