Episode 08
“If Saewoo dies, it’s your fault.”
At that harsh declaration, Seo-eun’s heart dropped like a stone in the quiet of the Han River night.
“Father… you can’t possibly…”
But the line went dead, as if he had said all he intended.
Seo-eun stared blankly at her phone. The swell of emotions was not easily pushed down.
She had endured insults and humiliation to save Saewoo, but in that moment, it all felt meaningless.
The despair rising to her throat made it hard to breathe.
> “Will I really lose Saewoo like this?”
She wanted to run, to give up everything and disappear.
But she knew she couldn’t.
She was all that Jae-woo had.
And he was all that she had.
That day, when her mother passed and her stepmother moved in, Seo-eun had felt her world crumble.
But even more heartbreaking was what happened to Jae-woo.
Back then, only six years old, Seo-eun had taken a deep breath and stepped forward slowly.
As she moved, her silk slip softly swayed.
At the same time, Jae-hyun’s jaw tightened involuntarily.
“Jae-hyun…” she whispered, biting her lip slightly.
His eyes fixated on her reddening lips, pressed under her white skin. He stepped closer.
The scent of his cologne rushed over her in the now smaller gap between them.
Trying to steady her suddenly rapid breathing, Seo-eun spoke:
> “Can we talk… for a moment?”
The silence that followed was short, but her heart pounded like it would burst.
At last, Jae-hyun stepped aside to make room for her.
Inside the narrow room, the tension grew.
Behind her, the door closed with a soft click, and she involuntarily shivered.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but—”
Before Jae-hyun could finish, Seo-eun turned to face him.
“You said it before. To prove my worth.”
Whether from shame or desperation, tears welled up in her eyes.
“I want to stay by your side. But no matter how I think about it, this is all I have.”
At her words, Jae-hyun’s expression froze—like cold water poured over hot metal.
“…So please.”
A deep sigh followed, and she could see the rigidness in his face.
Only then did Seo-eun realize she had misunderstood his intentions.
When he asked her to prove herself, this wasn’t what he meant.
She had spoken as if he only wanted her body, and now, everything felt like it was ending.
> “Is this really how it ends?”
As she lowered her head like a sinner, she felt a warmth on her shoulder.
Surprised, Seo-eun looked up to find a soft blanket draped over her.
Before she could process what was happening, her eyes met Jae-hyun’s.
He was closer than she had expected.
For a moment, she couldn’t breathe.
Then came his cold voice:
> “Just go home.”
Tears welled in her eyes at the iciness of his tone.
Her slender shoulders trembled, and his eyes flickered briefly.
He took a deep breath and added,
> “I’m not going to do anything to you. That’s all I have to say.”
His voice wasn’t gentle, but it was firm.
Seeing her show up in a slip and trying to prove her worth this way—he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was all because of what he had said.
Unfortunately, she had chosen the one method he despised most.
Still, looking at her clinging to him, he felt more pity than annoyance.
Seo-eun seemed about to say something but quietly turned away.
After she left, Jae-hyun rubbed his face with his hands and sank into a chair.
The night passed with only long sighs.
—
The next day.
Inside the car headed to work, Jae-hyun was reviewing documents on his tablet, as usual.
But today, something was different—
His eyes kept drifting to the window.
His expression subtly shifted as he recalled the night before.
The silhouette beneath that red silk slip—
Even without trying to remember, the image danced vividly before his eyes.
And the moment she looked up at him with tearful eyes—
He’d felt the last thread of reason snap.
Had it not been for her words at that moment, he knew what would’ve happened next.
> “Damn it.”
Frustrated with his indecisiveness, he forced his eyes back to the tablet.
But no matter what he did, Seo-eun’s image lingered in his mind.
A memory he already sensed wouldn’t fade easily.
