Twisted Affection || Frontman/001

chapter 14

"Don't trip," he says softly, like it was nothing. But I could hear the hint of a smile in his voice.

"Trip? I'm not exactly fragile, if you didn't know." I shoot back, though I don't pull away.

"Sure," he says, glancing over his shoulder at me. "But you've got enough to worry about without falling down the stairs."

"And you don't?" I ask.

He doesn't answer, just held on as we climbed higher. The heat of his palm feels steady and calm against mine, and for a moment, I forget about the games, the people here, and the bodies we'd stepped over to get here.

"You're kind of cocky, you know that?" I say after a moment, trying to shake off the way my chest feels tight and light at once.

"Confident," he corrected. "There's a difference."

I roll my eyes, but I'm smiling, and he sees it. His grin widens, and for a second, it feels like we aren't stuck in this game... like we're just two people flirting in the real world.

But then Gi-hun's voice breaks through, pulling us back to reality.

"Hey, Young-il. Wait one second." he says. We stop and turn back to look at him. "I was just thinking now, if after today's vote we finally win and can go home, would the money we've collected until now be enough for the treatment for your wife? If not, I could help too, you know. I still have-

"Wife?"

The words hit me like a slap. I yank my hand out of Young-il's as I stare at him.

"Wife?" I ask again.

Young-il's whole demeanour shifts. The confidence, the calm—gone in an instant. He looks at me like a deer caught in headlights, his jaw tightening.

"It's not—" he started, his voice unsteady. "It's not like that, Y/n."

"Not like what?" I shoot back, anger bubbling up before I could stop it. How could I have been so stupid? "You've been holding my hand, staying up with me, acting like—" My voice cracks, and I hate the way it makes me sound. Vulnerable. Dumb. "And now I find out you have a wife? Gosh, Young-il, what kind of person are—

"Listen," he says quickly, interrupting me, his voice low and urgent. His eyes dart to Gi-hun, then back to me. "It's complicated."

"Oh, it's complicated?" I snap, stepping back from him. "You didn't think to mention this before?"

Gi-hun raises his hands, looking caught in the crossfire. "Hey, I didn't know it was a secret." He says awkwardly. "He just said he was doing this for her, and I figured—"

"Gi-hun, stop," Young-il cuts in, his tone sharper now, almost panicked. "This isn't your business, and you shouldn't have said anything."

I stare at him, waiting—daring—him to explain, to say something that would make sense. But he didn't. His mouth opened, like he wanted to say more, but nothing comes out.

"Wow," I mutter, shaking my head as I turn away from him. "Of course it's complicated. Isn't it always?"

"Wait," he calls after me, his voice softer now, almost pleading. "It's really not what you think. I just can't tell you—

"Save it," I cut him off, my voice ice cold. I don't want to hear it. Whatever excuse he has, whatever explanation he thought would make this better—it wouldn't.

I start climbing the stairs faster, putting distance between us. My chest feels tight, my stomach twisted, and I hate myself for feeling this way. I hate myself for becoming weak all of a sudden, in a place where I should never be. I shouldn't have let myself care.

I scan the crowd of people ahead of me, looking for someone—anyone—to ground me. And then I saw her: Jun-hee. I quicken my pace until I catch up with her.

"Jun-hee," I say, my voice coming out sharper than I meant it to be.

She turns around, her eyes narrowing slightly as she takes me in. "What happened to you?" she asks, noticing the storm on my face instantly.

I glance over my shoulder, making sure Young-il isn't close enough to hear. When I saw that he wasn't, I exhale shakingly. "It's Young-il," I say, my voice low but tense.

Jun-hee raises an eyebrow. "What about him?"

"He—" I hesitate, trying to find the right words. "Gi-hun said something. About him having a wife. And—God, I feel so stupid." I run a hand through my hair, frustration bubbling over. "He's been acting like...like we have something. And he never said anything about her."

Jun-hee's expression doesn't change, but I could see the way her jaw tightened, her eyes sharpening. "He didn't tell you?"

"No," I say, my voice crackling slightly. "And when I asked him, he just said 'It's complicated'." I laugh bitterly, shaking my head. "What does that even mean? How complicated is it to say 'Oh, by the way, I'm married', before we kissed last night?"

Jun-hee froze mid-step, whipping around to face me. "Wait, what?" Her voice comes out sharp, louder than expected, and a few people glance back.

"Keep your voice down!" I hissed, grabbing her arm and pulling her closer so no one else could hear. "He kissed me when we were keeping watch last night..."

"And he has a wife... wow. This guy... he's something else." She says.

"I feel like such an idiot," I say, my voice cracking slightly. "I let myself think he might actually care about me, and the whole time—„ I break off, pressing my lips together to stop myself from saying too much. "It feels so... humiliating."

"It's not," Jun-hee says firmly, her voice steady in a way that made me look at her. "You didn't know he's married. And honestly, it sounds like he's the one who doesn't even know what he wants."

"Or he does," I say bitterly, "and he just likes keeping secrets."

Jun-hee sighs. "What did he say when you confronted him?"

"Just that it's complicated." I say, the words tasting bitter in my mouth. "Like that's supposed to mean anything."

"Typical men." Jun-hee mutters, rolling her eyes.

"What am I supposed to do now?" I ask her.

"You focus on the next game, that's the most important thing. You survive. Whatever's going on with him—that's his mess, not yours. Don't let it drag you down, Y/n."

I nod, even though the knot in my chest still twisted painfully. "Thanks," I say softly. "I'm so thankful to have you here with me, Jun-hee."

I smile at her and she smiles back, rubbing my arm.

Young-il's kiss lingers in my memory, but now it feels tainted—like every part of him had been a lie.