Crave You Forever
Chapter 92: let me go

Chapter 92: let me go

Yeongsoo stepped into Red Phoenix, scanning the dim room until his eyes locked onto Haeun sitting alone at a corner table. His heart stilled; Haeun looked battered and bruised, dried blood staining the edge of his lip and dark marks marring his cheek. But it wasn’t the injuries that made Yeongsoo’s breath hitch—it was the hollow, dark look in Haeun’s eyes as he sat there, staring at nothing.

As he approached, his footsteps faltered, a growing fear gnawing at him. Haeun finally lifted his gaze, eyes dull, and looked at him with an expression Yeongsoo had never seen before—cold, distant, and laced with anger. Yeongsoo’s voice shook as he came closer, trying to reach him. "Haeun, are... are you okay? What happened? I’ve been looking everywhere for you."

Haeun’s lips twisted into a bitter smile, one that didn’t reach his eyes. He waited a beat before speaking, his voice low and cutting. "When were you going to tell me?"

Yeongsoo froze, his mind racing, trying to decipher what Haeun meant. But Haeun’s gaze was hard, unyielding, as though daring him to play innocent. "Tell you... what?" he managed, voice shaky.

Haeun scoffed, his hand clenching the edge of the table, knuckles white. "How long were you planning to hide who you really are from me? All those people—" He choked on the words, visibly trembling. "All those things you did... You thought I’d never find out, didn’t you?"

Realization hit Yeongsoo like a punch to the gut, and he took a slow, faltering step back, shame tightening his throat. "Haeun, it’s... not like that," he tried, his voice faltering. "I wanted to keep you safe. There are things I can’t... I couldn’t tell you."

Haeun’s eyes flared with anger. "Safe?" he spat. "Safe from what? From the person I thought I knew? From the father of my child?" He forced himself to his feet, his expression raw, as if all his pain had surfaced at once. "I saw the videos, Yeongsoo. The recordings. All the times you’ve... hurt people, without hesitation, without a second thought."

"Haeun, I..." Yeongsoo reached out, but Haeun flinched away, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I did what I had to do. To protect you, to keep us both safe. The kind of work I do, it isn’t clean. I never wanted you to see that side of it."

"But you didn’t even give me the choice, did you?" Haeun’s voice broke, raw and hoarse. "You kept it hidden. You lied, Yeongsoo. You let me think you were someone else."

Yeongsoo’s chest tightened painfully as he searched Haeun’s face, the love he’d always seen there replaced with betrayal. "I didn’t... my actions and feelings towards you Haeun are genuine," he whispered, but the words sounded hollow, even to himself.

Haeun’s jaw clenched, his gaze hardening further. "I’m carrying your child, Yeongsoo. You’re supposed to be my partner, someone I trust more than anyone. But now, all I feel is fear. And I can’t—" He drew a shaky breath, barely holding himself together. "I can’t live like that."

Yeongsoo’s heart dropped, panic clawing at him. "Don’t... don’t say that, Haeun. Please. I can fix this. I’ll make it right, I swear."

Haeun shook his head, a defeated, hollow look crossing his face. "Some things can’t be fixed," he whispered. "You’ve shattered everything I believed about us, about you. I need... I need to protect our child, even if it means protecting them from you."

Yeongsoo eyes darkened as his arms moved from his sides, pulling Haeun back.

Haeun tried to pull back, but Yeongsoo’s grip only tightened, his hand firm around the back of Haeun’s neck, keeping him close. The familiar warmth, once a source of comfort, now felt suffocating. Haeun’s pulse quickened, a mixture of fear and frustration flooding him as he looked into Yeongsoo’s intense gaze.

"Haeun," Yeongsoo murmured, his voice low, almost pleading. "I can’t bear to see you leave. I don’t want you to leave." His words grew more possessive, his hand tightening its hold. "We’re bonded, Haeun. How can I bear to see you live without me?"

Haeun’s breathing grew unsteady, his heart racing as he searched Yeongsoo’s face. "Yeongsoo, this isn’t—this isn’t how it’s supposed to be," he whispered, struggling against the urge to give in to the bond between them. "You’re scaring me. You... you hid all this from me. And now, this—"

Yeongsoo’s gaze softened briefly, though his grip remained firm. "You belong to me now, Haeun. We belong together. Didn’t you say you’d love me despite my flaws?" He brought his face closer, his breath warm against Haeun’s skin. "So why can’t you accept me now?"

Haeun’s throat tightened, his heart aching. "I thought I knew who you were, Yeongsoo," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I never imagined this... this darkness, this violence. You kept it all from me. How am I supposed to accept something I didn’t even know existed?"

Yeongsoo’s gaze turned almost desperate, his grip loosening slightly. "I hid it because I love you. Because I didn’t want you to have to bear the weight of what I do. I thought if I kept you safe from it, we could have something... something pure."

Haeun closed his eyes, feeling the tears he’d been holding back begin to slip down his cheeks. "Yeongsoo... love built on lies isn’t pure. It’s just more pain waiting to happen."

Yeongsoo’s hand fell, and for a moment, he looked lost, his gaze searching Haeun’s face as though trying to understand the depth of what he was losing. The silence between them was thick, heavy with unspoken fears and shattered dreams.

"I never wanted to hurt you," Yeongsoo murmured, his voice breaking. "But I can’t lose you, Haeun. Not now. Not ever." His pupil darkening even further as he said this words.

"I’ve already embedded yourself into my daily life Haeun....how do you expect me to continue living?"

Haeun’s expression twisted, his own emotions a tumultuous mix of betrayal, fear, and the lingering remnants of love. "Yeongsoo," he whispered, his voice trembling, "this isn’t love. This... this possessiveness, this darkness—you’re not protecting me. You’re trapping me. Love isn’t supposed to feel like this."

Yeongsoo’s eyes flashed with desperation. He stepped forward, refusing to let the words sink in, refusing to accept what Haeun was saying. "You can’t just walk away. Not when we’re bonded. I won’t let you throw us away because of something you don’t understand."

Haeun’s jaw tightened, his hand moving to push Yeongsoo back. "You’re right, I don’t understand. I don’t understand how someone who claims to love me can keep me in the dark, control me, and then demand that I accept everything without question. I won’t live like that, Yeongsoo. Not for you, not for anyone."

Desperation overtook Yeongsoo’s face, his hand trembling as he held onto Haeun’s arm, unwilling to let go. "You don’t understand what it’s like to live in my world, Haeun. To be surrounded by enemies, to have to fight to protect everything you love." His voice broke. "But you are the one good thing I have, and I won’t lose you. I can’t lose you."

Haeun’s face softened, but only for a moment. He could see the conflict in Yeongsoo’s eyes, the pain buried beneath the possessiveness. But he couldn’t ignore the fear clinging to his heart, the fear of a future filled with secrets and shadows. He took a shaky breath, his voice soft but resolute. "I can’t stay with you if this is what it means, Yeongsoo. I have to protect our child—from a life of fear, from a life surrounded by darkness."

Yeongsoo’s face contorted, his grip slackening as the weight of Haeun’s words crashed over him. He wanted to argue, to demand that Haeun stay, but he could feel the resolve in Haeun’s gaze, the unshakable determination that had always been there, only now it was directed against him.

"Haeun," he whispered, a plea lingering in his voice. "Don’t do this. Don’t leave me. I don’t know how to go on without you. You’re everything to me."

Haeun’s eyes were wet, his chest rising and falling with the weight of his decision. "Yeongsoo," he murmured, voice heavy with sorrow, "sometimes, love isn’t enough. Not when trust is broken. Not when the fear of what you might do next is stronger than the bond we share."

With one last look, Haeun pulled away, his heart breaking as he turned his back, leaving Yeongsoo standing there alone, his outstretched hand left empty in the dim light of the room.

"..."

"Seal off exit, you must not let him leave. Take him to room 415, make sure he has everything he needs and on one condition should the doors be opened for anyone except me.."

Yeongsoo turned to the man in black behind him, he wish he wouldn’t resort to this sort of method but Haeun and the child couldn’t do without his pheromones.

And he was also not willing to end things between them like that.