A Downward Spiral

The package had been sitting on the coffee table for days, a constant reminder of the temptation that lay within. Taehyun had been trying to resist its pull, but it was hard to ignore the promise of relaxation and escape that it offered. Yeonjun had been on his case about it, but Taehyun had started to feel like he was being suffocated by his own therapist's appointments. The same questions, the same answers, the same struggles. He felt like he was going through the motions, but not really making progress. As the days turned into weeks, Taehyun stopped attending therapy sessions altogether. He told himself he was fine, that he didn't need to go anymore. But deep down, he knew he was running from his problems. One night, as Yeonjun was getting ready for bed, Taehyun reached for the package. He unwrapped it, and the sweet, earthy scent wafted up, drawing him in. He rolled a joint, his hands shaking slightly as he lit it. Yeonjun looked on, disapproving, but Taehyun didn't care. He took a hit, feeling the familiar rush of euphoria wash over him. As the days turned into weeks, Taehyun found himself slipping back into old habits. He would smoke every night, telling himself it was just to relax, just to unwind. But he knew it was more than that. It was a way to escape, to forget about his problems. Yeonjun tried to talk to him about it, to get him to see that he was heading down a slippery slope. But Taehyun wouldn't listen. He was convinced that he was fine, that he had everything under control. But he didn't. He was smoking more and more, and his moods were becoming increasingly erratic. Yeonjun would try to talk to him, to get through to him, but Taehyun would just push him away. He felt like he was losing himself, like he was disappearing into the darkness. And then, one night, Yeonjun confronted him. "Tae, you're not the same person anymore," he said, his voice shaking with worry. "You're distant, you're detached. What's going on?" Taehyun looked at him, feeling a pang of guilt. He knew he was slipping away, and he didn't know how to stop. He took another hit, feeling the familiar rush of euphoria wash over him. But this time, it didn't feel like escape. It felt like surrender. "I'm fine," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I'm just trying to relax." But Yeonjun's eyes told a different story. They told a story of concern, of worry, of fear. Taehyun knew he was losing his grip on reality, and he didn't know how to stop. The darkness was closing in, and he was powerless to resist its pull.