Running to You | Park Han + JL + Steven | Haneulz + Stejay AU

Chapter 76: Grilled and Toasted

The kitchen smelled like coffee and toast. JL stepped into the room like a man walking into his own trial. His hair was slightly damp from a rushed shower, hoodie zipped all the way up like it could hide what everyone already knew, and, despite his best efforts, a faint limp.

God help him.

Woongki looked up from the stove, eyes far too bright for 8 a.m. He was scrambling eggs with the same energy someone might use to prep a gladiator pit.

"Morning, sunshine," he said, far too casually. "Sleep okay? Looks like you got a very thorough chiropractic alignment last night. With, you know. Teeth."

JL's soul left his body.

Jeongwoo, across the table, nearly choked on his toast. Juwon covered it with a cough that sounded suspiciously like, "Bro got filleted."

Steven sat at the far end of the table. Calm. Coffee in hand. Shirt sleeves pushed up. He barely looked at JL -- but that made it worse. Because when he did look up, it was just for a fraction of a second. A flick of the eyes. A corner-of-the-mouth twitch. 

And it wrecked JL all over again.

Woongki sauntered over and handed him a neon-orange drink pouch labeled HYDRATE OR DIE. "You're gonna need this." He smiled. "Electrolytes. And penance."

JL took it with a groan. "You know, you might actually be Satan."

Across the table, Shuaibo raised an eyebrow. "Damn. That boy is scrambled."

Juwon didn't even glance up from his phone. "No, scrambled is spiritual. His soul got gently disassembled and folded into batter."

Shuaibo nodded solemnly. "RIP to JL's sense of self. And lower back."

Jeongwoo sipped his coffee. "He's gonna walk back onto set today and all the lenses are gonna fog up."

"Bro," Woongki muttered, still beaming, "I blushed. Through two walls."

JL buried his face in his hands. "Can we not?"

Then --

CRACK.

They all turned.

Han sat at the head of the table, motionless.

A broken fork in his hand.

He didn't speak. Didn't make a sound. Just stared straight ahead at his plate, as if he could will the toast to burst into flames.

Then he stood up abruptly, chair scraping.

Everyone froze.

He placed the broken fork down with almost ceremonial calm.

"I'm not hungry."

And walked out.

Silence.

JL stared after him, heart doing a complicated routine of guilt, terror, and something that tasted suspiciously like longing.

Steven didn't even react. He took another sip of his coffee, leaned back in his chair, and -- just barely -- smirked.

Woongki cackled. "Oh my god," he whispered, delighted. "You're gonna die. You are actually going to die. I can't wait."

Shuaibo raised a spoon. "To JL's final hours."

Everyone clinked their mugs.

And JL... JL just downed the electrolyte pouch like it was holy water.