Bora was in the kitchen, preparing breakfast and getting Hauen's energy drink ready. She was looking for a specific container, but it wasn't there. Her heart sank. She searched again and again, but it was nowhere to be found.
"Are you looking for this, Bora?" a voice said from behind. Bora froze.
"I'm talking to you, Bora," Suho said, his voice cold and intense, sending shivers down her spine.
"I'll handle this," Hauen said. Suho's eyes remained cold and furious.
"Bora… turn around," Hauen said. She didn't; she was trembling. Hauen walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Bora, if you tell the truth, I might consider forgiving you," Hauen said softly.
Bora was trembling. "I… I'm sorry, ma'am… I didn't do it intentionally," she sobbed, her face pale with fear.
"Then why did you do it?" Hauen asked firmly.
"I… I was told to, ma'am. Actually, I was threatened to do it," Bora said between sobs.
"Who told you?" Suho asked, his brows tightening.
"I don't know, sir. I got a call from an unknown number. They said if I didn't do it, they would leak my…" Her voice cracked, and tears streamed down her cheeks. "They recorded my videos when I was…" She couldn't finish and broke down completely.
Hauen quickly pulled her into a hug, gently rubbing her back to calm her down. Suho shut his eyes, frustration visible on his face.
"Was it a man or a woman?" he asked.
"I'm not sure. The voice sounded strange, almost like it was computer-generated," Bora said, sniffling.
"Maybe they used a voice-changing software," Hauen said softly.
Suho nodded. "Can you give me the number that called you?"
Bora nodded and handed her phone to him with trembling hands. She was still crying as Hauen continued to comfort her.
Suho checked the call history. The number looked odd.
"It's a system-generated call," he said, frowning.
"Who could've done that?" Hauen asked.
"I don't know…" Suho replied, frustration evident in his tone.
"Do you have any suspects?" she pressed gently.
Suho looked at her for a moment before answering. "Plenty. But I can't be sure who it is."
Bora wiped her tears, her voice shaky. "I… I feel like it's someone from your family, sir."
Suho's head snapped toward her. "What makes you say that?" he asked, his tone firm.
Bora hesitated, glancing at Hauen nervously. "I might be wrong, sir… but since they asked me to give pregnancy control tablets to Mrs. Hauen, it seems like someone from the Kim mansion doesn't want this pregnancy to happen," she said softly.
Hauen nodded, silently agreeing with Bora.
Suho looked at Bora sharply. "Okay… I'll look into this. And if you're ever put in a situation like this again, tell us immediately. Don't try to handle it alone. Do you understand what's at stake here?"
Bora nodded quickly.
"Since you've been loyal all these years, I'm letting this slide. But if you make the same mistake again, don't expect any mercy," he warned firmly.
"I… thank you, sir. I'm sorry for everything," Bora said, bowing her head.
Hauen reached out and gently caressed her back.
Suho continued, "Stop giving Hauen that so-called energy drink from now on. And if they call you again, inform me immediately. Keep the act going, don't let them get suspicious."
"Okay, sir," Bora replied, still trembling.
Suho let out a sigh, and Hauen gave Bora a reassuring smile. "Shh… don't cry. We'll take care of it. Relax, okay?"
Bora nodded, a little comforted.
Suho left the kitchen, and Hauen followed him.
"So…?" she asked, looking at him.
He sighed, frustration clear on his face. "Looks like we have to start from the beginning again," he said disappointedly.
Hauen pressed her lips together. "We have to," she agreed softly.
He nodded and left the room. Hauen stood there for a moment, looking up at the ceiling. Oh God, why do we have to go through this? she thought, before taking a deep breath and heading off to work.
That night, Hauen sat on the couch, lost in thought. As usual, Suho joined her, settling beside her. She looked at him and offered a small smile, and he returned it.
"Did you find anything?" she asked.
"Not yet," he replied.
She sighed, "Here we are, trying to get this done as soon as possible, and someone out there is trying to stop it. Who could it be?"
"Maybe someone from my family," he said, thinking.
She nodded slowly, then asked, "What next?"
He looked at her. "Huh? Yeah… I guess I need to get drunk again," he said, smiling awkwardly.
She smiled faintly.
"Today?" she asked, her heart skipping a beat.
"If you're ready… then," he said, shrugging.
Her heart raced. She quickly looked away and went to the kitchen to bring the Soju bottles.
He took a deep breath, picked up the bottle, and said with a faint smile, "If you hadn't come up with this billion-dollar idea… by now, I would've probably died out of guilt."
Her heart ached at his words; he feels guilty, she thought. Guilty of everything he was doing with her. The emotions burned behind her eyes, but she blinked them away and forced a smile.
"Yeah… you should thank me for saving your life then," she said lightly, trying to keep it casual.
He smiled and took a sip from the bottle, his gaze lingering on her. "I can't just thank you and move on, Hauena. What you're doing for me is beyond words… beyond any price. To be honest, I could never forget you."
His words were honest, unfiltered, and that made it even harder for her to breathe.
She looked at him, lost in his words for a moment before forcing herself to look away. A faint, almost pained smile curved on her lips."I'm not doing this for free," she said quietly. "You saved my father's business, remember?"
He smiled, his tone soft but certain. "That's what I mean. I'm just offering you some money, and in return… you're giving me a future with Yerin."
Her chest tightened. His words cut deeper than she expected. Still, she smiled, though it hurt this time, the kind of smile that trembles before breaking."You love her so much," she said softly. "Very few people get to feel something that pure. I must say… Yerin is lucky to have you. You're putting yourself through so much just to be with her."
His eyes softened, a rare warmth shining through. "Yerin is my only love… first and maybe last. She's my forever."
Hauen watched quietly, noticing how his whole demeanor changed, soft, gentle, and caring, whenever he spoke about her.
"I still remember the day she asked me out, so boldly… like, 'Yaa Suho, I like you. Wanna marry me?" he smiled, lost in the memory. "Suddenly, my heart just… raced. I felt something I had never felt before. I used to be cold, silent in college, but she… she broke through that, like fire melting ice. She warmed my heart like no one ever could."
He smiled, almost love-sick, and she listened, quietly absorbing every word.
"And she was always bubbly, bold… sometimes childish," he said with a fond smile tugging at his lips. "I don't even know when I became so addicted to her. Just thinking about her… it washes all my worries away. She's my mood-lifter, my babygirl, just the bold kind," he chuckled softly.
His eyes glazed over with memory. "It's been nine years now. We've fought, laughed, cried, hurt each other, and yet, every single time, we found our way back. We never let go, no matter what."
He paused, voice lowering. "When my family rejected her… she didn't crumble. Instead, she came to me, kissed me, and said, 'What if your family doesn't accept me? What if I can't marry you that easily? You'll still be mine. Even if you marry someone else, you'll still be mine.'"
He looked at Hauen, eyes steady, filled with conviction. "That's when I knew. No matter what happens… I'll never let her go. I'll do anything, go through anything, just to keep her."
His words hung heavy in the air, and Hauen could only sit there, silent, feeling each one cut deeper than the last.
Every word from him carved a quiet ache inside her chest, yet she hid it well. He belonged to someone else, someone who had stood beside him through years of love and storms, someone who had earned that place in his heart. Hauen knew she had no right to want anything that could break them apart. So she just smiled through the sting and shut her eyes for a moment, gathering herself.
When she opened them, he was watching her with a soft, guilty expression. "I've been talking non-stop… I'm sorry, I must've bored you," he said lightly.
She shook her head, forcing her voice to sound steady. "No… not at all. In fact, I liked your love story." A faint, genuine smile tugged her lips. "I admire it a lot."
Her tone was calm, but deep inside, her heart whispered what she could never say, I wish someone loved me like that.
He smiled and now sipping his third bottle almost drunk.
"I know you do," he said, his words beginning to slur. "And I like that you're so… understanding, so supportive. Honestly, I was scared, you know? Scared that marrying you would mess things up between me and Yerin." He chuckled softly, unaware of the knife his words twisted in her chest. "But thank God… everything's fine. My girl isn't complaining much about you."
Hauen smiled faintly and looked down, her fingers tightening around the edge of her dress. With that one line, she shut down the tiny, foolish part of her heart that had dared to feel something more.
"I love my Yerin so much," he continued, his grin stretching wide, eyes unfocused. "In fact… I can almost see her around right now." His words were sweet but blurred by the haze of alcohol.
Hauen swallowed hard and stood up, forcing a steady tone. "You're drunk enough, Suho. We should just… do what we came here for before you pass out."
He looked up at her, eyes glinting with that familiar intoxicated warmth. A crooked grin formed on his lips. "I think I'm drunk enough to enter that magical world with you," he mumbled, swaying slightly.
Her heartbeat stumbled. For a second, she couldn't move, couldn't breathe, as he stood before her, face flushed, gaze heavy and unguarded. Then she forced herself to exhale, steady and quiet. "Come," she whispered, helping him stand, even as her pulse refused to calm.
She guided him to the bedroom, and he flopped onto the bed. She closed the door quietly and went to dim the lights. But as she turned around, her heart skipped, suddenly, she was pinned against the wall.
Her breath caught. "Suho… what are you—"
"Shh," he hushed her softly, his voice low and drunk. "I know, baby… You missed me." He grinned, his breath warm against her skin.
She blinked, confused, trying to understand his words. He leaned closer, his lips brushing near hers just a ghost of a touch.
"You shouldn't miss me this much, jagi…" he whispered, his voice almost teasing. "When you look at me like that, I lose control."
Her heart pounded so hard she could barely breathe. "S-Suho… you—" she tried to speak, but before she could finish, his lips crashed onto hers.
The kiss was deep, desperate, full of heat she couldn't control. Her mind went blank; her body trembled as his hands roamed over her, tracing her curves, cupping her gently yet possessively. A soft shiver ran through her.
He finally pulled back, breathless, eyes dark and heavy. "Why aren't you kissing me back?" he whispered.
She looked up at him, shaking, trying to find her voice. "Suho… this is wrong… we... We shouldn't be doing this…"
He stared at her, his lips glistening under the dim light, chest rising unevenly, then whispered, almost brokenly,
"I love you."