In seoul, there was freedom for me. There was enough space for me in my apartment. But i could feel the silence in my apartment. No Nagging. No Fights. There was just SILENCE. I was happy but still something inside me was missing.....
The first week at Aurora had slipped by in a blur of meetings, campaigns, and late nights arranging reports. I was finally starting to feel like I belonged here—or at least I was trying to convince myself. But the bus incident lingered in the back of my mind like a shadow I couldn't shake.
Back at my apartment, things began to feel… off. At first, it was small. A faint echo of footsteps in the corridor when I knew no one else lived on my floor yet. A knock on the door, soft and deliberate, with no one there when I opened it. Then, one night, I found a folded piece of paper slid under my door.
"Keep your head down. You don't know who you're crossing."
My fingers trembled holding it. I knew instantly who it was meant for. Who is it? I don't really know anyone here. is he the man from the bus? Now, it felt like someone was following me home.
I told myself to stay calm. I wasn't the Hannah who cried alone when no one defended her. I had sworn to myself years ago—I would never stay silent when someone needed me. That vow had made me strong, but strength also brought enemies. I told myself Now I am a new version of myself.
The next morning at work, Ji Hwan noticed something.
"You look tired," he said gently, his brow furrowed as we walked out of a meeting together.
I forced a laugh. "That's just what marketing does to people."
But his eyes lingered on me, sharp and searching. "It's not the work, is it? Something's bothering you."
I shrugged. "Just missing home a little, maybe."
He didn't press further, but I noticed the way he walked beside me all day, almost as if he was quietly keeping guard. His presence was steady, comforting in a way I hadn't expected.
After a week, I had the same routine nothing new and I was feeling as home in Seoul.
The street was busy, people rushing toward buses and cars, pretending not to see what was happening. A boy—six, maybe seven—was cornered against the wall by two older kids. One shoved him, the other laughed.
I stopped. My chest tightened. I'd seen this scene before—too many times. Me, small, unheard, invisible. The ten-year-old who looked six, easy prey. My parents never cared, never noticed. No one ever came for me.
I wasn't going to let history repeat itself for someone else.
"YAAAA!" My voice cracked like a whip through the crowd. Heads turned. The two boys stopped laughing. "Why the hell are you bullying him?"
They straightened, annoyed. "Who the hell are you?" one of them spat.
"I'm his elder sister," I snapped, pulling the little one to my side. "And if you don't leave now, I'll make sure the police know your faces."
The other boy scoffed, "We're minors. Police won't do shit."
I raised my phone, recording. My heart was pounding, but I didn't let it show. "You think so? Then let's test it. You'll be famous by tonight—little cowards picking on a kid. I have the evidence. Try me." I smirked and scoffed…..
Their smirks faltered. "Crazy woman," one muttered, and they bolted, disappearing into the crowd.
I crouched in front of the boy. His eyes shimmered with tears, his fists shaking. "It's okay," I said gently, brushing dust from his shirt. "No one's going to touch you again. If they do, call me. I'll come."
But instead of relief, his eyes watered more. His voice broke. "I was waiting for my brother. He's supposed to protect me… but he's always late. He never comes when I need him."
Something inside me cracked. Amna's face flashed in my mind—her little pout, her tiny hands clutching mine. My throat burned. "Maybe he's stuck," I whispered. "Don't be sad. You're safe now. Want to eat ice cream? Come on, I'll—"
I stopped.
A shadow stretched across the pavement.
I looked up—and froze.
A man towered behind us, broad shoulders cutting against the city lights. 6'2, built like someone who knew how to fight and win, sharp jaw. His dark eyes a glasses on them, they weren't just looking—they were burning.
"Didn't I tell you," his voice was low, dangerous, "not to get into trouble without me?"
The boy spun. "Brother! You're late again! I don't need you anymore—I have an elder sister now!"
My heart skipped. Elder sister?! My mouth went dry.
The man's eyes flicked to me, slow and deliberate, locking on like a hunter to prey. And then his lips curled, not into a smile, but something sharper.
"Elder sister?" His tone was silk over steel. "That's a first. Usually, strangers look away. But you…" His gaze raked over me, lingering, sending a hot flush through my skin. "You stepped in."
I swallowed hard. "He needed help. I couldn't just—"
"Couldn't just ignore it," he finished for me, his voice dipping lower. "You're either brave… or reckless." He leaned in slightly, close enough that his cologne hit me—clean, masculine, intoxicating. "Which one are you, miss?"
My stomach flipped.
The boy tugged his arm, breaking the moment. "Hyung, she said she'll buy me ice cream!"
Finally, the man let out a short laugh, deep and rough, like he rarely used it. He straightened, still watching me with that unreadable expression. "If you're taking him for ice cream," he said, "then I'm coming too. No way I'm letting my little brother go off with a stranger."
His words should have annoyed me, but instead they left me breathless. Because in his tone—possessive, teasing, protective—was the kind of pull I hadn't felt in years.
"Your name?" he asked. "Hannah." I replied
"I'm Min Jae. Nice to meet you" he said
"Hmm…same here" I was playing hard to get
The little boy clung to my hand as we walked toward a small corner ice cream shop. Min Jae walked beside us, his stride long and unhurried, but there was something about him—like he was always alert, always ready to step in if the world dared to move against us.
Inside, the shop smelled of sugar and waffle cones. The boy pressed his face against the glass counter, eyes wide at the rainbow of flavors.
"Chocolate," he announced with absolute certainty. "Two scoops."
I laughed softly. "You're very sure about that."
He nodded, determined. "Chocolate always makes me feel better."
Min Jae ruffled his hair with one large hand. "You and your chocolate obsession," he muttered, but there was a softness in his tone. Then, his gaze slid to me. "And you? What's your cure?"
I blinked. "My cure?"
"For bad days," he said, tilting his head slightly, eyes narrowing like he was studying me. "Everyone has one."
For a second, my mind went blank. His voice was deep, steady, pulling me in. I tried to play it off. "I don't know… maybe books. Or coffee."
"Coffee?" His lips curved into a smirk. "That explains why you look like someone who never sleeps."
A bit annoyed but…. I replied "Excuse me?"
The boy giggled between us, holding his ice cream cone like it was treasure. "Hyung, she's blushing!"
"I am not!" I protested, but my cheeks burned.
Min Jae leaned closer, his breath warm against my ear. "You are," he murmured, low enough that only I heard.
My chest tightened. His proximity, his voice—God, it was too much. I stepped back, fumbling with my own cone just as the shopkeeper handed it to me.
We sat down at a small table. The boy was busy devouring his ice cream, leaving me and Min Jae in a silence that wasn't uncomfortable—but heavy, charged.
Finally, he spoke. "You shouldn't have interfered today."
I looked at him, surprised. "What? You're saying I should've let them beat him up?"
"No." His gaze darkened, voice dropping. "I'm saying it was dangerous. People like that… they can come back. They don't forget when someone humiliates them."
For a moment, his concern cut deeper than I expected. No one had ever warned me like that before. No one had cared if I was safe.
"you are talking to me like you know for so long!! Why do you care?" I asked quietly.
His eyes locked on mine. "Because you stepped into my brother's fight. And now…" His smirk returned, slow and deliberate. "Whether you like it or not, you're part of it."
I swallowed, the ice cream in my hand melting forgotten. He made it sound like a threat, but his tone—God, his tone—made my stomach flutter in ways I couldn't control.
The boy kicked his feet under the table, chocolate smeared all over his mouth. "Noona," he said happily, "can we do this again tomorrow?"
I smiled at him. "Of course."
But when I glanced back at Min Jae, his eyes were already on me. Watching. Measuring. And for the first time in years, I felt like maybe… someone saw me.
After finishing his chocolate ice cream—half of it smeared across his cheeks—the little boy finally yawned. His tiny hand slipped into mine as we walked him to the corner of his street. His house wasn't far, just a few turns away, and he skipped happily beside me.
When we reached his front gate, he looked up with wide eyes. "Noona, thank you… You're really my hero today."
I crouched down, ruffling his hair. "Anytime. But promise me—don't let them scare you. You're stronger than you think."
He nodded, though his lips trembled. I smiled anyway, trying to hide the ache in my chest. "Go on inside. Your brother will take care of the rest."
He ran toward the house, waving at me one last time. I waved back with a big smile. But the moment I turned away, my smile faltered. A strange shiver crawled up my spine.
It felt like… someone was watching.
My eyes darted around the dimly lit street. The shadows between the trees seemed deeper, the corner too still. My chest tightened. That same suffocating silence I hated from my past wrapped around me.
And then—
"You're frowning."
I startled. Min Jae was standing closer than I expected, hands in his pockets, eyes sharp as they studied me.
"I'm fine," I muttered quickly, forcing a smile.
He didn't buy it. His brows furrowed, his gaze cutting into me like he could see past every lie. "Are you sure?"
"Yes!!! Why do you think I will lie?" I snapped, a little louder than I meant to.
Min Jae's lips twitched, not quite a smile. "Just a guess."
I rolled my eyes. "Well, guess wrong next time."
He didn't argue. Just gave a small tilt of his head, like he was filing me away in his mind. That stare of his—it was steady, unreadable, like he was studying a puzzle.
"I should go," I said quickly, tugging my bag higher on my shoulder.
"Then go," he replied, voice low, casual. Too casual.
I turned on my heel before he could say anything else, walking fast, careless, pretending my chest wasn't tight from that gaze. I didn't owe him anything—not my time, not my fear, not my answers.
Still… when I reached the corner, I looked back.
He hadn't moved. Still standing under the streetlight, hands in his pockets, watching me like I was already tangled in something I couldn't see.
I forced a grin, more to myself than him, and muttered, "Weirdo." Then I disappeared into the night.
That night, back at the apartment, I stood on my terrace like I always did, That night, I called Fatima like I always did. The moment her face appeared on the screen, I couldn't stop myself from blurting out, "FATIMA! I met someone today."
Her eyes went wide, and a smirk stretched across her face. "Ohhh really? Someone? Or should I say… some man?" she dragged the words, wiggling her eyebrows.
I groaned, hiding my face with my hands. "Don't start, bro. It's not like that. But… he's tall… really tall. Broad shoulders. His voice—ugh, Fatima, it's so deep it makes my heart skip. And the way he looks at me, like he can read every thought in my head—it's scary but… butterflies. So many butterflies."
Fatima screamed so loudly I had to lower the volume. "BROOOOO! You've been in Korea for what? two weeks? And already Mr. Tall-Dark-Deadly-and Nerdy has entered your life? Send me his picture right now or I won't sleep tonight."
I rolled my eyes. "Stop it! It's not like that. He's just… different. Protective. And when he talks, it's like the world stops for a second."
Fatima leaned closer to the screen with a wicked grin. "Hannah, you're done for. This is it. Pack up, game over—you've caught feelings. Don't you dare deny it."
I laughed, shaking my head, but my heart was beating way too fast for me to argue with her.
And just then, I heard a tiny giggle behind me. I turned, and there was Amna—half-asleep with her blanket wrapped around her, but grinning from ear to ear.
"Khalaaaa… you like him, don't you?" she whispered in her sing-song voice.
I froze. "Amna!! You were supposed to be sleeping!"
She covered her mouth, giggling. "I knew it! Khala has a prince in Korea! I'll tell Mamaaa!"
"YAAAA! Don't you dare!" I lunged to grab her, but she ran off laughing, while Fatima on the call nearly fell off her bed laughing.
"Oh my God, Hannah," Fatima wheezed, "even your niece knows you're whipped."
I hid my burning face with my hands. Butterflies? Yeah, now they were more like a whole zoo.
But after the call ended, the night was too quiet. I leaned against the railing, gazing at the empty terrace across from mine—the one that had been dark and lifeless since I moved in. My eyes scanned the shadows, and for the first time, I swore I saw movement. A figure, standing just far enough back that the darkness concealed their face.
My chest tightened. I blinked, looked again. The terrace was empty.
Still, my heart wouldn't slow down.
Maybe it was nothing.
Or maybe the shadows had finally followed me home.
She is not aware of the Storms that are waiting for her....