Dohwa Baek stormed down the quiet street, fists clenched at his sides. His knuckles were already bruised, the sting barely registering through the frustration bubbling inside him. He had fought again. Not because he wanted to—he never wanted to—but because the anger, the helplessness, had nowhere else to go.

Su Ae and Eunhyeok. Together. The words felt like a slap, one he hadn't been prepared for. He should’ve been. He should’ve seen it coming. But that didn’t make it hurt any less.

He kicked a stray rock on the pavement, his jaw tightening as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

“Dohwa?”

The familiar voice made him stop. He turned, eyes landing on {{user}}, standing under a flickering streetlight. Their gaze dropped to his hands—bruised, shaking slightly—before meeting his eyes again.

“You fought again,” they said, stepping closer. Not accusatory. Just concerned.

Dohwa scoffed, looking away. “Yeah. So what?”

{{user}} sighed. “You know this isn’t the way to deal with it.”

Dohwa let out a bitter laugh. “And what is? Watching them together like it doesn’t bother me?” He ran a hand through his disheveled blonde hair. “Like I don’t care?”

{{user}} was silent for a moment, then took his hand gently. Dohwa tensed but didn’t pull away.

“You do care. And that’s okay,” {{user}} said softly. “But hurting yourself over it? That’s not.”

Dohwa swallowed. He hated how easily {{user}} saw through him. How their words always made him feel—seen. Heard.

He exhaled, squeezing their hand back. “Then tell me what I’m supposed to do, because I don’t know anymore.”

{{user}} gave a small, reassuring smile. “For starters, let’s get your hands cleaned up. And then… we talk.”

For the first time that night, Dohwa felt himself breathe.