The lights inside the gala hall were blinding.
Crystal chandeliers hung like punishment over Rin's head, casting long shadows across a crowd of people who pretended to care. Waiters circled with champagne flutes. Laughter floated over soft piano music. People mourned with perfect posture and plastic grief.
Rin wanted to scream.
He adjusted the black ribbon pinned to his lapel—Jun's memorial emblem. His throat tightened, eyes scanning the crowd. His parents were speaking to donors. Faculty members from Jun's university were shaking hands. Cameras clicked quietly from the back of the room.
And then he saw him.
Than.
Standing near the bar, dressed in a black-on-black tailored suit, calm as hell. Not mourning. Not pretending to. Just watching Rin like he had no right to be here but came anyway.
Rin's spine stiffened.
He moved through the crowd like a ghost, cutting toward Than with clenched fists. Their eyes locked. Than gave the faintest nod of greeting.
"Didn't think you'd show," Rin said coldly.
"I said I would," Than replied. "I keep my promises."
"You really think being here changes anything?"
"No." Than took a slow sip of champagne. "But you invited me. That changes everything."
Rin's stomach twisted.
"Why are you really here?" he asked. "To make a scene? Or just to remind me you're still breathing?"
Than leaned in just enough that Rin could feel the warmth of his breath. "To see how far you'll go before you break."
---
The emcee took the stage. Speeches began. Rin stood frozen in the corner, forced to listen as people who barely knew Jun painted him into a perfect dead boy.
But Than didn't flinch.
When they called him up—Than Han of HanCorp—there was a beat of silence. Then he walked onto the stage like he belonged there.
Rin's heart hammered.
"Thank you," Than said, coolly. "Jun was... complicated. I won't stand here and lie about the kind of person he was. He didn't need perfection. He needed understanding. And I failed him in that."
Rin's breath caught.
"He once told me," Than continued, "that if you love someone, you don't save them. You see them—ugly, messy, angry—and you stay anyway. I didn't. And I won't make that mistake again."
The room applauded.
Rin didn't.
---
Outside. Cold air. Rin stood near the back terrace, gripping the balcony rail so tight his knuckles went white.
Than found him again.
"You enjoyed that?" Rin asked.
"I didn't do it for them."
"Then for who?"
"You."
Rin turned slowly. "You don't get to pretend this is for me."
Than stepped closer. "I don't pretend, Rin. That's your thing. Acting like you don't feel anything."
"Don't."
"Don't what?" Than's voice dipped. "Don't say your name like I've known it for years? Don't look at you like I used to look at him?"
Rin shoved him again. "Stop comparing me to Jun!"
Than's eyes darkened. "You're nothing like Jun. He didn't flinch when someone got too close."
A silence settled.
"You came out here to pick a fight?" Rin asked, quieter now.
"No," Than said. "I came out here because I saw you talking to that professor like he mattered."
Rin blinked. "What?"
Than's expression shifted—tight, controlled. "He touched your arm. You smiled."
Rin stared. "Are you serious?"
"I'm warning you," Than said, low and cold. "Don't play with people who don't understand how broken you are."
Rin's throat dried. "You don't get to say that to me."
"I do when I'm the only one who sees it."
They stood inches apart. Breathing hard.
"Are you jealous?" Rin asked.
Than's voice was razor-thin. "I'm possessive. There's a difference."
Rin didn't move. "We're not anything."
Than leaned in. "Not yet."
Their lips didn't touch. But the space between them pulsed. A heartbeat too loud. A breath too sharp. A moment too close.
Then Than stepped back—like he hadn't just stripped Rin bare with a single look.
"I'll send a car for you tomorrow," he said casually. "You're coming to my office. We're not done."
"I never agreed to that."
"You didn't have to." Than glanced back at him, wicked smile curling at his mouth. "You're already following."
---
End of Chapter 3