Chapter 23:Him
Seo-Ah had never worn a gown that shimmered like moonlight before.
Seo-Ah stared at her reflection in the hotel mirror, fingers lightly grazing the fabric over her waist. The silver dress hugged her frame in all the right places—elegant, not overdone—and the deep slit along her thigh made her feel dangerously beautiful. Or maybe it was just the nerves.
Jae-Hyun had invited her to the Hanuel Financial Charity Gala—an elegant, high-profile event with too many cameras and too many powerful people. Normally, she'd have said no. But he'd asked so kindly, and after weeks of careful, respectful friendship, she thought… maybe this wouldn't hurt.
She just hadn't expected to feel so seen tonight. Or so unsure.
"Ready?" Jae-Hyun's voice called from outside her hotel suite.
She stepped out—and saw his breath hitch.
"You're…" He cleared his throat, his gaze lingering just long enough. "You're stunning, Seo-Ah."
She offered a small smile. "Thank you."
But something inside her shifted uneasily.
Why now? Why tonight… did she feel a shadow creeping in from the past?
---
Min-Jun hated nights like this.
Expensive champagne. Polished lies. Smiling faces he wanted nothing to do with.
Min-Jun stood at the edge of the ballroom, dressed in all-black formalwear that made him look like both a prince and a threat. The only reason he was here at all was because his father's company had started whispering about merging with Hanuel Financial. He was here for appearances.
And to keep tabs.
He was not here to see her.
But fate—fickle, cruel thing—didn't care about intention.
Across the ballroom, through the sea of silk dresses and overpriced cologne, he saw her.
Seo-Ah.
His lungs stopped working. For a second, the music faded and all he could see was the way her silver gown clung to her figure, how her hair was curled delicately, how her skin glowed like the stars outside the windows.
She was smiling.
With him.
Min-Jun's jaw clenched when he saw Jae-Hyun place a hand on the small of her back. The contact was brief. Casual. But it felt like a dagger straight to his ribs.
He didn't belong in her world anymore. She was trying to move on—and tonight, she looked like she almost had.
But God, she was breathtaking.
---
Jae-Hyun
The minute they stepped into the ballroom, Jae-Hyun noticed the stares.
Seo-Ah didn't. She was too focused on navigating the room, offering polite nods and avoiding eye contact with the wealthier guests. But he saw it—the way the men looked at her, the way women sized her up with sharp eyes.
He wanted to protect her.
So when he placed a light hand on her back, it was instinct. Reassurance.
She didn't lean in.
But she didn't pull away either.
Then his eyes landed on him.
Lee Min-Jun.
The infamous CEO. The man with too much money and far too little warmth.
Even from across the room, Jae-Hyun saw it—the tension in the man's shoulders. The laser focus on Seo-Ah. The raw, caged emotion in his eyes.
So. This was him.
The ghost Seo-Ah still walked beside.
Jae-Hyun swallowed tightly. He wasn't here to compete. But the battlefield had already formed.
---
Seo-Ah
She felt it before she saw him.
That sensation—like her heartbeat tripped over itself. Like time hiccuped in her chest. Her gaze swept the room until—
Min-Jun.
Her breath caught.
He was standing near the gallery entrance, watching her like he'd been carved out of ice and fire. He looked different. Sharper. More controlled. But his eyes… God, those eyes still knew too much about her.
Seo-Ah tried to look away.
She failed.
And then—
"Seo-Ah?"
She turned. A woman approached them, grinning with surprise. An old co-worker from her previous job. "Is this your boyfriend?"
Before she could answer, her eyes instinctively darted to Min-Jun.
Wrong move.
He was gone.
---
He couldn't watch any longer.
The air had turned too thick. The ache in his chest too sharp. He walked out onto the hotel's private balcony, gripping the railing, letting the cold wind slap him back into reality.
She looked happy.
She looked safe.
Wasn't that what he wanted?
Then why did it feel like dying?
Behind him, the door opened. Quiet heels. Soft breath.
He didn't have to look to know.
"Min-Jun," she whispered.
God help him—he turned around.
Seo-Ah
The door clicked shut behind her.
For a moment, the night was still.
Cold air swept across the rooftop, fluttering the hem of her gown. Seo-Ah stood there, the stars stretched wide above, the sounds of the gala muffled behind thick glass. And just ahead, silhouetted by moonlight—
He stood like he didn't belong to the world she knew. His broad frame cloaked in shadow, hands braced on the marble railing, jaw clenched. Everything about him screamed restraint. Control.
Except his eyes.
Those dark, unreadable eyes turned toward her—and something inside her trembled.
"You left," she said softly.
He didn't respond.
She took a step forward. Then another. "You disappeared. After everything. After what we saw. After what you did."
Min-Jun's voice was low. "I had to."
"You always say that. You always have to." Her voice cracked. "But you never tell me why."
"I was protecting you."
"From who?" Her eyes were glassy now. "The world? Or you?"
Silence hung between them like a noose.
"I saw you," she whispered, stepping closer. "In that alley. In that warehouse. You were—someone else. Someone dangerous."
He didn't deny it.
"And yet," she continued, her voice barely audible, "I wasn't afraid."
That made him look at her fully. "You should be."
"No." She shook her head. "I was afraid of what it meant… that even after everything, I still wanted to run to you."
Min-Jun's breath caught.
Seo-Ah stepped beside him, now so close their arms nearly brushed. "Why are you really here tonight?"
He didn't answer right away.
Finally, with quiet finality: "All i want is to see you happy and i guess you are."
Her laugh was sharp, bitter. "You think I'm happy with Jae-Hyun?"
"Aren't you?" he asked.
She looked away. "He's kind. Gentle. He doesn't keep secrets."
"But you don't love him."
She froze.
The words hung there, too heavy to pretend away.
"No," she admitted. "I don't."
Min-Jun turned to her, his voice hoarse. "Then why—"
"Because he's safe," she said. "Because loving you felt like falling off a cliff and praying I wouldn't break. And I did break, Min-Jun. You shattered me."
"Hmmm, he chuckled. I know that you love me but you never said it out till now"
His hand reached toward hers, hesitant. "But I never stopped loving you." Seo-Ah I love you"
That did it.
Her eyes filled with tears, and she hated how much she wanted to believe him. But just then—
The rooftop door burst open.
Jae-Hyun.
His eyes locked onto them. He didn't speak, but the betrayal was there, etched into every line of his face.
Seo-Ah stepped back instinctively, tearing her gaze from Min-Jun.
"Seo-Ah," Jae-Hyun said gently. "They're asking for us inside."
She nodded. "I'll be right there."
Min-Jun stepped back into the shadows as Jae-Hyun waited near the door. Their eyes met once—one man warning the other. The kind of stare that didn't need words.
And then Seo-Ah turned to Min-Jun, voice raw. "Why now? Why come back?"
"Because I can't keep pretending that I don't still see you in every silence."
He said it like a confession. Like a sin.
But the door was open now. And her past and present stood on either side of it.
Seo-Ah walked away.
This time, she didn't look back.