Seoul, South Korea
The front door opened.
Jinyoung stepped inside after another long day at work.
He loosened his tie as he walked into the house, his expression tired and irritated.
"You're home."
Jang Mi Rae came toward him.
She smiled as she reached for his jacket.
"Let me take that."
Jinyoung immediately pulled his arm away.
"I can do it."
Mi Rae's smile faded slightly.
"I just wanted to take your jacket and put it away."
"I didn't ask for your help."
His words came out sharper than he intended.
Mi Rae stood there, her hand still suspended in the air.
Jinyoung didn't look back.
He walked past her and headed straight for the bedroom.
A few seconds later, the bathroom door closed.
Mi Rae remained where she was.
She slowly lowered her hand.
She had learned something during the months of their marriage.
Jinyoung didn't like being helped by her.
He didn't like her fussing over him.
He didn't like unnecessary conversations.
And most of all, he didn't like pretending.
Mi Rae looked toward the closed bathroom door.
She remembered the man she had married.
Not the man standing behind that door. For the past month she had felt like she was trying to grab a blade in her palms. The man...
The man from before their wedding.
The man who had looked her straight in the eyes and told her the truth.
Months Earlier
"Before we do this, I hope you understand something."
Jinyoung stood in front of Mi Rae, his expression serious.
"I'm only marrying you because my parents want this marriage, and because our families' businesses benefit from it."
Mi Rae had remained silent.
He continued.
"There is someone else."
She already knew.
"Kyrah."
He said her name without hesitation.
"She's the only woman I've ever loved."
Mi Rae's fingers tightened around the glass in her hand.
"And she's the only woman I'll ever love."
There was no anger in his voice.
No attempt to hurt her.
He was simply telling her the truth.
"I agreed to this marriage," Mi Rae said.
"I know."
"But you told me from the beginning that you wouldn't give me your heart."
"Yes."
Jinyoung looked at her.
"I don't want you to regret it later."
Mi Rae lifted her chin.
"I won't."
"You might."
"I said I won't."
He stared at her for a long moment.
"You deserve someone who actually loves you."
Mi Rae smiled faintly.
"And you deserve the woman you love."
Neither of them spoke for several seconds.
Then Mi Rae looked away.
"I agreed to marry you, Jinyoung. I knew what I was agreeing to."
Present Day
Mi Rae blinked.
The memory disappeared.
She looked down at the jacket still hanging over her arm.
She had known.
That was the part she kept reminding herself.
She had known before the wedding.
She had known that Kyrah was the woman Jinyoung loved.
She had known that she would never have his heart.
But knowing something and living with it were two completely different things.
Mi Rae slowly folded his jacket and placed it on the sofa.
The bathroom door opened.
Jinyoung came out wearing his night clothes, rubbing his hair with a towel.
Mi Rae had already prepared his clothes for the next morning and placed them neatly on the chair.
"Dinner is ready."
"I'm not hungry."
"You haven't eaten since lunch."
"I said I'm not hungry."
He walked toward the bedroom.
Mi Rae followed him with her eyes.
"Jinyoung."
He stopped.
"What?"
She hesitated.
"Nothing."
He stared at her for a moment before walking away.
Mi Rae sat down.
Their marriage looked perfect from the outside.
Two wealthy families.
Two successful people.
A beautiful home.
Expensive cars.
Business connections.
Social events.
Photographs.
But inside the house, there was very little warmth.
Jinyoung wasn't cruel to her every day.
That would almost have been easier.
He was simply distant.
He fulfilled his responsibilities.
He attended family events.
He appeared beside her when necessary.
But there was always a wall between them.
And Mi Rae knew exactly who had built it.
Kyrah.
Even though Kyrah was no longer in Seoul.
Even though she was no longer standing between them.
She was still there.
In his memories.
In his thoughts.
In the space where Mi Rae's love could never reach.
---
Hong Kong
Kyrah sat on the edge of her bed with her phone in her hand.
She had just finished taking her prenatal vitamins.
This time, she had set an alarm.
No more forgetting.
She smiled when the name on her screen appeared.
Linda calling...
Kyrah immediately answered.
"Finally!"
Linda's voice exploded through the phone.
"Do you know how long I've been waiting to hear from you properly?"
Kyrah laughed.
"I'm sorry."
"Sorry? You moved to another country, got a new job, disappeared into work, and now you're apologizing?"
"I've been busy."
"That's exactly what I'm complaining about."
Kyrah smiled.
"I missed you too."
"Good. Now tell me everything."
Kyrah leaned back against her pillows.
"Everything?"
"Everything."
Linda paused.
"How's your work going?
"Good."
"Your boss?"
Kyrah hesitated.
"Which one?"
Linda laughed.
"Don't play with me. You know exactly who I'm talking about."
Kyrah rolled her eyes.
"Seo Jun?"
"Yes. Seo Jun."
"He's my boss."
"I didn't ask what his job title was."
Kyrah laughed.
"Linda!"
"What?"
"Nothing is happening."
"I didn't say anything was happening."
"You were about to."
"I was simply asking about your handsome boss."
"He's not my—"
Kyrah stopped.
Linda burst out laughing.
"Your reaction is enough."
"There's nothing to react to!"
"Okay."
Linda's voice became suspiciously innocent.
"Then tell me about your baby."
Kyrah's expression immediately softened.
"My baby?"
"Yes. The little person you have been hiding from me."
"I'm not hiding my baby."
"You haven't even told me the gender."
Kyrah smiled.
"I was going to." I literally found out a few days ago.
"Well?"
Kyrah paused dramatically.
"I'm having a boy."
There was silence.
Then Linda screamed.
"YOU'RE HAVING A BOY!"
Kyrah burst into laughter.
"Linda!"
"I'm going to be an aunt!"
"You are not the aunt."
"I don't care. I'm claiming the position."
Kyrah laughed so hard she had to put the phone away from her ear.
Linda continued.
"How are you feeling?"
"Better."
"Are you taking your vitamins?"
Kyrah's smile faded for a second.
"Yes."
"Every day?"
"Yes."
"Kyrah."
"Okay! I'm trying."
Linda sighed.
"Promise me you'll take care of yourself."
"I promise."
"And don't work yourself into the ground."
Kyrah looked toward the small stack of files on her desk.
"I won't."
Linda went silent.
"That pause tells me you're lying."
"I'm not lying."
"You are terrible at lying."
Kyrah laughed.
"Okay, maybe I still have work to do."
"I knew it!"
Linda then lowered her voice.
"Speaking of work..."
Kyrah knew that tone.
"What?"
"Seo Jun." Before Kyrah knew ot she was telling Linda all Seojun had done for her with so much passion.
Hmmmmmmmmn.
"He likes you."
Kyrah stared at the phone.
"He does not."
"He does."
"He's just kind."
"He's kind to you differently."
"No."
"Kyrah."
"Linda."
"That man practically carried you through a hospital."
Kyrah's face warmed.
"Because I was dizzy."
"He stayed with you."
"He's a good person."
"He held your hand during your baby's scan."
Kyrah looked down.
"He was comforting me."
"And he told the nurse it was your first child together."
Kyrah covered her face.
"That was a joke."
Linda laughed.
"You're actually defending him."
"I'm not defending him!"
"You're in denial."
"I'm not."
"You are."
Kyrah shook her head even though Linda couldn't see her.
"Seo Jun is my friend."
There was a brief pause.
Then Linda said softly,
"Sometimes the best relationships start with friendship."
Kyrah's smile disappeared.
She knew where this conversation was going.
"No."
"You don't even know what I was going to say."
"I know."
Linda sighed.
"Why are you so determined not to let yourself see it?"
Kyrah looked down at her stomach.
Because she was afraid.
Afraid of hoping.
Afraid of believing that someone could genuinely choose her.
Afraid of making the same mistake twice.
"He's just my friend," she repeated.
Linda didn't argue this time.
"Okay."
Kyrah smiled.
"Thank you."
"But I'm watching."
Kyrah laughed.
"Of course you are."
"I always get the scoop."
"You're impossible."
"I know."
They continued talking for almost an hour.
Linda asked about Hong Kong.
Kyrah told her about her new colleagues, the Haneul project, and the ridiculous amount of work she had been doing.
Linda told her about everything happening back in Seoul.
Eventually, their conversation became quieter.
"Kyrah?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm proud of you."
Kyrah smiled.
"Why?"
"Because five years ago, you would have let everything that happened to you break you."
Kyrah's eyes softened.
"And now?"
"Now you're building a life."
Kyrah looked down at her stomach.
"A life for both of us."
Linda smiled through the phone.
"Exactly."
Kyrah rubbed her stomach gently.
"I still get scared sometimes."
"I know."
"But I'm going to be okay."
"Yes, you are."
After they said their goodbyes, Kyrah placed the phone beside her.
She sat there for a moment.
Her hand rested over her stomach.
"A little boy."
The words still felt strange.
Wonderful.
Terrifying.
Real.
She smiled.
Then she remembered what Linda had said.
Seo Jun likes you.
Kyrah shook her head.
"No."
She laughed softly.
"He's just my friend."
But somewhere deep inside her heart, the certainty wasn't quite as strong as she wanted it to be.
---
A Few Days Later
Kyrah sat in the waiting room at Linfao University Hospital, waiting for her next prenatal appointment.
She had followed the doctor's instructions.
More rest.
More water.
Proper meals.
And her vitamins.
She had even started setting reminders on her phone.
She looked down at her hands.
Soon, her baby would begin to show.
Soon, hiding her pregnancy would become much harder.
But for now, she still had time.
Time to work.
Time to build.
Time to prepare.
And perhaps most importantly, time to become the mother her little boy deserved.
The nurse opened the door.
"Kyrah?"
She stood.
"Yes."
She walked toward the examination room, one hand instinctively resting over her stomach.
Her life was changing.
In Hong Kong, she was building something new.
In Seoul, someone else was struggling with a life built on a decision he made.
And between them, there were still secrets waiting to surface.
Kyrah stepped into the examination room.