The Ringleader | knj

63

"Seoyeon," he breathed, his heart racing laps as he abruptly parked his car and rushed over to the isolated figure sitting quietly.

Seoyeon stared up at him for a brief moment, her eyes also reflecting the similar disbelief he'd shared.
"Namjoon?!" Her lips widened into the largest smile as she bounced up from her seat, watching as he quickly sprinted towards her across the now deserted roads.

"Oh god it's been so long!" She chuckled, smiling widely up at him as he caught his breath. He nodded, the atmosphere turning cooler as they both didn't know what else to say to one another. As they both remembered why they'd not seen each other in such a long time.

"So, how are things?" he finally said, meeting her gaze. Oh how he longed to embrace her after such an eternity, but he confined himself as he sensed an unfamiliarity within her. She'd cut her hair shorter, and her usual makeup had become more bolder... she'd become more confident; more beautiful than he'd remembered her to be.

"They're going great actually," she smiled at him, nodding. His lips upturned into a smile, thankful for the fact that she'd managed so well without anyone, and that her contentment was enough to satisfy his. "I see things are going amazing for you aswell, Mr CEO of Bangtan incorporated," she added with a small giggle.

Namjoon stood there, unsure of what to say.
Things were going beyond great for him by the looks of it, but it didn't make him any happier.

"Yeah, I guess," he sighs, emotionlessly. She tilts her head slightly, noticing his peculiar response.

"What's wrong? You don't seem very content," she looks up at him. He smiles sadly, his adams apple bobbing down within his throat as he forces himself to meet her stare.

"I'm not Seoyeon. I'm not," he murmurs. She looks up at him, confused.

"But you have everything now, what more is there left to gain?" she curiously gazes up at him. He shuts his eyes for a brief moment, processing her question.

"You," he gulped, hoping that she doesn't hear, but she does. Sharp and clearly.

Her lips part slightly, tongue nervously licking her lips as she hears him.

"I..."

He takes her hand, unable to be restraint any longer.

"I need you Seoyeon. If I've realised anything, its that whatever I have and no matter how much I own, everything fades to emptiness without your presence," he looked up at her face, her face that seemed to glow under the dim streetlight above them.

"I miss us,"

Her facial expression was unreadable as she began to process his words.

Abruptly, she let go of his hands, wrapping them around her own torso as the chilly breeze nipped at the both of them.

"I can't help you with the past Namjoon," the tone in her voice merged into a bitter and vengeful melody that filled his ears. "I know what we had was special, but if I really meant that much to you, if you really needed me above everything else... why didn't you take me? Why did you just leave me there, putting everything else you owned above me?"

He stood there, motionless.
He genuinely didn't have anything to justify what she was saying.

Just a blackened heart full of guilt.

All he could do was listen; he was forced to listen, listen to the pain he'd caused her.

"You were trying to protect me from the danger... but what exact danger are you in now? You gave it all up within the present, so why couldn't you give it up back then? Why did you wait so long to put things right? And now you expect me to listen to you, you expect me to come back to you after all these years?" her words kept battering him like a bullet, each one ricocheting and leaving a nasty wound that tightened his chest.

His breathing became heavier as the guilt consumed him, every single one of her points leading to be correct.

"I've moved on to someone that genuinely cares about me, about him and I. Who doesn't live his life so dangerously on the edge like a man I once knew who's last day may be lurking so close by. Someone that I don't need to worry may be shot dead in the next 20 seconds. Someone that actually can see a future with me, and who won't leave me stranded because there's no reason for him to constantly leave and get beaten black and blue on a daily."

He felt the void in his chest expand; the feeling of regret, isolation and most importantly, guilt, filling his veins.

"I'm sorry Namjoon, I've moved on. I truly think that it's about time you do too,"

And that's all it took for him to collapse to the ground, like a lifeless fawn shot down by a merciless hunter.

His vision began to fade out like the ending of a movie; into blackness, into nothingness...