"Sooyoung, what did you just say?"
Eunho's voice trembled, the world tilting for a moment.
"Your… your dad," Sooyoung said breathlessly, eyes wide. "He's here. He's… asking to meet you."
Eunho didn't even respond. Her breath hitched. She took off—bolting down the hallway, out the school gates, down the stairs like the ground was falling beneath her.
_Scene:parking area near school_
A man stood near a black car. Tall, in a navy blazer, hair peppered with gray. His eyes… were hers.
He turned at the sound of her rushed footsteps.
Their eyes met.
Time froze.
Eunho stopped, tears springing up before she knew what was happening.
The world blurred around her as she dropped her bag and ran to him.
"Appa…" she whispered.
He opened his arms, his own eyes wet, and she crashed into him—hugging the father she had never really known.
"My daughter," he murmured, hugging her tighter. "You've grown so much. You're… so beautiful."
She clutched his coat, the scent unfamiliar and yet somehow safe. A longing she didn't know she carried cracked open inside her.
_Scene: Cafe Nearby_
They sat in a quiet booth. The city moved outside the glass, but the air between them was still.
"I owe you… years," he said softly. "And a truth that's haunted me every single day."
"Your mother—she misunderstood something that day. I was helping a friend… Mr.park's wife . She was pregnant, alone, scared. His father had flown to Japan for a merger crisis. I simply drove her to the hospital."
"Your mother came there. She saw her, pregnant. Saw me, helping her into the clinic."
"She never asked anything. Just turned to me and said, 'You don't deserve to be the father of two children.'"
Eunho blinked. The words felt like thunder.
"I was stunned. Two children? I only had you. And that's when it hit me… your mother was pregnant again. With your sister."
"Before I could explain, she was gone. She changed her number. She moved. She erased herself."
His hands clenched the porcelain coffee cup. "And I… failed to find her."
"I wrote letters. Hired people. Waited outside old offices. I even tried the school registry multiple times."
He looked up at her.
"Until I saw your name on the Shinjeong High School list. And your photo. Eun Ho-Ra. I knew it in a heartbeat."
She swallowed hard.
"Why now?" she whispered. "Why today?"
He took a deep breath.
"Because this time… I'm not letting you disappear again."
"And because I want to introduce you… not just as my daughter, but to the world."
Eunho frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"
"Tomorrow is the annual global summit. Kang Group's big ambassador announcement. Mr. Kang and I were once rivals… and your uncle still is."
"But now, Mr. Park—and I have partnered. We're unveiling a new joint venture."
He smiled faintly, eyes shimmering with pride.
"And I want you, Eun Ho-Ra, to be our first ambassador. A symbol of legacy, talent, and the next generation."
Her heart thudded.
"You want me… on stage?"
"You've lived both worlds, even if you didn't know it. Kang's family. Park's family. You're connected to them all. And you're the light between the shadows. You belong in that spotlight."
"Will you come? Will you stand beside me tomorrow night?"
She looked away for a moment, stunned, breathless.
Tae-Oh. Jihoon. Mr. Kang. Minwook.
What will this mean?
And yet, part of her ached to say yes. To reclaim her voice. Her identity.
She looked back at him—her father, once lost, now returned.
"Yes," she said quietly. "I'll go."
_Scene: Outside the Café _
The sun dipped below the horizon, casting a soft amber glow across the pavement. Eunho stepped out of the café, heart still pounding from the whirlwind of truths. She clutched her phone, her mind spinning.
Her father followed behind her. The air between them still carried something tender, something unfinished.
"Eunho," he called gently.
She turned.
He reached into his blazer pocket and pulled out something small—sleek, black, and silver-edged. A platinum credit card.
"Take this," he said, stepping closer. "It's yours."
She blinked. "What?"
"It's an Infinity Card. No limit. Use it to get anything you need for tomorrow's party—or anything you want, honestly."
She stared at the card like it might burn her fingers.
"But I… I don't need—"
"It's not about need," he interrupted softly. "It's about giving you what should've always been yours. A choice. A name. A presence."
He gently pressed it into her hand.
"Walk into that party tomorrow and wear something you choose. Be the woman you are. Not the girl left by."
Her eyes shimmered, breath catching.
"You're not invisible anymore, Eunho."
He smiled faintly, then stepped back toward his car.
"Oh, and one more thing—" he called out as the engine roared to life.
"Get something stunning. You're going to be the center of the room."
And with that, he was gone.
_Scene: School Hallway_
Eunho stood in the empty school hallway, the card still clenched in her hand. Her reflection caught in the trophy cabinet glass—slightly messy red hair, tired eyes, uniform creased.
She let out a slow breath.
> "Center of the room, huh…"
She reached her classroom door, glanced around — no one was inside.
Not even Jihoon.
She quietly walked to her desk, took a deep breath, and placed the envelope into her bag, tucking it deep inside like it was some secret she wasn't ready to share. She paused for a moment, fingers hovering over the zipper.
"Ambassador… I don't even remember him properly, and now I'm representing his company?"
She shook the thoughts off.
From outside, the sound of voices and footsteps caught her attention — the ground floor gym.
She moved toward it, curious. As she neared, she peeked through the glass gate into the school ground.
Her class was there — playing dodgeball. Laughter echoed.
She spotted Minwook, tossing the ball back with a small grin. So rare.
Her gaze shifted — there, sitting near the bench, apart from everyone else, was Jihoon. Headphones on. Notebook in hand. Brows furrowed. Calm and untouchable.
Same as always… yet something feels different.
Distant.
Eunho stepped through the side door and made her way toward him slowly.
But before she could take a few steps—
BAM!
Someone collided with her from the side — Dahyun, thrown off balance by a dodgeball, bumped right into her shoulder.
"A-Ah! Are you okay?!" Eunho gasped, trying to steady her.
Dahyun winced as she hit the floor, her ankle twisting awkwardly.
"I—I don't know… it hurts—" Dahyun's voice trembled.
In seconds, Minwook, some other classmates, and even Jihoon removed his headphones and came rushing toward them.
"Dahyun!" someone called.
Eunho bent to help her up, but Dahyun winced again, grabbing onto Eunho's arm. She tried to stand but stumbled — and her hands reflexively caught Jihoon's pant leg.
"I-I think I need to go to the nurse…" Dahyun whispered.
Eunho stepped back, watching silently.
And Jihoon… didn't hesitate.
He leaned down, his expression unreadable. With surprising ease, he slipped his arms under Dahyun and lifted her up into his arms.
The murmurs around them grew.
Eunho stood frozen — her heart thudding unexpectedly.
She didn't understand why it hit her so hard. Jihoon wasn't hers. He never was. But seeing him like that — carrying someone else, so gently, so naturally — it struck a nerve deep inside her.
She turned her eyes away.
Her bracelet slipped from her sleeve, the blue flower catching the sunlight for a second before it vanished again under her uniform cuff.
_Scene: Classroom_
Eunho sat silently at her desk, chin resting lightly on her hand, eyes glazed as she stared at Jihoon's empty seat beside hers. Her fingers unconsciously brushed against the strap of her bag, where the infinity-limit card from her father now lay hidden.
Her mind should've been on her father's sudden appearance, the party, the card...
But all she could think about was the way Jihoon had carried Dahyun so effortlessly.
"He didn't even look at me."
Her chest ached a little.
"Eunho?" a soft voice whispered.
It was Jihyun, gently leaning in with concern in her eyes.
Sooyoung sat down beside her too, frowning. "Are you alright? You've been out of it since lunch."
Before Eunho could answer, the classroom door creaked open.
Everyone turned.
Dahyun walked in, a confident smile on her lips, her arm now wrapped in a light bandage.
And just a step behind her…
Jihoon.
He walked in casually, headphone dangling around his neck, eyes scanning the room lazily — but for a split second, his gaze landed right on Eunho.
Their eyes met.
But unlike every time before, Eunho looked away first.
"I don't want to look at you right now."
"Don't worry everyone!" Dahyun chirped, almost dramatically. "It was just a small twist. Nothing major."
A few students cheered. Others crowded her desk, fussing over her.
Eunho watched it all silently, her fingers now tightly clenched in her lap.
Jihoon hadn't moved. He was standing behind the cluster of students, his eyes quietly drifting back to her once again.
But Eunho didn't return the glance.
"Why does it feel like I'm the one left behind again?"
The classroom was buzzing.
Students had crowded around Dahyun, who had returned from the nurse's office with Jihoon. She was laughing it off — brushing her hair behind her ear, acting like nothing had happened.
Jihoon stood nearby, quiet but present, watching over her.
Some of the students were already teasing them.
"Omo, Jihoon carried you like a scene from a drama!"
"You're lucky, Dahyun!"
"What a moment!"
Dahyun giggled.
"Ah, don't make it weird! I really did hurt my ankle!"
Eunho sat at her desk, shoulders stiff.
She glanced at Jihoon.
He was still looking at Dahyun.
"Not a single glance here. Not even now…"
She bit her lip, the familiar pressure rising in her chest. The card from her dad — the bracelet on her wrist — the memories that didn't exist — it was all too much.
"I don't belong here."
Without saying a word, she stood and slipped past the group.
Sooyoung saw her getting outside the class.
_Scene: School Hallway_
Her footsteps quickened as the noise faded behind her.
But just then—
"Oh, Eunho."
A voice pulled her out of her daze.
She turned — Tae-Oh, emerging from the stairwell, raised an eyebrow.
"I was about to find you," he said, walking over with his usual smirk.
But as soon as he got a closer look at her, the teasing faded.
"…Eunho?" he said again, voice gentler this time. "Are you… okay?"
She didn't respond.
Suddenly, everything blurred.
The hallway tilted.
Her chest tightened.
And then she saw them.
The five students.
Flickering. Faint. Watching her from the far end of the hallway.
"Not again—" she whispered.
She stumbled slightly, pressing a hand to her temple.
Tae-Oh immediately stepped forward, alarmed.
"Hey! What's wrong?"
Eunho dropped to the floor, sitting against the wall, her legs unable to hold her.
The whispering voices echoed faintly in her head:
"You have to remember…"
"We're still here…"
Tae-Oh knelt beside her, his expression dead serious now.
"Eunho. Look at me."
She opened her eyes slowly, breathing uneven.
"They're… gone now," she whispered. "It's over."
Tae-Oh didn't understand — but he nodded.
"Come on. We'll sit here until you feel better," he said softly, lowering his voice like one would to someone on the edge.
He offered his hand.
Eunho stared at it for a moment…
And then took it.
His grip was warm.
" And for the first time in a while, she didn't feel entirely alone."