Lim Mi Rae hadn't prayed that hard in years. Every fiber of her being begged for something, anything, to stop Raven Park from cornering her. She didn't want to talk to him. She didn't even want to breathe the same air as him.
And maybe God really existed, because before Raven could open his mouth again, a voice cut through the night.
"Ms. Lim, can I please talk to you before you leave?"
Mi Rae didn't hesitate. She latched onto the interruption like a lifeline. "No problem," she blurted, smiling as though she had been waiting for this all along.
It was the woman in the black jacket, the one who had dragged them both into the police station.
Raven's smile didn't leave his lips for a minute. He gave a polite nod, stepping toward the stairs. "Goodbye, Ms. Lim," he said smoothly, though there was something beneath that word. It was as if he was promising that their paths would definitely cross again.
Mi Rae couldn't look away, her throat tightening as he moved with purpose.
Just as he got to the stairs, the world exploded in flashes. Reporters swarmed the entrance, microphones and cameras shoved into Raven's face. His perfect mask slipped back into place as easily as slipping on a coat.
The nation's lover boy. The grieving witness. The man everyone adored.
Mi Rae turned quickly, following the policewoman, who grabbed her arm with the kind of grip that left bruises. Even though the woman's grip on her was harsh, Mi Rae didn't mutter a word.
"Get over here," the woman snapped, dragging her down a hallway until they reached a quiet room.
The door slammed shut. The woman slapped both palms on the table, glaring at Mi Rae with an intensity that could split skin.
"Lim Mi Rae! Why are you always in trouble?" Her voice cracked like a whip on bare skin. "What the hell were you doing at the hospital? Do you know how much worse this could have been if your face had been caught in that viral video?"
Mi Rae wasn't surprised at the woman's outburst as she had been expecting it. She lowered her gaze, her lips trembling. "But… my face didn't show. And it's obvious I had nothing to do with the man who died." She paused, swallowing hard, fighting back tears. "Why are you always scolding me when you don't even care about me, unnie?"
(Unnie is a word used by Korean females to call their older sisters or close older female friends.)
The woman clicked her tongue, unimpressed. "Don't play that card, Mi Rae."
Her name was Jeon Ra Mi.
Once, she had been Mi Rae's beloved older sister. She was gentle, protective, loving, the type of older sister anyone wished for.
But that was years ago.
After their parents' tragic death, Ra Mi was adopted, while Mi Rae was left to rot in an orphanage until she clawed her way to college. When they met again three years ago, Ra Mi was no longer the sister she remembered. Coldness burned in those lovely eyes where warmth used to be, and hatred gleamed in her eyes whenever they landed on Mi Rae.
Mi Rae never knew why, but she had a guess. She had always carried the guilt that she was partially to blame for their parents' deaths. She hated herself enough. So if Ra Mi hated her too, wasn't that fair?
Still, tonight, her heart was too exhausted to take another blow.
"I warned you to stay away from dangerous cases," Ra Mi snapped. "And yet you still tried writing about Assemblyman Park? Do you have a death wish?"
Tears spilled before Mi Rae could stop them. She couldn't defend herself. She never could. Words always stuck in her throat, leaving her bare and small in front of Ra Mi. A part of her wanted to scream… let's just stop pretending to be sisters, let's just move on with our lives separately.
But she couldn't. She had never been able to voice what she truly wanted.
Ra Mi sighed, as if Mi Rae's tears were nothing but an annoyance. "Quit your job, Mi Rae. It's too dangerous. You don't want people digging into your past, do you? And yet you keep throwing yourself into situations that could kill and ruin you." She hesitated before softening her tone, though the harshness lingered in her eyes. "If you're thinking of another job, I could help."
Mi Rae almost laughed. The bitter and broken sound bubbled inside her chest, but she swallowed it down. She was too tired for fights. Too tired for life. So she did what she always did, what she always does best… hiding everything behind a smile.
"I think I need to rest. I should go."
Without waiting for her sister's reply, she left the room, that awkward smile still on her chapped lips.
By the time she reached home, the day felt like a cruel fever dream. A rejected report, fainting at work, waking up in the hospital, witnessing death, being dragged into the police station, and now her sister's words cutting her raw. All of it in a single day.
She picked up her phone, but as usual, there were no messages. Not even from her coworkers, not from friends… no one cared. Her existence passed unnoticed.
Still it hurts like it's the first time.
Her fingers scrolled absently through the internet until the hospital video appeared.
The angle only showed Raven Park's face, sharp under the lights, as the body lay in a pool of blood. Not a trace of her was visible. To the public, it looked as though Raven was shielding an ordinary woman from horror.
Her hands trembled as she scrolled through the comments.
"So brave of Raven Park!"
"Protecting even strangers, what a gentleman."
"Our nation's treasure."
"The only celebrity I could die for!"
Mi Rae scoffed bitterly and exited the comment section. She continued scrolling, a lot of thoughts going through her mind.
Not long after, another video surfaced. It was the video of Raven addressing reporters outside the police station. Mi Rae pressed play.
Raven's expression was somber, his eyes glistening with faux sadness and sympathy. "Tonight was a tragic accident. I am deeply sorry for the victim's family, and I pray for their peace." He sighed, lowering his gaze, then looked up again, straight into the camera.
"And as for the woman who was with me… I hope you aren't too traumatized by everything you've seen and heard today."
His lips curved faintly. The kind of smile only she would recognize.
Mi Rae's heart stuttered. "What the… oh my God," she whispered, quickly pausing the video. Her chest heaved.
Just as she was about to exit, her phone chimed, signifying the arrival of a new message.
She opened it instinctively, hoping, praying, it was from work, or anyone who still cared about her.
But her stomach dropped as the words appeared on screen.
Unknown number: Reporter Lim Mi Rae, I hope you're not asleep yet. Sleep must be hard to find after a day like this, isn't it? Funny, I can't sleep either, not after you decided my crotch was the best place to kick. If it doesn't… stand again, will you take responsibility for fixing it?
Mi Rae screamed, the sound ripping from her throat before she knew it. Her hands shook violently as she hurled the phone across the room, as though the words might crawl out of the screen and strangle her.