Forever Waiting, Forever Hoping - A HanJay AU

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As Hannie and JL attempt to sneak away from a victory party, their plans are derailed by Coach Jang, who reveals that scouts from elite teams are present—tonight could define Hannie's future. Despite Hannie's defiance, JL intervenes, negotiating a brief alone time before they face the crowd. Their stolen moment crackles with tension—Hannie's possessiveness, JL's strategic seduction—as JL convinces him to prioritize his career, promising "unconditional" surrender later.

Meanwhile, Woongki drowns his heartbreak over Kyungho in alcohol, shielded by Kairi's quiet protectiveness—until Kyungho himself storms into the rain-soaked aftermath, igniting a confrontation with Juwon. Their explosive reunion swings between fury and desperate passion, leaving Woongki torn between old wounds and the intoxicating pull of Kyungho's claim: "No one else."

The story continues to weave between burning intimacy (Hannie & JL's charged bargaining, Kyungho & Woongki's violent tenderness) and career-defining stakes, with JL and Woongki both grappling with love's sacrifices—one choosing patience, the other relapse.

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The hallway swallowed their laughter first. Then their freedom.

Coach Jang materialized from cigarette haze, shoulders blocking the exit like a condemned gate. His stare flayed them open—reading their guilt in the hitch of Hannie's breath, the way JL's fingers still tingled from stolen touches.

"One step closer to that door," the coach said, voice low as a blade being drawn, "and I'll make sure Daegu's scouts see exactly why you're a liability." His knuckle jabbed Hannie's chest hard enough to bruise. "Not just reckless. Self-destructive."

JL felt the explosion before it came—Hannie's pulse hammering where their arms brushed, the I don't give a fuck trembling on his tongue. He intercepted it the only way that worked: threading their fingers together, his thumb pressing Hannie's racing heartbeat through skin.

Breathe. Let me.

"We're going, Coach," JL lied smoothly, even as Hannie's grip threatened to fracture bones. The pain was perfect—a live wire keeping him grounded. "Five minutes to reset. You know he's worth more to you angry than broken."

Coach Jang's gaze dropped to their hands. To Hannie's thumb rubbing possessive circles on JL's wrist—a silent mine beneath the negotiation. The old man exhaled through his nose.

"Clock's ticking," he muttered, crushing his cigarette like a verdict. "And Park? Smile for the vultures."

Coach vanished in a haze of cigarette smoke, and Hannie was on him in an instant, eyes burning. "The hell was that?" His voice was a blade, his gaze the kind of dangerous that made JL's pulse spike—reckless, defiant, his. "I don't give a fuck about scouts or—"

"I know." JL stepped into him, their tangled hands pressed between them, Hannie's heartbeat a riot against his palm. "But I do. So don't you dare torch your future just to sneak me out of here tonight."

Hannie's breath caught. "You think I'm scared to walk? I've got my own money, my own life. This game doesn't own me."

JL's lips grazed his ear, a whisper. "I know that too. But you love it." A beat. "Let me be part of that. Let me stand in the wings while you shine." His forehead dropped to Hannie's shoulder. "And when the spotlight's off and the world's gone quiet—let me be the only thing that matters."