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Joo-eun, who had been perched on the edge of the bed, slowly shifted away from Minhyuk to create some distance.
Minhyuk, who had been gazing at her intently, added in a flat tone,
“If I pull you down right now, our relationship might end—or it might grow even hotter. My mind is having a heated debate about it.”
He was being far too honest.
But she couldn’t exactly commend him for his honesty.
Through her stammering lips, she finally managed to force out a response.
“…I said I’d stay because I trust you not to do that.”
“Don’t trust men too much. If love falls short even a little, they’ll pounce without hesitation.”
“Ha. What kind of dangerous joke is that? Maybe I was wrong to think this way. It’s better if I just leave.”
She had expected him to try and stop her…
“Alright.”
When he readily agreed to let her go, Joo-eun hesitated as she stood up.
She had wanted to see him fall asleep peacefully, free from nightmares.
Sensing her hesitation, he sat up in bed.
Leaning languidly against the headboard, he looked even sexier than usual tonight.
Overwhelmed by the slow rise and fall of his gaze, Joo-eun froze, unable to look away.
If he weren’t sick, the charged atmosphere felt like something explosive could happen a hundred times over.
“So, what are you still doing here?”
“……”
“Go quickly. Don’t look back. If you hesitate, I’ll get the wrong idea. I might act like a madman and lunge at you, thinking it’s a green light.”
“There’s no way someone would send such a signal to a sick person.”
“That’s why. Don’t give people the wrong impression. Leave when it’s time to leave.”
He was telling her to go. So why wouldn’t her feet move?
Suddenly, Joo-eun felt afraid—not of him, but of herself.
Of the part of her that felt like she wouldn’t be able to resist leaning into him.
“I’ll… see you tomorrow at work.”
Quickly bowing her head, she turned around.
Realizing belatedly that she was still clutching a book tightly in her hand due to nerves, she placed it gently on the small table nearby.
“Since it’s late, make sure you take a taxi home. Send me a text with the car’s license plate number when you leave.”
Not wanting to give an ambiguous signal by turning back, Joo-eun bit her lip and walked straight ahead.
The sound of her pounding heart echoed with each step she took, seemingly reaching her ears.
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Despite Minhyuk’s instructions, Joo-eun decided to take the subway instead, wanting to walk and clear her head.
His overwhelmingly pure confession left her disoriented, so she hoped walking through the tangible reality of the city would help ground her.
“Ha… That’s right. This is reality.”
Even the escalator was broken, forcing her to climb stairs endlessly until her breath caught in her throat.
As she exited the station, a dim sky greeted her.
A pitch-black darkness.
It was as if the absence of stars was reiterating: This is your reality.
‘What if… Park Jae-hoon is waiting for me…?’
The sudden thought sent a cascade of fear coursing through her veins.
The deserted streets, devoid of crowds since it wasn’t a busy area, only heightened her tension.
Every nerve in her body was on high alert.
She considered calling her mother to ask her to come pick her up, but quickly shook her head.
Her mother already lived with enough worries—she couldn’t burden her further.
Instead, she clutched her phone tightly, keeping Minhyuk’s number pulled up on the screen.
With her ears pricked, she walked cautiously through the darkness. When she finally reached her apartment building, a door of an unfamiliar luxury foreign car opened.
“Oh my god!”
Startled by the sudden opening of the car door in the dark, she almost screamed.
Fortunately, the person who stepped out was a middle-aged woman. Without stopping, Joo-eun continued walking forward.
That was natural…
She congratulated herself inwardly for not showing any obvious signs of panic.
Out of curiosity, she stole a quick glance at the woman.
At first glance, she didn’t seem like someone from the neighborhood. Who could she be visiting?
Suppressing her curiosity, she approached the communal entrance—but a cold voice sliced through the darkness.
“Song Joo-eun?”
The back of her neck chilled instantly.
‘Ah… If I respond now, will she gag me with a handkerchief or something?’
Her thumb hovered over the call button on her phone as she forced her trembling legs to move. Just then, the woman’s voice called out to her again.
“I’m Minhyuk’s mother.”
“……!”
Joo-eun whipped her head around, her eyes widening to the point of bulging.
Only then did she fully recognize the face—it was unmistakably Minhyuk’s mother, whom she had seen at the company before.
“Vi-Vice Chairwoman Jin-sook…!”
Joo-eun’s voice trembled faintly.
“You recognize me. Can we talk for a moment?”
So this was it.
She had anticipated that someone would eventually come looking for her the longer her entanglement with Minhyuk deepened.
But she hadn’t expected it to happen at midnight. How long had she been waiting?
The thought of what she had waited so late to say was already painfully clear, making her chest ache.
“It’s late, so it might be awkward to go inside. Is it alright if we talk in the car?”
“Yes… Of course.”
“Driver Choi, please wait outside for a moment.”
“Yes, Vice Chairwoman.”
The man politely opened the car door, and Jin-sook gracefully slid into the car.
Even the simple act of entering the car exuded elegance.
Swallowing hard, Joo-eun hurried to the other side to enter.
The driver rushed ahead to open her door as well.
After thanking him, Joo-eun climbed into the car.
Inside, a subtle diffuser scent wafted gently.
“Were you on your way from Minhyuk’s place?”
Joo-eun, who had been clasping her hands together, startled and pressed her nails into her fingertips.
“Ah… Yes.”
“The locations of both of you are relayed to me in real-time. If something as small as this startles you, how do you expect to handle meeting Minhyuk properly?”
What was this strange undertone?
Why did it feel like concern? It shouldn’t be. Absolutely not.
“To be honest, I didn’t come here intending to meet Song Joo-eun. Whatever Minhyuk does is none of my business.”
After a brief silence, Jin-sook asked an unexpected question.
“Do you believe in fate, Song Joo-eun?”
“Huh?”
Surprised, Joo-eun’s eyes widened further.
Slowly lifting her head, she turned to look at Jin-sook, expecting a sharp glare.
Instead, a gentle smile filled the car, as soft as the diffused scent. Joo-eun’s pupils quivered slightly.
She had no idea what was happening or where this conversation was headed.
“Fate. Do you believe in it?”
Once again, the question hung in the air. Slowly, Joo-eun shook her head.
“No, I don’t believe in it.”
“Is that so?”
“My life has hit rock bottom. Thinking that all of this was predestined makes me feel unbearably sad.”
“I see. Rock bottom…”
“But knowing there’s nowhere lower to fall does bring some peace of mind.”
“All of this is my fault. I’m sorry.”
“What?”
Suddenly, what was this? Why was the Vice Chairwoman apologizing?
“I don’t know if fate exists, but it feels like I’ve played a part in dragging you down to this low point.”
‘Dragging me down? Does she mean pulling me further down? What is going on?’
Every word coming out of Jin-sook’s mouth was incomprehensible.
One thing was certain, though…
‘Is she crying?’
Though the car was dim, Joo-eun could sense the tears welling up in Jin-sook’s eyes.
Why?
“If this is fate, I’ll repay my debt of gratitude—to you, Song Joo-eun, and to your mother.”
Those eyes, so similar to Minhyuk’s, conveyed an inexplicable sincerity.
“This wretched life of mine has become unbearable. It seems I’ve been kept alive just to settle all these debts before I depart.”
“……”
“Minhyuk is a child full of scars because of me. Because of his unworthy mother, I don’t want him to get hurt again. I’ll repay all the kindness I’ve failed to return. So, please take good care of my son.”
Not asking her to leave him, but to… take good care of him.
Joo-eun felt like she was dreaming. She wanted to pinch herself to check.
“I know this must be shocking. I was shocked too. I’ll explain everything step by step. It’s late today, so let’s have dinner another time and talk more slowly.”
Jin-sook handed over her business card, which Joo-eun accepted with both hands.
“I’ll contact you.”
Lee Jin-sook, Chairwoman of DK Gallery.
The luxurious paper and gold-embossed name on the card spoke volumes of a world far removed from her own.
She had always thought of people like her as living in an entirely different realm—untouchable and unreachable.
Yet here she was, tearfully entrusting her son to her while talking about repaying a debt of gratitude.
No matter how hard she tried to gather her thoughts, none of this made sense.
“If Minhyuk’s father contacts him before you meet, call me first.”
Chairman Jung Geun-sik, Minhyuk’s father—the man who held private meetings with the president.
The mere thought of sitting across from him made her tense.
Noticing Joo-eun’s rigid expression, Jin-sook sighed softly.
“There’s no need to be nervous. He’s nothing special once you get to know him.”
“……”
“When I was your age, the only thing I feared about him was how he could ruin my life. But at this age, there’s nothing left to fear. So call me. I’m the only one who can stop him.”
For the first time, Jin-sook smiled warmly.
It was a radiant, dazzling smile that pierced through the darkness. Speechless, Joo-eun stared at her, utterly captivated.
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