White stood in front of the towering apartment building, his chest tightening with every breath. Thanks to Luna's meticulous information gathering, he knew exactly where to go, but knowing didn't make the air any easier to breathe. The plan was in motion: while he attempted to negotiate with Shu's parents, Luna was continuing her investigation. Meanwhile, Zen and Aris were stationed with Shu. Leaving her alone right now wasn't an option; isolation would only let her dark thoughts consume her.
He looked up at the concrete monolith, a bitter taste in his mouth.
"So… it's time for me to face my past," he muttered to himself.
Compelling his feet to move, he entered the building and rode the elevator up, finally stopping before Room 502. Shu's home. His hand shook violently as he reached out. Trembling fingers hovered over the door before he forced them into a fist and knocked firmly.
"Coming…" a weary voice called from inside.
The door swung open, and the woman's expression soured instantly. Annoyance contorted her features the moment she recognized White.
"You're that ill-mannered boy from the hospital, right? What do you want now? If you're looking for Shu, she's not here."
She began to slam the door in his face, but White lowered his head, his voice cutting through the gap like a blade. "There is something I have to confirm."
"Huh? I don't have time to waste on a brat like—"
"Nine years ago…" White interrupted, his voice dropping an octave. "There was a boy whose mother abandoned him on the street. Do you remember anything about that?"
The door stopped moving. The annoyance on her face vanished, instantly replaced by a stark, primal fear. Her eyes widened, panic flashing through them before she desperately tried to mask it with anger.
"What nonsense are you babbling about? I don't know anything about that!" she snapped, but she couldn't hide the tremor in her hands.
"Maybe this picture will refresh your memory," White said smoothly, lifting a photograph between his fingers.
It was an old photo. It showed her lying in a hospital bed, looking exhausted but smiling warmly as she cradled a newborn baby in her arms.
"You! Where did you get that?!" she shrieked, lunging forward to snatch it.
White calmly pulled his hand back, keeping the photo just out of her reach. "So, now that we're convinced that I know your secret… will you listen to me?"
A heavy, defeated sigh escaped her lips. Frustration flickered across her face as she stepped aside. "Come in."
White stepped into the apartment, the atmosphere suffocatingly tense as he followed her into the living room. He took a seat at the table, and she sat directly across from him. Mechanically, she poured two cups of tea, setting one in front of him.
Once seated, her vulnerability hardened back into a sharp, wicked smile. She narrowed her eyes. "So, what is it you actually want? You didn't come here just to dig up old bones. Oh… now I get it. You have your eyes on Shu, don't you? So, you're after—"
"Don't make sick assumptions like that," White cut her off, his glare icy. "The only thing I want from you is to stop."
"Stop what?" she asked, casually crossing her legs and leaning back.
"Stop torturing her. Apologize to her," he demanded, the words heavy with repressed rage.
The woman threw her head back and laughed loudly, covering her face with her hand before violently slamming her palm onto the table. The teacups rattled.
"That's hilarious! Me? Torturing her? What absolute nonsense! Did you forget that Shu herself said what I'm doing is right? I'm not torturing her—I'm simply paying her back for what her pathetic father did to me!"
"I understand her father did wrong," White pressed, trying to maintain his grip on his temper. "But if you actually sat down and talked to him, maybe—"
"Are you stupid?!" she roared, springing to her feet and smashing both hands onto the table. "There is nothing to talk about! I tried! I tried multiple times, but there's nothing I can do!"
As quickly as her fury had erupted, it deflated. Her voice cracked, scrambling into a pathetic whimper as she collapsed back into her chair, looking suddenly frail.
"You don't know how many times this has happened to me… how much I've suffered. If I don't release my frustration on someone, I won't survive. I'll break. And Shu… Shu is a good girl. She understands me. She's always right there for me whenever I need to let it out."
Hearing her justify her cruelty made White's blood run cold. His tone darkened into something entirely devoid of warmth. "You think you're the only one who has suffered? Let me tell you a story."
The woman blinked, caught off guard by the sudden drop in temperature. "A… story?"
"There was a woman—cheerful, energetic—who once fell deeply in love. She thought her life was completely filled with happiness. They dated for years. But the moment she became pregnant, her lover abandoned her, leaving her alone with a child."
The color drained from her face. "You… where did you hear that? How do you…?"
"Where did I hear it?" White let out a dark, breathless chuckle that didn't reach his eyes. "Because the child she left behind to rot on the freezing street is sitting right in front of her. It's me."
A torrent of memories rushed behind the woman's eyes. She stared at him, her lips parting as she looked at his facial features, truly seeing him for the first time. "White… so you're…"
"Yup. I'm alive. Sitting right across from you. The very same baby you left to die."
"How…" she whispered, her voice trembling. "How did you survive?"
White's gaze softened just a fraction as a vision of warmth crossed his mind. "Maybe I was just a useless burden to you. But someone held my hand when I needed it most." Elsa. Her kindness was the only reason his heart was still beating.
The woman sat frozen in shock. But then, a bizarre shift occurred. Her frantic, terrified posture suddenly relaxed. The tension left her shoulders, and her face went completely blank—almost relieved.
"So, you came here to take your revenge on me," she said, her voice eerily calm, devoid of its previous malice. "Go on then. Do it. I'm right here to listen to every horrible thing you have to say."
White frowned, deeply unsettled by her sudden compliance. "What are you talking about?"
"I was a monstrous mother, right? I don't deserve to live. You're free to say whatever you want to me," she continued, her eyes staring blankly into her tea.
"No, I didn't come here for revenge, I was just—"
"If you have nothing else to say, then you can go," she interrupted softly. She looked up, her expression completely hollow. "I promise you… I'll stop abusing her."
White froze, completely stunned. "What…?"
"You can even report me to the police for physical abuse if you want."
"Why…?" White stammered, his mind racing to find the catch. "Why are you doing this so suddenly?"
Before she could answer, the sharp buzz of White's phone cut through the suffocating silence. He pulled it out. It was a text message from Luna, providing a specific address with a brief, urgent command: Meet me here right now.
"Maybe you should go," his mother said quietly, taking a slow sip of her tea as if he were already gone.
White stood up slowly, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. Something felt terribly wrong, but Luna's message took priority.
"I don't know what kind of game you're playing, or why you suddenly changed your tune," White said, casting a sharp, warning glare over his shoulder. "But if you're saying you'll stop, I'll hold you to it for now. I still have a lot of questions for you. But keep this in mind—if you lay even a single finger on Shu ever again…"
He left the threat hanging in the air, turned, and walked out of the apartment.
Behind the closed door, his mother sat in the absolute quiet of the living room, silently sipping her tea, her expression unreadable.