POV: Male Lead (Ahn Min-jae)
Min-jae wasn't sure when he had last slept properly.
Maybe five days ago.
Maybe longer.
His body ached, his mind was exhausted, but his heart… his heart was the real problem.
It had been beating erratically—not just because of his condition, but because of the war raging inside him.
A war between love and pain.
Between Ha-neul and her father.
And no matter how much he tried, he couldn't separate them.
---
A Moment of Silence
Holding Ha-neul in his arms after days of distance felt like breathing after drowning.
She was warm.
Familiar.
His safe place.
But as much as he wanted to stay like this forever, reality wasn't that kind.
Slowly, he pulled back.
Her eyes—those beautiful, worried eyes—searched his face.
"I don't know how to move forward from this," he admitted.
Her fingers brushed against his cheek, her touch so gentle it almost broke him.
"Then let's figure it out together."
---
Facing the Truth
Min-jae inhaled deeply.
"I can't pretend your father didn't cause my mother's death," he said. "But… I also can't pretend I don't love you."
Ha-neul nodded, as if she had been expecting those words.
"I don't want you to forgive him," she said softly. "I just want you to be honest with me."
Min-jae let out a shaky laugh.
"Honest?" He shook his head. "Then here it is—I'm angry. I feel betrayed by the universe. I want justice, but justice won't bring my mother back. And it sure as hell won't erase the fact that I love the daughter of the man I hated for twenty years."
Ha-neul swallowed hard. "Do you regret loving me?"
Min-jae stared at her.
Regret?
No.
Not even for a second.
"I regret that we're in this situation," he murmured. "But not you. Never you."
Her eyes glistened with emotion.
"Then we still have a chance."
---
The First Step
Min-jae didn't have the answer.
He didn't know how to let go of his pain or if he even could.
But when Ha-neul reached for his hand again, he didn't hesitate to hold hers back.
Maybe that was the first step.
Not forgiveness.
Not forgetting.
But choosing love, even when it hurt.
---