The Breakout Project - Hwang Hyunjin

Chapter 28

"Such a sweet boy, honestly. I found it so adorable when I heard the news. Tell me, what did you see in her? A lonely girl with a mysterious past? Someone that needed your help and love to come out of her shell? Did you see a broken teenager and that made you feel like you had to protect her?"

Ryujin cooed at the words. "Adorably stupid."

I held back a snarl. 

Everything he said was a lie. I never saw her as someone who needed my protection. Even if I did feel intrigued by her, she always seemed very capable in my eyes. From the first day I saw her, I knew she was strong, perhaps even stronger than me.

I only felt curiosity towards her, I wanted to know about her. I wanted to approach her and ask her about the scar on her cheek. About the way she seemed to have eyes for her friends only, as if the rest of the world didn't exist.

She had been independent and my intention was never to offer her my protection, but to offer her my company. I wanted to break into her tiny bubble and understand the way she saw things.

Despite being her friend, Minho had claimed Yura never asked for help and I could totally see why. She looked like the kind of person that laid all the weight on her shoulders no matter how much it pressed her down. That's why she had seemed so strong in my eyes, because there was a lot of unspoken pain in her gaze, a lot of sadness and emptiness.

I never intended to change her. She only looked like she could use another shoulder to share that weight with.

At some point, I felt scared. I was afraid she might lose herself in the middle of that pain.

I didn't realise when it all happened, but eventually, I had given her my full attention. 

In my head, I was always aware of the way I kept sneaking glances at her during lunch. Jiwon talked a lot and I found myself wishing Yura would pick up on her friend's behaviour someday. I've always known that opposites attract, so I never wondered why she'd decided to be friends with the Lee siblings.

After that, there'd be nights where I'd ask myself if she usually spent those at the Wolf's Mouth. At some point, I considered walking around the area, but I knew better than to risk it.

Is she with the siblings?

Are they drinking?

Is she always with them? Where are they? Some rooftop near Gangnam?

But all of that no longer mattered because she would get killed and it was all my fault. 

She had trusted me to be the better person. She risked it all by letting me live. 

And for what?

I had brought her already broken life to an end, as if it were up to me to decide. 

The thought made me tremble in despair because she didn't deserve that. These past few years had been full of doctors jabbing needles into her skin, pulling her in and out of consciousness; she deserved a break.

Not this.

Not me.

"Great." I heard Ryujin scoff. "You made him cry."

"Ugh," King groaned. "Make him stop, Ryujin."

My head snapped up and I finally noticed the wet trails that fell from my eyes. However, they stopped willingly. All trace of sadness scurried away from my face, leaving only hatred. I directed my glare towards the two, eager to let them know I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing me weak.