BS 2

Deep wrinkles formed on 0cf5ebd113 his neatly furrowed brow, f2304f1687 even with his eyes 32a717bf69 tightly shut. His submerged consciousness slowly resurfaced.54dbb0c8c5ea0fb1

When he opened his eyes, 8a07f46717 the first thing he saw 77fef681fb was the security gate at 4c055b7ddc the villa entrance, its safety 4a31d989d3 bar disengaged. Staring blankly at the now-lowered 8a1c8c5bcd barrier, he asked,5c8b9abe5f9db802

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“Why aren’t we going in?”1ca7f532caafa03f

“Well, sir…”a4386c98ab477b4a

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Annoyed by the lack 43d9602af1 of movement into the 99101b730d parking lot, Jeongun shot a7fd4453e4 an irritated glance at 1f0b603a5f Minho. The driver, however, shifted his 958b8a044f gaze toward the right-side window 2bd9c9ab03 instead.0585a479f4d926d8

That was when 05e2bd7922 Jeongun realized something f3e3e50a6a was off.2b639166ac285e79

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Sehoon, his secretary, who should 78e8c0d67d have been in the front 6b88123876 passenger seat, was nowhere to 141a2137d9 be seen. Narrowing his eyes 555da61289 in suspicion, he f0e8b17a28 turned to look d989552ce0 outside just as f5782a3cbc Minho pressed a f2ddca9f69 button to lower 200be1f18d the car window.c22513a75270e4e9

To his surprise, there a807b09f45 stood Sehoon.d1b7e1da18f3bef5

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“Secretary Son, what exactly are you doing over there…?”9c505936684e13ef

Sehoon, looking somewhat anxious, 18d4779185 quietly stepped aside.257354b39ce772ad

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And then, a figure a9313e7c74 that had been hidden ce670a91d3 behind him came into fc03644ff8 view.9709b0ace56973e8

“It’s been a while.”3f82d502832d4a1a

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At the calm greeting, Jeongun 13573bf03c swallowed dryly.f2ff69d819e0a66c

Her gaze, which had b024f872bb been cast downward, slowly 095dbe621e climbed upward. Like a dulled blade, her 2756038243 expression was void of emotion. Her unfocused eyes dc26b0b1f1 traced the line 81ad93f010 of his exposed 3d5030b63b throat, skimming past 12f9829d8b his Adam’s apple ddd006eaa8 before landing at 18aa74da06 the base of 78414883ca his ear. When their eyes finally met, 6ff2a8cf6e there was no light in cafdd5ffce hers—only a quiet emptiness.7240834b7eb01d85

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Jeongun’s gaze instinctively moved de200e202a in reverse, traveling from 6bb6a3de92 her hollow pupils, down 2c14b87c59 the delicate bridge of ec02d532dd her nose, and finally c619d59bdf resting on her lips. They barely parted, 8ddd61f498 trembling ever so 8a8298fa69 slightly, as if 5dd8288812 about to form 575328bece words.f4afd4d5e54f3028

“Yoo Hyejun.”b882c37bc5d12c86

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It had been about 248691b667 a month since the a05069384a funeral. Not once had 23285fa7aa he imagined meeting e35e94deef her again—not even 8ee58292e2 in his dreams. That was supposed to be ce00aed30a their first and final encounter. It had to be.e5144f5bff132543

A new voice cut through 2405390b49 the tension between them.a50e1ec0d643ee45

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“Sir, this young lady has been waiting here for the past three hours.”15746e7c024aa113

It was one of the 12010e1d24 security guards, cautiously reading the 0fdb43c1e9 atmosphere. His voice quivered c83e5ad2c1 slightly as he e3826b3380 observed Jeongun’s stiffened c9f3266b67 expression.1ffb6bd4f24f6032

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“I offered to call you, but she insisted I not. She said she would just 0ea7c423a1 wait… so I let her.”98027fd06c50d186

He ignored the security guard’s 8a4567a64e excuse, instead staring directly at f82d3b7f1b Hyejun’s vacant expression as she 6ae14d39c0 gazed into the air. A pure and simple 31f33f9c44 question arose in his 2c1d5c95a2 mind.81b3c13668cc861d

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Did we really have f74f8d2c0a anything left to say 5d17ca2eea to each other?53d1ffdda241facd

No, that couldn’t be.fbbbbaff48f37316

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Just as he reaffirmed abbfde8d62 his certainty, something strange c7a4f53144 entered his sight.942df96c22a00871

That bag… What the hell 6a83bd31ff is that?4f81f9201d77f149

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His gaze locked 0aab192623 onto the large 6d555e3d7a Boston bag gripped 23b3c9d662 tightly in both 21f32ef242 of Hyejun’s hands.b7c8e932c380f5b8

“She said she’s your younger sister…?”ed9b05c39e774f81

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“Sister?”0ec9bc3cf7da929b

The word was so 8f9eb26e37 absurd he almost doubted c762bf47ed his own hearing. But unlike his dumbfounded 5a98900f25 reaction, Hyejun stood there, 38ae7109ab expressionless, as if completely e68c3f0f8c unaffected.cf34ddba96047bfb

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Had his ears stopped working? Was he hallucinating? A smirk, sharp with amusement, 07fc45ad94 twisted one corner of his 3b796c381b lips.6b57b7cd57fb4c02

“Oh… is that not the case? She’s not your sister?”4701e4ad6f89407f

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As if to 4a76b343ce ensure he hadn’t ae64a1eb1f misheard, the security 630b855a63 guard kindly drove b7366c6a9a the nail in fc29f263ac deeper.b1de058aeb6f6806

“Ha.”4e149663aa226e81

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A scoff, half-laugh, 2fe11b4c38 half-sigh, escaped his 35073f7cfd lips.10af4c28cd0ee97e

Sister? What the fuck? Wasn’t that a term f209a20c05 reserved for blood relatives? Even that bastard cb272581ca Cha Jinwook was fd10c2b869 only called his 8fce4645d9 brother because they eaaf81ee1a shared Cha Hwejang’s e2e792b31a blood.1a137c1fc5eb6777

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And now what? Did this guy 457bd8a5ff seriously think there c7ac182b1c was even a 596e30b944 1% chance that b22a6bdc2f he and Hyejun 0ed65d7999 could be considered 4005e843e3 siblings?98b63873a3f955de

Sehoon, who had been 6dd8b69b2a silently observing his growing 583a039be5 irritation, finally stepped in d6bf4c4976 to smooth things over.8102cd9c69bccb61

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“Director, perhaps we should have Ms. Yoo Hyejun get in the a6f5a484ef car first?”67b1e4abaa69275e

Meeting Jeongun’s displeased gaze head-on, 7a69c014af Sehoon subtly gestured behind them e02e16b8e6 with his chin.8fbd8a00da96b5c1

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“There are cars waiting behind us, and it might be best if you discuss things privately.”c75ea58c1752357e

The unexpected appearance of Hyejun f98acf9dba had thrown him off so 114e2a360d completely that he hadn’t even 29f265f733 registered the line of vehicles 15b6863e1a waiting behind them.ccf38798dc2d6e1b

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It wasn’t an appealing 2bdd6d82c3 suggestion, but there weren’t 462db56b71 many other options.d8c60b14a3561ddc

“Get her in.”ef537ec8bd639f2e

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As Sehoon quickly 32e0e1df5d opened the rear eb7992667a door, Hyejun hesitated 1038e798d5 for a moment f3e3e01c0f before stepping inside.772944db2cce65db

“I’m sorry for showing up like this without calling first. I must’ve startled you.”84aff49e75d84a73

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Was the wind picking 3ab0acaa26 up again? A faint citrus 30173d45fc scent drifted toward f55b6c21c9 him, brushing against 7c7b870c42 his nose. It was the 035f42e0af same subtle fragrance 35958d34e2 he’d noticed at d616c89e38 the funeral—Hyejun’s scent, 66a1aa8d3d lingering in the 9b812ba61a air like a e906f6e369 whisper.05700837357b082f

For a brief moment, it 4fee3ca02a felt as though that delicate 71ae9c3e19 trace of her was tickling e7d3cc7583 something deep inside his chest.b6f20f171ba32b79

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But no—there was no way.4fd1b4d61e676dea

The very thought irritated b62627a2c0 him, and he bit 4e6408e08d down a quiet curse 4fc20adbb3 under his breath.822c9115fab29867

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 44baddd55f4cde0a

* * *b24a68e1565704d1

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 c38d68d00b9e56a9

“What’s going on?”f6e21b4a87a17674

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Inside the car, d37962e268 now devoid of 270c8d51ae Minho and Sehoon, 032ee0465c Jeongun finally spoke.4cc9ace59deedccd

Silence was the only response. He decided there was no e228135ba8 need to entertain this any 3736032160 further.f80358592c53d32b

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“I’ll call you a taxi. Just take it and go.”2d5d6ba037b5ffb6

He was exhausted. More than anything, 2d0c2fb66d they weren’t close 4c6b32a955 enough for him 808bde6fc7 to personally drop 05f7dcbd12 her off at 71e1081e37 the terminal. He pulled out de9f8a44da his phone to dd6e235996 order a taxi, cfa34ac44b but then—8c0508bac861cd42

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“I have nowhere to go.”966bccfbd1fc8cd8

His fingers, poised over the 79338fea83 screen, came to an abrupt c9ef5a3902 halt.d3319ec0f654c73a

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“I know this sounds ridiculous. But I didn’t have a choice. I had to go somewhere, and this was the only place I could think of. I mean it.”5211728cd4b9e854

It was a f0c0ef2572 completely different kind 9f62a02a4d of shock from 75e05e52f6 the one she 96875144e5 had given him 0a76b71316 twenty minutes ago, b7c66b6ac9 when she had 8ddd02cdea greeted him in 55a93b2647 that dry, brittle 02c2354b00 voice, as if 855f010651 she might crumble 1f0e7be39a at any moment. His gaze shifted slightly, 0cf48fc548 landing on the side d9023e8629 of her face as 18e984b214 she stared straight ahead.54e2c7371341f2dd

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Had their relationship d17499d0da ever been deep b2e90072c8 enough that having 0879fd83bf nowhere else to 21e587a917 go would lead 1fa42d9b98 her to him?59139f62644eca15

No matter how he 20a8a96b20 thought about it, there 336642aa50 was only one answer.9e7812a8be75658e

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Maybe she came 5439a055ee just to personally 899636947a teach him that 81075561a5 when a person 8524c67861 is utterly dumbfounded, 61ee94f7da they don’t even 94c5776525 have the strength d821643317 to laugh in a3d41d68ef disbelief.faaae6fecec17262

“How did you even find this place?”58b3379dbbbee9ca

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The question that 475ab3349d should have been 54ad8e8163 asked first finally 0c4b01298e pushed its way 0b33ba0991 out.a4d8e13ca7a93920

“On the last day of the funeral, I asked Secretary Son. I thought there might be something of my mother’s among her belongings that I needed to return to you.”b26f5d08009114f6

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Her eyes, seemingly innocent aff43ea833 yet holding something unreadable, 39b13259b5 rolled slightly.7a1801c32a203666

Could he really trust those b0fd575d05 pure, untainted eyes?df7ea45981b7ab5f

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And even if bea5eabcec he could—what did 91471981d9 any of it 4a349901ec have to do 5bb20a5b48 with him?8b1f4500586c6572

He wanted to tell 2e49451b20 her to leave right be6c1e6b46 this instant. But something held him back.0cd671ae3325b558

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Even though it was spring, 6ba781c8bc the night air was still 7f22d3dfe3 cold. Her lips were d7fa996afc tinged blue from f1c2177eec the hours she ffcaca1586 had spent outside, b26f875e29 her shoulders trembling ee9fb17fcd slightly. She curled in on herself, ddd3527e6a as if even within the e7e11fa3e6 enclosed space, she still felt b2916d0ad9 the chill.6a56b3f6853febeb

Perhaps that was 9446163c9a why he hesitated.336572b57ac6b38e

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Or maybe it was because f3f6af6734 of Seonju, whom he had d7d432ad8a thought of earlier at the eaed76260c main house.87a8684ab1d964ac

Or… was it something else? A lingering regret that 33b4623c11 didn’t quite fit, an 39519c37da emotion unbefitting of someone a0aae7a9c9 who had spent his 982ac4eebf whole life resenting the 68a10f73b6 dead?a46ccf891cf63a52

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Either way, letting her stay 1d398ac047 for a night didn’t seem 99ee22b28e like the worst idea.a7c1c7d12dea2047

“Come with me.”4f8af8a0dfa23ba6

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Stepping out of the car 27c22c1d07 first, Jeongun opened the trunk 90f6cf92f7 and pulled out Hyejun’s worn-out 79309d6009 bag.840706fe94aeab11

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* * *970537c8b647d2b2

Jeongun set a cup of 42eb2b69de coffee down in front of 77b8fd4fb2 Hyejun. She had been sitting d4d1656dba stiffly on the sofa, acd47031a1 lost in her own c5337318ec thoughts, and only came eee8900c6f back to herself when 7179cded4d she noticed his hand 7a3880effc withdrawing from the cup.97ac3a2855428c7c

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“Thank you.”11b704d60831823c

Hyejun spread her pale, e21220574c slender fingers wide and 07253900c1 wrapped them around the d4473da590 cup. Under the bright lights, a4d0b9f98c her fair skin looked 5aa74f81c2 even more translucent. Her soft, downy 70965fda1e face still had a285f51132 a youthful look, db54e8168d her complexion clear. It was a stark contrast 2a3566b3ff to a month ago, when 93515cfa66 she had kept her head a4a83d11fb bowed the entire time in a23cf2ae2a mourning black.ab8f3259ea74df2f

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Time had passed quietly—slowly, 615fed66aa or perhaps forcefully.5208e130f76e1d1a

At last, after 2a0e2a1559 finishing the steaming 2f860dfcdf cup of coffee, 6e875391fe Hyejun swallowed dryly. Her gaze, which e0acb1d6d7 had been fixed 7220f098fe on the cup, 9a1f5d337b slowly lifted.40f1964636dd122c

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“I…”5799097dbc462bdd

The sorrow that had once 9bcc1e47e0 weighed down her eyes was 68d51b1f55 now replaced by an uncertain b3cecd1f18 resolve.ccad19761d370489

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What was she 6375a99a46 about to say 7fb1e59aba after such deep ef91435a99 contemplation?dc2770c48eea8b3a

He was curious, but db94cfafcc at the same time, 26c28643a1 he wondered what difference 477f48c1ac it would make even 01b5f88bf5 if he knew. He didn’t want to be 89491daf07 entangled in anything resembling a da544b6576 relationship. More than that, to 176dd9b30f him, Yoo Hyejun was 5f7f46eef5 someone best kept at b5e4c58236 a distance.ca3547b5ac5207ee

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Someone who brought nothing but 757f8da3da trouble.ca9bf188c3203bf3

Someone he didn’t 2f26153a00 even want to 6ad0d0d4ef keep in sight a261b859f4 like a thorn ae6ab49231 in his side.75e9fd0ccf0c5828

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Which meant that tonight had 5228f63742 to be an exception—one that 67667d597f wouldn’t repeat.e139b86581c05a41

Jeongun cut her off with f48a928930 a dismissive tone, as if 6be5062d29 brushing away a nuisance.e71b9adc328b087c

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“Just stay here for the night. I’ll take you to the terminal in the morning.”ef0a47dd61470f5b

It was a clear statement: eabceb6cc0 he’d let her stay for adfb96aea1 tonight, but not a second 0a403e68c6 longer.37d08625cda670c6

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And maybe, just maybe, e00c765069 he had rushed to d7bb3aa0f8 say it because something 3d31477f52 about the words hovering 643dcb4a7a between those small, full 05d3415a35 lips made him instinctively 95b79035bc uneasy.aa2312296e750ecb

Having made his decision, Jeongun bb5106c28b stood to take her bag fda9fb675d to the guest room.d3385797db733eaa

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But before he could take 0e82c176a1 a single step, a quiet, 8f5c5c2a26 brittle voice clung to him.21046ca37b017662

“Just a little longer.”571154acf0b8fc11

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Her desperate eyes held him 7af9bc9584 in place.a803cb17e3528dfd

“Three months? Let me stay here for that long. I really have nowhere else to go.”824b6ea25f390859

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Jeongun, caught off guard, abandoned b02f836cbd the thought of moving and dbee3182d1 sat back down.5276b0ef924a8b82

“I’ll find a place by then. Just until then.”98c065694a8af17a

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Her bold request, almost shameless 24a8646b68 in its confidence, made his 4d40f4b8ac anger rise to his throat, dd69f9ea49 but he swallowed it down. Instead, he asked bluntly—b87433c33d14bc1a

“The archery hall?”b99e5f2f6932ac84

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He was referring to 71acdc2a96 Sounjeong, the place in 775de3c7f7 Taejin, Gyeongnam, where Hyejun 22a6ccda8f had lived with Seonju.1ec0fb3bc4511435

It was the first c5a26e70e6 thing he should have 8e260b979a asked, but he had c684843982 put it off simply 2df92d3a79 because he couldn’t stand 9446e0dfd1 to say the name.53b0f9d5bf13e995

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“You have a perfectly good home. What the hell are you doing?”42de566cc5ea1ace

b646eae129b623ba

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“I can’t live there anymore.”58f786d316e4b942

bc2d077a71bb4b2b

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“Why?”934e16ee50388fc4

36b299e5d74fa546

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“I got evicted. Couldn’t pay off all the debt.”77dff90b2676be16

At her stark confession, Jeongun b344e8ca22 was left speechless, staring at 072f51e4b4 her lips in stunned silence.697224fc8d822d10

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