Chapter 16 — The Things We Do When Love Hurts
The door opened.
The sound wasn't loud. It wasn't dramatic.
But it cut through the room like a blade.
Both Mingji and Jun turned at the exact same time.
Their bodies reacted before their minds did—shoulders stiffening, breath catching, muscles coiling tight as they stared toward the doorway.
For a single heartbeat, Mingji expected anything.
A staff member.
A manager.
Someone about to make things worse.
Instead—
Lee.
He stood there silently, one hand still resting on the doorframe, eyes lifted just enough to take in the destruction inside the room.
Shattered glass glittered across the floor like broken stars.
A chair lay on its side, one leg cracked.
Books—Mingji's books—were scattered everywhere, pages bent, covers torn, knowledge and memories alike thrown into chaos.
And in the center of it all—
Mingji.
Breathing hard.
Fists clenched.
Eyes burning.
Lee froze.
He had seen Mingji angry before.
He had seen disappointment. Frustration. Cold distance. Sharp words.
But this—
This was something else.
This wasn't anger that lashed out.
This was anger that had been held in too long.
Something inside Lee's chest twisted painfully as Mingji's gaze landed on him.
It wasn't just fury in those eyes.
It was fear.
And that terrified Lee more than anything else ever could.
For a moment, time folded in on itself.
Lee remembered scraped knees and shared beds.
Remembered Mingji standing in front of him during fights, taking punches that weren't meant for him.
Remembered promises whispered in the dark—I'll always be here.
And now Mingji stood there looking like he wanted to tear the world apart just to keep Lee alive.
Jun noticed it too.
The shift.
The silence stretching too long.
Jun stepped forward quickly, clapping his hands together once, sharp and loud.
"Okay," he said, forcing a breath. "Now it's clear."
Mingji didn't look at him.
Lee didn't move.
Jun's eyes flicked between them, jaw tightening.
"You really messed up," Jun said flatly. "Like—seriously messed up."
Lee opened his mouth, but Jun lifted a hand.
"Don't," Jun warned. "Whatever this is? You two need to deal with it."
He turned toward Mingji, softer now.
"I'm leaving," Jun said. "Before this turns into something worse."
Mingji didn't stop him.
Didn't acknowledge him.
Jun hesitated for just a second at the door, then left.
The door closed behind him.
Click.
That sound echoed louder than the crash of the chair had earlier.
Now there were only two of them.
Mingji and Lee.
The air between them felt thick—unbreathable.
Mingji's gaze didn't soften.
If anything, it sharpened.
He took a single step forward.
Lee instinctively straightened.
"M–Min," Lee started, carefully. "Let me explain—"
"Get lost."
The words were quiet.
But they were lethal.
"I don't want to see you right now."
Lee swallowed.
"I just—"
Mingji moved.
Before Lee could react, Mingji's hand snapped around his wrist.
Hard.
Too hard.
Lee gasped softly as Mingji yanked him toward the door, grip iron-tight, anger pouring off him in waves.
"Min—wait—!"
Mingji shoved him out into the hallway.
The door slammed shut.
For a second, there was nothing.
Then—
"Ah—!"
Lee's voice.
Sharp. Pained.
Mingji froze.
His heart dropped violently into his stomach.
No.
No, no, no—
Panic ripped through him.
He spun back instantly, yanking the door open so fast it nearly slammed into the wall.
"Lee—!"
Lee stood there perfectly fine.
Breathing evenly.
Eyes bright.
Smiling.
Mingji stared at him.
Realization hit.
"You—" Mingji's breath shook with fury. "You lied."
Lee's smile widened just a fraction.
"Worked, didn't it?"
Mingji surged forward, rage exploding again.
"Get out—"
He reached for the door—
And stopped.
Because Lee had already moved.
Lee shoved his foot between the door and the frame.
Mingji's eyes dropped.
The foot.
The injured foot.
His blood ran cold.
"Move it!" Mingji shouted, panic crashing through his anger. "Are you insane?!"
Lee didn't.
Instead, he pushed.
Hard.
The door flew open.
Mingji stumbled back, caught off guard, and before he could recover—
Lee was inside.
The door slammed shut behind them.
Lee didn't give Mingji time to react.
He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Mingji tightly—too tightly—pulling him in until Mingji's face pressed into the side of his neck.
Warm.
Familiar.
Safe.
Mingji struggled instantly.
"Let go!" he snapped. "What the hell are you doing—!"
Lee tightened his grip.
"No."
His voice was low. Calm.
Steady.
Mingji cursed under his breath, trying to shove him away, fists pushing uselessly against Lee's chest.
Lee didn't move.
Didn't budge.
Instead, he leaned down just slightly, lips brushing Mingji's ear as he whispered—
"Why are you behaving like this?"
Mingji stiffened.
"Min," Lee murmured softly, using the name he never used in public. "You know I don't like this version of you."
Mingji's breath hitched.
"I don't like it when you're angry at me."
Mingji fought harder.
"Shut up," he growled. "You don't get to say that—!"
Lee hugged him tighter.
Enough to stop him from speaking.
Enough to stop him from running.
Enough to hold him together.
Slowly—
Mingji's strength faded.
The fight drained out of him like air from a punctured lung.
His fists loosened.
His shoulders sagged.
He stopped pushing.
Lee felt it immediately.
He loosened his hold just slightly, careful, cautious—like approaching a wounded animal.
Mingji didn't pull away.
Instead, he stayed there.
Breathing unevenly.
Then—
A sound.
Small.
Broken.
Lee's heart skipped violently.
He pulled back just enough to see Mingji's face.
And froze.
Mingji wasn't speaking.
He was crying.
Not openly.
Not dramatically.
Tears clung to his lashes, slipping silently down his cheeks as his lips trembled, jaw clenched like he was holding himself together by sheer will.
Lee felt genuine fear for the first time.
In all the years they had known each other—
From childhood fights to adult arguments—
Lee had never seen Mingji cry.
Never.
Not once.
Without thinking, Lee dropped to his knees.
Right there.
Glass crunching beneath him.
"Min," he said desperately. "I didn't know—"
His voice cracked.
"I didn't know I hurt you this much."
Mingji turned his face away, shoulders shaking.
Lee reached for him, hands trembling.
"I'll do whatever you say," Lee rushed out. "Anything. Just—please don't cry."
Silence.
Then Mingji spoke.
"If you want me to stop," he said hoarsely, "then leave this show."
The words hit Lee like a punch.
"…Okay."
The answer came instantly.
No hesitation.
Lee stood up.
Mingji's head snapped toward him.
"What?"
"I said okay," Lee repeated. "If that's what you want."
He turned toward the door.
Then paused.
"But," Lee said quietly, "don't you think you'll feel guilty?"
Mingji's chest tightened.
"My team," Lee continued. "If I leave now, they'll have one less member. It's a team round. Everyone worked hard."
Mingji clenched his fists.
"Then leave after this round," he snapped. "And don't ever put yourself in a situation where you get hurt again."
His voice cracked.
"You know why I'm worried."
He inhaled sharply.
"If you do that again—then go to hell. I don't care."
He turned away.
Before he could say anything else—
Lee hugged him again.
Suddenly.
Firmly.
This time, Mingji didn't resist.
Lee lifted a hand and gently tapped Mingji's head, slow and rhythmic—like comforting a frightened puppy.
"okay..," Lee whispered.
And for the first time that night—
Mingji let himself breathe.