it had been building for a while now, though you didn’t realize it until the day sunoo finally broke. his patience, his soft smiles, his playful teasing — all of it hid something deeper, something he hadn’t shared with you yet. you thought everything was fine, that your relationship was as comfortable as ever. but tonight was different.

you were in the middle of scrolling through a playlist on your phone when you noticed his silence. usually, he’d hum along or joke about your taste in music, but not tonight. you glanced over at him. sunoo sat on the couch, eyes fixed on the floor, his jaw clenched — a rare look for him.

“sunoo?” you asked, tentatively. “is something wrong?”

he didn’t answer right away. his hands were balled into fists on his lap, knuckles white. when he finally looked at you, his expression was one you’d never seen before — hurt, frustration, maybe even anger. it made your heart stutter in your chest.

“i’m tired,” he said quietly, his voice sharp. “i’m tired of this.”

“tired of what?” you asked, confusion washing over you.

he stood up abruptly, pacing the room as if trying to keep himself from boiling over. “of you not seeing me! of you treating me like… like i’m just cute or something.”

your heart dropped, his words catching you off guard. “what are you talking about? i don’t treat you-”

“yes, you do!” he exploded, his voice louder than you’d ever heard it before. “you always call me cute, like i’m some kind of doll. you act like i’m fragile, like i can’t be anything but soft and delicate.”

you stared at him, shocked by the intensity of his outburst. sunoo had always been gentle with you, even in his frustrations. But now? there was fire in his eyes, something fierce that you’d never seen.

“i’m a man,” he continued, his voice trembling with emotion. “i can be strong. i can be more than what you think i am. but you-” he stopped, taking a deep breath, his hands trembling. “you never give me the chance. it’s like you don’t believe i can be anything else.”