"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!"
The scream tore through the shore.
Han jolted so violently he almost fell back. His breath stuck in his throat. His heart slammed against his ribs.
Seungmin saw the fear in Han's eyes.
And something dark flickered through him—something wild, dangerous.
He grabbed Han's wrist—hard.
"Seungmin—let go!" Han yelled.
Seungmin didn't.
He shoved Han backwards. Han hit the sand with a dull thud, the breath knocked out of him. Seungmin climbed on top of him, knees digging into the sand beside Han's hips.
Both hands went straight to Han's throat.
Cold fingers.
Tight grip.
No hesitation.
Han clawed at his wrists, nails scraping skin, but Seungmin didn't budge. His eyes were wide, glassy, broken, desperate, but he was choking him like he was doing it without any regret.
Han tried to scream, but all that came out was a choked sound.
The world blurred. The sky spun. He could hear his heartbeat pounding in his ears like thunder.
So this is it…?
He felt strangely calm.
Strangely accepting.
If it's him… maybe it's okay. To die by the hands of someone you love.
His hands stopped fighting.
His fingers relaxed, resting lightly over Seungmin's, not resisting—almost holding them.
He kept staring at Seungmin's face, even as his vision began to darken.
Then—
A violent kick hit Seungmin's side.
He flew off Han, collapsing onto the sand.
Han gasped, air slamming into his lungs like fire. He coughed harshly, grabbing his throat, his whole chest shaking.
Chaewon appeared beside him, breathless, furious.
He slid his arm behind his back and helped him sit up, rubbing his back as he wheezed.
His voice was sharp with anger.
"So this is your idea of love?" he yelled at Seungmin. "You almost killed him!"
Han blinked, dizzy, eyes watery—and saw Seungmin stumbling away, running as if the world was collapsing behind him.
"No—Seungmin—!" Han tried to reach out, but his voice broke.
He tried to stand, but his legs gave out.
Chaewon held him steady, but Han shoved him hard, surprising even himself.
"Why did you get in between us?" he shouted, voice raw. "Now he's gone!"
Chaewon stared at him like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Hyung," he whispered. "He was killing you."
"No he wasn't!" Han snapped.
"He had his hands around your neck!" he shouted. "You're still gasping for air! I saw it, and you are telling me he was not killing you!"
Han's eyes filled with something dark and broken.
"Yeah," he yelled back, " And I wanted to die....you ruined it.!"
The shore fell silent.
Only the waves moved—cold, endless.
Han stared in the direction Seungmin disappeared, tears sliding down his bruised throat.
As if everything that mattered had run into the dark with him.