DP8

Episode 8

Lee Hon’s head fell back limply. Jae-hyun slowly approached.

“Ah…”

I can’t do this. This isn’t right. How can this be happening?

I might die. I can’t die. I can’t leave my grandma behind.

“Jae-hyun… I can’t… I just can’t…”

“You need to try it once.”

“What if… what if I die trying?”

“You won’t die, Lee Hon. Do you really think I’d let you die?”

As tears welled up in her eyes, he leaned down and kissed her lips. Slowly, he began to move, as if trying to soothe her.

Oddly, her tension began to ease little by little. Sensing that, Jae-hyun drew her close in one swift motion. Lee Hon let out a breathless gasp.

The parts of their bodies that touched felt unbearably hot. An indescribable sensation shook her to the core.

“Ah…”

“Does it hurt? Still?”

It felt like it did… but at the same time, it didn’t. What was this feeling?

A climax she had never known washed over her. Every time his firm body moved deeper inside her, the bed rocked violently.

Their lips parted only for soft moans to escape. He gently pulled away, kissed her forehead, and smiled as if he had just passed an incredibly difficult test.

“So… is it over, Jae-hyun?”

“That was just the warm-up.”

“…What?”

“We only loosened up. We’re just getting started. We’ve got a long way to go.”

Unlike what she’d feared, there wasn’t unbearable pain. She thought she’d never survive this—but strangely, she wanted to keep going.

If it was with Myung Jae-hyun, she felt like she could do it again and again.

Everything felt vivid, like it had just happened yesterday.

The day they first shared a night together.

The moment she accepted his confession.

Every second of their relationship felt alive in her chest. If someone asked him to name the happiest moment in his life, every single moment with Lee Hon would be on that list. She had always been part of Myung Jae-hyun’s story.

Jae-hyun, feeling awkward, kept rubbing the back of his head with his large hand. The rough stubble under his palm seemed to irritate him, and his voice came out with a slight complaint.

“Can’t believe I’m actually going to the army.”

“Well, you still look good. Maybe it’s because you have such nice features. Whatever you do, it suits you. You even look like a Special Forces guy.”

Pleased by her compliment, Jae-hyun chuckled and ran his hand over his short hair again. He watched her back silently. It was the day before enlistment, and even Lee Hon’s energy seemed lower than usual.

“I’m not even hungry. Come here for a second—”

“Wait, I’m not done cooking yet. I need to feed you properly before you go to the army. Only then will I feel at ease… Even if I’m not with you…”

Jae-hyun, sitting on the couch, raised an eyebrow and stood up. He walked toward her, bustling around in the kitchen.

“Hey, are you crying?”

“No… the onions… the onions are just too spicy.”

Leaning against the sink, Jae-hyun watched her chopping vegetables. He bit into an apple from the counter with a crunch.

“Anyone seeing this would think we’re parting ways forever.”

“Just wait a hundred days. I’ll be out on leave soon.”

“…Even if someone else flirts with you, or buys you tasty food, don’t just fall for them, got it?”

She didn’t respond. With a teasing smirk, he took another bite of the apple, then suddenly lifted her onto the island countertop. But Lee Hon kept her head down.

Jae-hyun gently lifted her face and looked into her eyes. Tears had pooled there.

He quietly set the apple down and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.

“Why do you look like that, Lee Hon?”

“…Because I’ll miss you. I’m going to miss you so much, Jae-hyun.”

A single tear rolled down her cheek. He reached out, wiped her tears, and pulled her gently into his arms, cradling her small head against his chest.

“Don’t worry. I’ll earn every single reward and get out early. I’ll come see you every time they let me out, even if it’s just for a short while. Just wait for me, okay?”

“Answer me, Lee Hon. If you cheat on me while I’m gone, I’ll die. I’m serious.”

“Just… come back safely.”

“That’s not the answer I want.”

She stroked his face gently, tears still falling.

Thinking back, she never actually said she would wait for him.

Was that the moment he should’ve noticed something was wrong?

He’d thought it was just because she hated farewells.

When Jae-hyun later called her during a reward break, her cold voice on the other end made him smile bitterly in disbelief.

Maybe he had heard it wrong. The sound of gunshots at the range had left his ears ringing for a while.

He licked his dry lips and spoke.

“Lee Hon… What are you saying right now…?”

—I said it already. Let’s break up.

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

His sudden curse drew every gaze in the room.

—I’m tired. Of your whining. Of waiting for you. I’m done. Let’s just end it here, Jae-hyun.

“So you’re breaking up with me… over the phone? Lee Hon, this isn’t right. We should meet—damn it, meet me and say it—”

—No. We won’t ever meet again. Take care, Myung Jae-hyun.

That was her last goodbye. Never before had she sounded so cold.

Staring at the disconnected call screen, Jae-hyun slowly redialed the number—but her voice never came through again.

The rest became a blur. Ignoring his superior’s command to stop, he lashed out with his fists. If he didn’t hear her voice again, he thought he might go insane. Screw the army. He needed to see Lee Hon.

He ended up in military jail for days. The once-praised soldier Myung Jae-hyun, who had earned reward leaves and glowing reviews, no longer existed.

At first, he was just scared. Scared that she had really left him.

But as time passed, longing turned into rage. When he got out of the military, Jae-hyun tracked her down.

And what he saw was devastating—Lee Hon clinging to another man, crying.

His blood ran cold.

Did she hide herself just to show him this? Who the hell was that guy? What was their relationship?

Seeing her again filled him with a fear he couldn’t explain. He couldn’t bear to hear those lips say she loved someone else.

From a distance, he watched her… then turned away.

After pulling himself together, he tried to find her again.

But Lee Hon had disappeared completely.

You left me again… Lee Hon.

His legs lost strength, and he had to stop several times while walking. He reached for the pocket watch in his jacket, but it slipped through his fingers and hit the ground with a thud.

He picked it up and saw a crack on the glass. The hands had stopped.

Just like the time that had stopped, everything in his world had collapsed in an instant.

All the time he had loved her now felt meaningless. He let out a dry, empty laugh.

Wiping his face with one hand, Jae-hyun closed his eyes.

Hot tears streamed down his cheeks. It hurt so much, he could barely breathe.

The time they spent together.

The memories of happiness, one by one, came flooding back.

I love you, Jae-hyun.

Tears rolled down endlessly from Jae-hyun’s eyes. No one else maybe, but not you, Lee Hon. You were my everything. How could you betray me?

How could you do this to me?

After that, Jae-hyun stopped looking for her.

He wanted to forget everything. Thought he could forget.

No—he forced himself to forget, believing it was the only way to survive.

—

Five Years Later

A group of men in black suits followed a man walking out of the gate at Incheon International Airport.

It had been so long since he stepped on Korean soil that it felt strangely unfamiliar.

“Welcome back, sir.”

Secretary Min Gun-hyung greeted him with a deep bow. Seeing how pale Myung Jae-hyun looked, he quickly explained,

“Vice President Myung Min-jun ordered us to take you straight to the main house upon arrival. I’m sorry, sir.”

“Is this a royal decree now?”

“…Still, you are—”

“Use my name. What era do you think we’re living in?”

“Ah… My apologies.”

Gun-hyung bowed his head. It felt like only yesterday Jae-hyun was in a school uniform, but now he exuded masculine charisma. The overwhelming aura that had always surrounded him remained unchanged.

“I’ll take you straight home.”

Gun-hyung opened the car door. Jae-hyun let out a sigh and was about to get in when a bright red sports car pulled up with rhythmic engine revs and blinking lights.

Squinting at the glare, Jae-hyun furrowed his brows.

The driver’s window rolled down, revealing a man with sunglasses smirking playfully.

“Yo, you’re back, our Myung Jae-hyun.”

As he lowered the designer sunglasses, his mischievous face came into view. It was Go Sung-gi. His cousin, close in age, and a longtime friend.

“What are you doing here, hyung?”

“They said you were coming back, so how could Go Sung-gi not show up? What, heading straight home already?”

“…Yeah.”

“Get in. Let’s go somewhere.”

“Piss off,” Jae-hyun said bluntly, getting into the back seat. Gun-hyung bowed slightly to Sung-gi before getting in to drive.

“Such a cold bastard, seriously.”

Sung-gi took off his sunglasses and hooked them onto his pocket.

“You really not coming? Everyone planned a party for you. Even Ji-yeon is there.”

“I said I’m not going. I’m tired. Don’t bug me.”

Sung-gi sighed loudly, then shoved his phone against the window, even knocking rhythmically on the door.

“Come on, everyone’s waiting. They set it all up for you. Just for old times’ sake, can’t you come?”

Jae-hyun leaned back in his seat, eyes closed. But slowly, his eyelids opened, and his gaze shifted toward the phone.

In the photo, several people were posing with peace signs. In the corner, barely visible, was a blurred image of a woman’s face.

Though the focus was shaky, his eyes were instantly drawn to her.

Jae-hyun’s dark eyes trembled.

He rolled down the window and took the phone from Sung-gi to check again.

On the stage, sitting on the first floor, a woman’s side profile.

It was her.

Lee Hon.