The evening arrived far sooner than Ga young had calculated.
It was a dinner, alright, but not the way she had imagined.
Instead of something private, it was a large, crowded dinner party hosted by one of the most powerful ministers in Seoul. Min jae never told her it would not be a private dinner.
Why would he, anyway?
She forced a polite smile as she greeted every official who passed by, nodding and exchanging pleasantries like she belonged there. Meanwhile, Min jae was already caught in endless conversations with high ranking figures, his attention occupied everywhere but with her.
"I could even find a sugar daddy at this event," she muttered with a frustrated sigh. "Three, even."
Suddenly, a hand touched her shoulder. She turned to see one of the senior waitresses.
"Mr. Hwan asked me to inform you that he will be leaving," the woman said before walking away.
"Leaving?" Ga young scoffed. "Without me?" She snatched her bag from the table and stormed out.
There he was, standing beside his car, a silhouette against the sleek black paint. A fresh wave of indignation hit her. She muttered a string of curses as she marched toward him, ready to demand an explanation, or at least a proper fight.
But the moment she reached him, her prepared words shriveled in her throat. His expression was closed off, a professional mask more chilling than any anger.
"You can stay back if you wish," Min jae said calmly, as if discussing a meeting reschedule. "I will be leaving first. As for the production, there is a lot lacking. I will send the review to you."
"Yes, sir," she replied, the honorific automatic, a sharp pain lancing through her chest. She bowed briefly, the motion mechanical.
He exhaled quietly, a faint cloud in the cool air, and turned to get into the car.
The sound of the door closing was a final, soft thud. He started the engine. The purr felt like a vibration through the pavement, up through her heels. She stood paralyzed, watching the backup lights cast a red glow on the wet asphalt. Let him go. Just let him go. It's what you wanted, isn't it?
But as the car began to roll backward, a visceral, terrifying truth detonated inside her. It wasn't a thought; it was a chemical reaction, a surge of pure panic that overrode every defense. Her body moved before her mind could protest.
In two frantic steps, she planted herself directly in front of the gleaming hood.
Min jae slammed the brakes, the car lurching to a halt. His eyes through the windshield were wide, not with anger, but with stark surprise.
Her breath came in shallow gasps, the cold air burning her lungs. The adrenaline of the action faded, leaving raw, trembling vulnerability. She exhaled shakily, walked to the driver's side window, and knocked. He rolled it down, his composed mask back in place, but his knuckles were white on the steering wheel.
"Can I talk to you?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
His lips twitched. Not a smile, but not nothing either.
"You can send me an email."
She would have fired back a sarcastic remark, she could have. But eroded by months of missing him. "Why are you being like this?" she said, the fight draining from her tone, leaving only a soft, pleading ache. "I really need to talk to you."
He stared straight ahead for a long moment, then exhaled heavily, killed the engine, and stepped out. He didn't approach her, just leaned back against his car door, a silent, formidable wall.
Ga young whispered something that sounded like a prayer, or a curse against her own heart. She swallowed hard, the words forming a tangled, painful knot in her throat. She had to start somewhere.
"I am sorry," she forced out.
"Why are you apologizing again?" he asked, his eyes never leaving hers, unyielding.
"I don't know," she admitted, a helpless laugh escaping her, tinged with hysteria. "But whenever I see you, I just—" Her vision blurred, hot tears welling. "I just want to apologize." She wiped angrily at her eyes, but they kept coming. "Look, I don't know what I said the other day or what I did, but one thing I know is that it couldn't have been a lie. I meant whatever I said."
She lifted her head, fighting to keep herself together as her composure fractured.
"I know we have had our differences but I was scared, Min jae. I was so scared of hurting you again that I kept pushing you away over and over."
Her voice cracked as she wiped at her eyes, now streaming freely.
"But how am I supposed to learn how to live without you after meeting you again? It is harder than I thought. It is so much more. I cannot do it."
She inhaled shakily, the admission leaving her hollowed out.
"I am not asking you to love me. Or even to like me. I do not have the right to. All I want is for you to stop ignoring me. Do not act like I do not exist."
He just kept staring at her, he couldn't deny his was beginning to melt away, he wanted to hug her tight and tell her it's all alright, wipe her tears, not just stand there, but he just stood there.
Tears slipped down her cheeks, unchallenged.
"I thought paying off all my debts would fix everything. I thought I would be fine. But I am worse now, more than ever, because my mind has nothing but you in it."
Her voice broke completely.
"I thought I was past it. I thought I was over you. But I am not."
She sobbed openly now, the sound ragged in the quiet night.
"All I am asking is for you to stop ignoring me, you could friend zone me even, but just don't act like I don't exist. Please—"
She crumbled, her hands coming up to cover her face as her shoulders shook.
Min jae could not hold himself back anymore. He never could when it came to her.
In two strides, he closed the distance and pulled her into his chest, holding her tightly as if she might dissolve.
"Please," Ga young whispered against his shirt, breaking further at the feel of his arms.
He held her closer, one hand cradling the back of her head, gently patting her hair.
"Why?" he murmured, his voice thick and heavy with a pain he could no longer conceal. "Why do you cry so much? You know I can't stand it."
"I am sorry," she whispered again, the words muffled.
"No. Please, stop apologizing," he said, and she felt the first warm tear fall from his face into her hair. "You will only break me more."
She pulled back slightly, her own tears pausing in shock as she saw the track of one on his cheek. Her hand came up, hesitant, then gently wiped it away.
"You are not allowed to cry," she said softly, her voice wrecked. "Only I am allowed to do that. Please. Do not."
That was all it took.
A broken sound escaped him, and he pulled her back into his arms and finally broke with her.The night swallowed every sound, leaving only the weight of what had not been said. None of them said anything, just broke into each other, the world was theirs.