PART 27

                                    

                                          
As Jihoon’s voice trailed off, the room plunged into an oppressive silence. Even the distant ticking of a clock seemed to stop, the air heavy with the weight of his confession. Soonyoung’s hand, which had been gripping the edge of the couch, tightened until his knuckles turned white. Wonwoo’s normally calm expression flickered, the mask of professional detachment cracking ever so slightly. Mingyu, who had been leaning forward in his chair, straightened abruptly, his wide eyes darting between Jihoon and Soonyoung.
Soonyoung was the first to break the silence. His voice was low, shaking with a mix of disbelief and anger. "You’re telling me... he killed them? At thirteen? Our Seokmin???" His words hung in the air, the disbelief in his tone contrasting sharply with the harsh reality Jihoon had just revealed.
Jihoon nodded, his gaze fixed on the floor. "He didn’t just kill them, Soonyoung. He felt justified. He still does. In his mind, what he did was right."
Soonyoung shot up from his seat, pacing the room like a caged animal. "This is insane. This is beyond insane! I can't believe it." He ran a hand through his hair, his usual playful demeanor completely replaced by an almost frantic energy. "How—how could this happen? How could nobody know? How could you keep this from us, Jihoon? From me?"
Jihoon looked up at him, his eyes clouded with guilt. "What was I supposed to do, Soonyoung? Report him? He’s my brother! And back then, I didn’t even understand the depth of it. He was just... broken. And I thought I could help fix him."
Soonyoung let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "Fix him? Jihoon, he’s been living with this... this darkness for over a decade, and it’s only gotten worse! You’re telling me he’s been using this—this twisted justification—as his guide for love? For life?"
Mingyu, who had been unusually quiet, finally spoke up, his deep voice carrying a somber weight. "This explains so much. The control. The obsession. He’s been living in a constant state of fear—fear of losing anyone he cares about. He doesn’t even realize that he’s the one driving them away."
Wonwoo’s gaze remained fixed on Jihoon, his calm demeanor returning but with a sharp edge of authority. "Why didn’t you tell us this earlier, Jihoon? This could’ve changed how we approached him. How we treated him. Keeping this hidden has only made things worse."
Jihoon flinched, guilt seeping into his features. "I thought it wasn’t relevant. Or maybe I was just too ashamed to admit it. But after seeing him like this, I realized... he needs help beyond what any of us can give him. And the only way to help him is to face the truth."
Soonyoung stopped pacing, turning to glare at Jihoon. "You think this makes it okay? That your guilt somehow absolves you of letting it fester for so long? Jihoon, you knew. You knew he was capable of this kind of violence, and you just... let it slide?"
"Stop," Wonwoo interjected, his voice cutting through Soonyoung’s rising anger. "Blaming Jihoon won’t fix anything. What’s done is done. Right now, we need to focus on Seokmin. On helping him face this. This isn’t just guilt anymore—it’s a deep-rooted trauma that’s shaped every decision he’s made."
Soonyoung clenched his fists, his chest heaving with frustration, but he didn’t argue. Mingyu leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms, his usually warm eyes now shadowed with worry. "Wonwoo’s right. Seokmin’s not just a patient anymore. He’s... he’s someone we need to save. But this is going to take more than therapy sessions and sedatives. This is going to be a fight—a fight to pull him back from the edge."
The room fell silent again, the enormity of the situation settling over them like a suffocating fog. Jihoon’s voice, barely above a whisper, broke the quiet. "I don’t know if he can be saved. But I do know he’s still my brother. And I’ll do whatever it takes to bring him back."
Soonyoung sank back onto the couch, burying his face in his hands. After a long moment, he looked up, his expression a mixture of pain and determination. "Then we’ll do it. But if we’re going to help him, Jihoon, you have to promise me—no more secrets. No more hiding. We do this together, or not at all."
Jihoon nodded, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Together."
Wonwoo glanced at Mingyu, who gave him a small, reassuring nod. "Then we start tomorrow," Wonwoo said firmly. "No more delays. We dig into his past, his triggers, and his patterns. And we make sure he knows we’re not giving up on him."
The resolve in the room was palpable, a shared determination to face the darkness surrounding Seokmin and pull him back into the light.