"Easy… walk slowly."
Minji kept one arm around Zoya, carefully supporting her as they walked inside after Jeon.J had left.
Zoya shook her head and reached for her writing pad. Her fingers trembled as she wrote,
"I just want to rest… but please come back quickly. I don't feel comfortable staying here alone."
Even holding the pen seemed painful, yet she forced herself to finish every word.
Minji glanced at her and sighed softly.
"Just relax and get some sleep. You're as safe here as you would be in my own home, okay? I'll gather everyone and come back. It's already very late."
She helped Zoya lie down on the same bed where she had rested earlier.
The moment Zoya settled against the pillow, her eyes wandered around the room. Then she picked up the writing pad again.
"Where will all of you sleep? There's only one bed… and a couch."
A faint smile touched Minji's lips.
"Don't worry about us. We'll manage."
She gently took the writing pad from Zoya's hands and placed it on the bedside table.
"You've talked enough for one day. If your voice can't rest, at least let your hands."
Her tone was lightly scolding, but her eyes were filled with affection.
As Zoya shifted to make herself comfortable, Minji's gaze suddenly dropped to her feet.
She froze.
"...Zoya."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"What is this?"
She hurried closer and carefully lifted the edge of Zoya's trouser leg.
A deep cut.
Clean.
Deliberate.
The sight made her breath catch.
She had seen wounds like this before.
Ji-won.
A painful memory flashed through her mind.
"Zoya..."
Her voice trembled despite her effort to remain calm.
Without a word, Zoya reached for the writing pad once more.
Her hands moved slowly.
Painfully.
"I'm fine."
She paused before continuing.
"I don't have any other words right now to convince even myself... that I'm fine."
The next words came even more slowly.
"Yes... it hurts."
"These wounds hurt."
"But Ji-won's words..."
"...they hurt even more."
For a long moment, she simply stared at the page.
Then she continued.
"You all used to say Korea doesn't suit me."
"Maybe you were right."
A faint, tired smile appeared on her lips.
"But I can't go back either."
"The doors behind me are already closed."
"So I'll stay here..."
"...and learn to make peace with Korea."
Minji read every word in silence.
Then she looked up.
That fragile smile hurt far more than the wounds themselves.
Without thinking, she pulled Zoya into a tight embrace.
"I won't let Ji-won get away with this," she whispered through clenched teeth.
Zoya gently pulled back and looked straight into her eyes.
She didn't need to write this time.
A single look said everything.
No.
She pointed quietly toward the door.
Go.
I want to sleep.
Minji understood.
With a defeated sigh, she stood up.
"Drama queen," she muttered under her breath, hoping to lighten the mood before walking out.
The door clicked shut.
Silence settled over the room once again.
Then—
A voice echoed inside Zoya's mind.
"Even we... we've been physical... many times..."
Ji-won's words.
Zoya squeezed her eyes shut.
Tears slipped silently across her cheeks, disappearing into the pillow.
This time...
The pain wasn't coming from her wounds.
"You're all still here? None of you went to sleep?"
Minji's voice broke the silence as she stepped onto the terrace.
Everyone was still there, sitting in a loose circle instead of resting.
Sophia let out a quiet sigh.
"I just couldn't sleep."
"Oh, really?" Hana smirked. "And why exactly couldn't you sleep?"
Sophia shot her an unimpressed look.
"You didn't sleep either. So what's your excuse?"
Hana casually flipped her hair before pointing toward Teahun.
"I still have a few videos to shoot with Teahun."
Teahun groaned dramatically.
"No. Absolutely not." He threw his hands in the air. "Minji, control your friends. We've already recorded what feels like a thousand reels. I'm done!"
Laughter rippled through the terrace, easing the heaviness for a brief moment.
Then, unexpectedly, Teahun sighed.
"I miss her."
The laughter disappeared.
Everyone looked at him.
But before anyone else could react, one pair of eyes had already turned toward him.
Jeon.J.
The moment their eyes almost met, Jeon.J quietly looked away.
Teahun stood up with an exaggerated sigh.
"I'm going to spend whatever little time I have with her. We're leaving tomorrow... who knows when we'll meet again."
His words were playful...
Yet they carried a quiet sadness.
Jeon.J's fingers slowly curled into his palm.
Tomorrow.
Even that had changed.
"Tomorrow?" Minji frowned. "Weren't you all leaving the day after?"
Kim Joon nodded.
"We were. But the concert schedule changed, so we're flying back tomorrow."
Hosu smiled.
"Looks like the cherry blossom plan is cancelled."
"No, it isn't," Hana replied quickly. "We'll still go. Just don't forget our VIP tickets."
Minjo laughed.
"Done."
Ruhi smiled faintly, though disappointment lingered in her eyes.
"I thought we'd spend one more day together."
"You'll see us next week," Minjo reassured her. "At the concert."
She nodded, but the smile never quite reached her eyes.
The conversation slowly quieted.
Then Jeon.J finally spoke.
"Minji."
His voice was calm.
Serious.
"I need to talk to you."
Everyone's attention shifted toward him.
"Ji-won is still out there," he said. "Until she's arrested... I don't want any of you leaving this house."
A heavy silence settled over the terrace.
"This place has full security."
"You'll all be safer here."
No one argued.
After what Ji-won had done to Zoya...
They all understood.
Minji let out a quiet breath.
"Zoya won't agree so easily. She barely stayed this time."
"I'll—"
Jeon.J had barely spoken when another voice interrupted him.
"I'll talk to her."
Jinhun.
His tone wasn't loud.
But it carried enough authority to end the discussion before it even began.
"I'll speak to Zoya tomorrow morning. After that, we'll decide."
No one objected.
Jinhun clapped his hands once.
"Alright. That's enough for tonight."
He stood up.
"Everyone, get some sleep."
This time...
No one argued.
One by one, they rose from their seats and quietly walked inside.
The terrace fell silent once again.
But the uneasiness remained.
It followed each of them into the night.
Morning arrived quietly.
The first to leave were Jeon.J, Hosu, and Teahun.
Before leaving, Jinhun had spoken to Zoya in private.
No one knew exactly what he had said.
But somehow...
She had agreed to stay.
By evening, Jinhun, Yomin, and Minjo had left as well.
One by one...
The house grew quieter.
Until the laughter, conversations, and footsteps that had filled every corner faded into silence.
On Ruhi's insistence, Minji, Sophia, Hana, and Ruhi went out to see the cherry blossoms.
"Just a couple of hours," Minji had promised before leaving.
Now...
Zoya was alone.
Completely alone.
She stepped into the living area, her eyes instinctively searching the house.
No voices.
No footsteps.
No guards.
No one.
A faint crease appeared between her brows.
"They said this place was safe..."
Her gaze slowly lifted.
A tiny black lens was fixed near the ceiling.
Then another.
And another.
"Cameras..."
She exhaled softly.
"So that's what they meant."
A faint smile crossed her lips.
"Do cameras really make a place safe?"
She looked away, unconvinced.
What she didn't know...
The cameras were only the visible part of the security.
Hidden motion sensors silently tracked every movement inside the house.
Each camera was connected to a live monitoring system that could send instant alerts.
Every entrance was protected by biometric locks.
Originally, the entire security system had been registered under Jeon.J.
Before leaving...
He had changed the access.
For the time being...
Only Minji could control the house.
Zoya's day dragged by painfully.
The television played one Korean program after another, but she understood almost nothing. A few channels offered English subtitles, yet by the time she finished reading one line, the next scene had already begun.
After a while, she gave up.
Her feet still ached, but sitting in one place all day had only made the pain worse. Slowly, she pushed herself up and began walking around the house.
One careful step at a time.
It had been nearly three hours since Minji and the others had left.
She hadn't eaten much that morning—just a bowl of bland soup that had done little to satisfy her.
Now hunger had returned.
She could cook something...
If only she knew where anything was.
And more importantly—
Was any of the food here even halal?
The thought lingered in her mind as she slowly made her way toward the kitchen.
Just before stepping inside, she stopped.
Her eyes settled on the tall windows lining the living room.
The blinds were drawn, making the house feel strangely dim despite the bright afternoon outside.
Curious, she reached out and pulled one of them open.
Golden sunlight rushed into the room.
The sudden brightness made her blink.
For a brief moment, she simply stood there, letting the warmth settle around her.
Then a small smile appeared.
She walked from one window to another, pulling every blind open until the house was filled with daylight.
Only then did it feel alive.
Wrapping her arms around herself, she looked around with quiet amusement.
"What kind of house is this..." she murmured.
"...where daytime feels like night?"
With that, she finally stepped into the kitchen.
She looked around.
Nothing.
The counters were spotless.
Too spotless.
As if no one had ever cooked there.
Her gaze landed on the sleek black induction cooktop.
She ran her fingertips lightly across its smooth surface before pulling her hand away.
"So..."
She looked around again.
"Where are the utensils?"
Miles away, Jeon.J sat quietly, his phone resting in one hand.
To everyone around him, it looked as though he was casually watching a video.
Only he knew...
He was watching her.
On the screen, Zoya stepped into the kitchen, paused for a moment, then slowly looked around.
She studied the induction cooktop with quiet curiosity before lightly touching its smooth surface.
A faint smile appeared on Jeon.J's lips.
Then she walked toward the refrigerator.
He watched silently.
Zoya opened the door.
Cool air escaped as she leaned forward, carefully examining every shelf.
For a second...
Her eyes widened.
Then they narrowed in confusion.
"Seriously...?"
she muttered under her breath.
One entire shelf...
Filled with skincare products.
Neatly arranged.
Inside a refrigerator.
She stared for a long moment before letting out a quiet sigh.
"Now people keep skincare in the fridge too?"
Her expression was a perfect mixture of disbelief and confusion.
Watching from Busan, Jeon.J bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing.
One wrong reaction...
And everyone around him would start asking questions.
But her expressions—
They were unexpectedly entertaining.
Back in the kitchen, Zoya closed the fridge and folded her arms.
"Fine."
"So where are the utensils?"
She looked around again.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Nothing.
No cabinets.
No shelves.
No drawers.
Just smooth black walls and perfectly polished counters.
"What kind of kitchen is this...?"
she whispered, completely puzzled.
Her eyes searched every corner again before she finally sighed in defeat.
Then, unable to help herself, she made an annoyed face at the kitchen—
as if it were personally responsible—
and walked out.
The moment she stepped back into the sunlight...
Her shoulders relaxed.
She took a slow breath.
"This is much better."
Miles away, Jeon.J watched the screen without looking away.
For years...
This house had always felt cold.
Dark.
Silent.
Today...
For the first time...
It felt alive.
And somehow...
He knew exactly why.
Back in Busan, Jeon.J hadn't looked away from the screen for even a moment.
Leaning comfortably against the sofa, he appeared completely relaxed.
To everyone else...
He was simply passing time on his phone.
But the moment Zoya disappeared from the camera—
His posture changed.
He straightened immediately.
His thumb moved quickly across the screen, switching from one camera to another.
Where did she go?
A second later...
There she was.
Standing in the middle of the kitchen again.
Jeon.J let out a quiet breath without even realizing he had been holding it.
Zoya slowly turned in a circle, studying every corner.
Her brows drew together.
"Where are the utensils...?"
she murmured to herself.
She looked left.
Then right.
Nothing.
"What kind of complicated kitchen is this?"
A moment later, she paused.
Then her own thoughts answered the question.
"Cabinets..."
"Utensils are kept in cabinets."
A tiny spark of confidence returned to her face.
"Right."
She began searching again.
One wall.
Then another.
Still nothing.
Her eyes narrowed.
Everything looked the same.
Black walls.
Black cabinets.
Black counters.
Not a single handle in sight.
She stepped closer, running her gaze carefully over the smooth surfaces.
Nothing.
A frustrated sigh escaped her lips.
"Who designs a kitchen like this...?"
After one last hopeless look around, she made the funniest annoyed face at the kitchen—
as though the kitchen itself had offended her—
then turned around and walked out.
The moment she stepped back into the sunlight, her expression softened.
The warmth spilling through the windows instantly changed the mood of the house.
Miles away, Jeon.J watched in silence.
Since the day he had moved into this house...
It had always felt quiet.
Cold.
Almost lifeless.
Today...
For the very first time...
Someone had opened every blind.
Someone had filled it with sunlight.
And somehow...
The house no longer felt empty.
Neither did he.
To be continued...
Regards,
ZK 💌