#bewitched set...entry vii

[evermourning]

𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 - seo changbin

pairing: seo changbin x reader (bewitched series pt. 7)

genre: angst, hurt/no comfort, non!idol au, unrequited love

wc: 1.2k

warnings: yn is toxic as hell. don't be like them, language, changbin's pov, yunho from ateez is mentioned, mentions of cheating, you are definitely gonna hate me for this

a/n: i think i projected a lil

changbin remembered the day he fell for you like it was literally yesterday.

it was the first day of spring that didn't feel as if it was still freezing cold. the first leaves were starting to appear, beautiful yet minuscule bursts of green upon barren branches.

he'd slipped into the nearest café, hoping for a warm drink, when he saw you sitting at a table in the back, tapping away on your laptop. just looking at you had changbin's cheeks growing rosy. he knew he had to shoot his shot.

"i'm sorry - i don't mean to intrude, but i think you're absolutely stunning." changbin said, a bit flustered. you had looked up from your laptop, smiling.

"that made my day...thank you." you smiled, your eyes piercing his. his heart swooned.

"do you think i could...you know...take you out on a date sometime?" he asked suddenly, playing with his thumbs a bit anxiously.

"oh, sure! i'd love that." you'd replied, shaking his hand. "i'm yn. you?"

"changbin. seo changbin. and don't you forget it."

spring and summer were an absolute euphoric time period for him. the first date had gone amazing, and so had the next, and the next after that. you were so interesting and funny. every single time changbin saw your face, it was like the butterflies in his stomach began to migrate, blood rushing to his cheeks. as his love grew, so did his attachment to you. he sent you texts every single day, gave you his all.

but just as everything else is, seasons are not permanent. the leaves fell from the trees, laying wasted on the ground as the earth returned to its hibernating state. changbin was embarrassed. he felt so stupid. was he always this oblivious? the signs were so obvious, why couldn't he see them? regret flooded through him like it was those feelings of overwhelming love he used to feel so strongly.

it'd been a rainy thursday morning. changbin had plans with you, you were just going to come over and spend the day with him. when you arrived, the two of you had a lovely brunch together before cuddling up to watch a movie. you'd dozed off, head resting comfortably upon his broad shoulder. the movie had reached a bit of a low point, so changbin was scrolling through his phone, when he received a notification from chan.

chan, 1:02pm: hey, can we talk? i need to talk to you about something really important, so just brace yourself.

changbin, 1:02 pm: okay...is everything alright?

the three dots on the bottom left of changbin's scream were there, floating up and down for an uncomfortable amount of time. when chan stopped typing before continuing, changbin's heart nearly stopped. when chan finally sent a very long paragraph, along with photos, changbin wanted to genuinely die.

chan, 1:08pm: so i know that you've been dating yn since like april, right? i was working my shift at the coffee shop and i take my weekend shifts with this yunho kid, he's a great guy and all, i've mentioned him to you a few times. he was talking about how blessed he was to have such a loving and caring partner and he referred to them as yn? i was like "oh cool they have the same name as binnie's partner!"...and then he showed me a picture of the two of them

chan: 1:09pm: it was your yn...i'm so sorry :(

attached to the text were pictures of you and yunho, happily in love. like a sharpened dagger slicing every single one of changbin's arteries.

"hm? bin, who are you texting?" you mumbled sleepily, yawning, changbin could only look at you with horror and disbelief. "is everything okay?"

he nodded, still feeling numb.

"i uh, forgot i had somewhere to be soon, it's kinda sudden and everything, sorry..."

you smiled at him gently, before kissing his cheek and leaving with a soft "i love you, see you around." how many times had you done that, murmured sweet nothings and whatnot to him when you were in reality, very in love with someone else? when you'd walk faster than changbin, as if you were escaping him, were you actually trying to run to yunho? when you were kissing changbin, supposedly filled with total adoration, did you really desire to be kissing his replacement instead?

he'd loved you so much, he settled for less. there were so many other people better suited for him, but he only wanted you. even though you were quite horrid in terms of commitment, the memories you two had made were real to him.

and so, seo changbin's eternal winter began, a freezing cold time of utter grief and disarray.

now, as snow fell in blankets outside of his apartment, changbin laid in his bed, staring at the white, relatively boring ceiling. nothing could get him to fall asleep. sometimes, he'd close his eyes and your memory absolutely haunted him. he'd broken up with you, but that didn't mean his feelings were over. sometimes, he saw you around town with yunho. he wanted to cry.

he knew that when he loved, he put his all into the relationship and was completely vulnerable. changbin loved, yes, but he loved way too much. he desperately journeyed across and around the earth again and again, searching hopelessly for that special soul who's fate was intertwined with his, and he got hurt each and every time. it was a tough thing to bear, but even harder to confess.

strangely, there was really nothing to miss about your relationship. sure, it'd had its moments, but at the end of the day it really was some unfathomably textbook relationship. and if he had to be honest? his life had improved so much since he last spoke to you, focusing on work and friends and family, but if everything was better in some fucked up way of thinking, why was he laying awake, shattered from the thought of you?

if you came to his house in the pouring rain, saying you were single, would he stand a chance? would you want him back?

no.

you were not the victim here. changbin was warned by all his friends and even his older sister that dating you was a bad idea. that his love life would end in tragedy. that he was way too attached to someone not reacting the same. but he didn't listen, he never did. not when it came to you. maybe if he saw you again, older and wiser, more mature, in love with someone who'd actually treat him right, maybe he'd lend an ear to their pleas.

but for now, he was clinging frantically onto this mess of an old relationship he'd had with you. he was fighting for his life, kicking and screaming as they dragged him away. you were his everything, but you'd decided not to put him at the top of your list.

he was just second best, again.

@evermourning, ©2023. all rights reserved.

#ren writes!! <3 #evermourning #skz #stray kids #stray kids angst #angst fic #skz imagines #stray kids imagines #seo changbin #changbin skz #changbin angst #changbin #changbin x reader #seo changbin x reader #bewitched set...entry vii