Empire | ATEEZ

012

I hurried after Seonghwa as he barged into my room, my protests and objections seemingly going unheard as he pulled a suitcase out of the closet and began to pack the things I had just unpacked, ignoring me completely until I grabbed the t-shirt in his hand and stomped my foot on the ground, "I said, stop!"

He simply sighed before taking the shirt from me again and heading back to the closet to get more clothes, "Princess, I already said no," he mumbled, "It's a bad idea and I-"

He halted as he watched me grab the suitcase and pour all of the clothes onto the floor, rolling his eyes before simply starting over again. "No, it's not," I said, still trying to stop him. "Yes, it is."

"I want them out of the picture just as much as all of you do," I said, "I want them to stay away from those women, from all of those innocent people. I want them gone and I have a responsibility-"

"No, you don't!" Seonghwa exclaimed, raising his voice as he turned around to face me, his reaction making my eyes widen as I quickly shut my mouth, suddenly remembering who I was talking to, who was really standing in front of me.

"Nari, we're criminals. Criminals," he said, gesturing at himself as he clenched his teeth, glaring down at my silent form, "We're bad people, Nari, I- I'm a bad person. You can't be a part of this world. I won't let you. This was already a mistake-"

"Seonghwa, please-" I tried, "No!" he yelled, making me flinch in surprise as I stared up into those dark eyes of his as he took a step backwards.

"Don't you get it?" he breathed, every gulp of air ragged, desperate, "I've killed people," he whispered, my heart sinking as the words left his lips, "I've killed, Nari. I've taken people's lives, stolen them-"

I felt so small compared to him at that moment, exactly like a lamb in a lion's den like he had told me once, vulnerable and defenseless as I watched him in silence, "Innocents?" I asked.

Seonghwa's breath caught at that but I didn't fail to notice the way the look in his eyes changed, confirming the words Hongjoong had told me. They would never. And I knew that he had never. It didn't make what they did, what they had done, and what they were going to do, right but looking at Seonghwa at that moment, I still felt my heart ache for him.

"Don't you get it?" he whispered, furrowing his brows, "I'm bad for you which is why-" but this time, I was the one to interrupt him as I shook my head, "You would never hurt me," I breathed, watching his eyes widen.

Seonghwa dropped the shirt he had been clutching so desperately in his hand as I took a step closer and reached up to cup his face, knowing that the man behind those dark eyes cared. He cared which was why I wasn't afraid of what lay ahead.

"Stop pushing me away," I said, "Let me in, Seonghwa. Please. I know that I've done the same, that I've been in your position as well but I won't do that anymore. Just let me help."

〄

When I woke up the next morning, I was still in Seonghwa's arms, warm and safe in his embrace as I turned to look at him for a moment, studying his sleeping face which was calm and unworried compared to how it had looked last night.

I hummed a little to myself as I admired his handsome features and the ashy brown hair which, for once, lay messy and disheveled across his eyes, reaching out to carefully brush away the stray locks only to freeze as his eyes fluttered open and I suddenly found myself drowning in their dark depths.

An audible gasp left my lips as my eyes widened, and I instinctively pulled away as I scrambled across the bed in an attempt to put some space between the two of us only to cry out in pain as I toppled over the edge and fell to the floor.