¹⁹┆𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐬⁺₊❅

⊹₊˚‧︵‿₊୨ᰔ୧₊‿︵‧˚₊⊹

Jungwon's voice was barely above a whisper, fragile like it might break if he spoke too loud.

Jungwon:"What you saw in my secret room... that's the part of me I truly love. The part I can't let go of. I've loved music ever since I was a little kid. But one day..."

He stopped.His breath shook.His eyes dropped to the sand as if the weight of his memories was too much to carry.

Finally, he exhaled a trembling, painful breath.

Jungwon:"The boy you saw in the picture with me... the one standing next to me..."His voice cracked.Jungwon:"...was my best friend. Jay."

He said the name so softly, as if it hurt to speak it out loud.

I stared at him confused, worried, and overwhelmed all at once.

Sohee:"Jungwon...?"My voice was small.I didn't know what he was about to say, but I could feel the pain radiating from him.

He swallowed hard.

Jungwon:"He died because of me."

My heart dropped.I felt my whole body freeze.

Sohee:"Jungwon... what are you talking about?"

His hands were shaking.His eyes glossed with agony years of silent suffering.

Jungwon:"We had a fight. I was fifteen. He was sixteen. Jay was like an older brother to me..."

He hesitated, emotion choking him.

Jungwon:"We made music together. Every day. At school, after schoolevery spare moment we had. But one day..."

My mind raced.What could possibly follow that sentence?What happened?Did Jungwon hurt him?Was it truly his fault?

But Jungwon continued, voice trembling:

Jungwon:"I told him I wanted to quit music. That I didn't believe in us anymore that no one would ever hear our songs. It made Jay furious. We had put our whole hearts into it, and suddenly I just... gave up. He felt betrayed."

He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, though tears kept falling.

Jungwon:"He stormed out of the practice room. I chased after him. It was dark, it was raining... I kept calling his name."

His breath broke.

Jungwon:"He ran into the street. He didn't look. And then..."

Jungwon's voice collapsed.

He cried really cried like the memory was ripping him apart from the inside.

I forced myself to breathe.

Sohee:"Jungwon... what happened?"

He squeezed his eyes shut, like he couldn't bear to see the moment play again in his mind.

Jungwon:"He got hit by a car... right in front of me."

My heart stopped.

Fifteen.He was only fifteen.He had to watch his best friend die in front of him.

I felt sick.Not because of him, but because of what he had lived through alone.

Jungwon:"I called the ambulance," he said quietly, voice hollow,Jungwon:"but they couldn't save him. His parents... they blame me."

And suddenly everything connected.The man who hit Jungwon at the cemetery the anger, the pain...It was Jay's father.

Jungwon covered his face with both hands.

Jungwon:"It's all my fault. He's gone because of me. I'm a monster, Sohee."

Something inside me broke.

I rushed forward and wrapped my arms around him as tightly as I could.

Sohee:"Jungwon, stop—stop saying that."

He shook his head, tears falling onto my shoulder.

But I held him closer.

Sohee:"You are not a monster. You were a child, Jungwon. A child who loved his best friend. A child who went through something unbearable. Jay's death wasn't your fault."

He let out a broken sound like he didn't believe me, like he never believed anyone would say those words to him.

I cupped his cheeks and forced him to look at me.

Sohee:"Listen to me. You survived something traumatic. You carried this alone for years. But Jay would never blame you. He loved music, and he loved you. He would want you to continue. For both of you."

Jungwon stared at me, tears streaming.

Slowly, he reached out and pulled me into him holding me like he was afraid I might disappear too.

He cried into my shoulder, his whole body trembling.

It felt like he was finally letting out years of guilt, grief, and loneliness.

I stroked his hair gently.

We sat there for almost thirty minutes no words, just his quiet sobs against my chest, the sound of the ocean behind us.

After a long while, he whispered:

Jungwon:"I'm sorry... I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I'm sorry I ran away. I just... I wasn't ready to face it. Or to let someone see that part of me."

I pressed my forehead against his.

Sohee:"Jungwon... it's okay. Something like this isn't easy to talk about. I'm here. I'm not leaving you. And I love you more than anything in this world."

His eyes softened, full of pain but also relief like he finally believed he didn't have to carry it alone anymore.

And under the dark sky and fading waves...he finally let me in.

When Jungwon and I finally pulled away from our embrace on the beach, we were still holding each other's hands like we were afraid that letting go would make everything fall apart again. Slowly, quietly, we stood up together. His eyes were red, but there was something softer in them now... something lighter, as if a weight he had carried for years had finally begun to lift.

We walked to his car without speaking. The ocean wind was cold, but his hand around mine was warm and grounding. On the drive back to his apartment, the silence wasn't uncomfortable. It felt necessary. Healing.

When we arrived, Jungwon took a deep breath, then guided me toward the room he had kept locked for so long.

This time, he opened the door himself.

The light clicked on, revealing the space more clearly than I had seen it before. Instruments everywhere guitars, keyboards, a computer setup, notebooks stacked in corners, sheets of handwritten lyrics, half-finished beats open on his laptop. It felt alive. It felt... like him.

Jungwon swallowed nervously.Jungwon:"I want to show you something properly," he murmured.

He explained everything the beats he had sold secretly, the songs he had written for other people, the reason he had money despite working at the café.

He walked to his computer, clicked a file, and hesitated.

Jungwon:"This one... I never finished it. I was embarrassed, honestly. But... it's about my past. About Jay."

The title appeared on the screen.

MONSTER

My heart squeezed.

He played it.

The unfinished track filled the room raw, emotional, hauntingly beautiful. His voice cracked in some parts, deepened in others. You could hear the pain. The guilt. The longing. The truth he had buried under silence.

When the last note faded, Jungwon stared at the floor like he was ashamed.

I didn't even think.I jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly.

Sohee:"It's beautiful," I whispered. Sohee:"You have to finish it. And you should publish it. Jay would want that."

He shook his head at first, panicked, overwhelmed.

But I looked him in the eyes and smiled.

Sohee:"Trust me. Your voice deserves to be heard."

After that day, everything changed.

We spent almost every day together.I went to the university, then the café.Jungwon wrote the song whenever he had a moment to breathe.

And slowly beautifully his love for music came back to life.

Our bond grew stronger with every passing day.I felt closer to him than ever before, and every time he smiled at me, my heart fell deeper.

One month later, we were lying in bed, my head on his chest, his fingers drawing slow circles on my back. Then he said it shy, almost whispering:

Jungwon:"I... finished the song."

My eyes shot open.I sat up immediately, grabbing his hands excitedly.

Sohee:"Show me!"

He laughed nervously as we went to the music room.He clicked play.

This time... it wasn't just beautiful.It was heartbreaking.Soft and painful and hopeful at once.

His voice carried every emotion he had ever buried.

When it ended, he looked terrified of my reaction.

So I threw myself at him hugging him so tight we nearly fell over.

Sohee:"It's perfect. You need to upload it. But first..we need a music video."

He panicked immediately.Jungwon:"No, no, no—Sohee, that's too much—"

But he knew me.Once I said something, it was happening.

One week later, we met with Yuri, who had a good camera and a natural talent for filming. We shot scenes at the Rhine, in his room, outside during golden hour. Jungwon looked incredible soft blonde hair, shy eyes, beautifully lost in the music.

I edited the entire video myself.Video editing was something I loved, and piece by piece, the visual story came together raw, emotional, just like his song.

When I finished, I showed it to Jungwon.

He stared at the screen, jaw tense, eyes wide.When it ended, he turned to me silently.

Then he hugged me deeply, gratefully.

Jungwon:"Thank you for everything, Sohee," he said into my shoulder.

I hugged him back.

He pulled away just slightly, looked into my eyes, and then kissed me. His hands slid gently to my hips, warm and slow, and the kiss deepened full of love and longing.

He paused for a moment, forehead against mine.

Jungwon:"God... I love you so much, Sohee."

My heart stopped.I finally caught my breath.

Sohee:"I love you too."

He blushed, smiling softly.I kissed his cheek and told him we should eat something before we both passed out from excitement.

We cooked dinner together, laughing, talking about Saturday the release day.We both took the day off from the café.

As the week passed, Jungwon grew more nervous, but also more excited.He kept double-checking the song, the upload settings, the video everything.

Finally...

Release day.

At 8 AM, Jungwon was still sleeping.I left quietly, bought flowers, balloons, food, cake everything to celebrate him.

I decorated his whole living room.When I finished, it was 11 AM.His release was at 1 PM.

At 11:30, Jungwon walked out of the bedroom with messy hair and sleepy eyes.

When he saw everything...His face froze.

And then it broke into the purest, happiest smile I had ever seen.

Tears filled his eyes as he hugged me tightly.

Jungwon:"Thank you... thank you so much..."

We ate cake.We checked the video one last time.Then we waited.

Two hours later...

1:00 PM.

He clicked.

UPLOADYES              ←                    NO

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