Chapter 38: With open arms
Eun-woo appeared in the doorway after a while. He stood there, silently looking around the room, as if hesitant to take another step. He remained like that for a while before turning around, intending to leave without a word.
"Don’t go," Rhys said.
Don’t leave me alone.
Eun-woo stopped instantly. His face reflected a mixture of guilt and doubt, his lips parted as if searching for something to say.
"This is all my fault... sorry." he said finally.
"Don’t do this," Rhys complained. "Don’t apologize, please. Don’t do it."
Rhys could feel the energy between them. It vibrated intensely, like a string stretching, contracting, and pulsing in the air. It was an inexplicable force that pulled them toward each other, as if the space between them refused to exist.
Eun-woo was the first to give in. He took a step, then another. He approached the bed cautiously and sat on the edge, never taking his eyes off Rhys, as if doing so might break that connection.
"If I hadn’t..."
"Don’t regret it!" Rhys exclaimed urgently. "Eun-woo, life is shaped by choices. If you made one, it’s because you were fully aware that it was the best option. You shouldn’t regret it. Ever. They’re your choices."
Energy erupted, and the room filled with color, floating like dust particles in a ray of sunlight. The colors enveloped Eun-woo, Rhys, both of them. Deep blues, soft golds, flashes of emerald.