Downward Spiral

The darkness closed in around Taehyun like a suffocating shroud, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he was drowning in his own despair. Yeonjun's words echoed in his mind, a haunting reminder of the person he used to be, the person he was losing. He looked around the room, at the familiar walls and furniture, but everything seemed distant, out of focus. The joint in his hand seemed to mock him, a symbol of his surrender to his demons. As he took another hit, Yeonjun's face contorted in a mixture of sadness and frustration. "Tae, please," he said, his voice cracking with emotion. "You're scaring me. You're not yourself anymore." Taehyun felt a pang of guilt, but it was quickly consumed by the haze of his addiction. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt truly connected to Yeonjun, or to himself. The days blurred together in a haze of smoke and regret. Taehyun stopped going out, stopped seeing friends, stopped leaving the house. Yeonjun tried to get him to leave, to get some fresh air, but Taehyun couldn't muster the energy. He felt like he was stuck in a nightmare, and he couldn't wake up. The joint had become his lifeline, his escape from the crushing weight of his anxiety. One day, Yeonjun came home to find Taehyun curled up on the couch, surrounded by empty packets of snacks and energy drinks. The air was thick with the smell of smoke, and the windows were cloudy with condensation. Yeonjun's face went white as he took in the scene. "Tae, what's happening to you?" he whispered, his voice trembling. Taehyun looked up, his eyes bloodshot and sunken. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a jumbled mess of words. Yeonjun rushed to his side, shaking him gently. "Tae, snap out of it. You're not okay. You need help." For a moment, Taehyun's eyes focused, and he saw Yeonjun, really saw him, for the first time in weeks. He saw the concern, the fear, the love. And for a moment, he felt a spark of recognition, a spark of himself. But it was quickly extinguished by the darkness. Taehyun pushed Yeonjun away, his hands shaking with a mixture of anger and desperation. "Leave me alone," he spat, his voice barely above a whisper. Yeonjun's face crumpled, and he backed away, tears streaming down his face. "I'm trying, Tae. I'm trying to help you. But you won't let me." As the door closed behind Yeonjun, Taehyun felt a wave of despair wash over him. He was alone, truly alone, for the first time in his life. And he didn't know if he could find his way back to himself, or if he even wanted to. The joint in his hand seemed to beckon, a siren's call to the darkness that had consumed him. He took another hit, feeling the familiar rush of euphoria wash over him. But this time, it felt like a goodbye, a farewell to the person he used to be, to the life he once knew.