Yu jin's POV
I don't know what I expected when Park Min opened that door. Maybe a delivery guy. Maybe a cleaner. Definitely not her.
She was… I don't think words will do the job . She was tall, sharp round eyes, sharp jaw line, filled lips, long lashes, a sharp nose, very expensive perfume that hit before her voice did.
"Who's this?" she asked, her tone already cutting through the air.
Park Min blinked once, like his brain needed a restart. "My assistant."
I almost laughed. Assistant? Right. I was holding a plastic bag with hangover medicine, wearing sweatpants. Totally screamed "professional."
Her mouth twitched. "Assistant. Huh." She tilted her head, the corners of her lips barely moving. "You sure? Because I could've sworn you said you don't like men. Or is that only when people are watching?"
Park Min's shoulders stiffened. "Hana…"
She stepped closer. "You keep shouting about how straight you are, how you hate when people 'assume,' and yet every time someone opens this door, there's another guy standing behind it."
He let out a long breath, slow and shaky. "Can we not do this right now?"
"Why not? It's morning. The light's good. We can all see each other clearly."
I looked between them, trying to figure out if I was supposed to leave or just evaporate.
She turned her eyes on me. "So, Assistant, do you always do house calls in your pajamas, or are you special?"
I opened my mouth, then closed it again. Honestly, nothing came out.
"Hana," Park Min said again, firmer. "Please."
"No. Let him stay." She stepped into the apartment like she owned it. Her perfume followed too clean, too sharp.
She dropped her bag on the counter and faced me. "Since you're already here, I might as well save you time. If you ever get close to him I mean close-close just know how it ends."
"Hana," Park Min's voice cracked a little.
She ignored him completely. "He makes promises. Big ones. Beautiful ones. He tells you he's just scared of feeling too much. That he's different with you. That you're safe." Her laugh came out small and bitter. "Then he tells you to get rid of the baby you didn't even know you wanted."
Everything in my body went still.
I looked at Park Min. He didn't look angry he looked like someone trying not to breathe too loudly.
She folded her arms. "You remember that, don't you, Min? The clinic? The message you sent after 'You'll thank me later.'"
He closed his eyes, just for a second.
Her voice softened, but it was worse that way. "I did thank you. I thanked you while they put me under. I thanked you when I woke up. And I kept thanking you when they told me I'd never have children again."
Park Min's hand curled at his side. "You said you didn't want it."
"I said I didn't want to raise it alone." Her face twisted like she was holding something down. "You said I wouldn't have to. Then you disappeared."
The silence after that wasn't empty, it was too full. The sound of the fridge, the hum of the air conditioner, even my heartbeat felt loud enough to echo.
I didn't know what to do. I shouldn't even be standing there. My throat was tight, but my mouth moved anyway. "Maybe we should.."
"Don't talk," she said without looking at me. " You'll figure it out yourself. He'll ruin you, too."
That word ruin… that's a word I know, trust me.
Park Min took a step toward her. "That's enough."
She met his eyes, steady. "No, it's not. Not until you admit what you are."
"I said stop."
"You're an abuser, Min. You destroy people, and then you cry about being misunderstood. You're not misunderstood you're dangerous."
"Stop," he shouted, and the sound bounced off the walls.
She didn't flinch. "You think yelling changes anything? You're still the man who told me to kill my child."
He moved fast then.. too fast grabbed her wrist and said through his teeth, "Upstairs. Now."
"Get off me," she hissed, but he didn't let go.
Their struggle wasn't violent, but it wasn't gentle either. He pulled, she resisted, and in the middle of it all, the air felt thick enough to choke on.
When they disappeared down the hall, her voice followed muffled, breaking, still fighting. Then a door slammed.
I stood there for a long time, staring at the empty space they left behind.
I dropped into the couch. My body went down, but my mind didn't follow.
On the table, the pharmacy bag was still there. The pills, the water, all lined up like I was still pretending this was just about a hangover.
I stared at the stairs, waiting for one of them to come down, but nothing.
I don't know how long I sat there before my phone buzzed.
At first, I didn't even reach for it. I just watched it light up, fade, light up again. When I finally picked it up, there was a gasping message.