Yerin sat inside the cold prison cell, her back against the wall, knees pulled close, eyes empty yet restless. Time moved strangely there. Seconds stretched like punishment. Silence pressed heavier than noise.
She had confessed to everything. Every crime, every manipulation, every calculated move.
When the officers questioned her, she answered calmly. Clearly. Without hesitation. No denial. No tears. No excuses. As if the truth had been waiting too long to spill out of her mouth.
Her father and brother had come the moment they were informed, desperate to arrange bail, but she refused.
She did not want to go.
Now, alone again, her mind refused to rest.
Suho.
His face returned to her again and again, uninvited, unstoppable. The image of him having no softness for her. The way he stood was like a stranger. The way he looked at Hauen with the same eyes, once he looked at her.
He was not hers anymore. That truth cut deeper than the iron bars around her. She closed her eyes, memories attacking like a cruel loop.
Why did I convince him to marry someone else? Why did I force him to sleep with another woman for a child? Why did I push him away when he loved me so much?
Her breath turned uneven.
Why did that accident happen? Why did I have to see him broken… ugly… vulnerable in a way I never imagined?
That image haunted her the most. Suho, weak. Suho, hurt. A version of him she had never prepared herself to witness.
And the worst question of all—
Why did I leave him?
Tears burned her eyes again, tracing the same familiar path down her cheeks. The thoughts looped endlessly, merciless, giving her no rest. And the conclusion was always the same.
She had lost him. Completely.
There was no guilt for what she had done to Hauen. Not even a flicker of remorse. Hauen existed only as a shadow in her story, never as a person.
The only pain that mattered was Suho. The only wound she felt was losing him.
Her fingers moved unconsciously, nails scraping against the rough prison wall. Again. And again. Thin white marks appeared where her nails dragged, skin breaking, pain blooming, yet unnoticed.
She didn't sleep. She didn't eat. There was no hunger. No sleep. No regret.
Only Suho. Only the agony of losing him forever.
The next day, the court hearing proceeded without delay.
Yerin stood before the judges and confessed to everything.
There were no excuses, no emotional appeals. She admitted that every action she took had one purpose. To get Suho back. She spoke clearly, accepting responsibility for manipulating situations, fabricating evidence, and driving events with calculated intent.
Hyunwoo followed.
He confessed as well, confirming that he had acted under Yerin's influence. He admitted that he gave false statements against Hauen even after knowing the truth.
Officer Park presented all the collected evidence. Documents, recordings, timelines. The courtroom remained heavy and silent as the judges examined every detail, dissecting each claim with careful scrutiny.
After thorough discussion and analysis, the verdict was announced.
Hyunwoo was sentenced to three months in prison and fined one million won for deliberately giving false testimony against Hauen.
Suho withdrew the case related to the Gangnam Street attack. He did not want to deepen the wounds of his in-laws.
Then came Yerin's judgment. Two years of imprisonment. A fine of five million won. For falsely accusing Hauen, fabricating evidence, kidnapping, and torturing Hyunwoo.
The words fell like final blows. Yerin closed her eyes. A single tear slipped down her cheek, quiet and unacknowledged. Slowly, she turned her head toward Suho.
He was looking at her. Not with anger. Not with grief. But with nothing. An emotionless gaze.
And that hurt her more than the sentence ever could.
Finally, the judges delivered their concluding statement. All false allegations against Hauen were officially dismissed. She was declared completely innocent. The court ordered a fresh investigation into her kidnapping and the months she had been forcibly hidden away. A public apology was mandated for the nationwide defamation that had stained her name with lies.
The words echoed through the courtroom.
Suho's heart raced. His eyes moistened instantly, disbelief and relief crashing together. Before he could even think, he pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly.
Hauen didn't speak. Her body stiffened for a moment, then softened. Emotions flooded in too fast to name. After months of being branded a criminal, of carrying shame she never earned, it felt unreal to hear the truth spoken out loud. She was free. Not accused. Not tainted. No longer running or hiding.
She could live openly with Suho now. It felt like a long, brutal test of loyalty had finally ended, and she had emerged unbroken.
Yerin looked at them again. Her heart clenched painfully at the sight.
Suho was holding Hauen without hesitation, without care for who was watching. The happiness on his face was unmistakable. Bright. Whole. Alive. A smile, Yerin had not seen even once in the past year.
Not for her. Yet that same smile bloomed effortlessly for Hauen.
And in that moment, Yerin understood with cruel clarity. She hadn't just lost him. She had lost the place where his happiness lived.
Yerin's fist clenched tightly, her nails digging into her palm until it hurt. Tears spilled freely now, no effort made to stop them. They slid down her cheeks, raw and helpless.
Yet Suho never once turned his head again. Not a glance. Not a pause. Not even a shadow of hesitation.
The court was dismissed soon after.
Yerin was escorted away by the police officers, her footsteps echoing faintly in the hall. Hyunwoo, visibly weak, was granted bail on medical grounds until his recovery. As he passed by, he looked at Hauen and offered a small, genuine smile. His eyes were wet, remorse clear.
Hauen noticed. She simply blinked, her face unreadable, offering neither forgiveness nor rejection. Just silence.
Mr. and Mrs. Kang stepped forward, smiling through relief that had been long delayed. They hugged Hauen warmly.
"Finally…" Suho breathed out, the word escaping him like a long-held sigh. He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Hauen's forehead.
She smiled faintly, her eyes shimmering with emotions rushing all at once. Before the tears could fall, Suho gently wiped them away with his thumb.
"No more tears," he murmured. "Only smiles."
Mrs. Kang watched them quietly, her lips curving into a soft smile. The way they stood together, the way Suho shielded Hauen without effort, the way Hauen leaned into him without fear.
They were unmistakably, deeply in love. And this time, nothing stood between them.