Used.

A word far more suitable for objects, objects that will wear out, and will then eventually be thrown away, or replaced.

But Sunho wasn't an object. He wasn't an object that would wear out; he wasn't an object that can be easily thrown away, he wasn't an object that was to be used when needed, and then thrown away, replaced, when he apparently wasn't anymore.

He wasn't an inanimate object with no feelings.

He is a human being with a heart.

And yet he was treated like an object, like some cheap toy from the discount bin that was given to an excited child, and then quickly cast off for a more expensive one. He was treated like some flower cruelly cut off from its source of life, only to be confined to a vase that will only serve to prolong its suffering before it truly dies, so that its beauty could be admired for a few days and then quickly discarded and replaced with a flower far more vibrant, far more alive.

He was used.

Used by the person who he gave his all to.

And yet he never did realize it.

He had gone without love for so long. He hadn't even dated that many girls, simply because he believed that dating should involve real feelings. He had dated women that he had been in love with, but they never really did love him back. He had been luckless when it comes to the calling of the heart, and yet he still tried, he still put his heart out there only for it to be broken every single time. And yet, he did not falter. With every new relationship, he hoped, he hoped that this would finally be the one.

He never expected it to be Choongjae. He came into his life just as abruptly as he left. He made him feel countless emotions that no one before him had ever made him feel before. He was different, far too different from all the women he had dated. Choongjae loved him passionately, fervently, dearly, and he never failed to convey these feelings, no matter through words or actions.

He had been warned by so many people far more perceptive than him. He had heard so many things from various sources, so many hushed whispers and discreetly pointed fingers whenever they were together. There had even been something inside him that was tugging at him, as if it was telling him, warning him, that this was all a mistake, that he'd better get out before he falls in too deep.

But by that time, it was too late. He had fallen in too deep, and it was impossible to climb back out.

He had fallen for every single thing that Choongjae had to offer. He had fallen for his handsome looks, his piercing eyes, his prominent adam's apple. He had fallen for his sweet, contagious laugh, his corny jokes, his amusing antics. He had fallen for his deep voice and his impossibly amazing dancing. He had fallen for his kindness, his innocence, his confidence in carrying himself, his gentle love that he seemed to always reserve just for him. He had fallen for his whispers of sweet nothings, for his constant declarations of love that made him feel warm, made him feel wanted.

He had fallen head over heels in love with Park Choongjae, and it was too late to feel otherwise.

He thought Choongjae was the one. He thought that he had finally found his lifelong partner, the one who his heart will beat for forever. He thought that he would finally be able to say that all the heartbreak he had experienced had all been worth it, because he had finally found 'the one'. He thought he would finally be able to rest, and not stress about whether there was someone out there for him or not.

He thought that he had finally found someone who truly loved him, as much as he would love that person back.

But he was wrong. All wrong. In a single moment, the illusion that he didn't know he had created for himself was shattered. Reality slapped him straight in the face. Yet despite everything, he never realized that he had been blind.

Blind to everything that should have told him that Choongjae was not the one, no matter how much he wanted him to be.

He had ignored all the telltale signs that had been visible to anyone and everyone around him, because he had been too busy creating the perfect illusion in his mind. He had even dismissed his gut instincts, because he had so desperately wanted everything to work. In his desperation to be loved, in his desperation to finally have someone to truly love, he did not realize that he was being used.

Used as a stepping stone for something far bigger in Choongjae's life that, obviously (though he never did see; he still believes, despite everything and everyone telling him to stop), did not involve him. Used, like a piece of tissue paper, to wipe away Choongjae's tears of sadness and desperation and then thrown away after. Used, like some kind of psychiatrist, who only served to get rid of his emotional pain for him and then never contacted anymore once everything is alright and settled. Used, like a painkiller that is ingested once, and will be dissolved by the body and excreted out eventually.

And yet... he refused to admit that Choongjae had, after all, been just like the others before him. He refused to admit that everyone else had been right about him all along. He refused to admit that everyone else clearly saw through Choongjae except for him. He refused to admit that he was being used.

All because of the illusion, the barrier that he put up, that shut out everything that should have told him it was time to get out.

And now... it was impossible to pull himself back out.

Because he had fallen in too deep, too deep into the dark abyss that was Choongjae's supposed love, too deep into the illusion that he had created for himself.

And to this day, he still hopes, that maybe everyone had been wrong about him.

To the bitter end, he was still being used by the one man he had truly loved.

The one man that had never, not even in his dreams, loved him back.

A/N: Yeah, I don't know what the heck I just wrote, and I just had to make Jinnie the bad guy because it was what my muse told me to do lol. So, anyways, hope you guys like this anyways. xD This was based off from an experience my irl friend had (though everything is peachy now, of course, but this oneshot collection never has happy endings xD), and I just tried to convey the emotions she had, and then some. So yeah. Hopefully that worked out.