Chapter Text
What in the world is this situation?
The ride to my apartment is quiet in the way only late nights can be. Slight awkwardness, with an unspoken agreement not to touch whatever this is.
I sat stiffly in my seat, hands folded in my lap, counting streetlights like they might distract me from the weight pressing against my ribs.
My ankle throbs in slow pulses, but I welcome the pain. It keeps me grounded. Keeps me away from drifting too far down the memory lane.
“We’ve arrived,” said the driver.
I sigh, thanking the driver. Soonyoung got out of the car from the opposite door. He went around and opened the door for me.
Without saying a word, he helped me stand up, then closed the taxi door.
“Okay, I’m home now. You can go”, I said.
”I’ll walk you up.”
He looked at me with an unreadable expression.
That makes my stomach twist. I don’t like this.
-
The elevator ride is short, but it feels longer than it should.
I lean against the elevator wall, my ankle throbbing dully, pretending not to notice the way Soonyoung keeps glancing at me.
“You really don’t have to walk me all the way,” I said, again.
He hummed, “What floor?”
“Kwon Soonyo-”
“What floor?” he interrupted.
I glared at him.
He held my stare.
I sighed, “17,” and mumbled, “stubborn kid.”
“You already knew that.”
The doors slide open. The hallway is quiet, dimly lit, familiar in a way that suddenly feels too personal to share. I slow down as we approach my apartment door, heart beating a little too loudly.
“This is fine,” I say, stopping. “You can go now. Thanks…. for everything.”
He doesn’t move.
“I’ll go,” he said, “after you’re inside.”
Always the hard-headed kid.
I hesitated, then turned to my door keypad. I tell myself it doesn’t matter. He won’t notice. Right? Numbers are just numbers.
I pressed my passcode,
1315
Our birthdates combined.
The lock clicks open.
I don’t want to look at him. I refuse to.
My face feels warm, but I keep my expression neutral as I push the door open and step inside, already planning to change the passcode the second he leaves.
This is it, I think. The last time I’ll see him like this.
I opened the door, took two steps in, and my foot caught on nothing.
I stumbled forward, breath catching sharply-
A hand grips my upper arm.
Firm. Steady. Familiar.
“That’s it,” Soonyoung says quietly behind me, “I’m helping you.”
I straighten as fast as I can, separating myself from him, my pulse racing, “I’m fine.”
“You almost fell, again”, he replied, “In your own house.”
He guided me inside before I could argue, his hand steady but careful, like he’s afraid of hurting me. He crouched in front of me without asking, fingers deft as he slips my shoes off, set them neatly by the door.
The familiarity of it hits me harder than it should.
“This is really unnecessary,” is all I could say, refusing the wave of emotions.
“You keep saying that,” he replied, not looking up, “And you keep not being fine.”
He took off his shoes, then helped me onto the couch. He looked around my apartment, not curiously, not intrusively. Just taking it in. The bookshelves, the standing piano, and the plants I keep by the window.
“Where’s the towel?” he asked
“In the bathroom. Under the sink.”
He goes to the bathroom, and I hear the water running. He returned with the towel, slightly wet and warm.
He crouched in front of me again and pressed the towel gently against my ankle. I inhaled sharply.
“Too warm?” he asked immediately.
“No,” I said, “it’s okay.”
We fell into silence.
I watched his hands. They’re careful. Familiar. The same hands that used to pull me along the crowded streets, that used to squeeze mine when I got nervous.
I hate how easily my body remembers.
“You should ice it later,” he said softly, “and try not to put weight on it tonight.”
“You sound like a doctor.”
He smiled faintly, “I’ve had enough injuries.”
I felt the weight of his words. He also seemed surprised by his own words.
The sound fades, leaving something fragile in its place.
I didn’t pull my leg away. He didn’t rush.
And for a moment, a dangerous, fleeting moment, it feels almost normal.
That’s when I know I’m in trouble.