His lack of reaction to my sorrowful outburst only made me feel more pathetic. Overwhelmed with sorrow, I got out of the car and stomped after him.
“You’re the same as Mom, aren’t you! You don’t believe me! You think I’m lying!”
“I believe you. And I know you’re not lying.”
“Then why is there no reaction?”
“I plan on contacting that bastard tomorrow. I’m going to hear his reasons for telling such a lie to you, and it won’t be too late to get angry then. I’ll make him apologize to you, too, so don’t get so worked up.”
“Really? You’ll really do that?”
“Yes. So come here.”
Han Jin-heon crooked a finger, beckoning me closer. As I scurried towards him, he looked intently into my eyes, then gently wiped away my tears with both thumbs and said,
“Crying will become a habit.”
“I’m not crying. This is just because… it’s so unfair.”
Of course it’s unfair. He ruffled my hair, offering a brief moment of empathy, as if he understood my feelings.
Han Jinheon wasn’t one to show his emotions easily, so even this was enough. Just a simple touch to my hair, and this hopelessly soft heart of mine began to melt.
I stopped for a moment and watched Han Jinheon walk on ahead. My heart pounded as if those long strides crossing the yard were being engraved upon my chest. With every step he took, a deep footprint was left behind.
Originally, I was supposed to have made my decision by today. If he hadn’t said it was okay to take my time and think comfortably, what would I have answered today?
For now, I had an answer, but it was silence. My mouth would have been blocked by the constant self-doubt, leaving me unable to give any reply.
Han Jinheon held the door open, beckoning me inside. I quickly gathered my thoughts and stepped forward. As I entered the foyer and fumbled with my shoes, a quiet remark fell from behind me.
“For the time being, I hope you’ll keep your distance from your mother’s words. Blind dates can’t be a method of reflection.”
I nodded. Although it had only been twice, I could see the future. No matter how many dates I went on, the partners I met would not all be normal. In the face of the reputation Han Sol had built, they would all end up revealing their true colors.
The reason I had tried to go on the dates wasn’t for reflection, but because of Han Jinheon. It was because I felt I was starting to fall for him for the simple reason that I spent every day with him.
And I couldn’t fall for my own brother, forgetting the fact that I was his family, his younger sibling.
That’s why I had tried to meet other people, to get some fresh air, but from the moment I realized it, I found myself falling for him even more helplessly.
I had thought unconsciousness was frightening, but awareness is even more so. It makes you fall for someone even when you know better. It makes it impossible not to fall, even when you know you’ll get hurt.
Because I’d never been in a relationship, I’d always thought that if I were to fall for someone, bells would ring, lightning would strike, and the world would split apart before the realization hit.
But now, experiencing it for the first time, I understood. Only after you’ve fallen in love will the bells ring, the lightning strike, and the world split apart.
“Hyung… give me a hug, as a form of comfort.”
“What a bother. Why ask for something like that all of a sudden?”
I stood at the foot of the stairs and made my request. He refused flatly. His attitude was cold and resolute, as if my being upset and feeling wronged was a completely separate issue.
I had expected him to react this way, so I pretended not to be disappointed, just pouting my lips before turning away. I’ll just get a drink of water and go up.
"You must be really upset to ask for something like this.”
It was then.
“There. Go rest.”
Han Jinheon wrapped one arm around my waist, pulled me into his embrace, and whispered softly in my ear.
Frozen in surprise at the unexpected skinship, I turned to look, but he had already let me go and was heading up the stairs.
It was a clumsy hug. Anyone could see it was something done reluctantly only after being asked. But Han Jinheon had hugged me.
That indifferent, yet tender Alpha had listened to my request. That fact alone was enough. Bells rang from all directions, lightning struck above my head, and the world I stood on split apart.
Emotions flooded uncontrollably through the cracks. The surging wave swelled and swallowed me whole, and I was left with no choice but to helplessly admit it.
I… I like that man.
“I like him.”
The realization that you are in love with someone doesn't arrive in a special way. Especially when the object of that emotion is woven into your daily life, it comes naturally, every second.
For me, it was even more so. I had tried to refuse and postpone each new wave of awareness, but it was a futile act.
Now, I had to accept it without reservation. Han Jinheon was my daily life itself.
***
The unforeseen had happened.
A few days later, in the morning, Lee Geumyeong came to visit. She extended a hand first, saying she wanted to sincerely apologize for the recent incident.
Though I had been hurt, I decided to accept her apology and took her hand. One broken relationship with Han Dongshik was enough.
Besides, I had already received a direct apology from that bastard Park Wonyoung, after Han Jinheon had secured the CCTV footage and confronted him with the truth.
It seemed to me that Han Jinheon had pulled some strings. It was unusual. The man had begged for my forgiveness, his face pale as if his life depended on me accepting his apology.
On top of that, the third son of the Hankyo Daily had also contacted me to apologize, saying he had gone too far.
Honestly, even if I pretended not to, I was touched. I wanted to boast to everyone. Isn't my brother reliable? I won't be disrespected anywhere.
Anyway, after informing Lee Geumyeong only of the truth of the incident, I hadn't contacted her further.
My disappointment in her not believing me was too great, so I hadn’t answered her calls even when she tried to reach out first. But now that she had come all the way here to apologize in person, I couldn’t ignore her. I was too soft-hearted to be so cold.
That became the root of the disaster.
Only after Lee Geumyeong stepped into the mansion did I realize she was not alone. She was with four burly men, and the moment she saw me, she ordered them to restrain me.
Overcome by a rush of terror, I tried to run, but it was too late. The men seized my arms and legs, refusing to let go.
“You said you came to apologize! Why are you doing this! Mom! Ah, hey! Let go of me!”
“Han Sol. Don’t resist and let’s go quietly. Would your mother ever harm you?”
“Yes! I’m doing this because I think you will! Let go of me first and let’s talk!”
"Whatever he says, keep moving. We didn’t gag you, so we can talk on the way, can’t we?”
“Where are you taking me?! Don’t tell me you’re taking me to the main house?! Like this—!”
Lee Geumyeong opened the main gate first. She watched me with a meaningful gaze as the men forcibly carried me outside.
“A place you need more than the main house. I’m taking you to a hospital.”
A hospital, out of the blue? Don’t tell me she’s trying to put me in a psychiatric hospital.
The most likely, most dangerous thought struck me. A psychiatric hospital was a place you could be admitted to with only a guardian’s consent. And these men could be from there.
Anxious premonitions have a high rate of accuracy. The thought that I was probably right made my vision go white, and a cold sweat trickled down my back.
“No! I don’t want to go! Let me go! Let go! This is a kidnapping!”
My voice, unprepared for the high-pitched screaming, quickly grew hoarse. Though I struggled with all my might, yelling that I wouldn’t go, I was bundled into the car without a say and seated between the men, unable to escape. Lee Geumyeong moved to a separate car she had arrived in.
My body trembled with fear and anxiety. I couldn't even swallow my own saliva. I grabbed the clothes of the man next to me and asked where we were going, but he wouldn’t answer.
The other men were the same. As if I were the only person in the car, they all remained silent like hardened plaster statues, amplifying my terror.
Hah. Hah. I tried to calm myself, steadying my ragged breaths. I could feel a distinct object in my pants pocket. It was my phone.
I had put it in my pocket when I greeted Lee Geumyeong, and thankfully, it was still there. I had a feeling it would be confiscated if they found it, so I had to be as discreet as possible.
When we get to the hospital, I’ll pretend I need to use the restroom and send a message. The location will be tracked, so Han Jinheon will come help me. He will. I clung to this thought like a lifeline and endured.
After a long drive, we arrived at a building isolated on the outskirts of Seoul. As Lee Geumyeong had said, it was a hospital, but contrary to my expectations, it was not a psychiatric hospital. It was a trait-related hospital with an atmosphere more akin to a nursing home.
“Can you explain what’s going on… Why on earth did you bring me here…?”
Taking in the building, I started rambling, my mind a mess.
“Did you have to do it like this? You could have brought me here nicely.”
“As if you’d come nicely just because I asked?”
“Wh-what is this place? Isn’t it just a hospital? As long as it’s not a psychiatric hospital, I’ll go anywhere…”
“A psychiatric hospital? You think I’d lock you up in a psychiatric hospital? This place is far better than that. You’ll soon come to think so too.”
“Why? What on earth do they do here?”
“What do you think they do? First, let’s go in and get you tested.”
What kind of test?”
“A trait test.”
A trait test?
My face contorted, and I quickly backed away. It was useless to fight against the men who tried to grab me again, even when I snapped that I would walk on my own.
At a single word from Lee Geumyeong to seize me, two of the men approached like puppets and grabbed both my arms.
Comments Box