Shared Spaces & Hidden Desires ? Seungcheol

YN

More months have passed. My mind drifting further and further away from Seungjae. Frankly, I felt it too, from him.

But I didn't care. Because I never did.

The elevator doors opened and the warmth of the penthouse greeted us, dim and quiet except for the low buzz of the TV in the living room.

Seungcheol was there.

Of course he was.

He sat on the couch, one arm draped over the backrest, eyes on the screen but not really watching it. A glass in his hand, the same calm expression he always wore when he didn't want anyone to know what he was thinking.

Seungjae didn't flinch. "Hey," he said casually.

Seungcheol glanced over, gave a polite nod. "Hey."

That was it.

No jokes. No smirks. No follow-ups.

But somehow, that made it worse.

I felt Seungjae's fingers tighten slightly around mine, grounding and heavy. I shouldn't have noticed. I shouldn't have looked. But I did. Just for a second.

Our eyes met.

Barely a flicker. Less than a heartbeat.

And still, it felt like I couldn't breathe.

Something in his stare made my stomach clench, my heart stutter. I flinched—just a little—my grip loosening in Seungjae's hold before I caught myself.

I looked away first.

"Come on," I said under my breath, tugging Seungjae toward the stairs. "Let's go."

We reached my room in silence, the quiet louder than it should've been. I let go of his hand the moment we stepped inside.

Seungjae pulled off his jacket, tossing it onto my chair as he stretched. "I'm gonna shower," he said, already walking toward the bathroom. He paused, looked back. "You coming?"

I shook my head, brushing my hair behind my ear. "You go ahead."

There was a beat. Then he gave a soft, humorless laugh. "Right. Thought I'd ask. Can't compete with... whatever that was downstairs anyway."

I blinked, thrown. "What?"

"Nothing. Just saying. Guess the air down there must've been heavier than I thought."

My arms crossed before I could stop them. "Don't start with that."

He looked at me for a second—long enough to make my skin crawl with guilt—before he exhaled and turned away.

"Sorry," he muttered, reaching for the door. "Forget I said anything."

And just like that, he disappeared into the bathroom, the door shutting softly behind him.

But the weight of what wasn't said lingered in the room.

Just like it always did.

Seungcheol

The moment I heard their door close, I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

It had been less than ten minutes since they walked in—her hand in his. Like always.

They greeted me. Well... he did. I said hi back.

She didn't really speak. Just looked at me. Barely. A flicker of a glance before she turned away like I didn't exist.