"I completely forgot. Mom must've noticed."
"Do you think she suspects anything?" Hana asked nervously, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I don't think so." Without hesitation, Kai plucked one of the rings from the case and slid it onto her finger. The gesture was smooth, almost natural—like he'd done it a hundred times before. Then, almost absently, he slipped the other ring onto his own hand.
Hana's breath caught. She stared at the sparkling band now hugging her skin, her body frozen, her pulse hammering in her ears.
Kai caught her expression and, for the first time that day, his teasing softened into something raw, almost vulnerable. He lifted her hand and pressed a gentle kiss to her knuckles, his lips lingering for a moment too long. "I'm sorry for putting you through all this, Hana. I'll make it up to you—I promise."
Her lips trembled into a small, warm smile. "It's alright."
"Eat," Kai murmured, his tone gentler than she'd ever heard it. "I'll shower and come back." Without another word, he disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Hana alone with the dinner—and the glittering weight of the ring now wrapped around her finger.
The room felt different. Heavier. Her gaze lingered on the band, catching the light with every small movement of her hand. It didn't feel fake. It felt terrifyingly real.
Shaking herself, she reached for her phone on the bed—and nearly gasped. Dozens of missed calls and unread messages blinked on the screen, all from Nari. She hadn't touched her phone all day, too caught up in everything, and now guilt pricked at her chest.
She opened the flood of texts:
Hana, are you there yet?
Why aren't you replying?
Did something happen?
I just called you but you're not picking up.
Are you cuddling under your new man's arm?
A startled laugh escaped her, breaking the tension. "Oh, Nari…" she muttered under her breath, shaking her head as she served herself dinner.
Her fingers flew over the screen: Hi Nari, sorry I missed your calls.
She barely hit send when her phone buzzed again—an incoming call.
"Nari?" Hana answered.
"Hi babe, I was so worried!" Nari's voice exploded through the speaker, frantic and dramatic.
"I'm sorry, Nari. I wasn't with my phone," Hana said softly, slipping a bite of food into her mouth.
There was a pause before Nari scoffed, her tone dripping with mischief. "And here I was thinking you were getting laid."