As the two girls returned with their bags, they followed Jinhwan down the stairs in silence. Their footsteps echoed lightly through the quiet halls of the now mostly empty halls.
When they reached the ground floor, they pushed through the doors and stepped outside. The sun had softened into late afternoon gold, casting long shadows across the pavement as they made their way to the right, toward the school parking lot.
The lot was a mix of bikes and cars, scattered among faculty and student vehicles. Teachers' sedans stood beside flashy sports bikes, and older hatchbacks leaned between newer models. Among them, near the parking cabin, a man sat behind a small window reading a newspaper.
Jinhwan walked over to him casually.
The man looked up, nodded, and without a word, handed over a key from a small rack behind him.
Jinhwan grabbed the key and made his way toward a sleek, deep blue BMW M4 Competition parked under a tree. Its glossy surface reflected the sky like a mirror.
He unlocked the door and slid into the driver's seat.
But just as he was about to start the engine, the passenger side door flew open, and both Suhyeon and Seyoung reached for the seat beside him at the exact same time, glaring at each other as they tried to squeeze in.
Jinhwan let out a tired sigh.
"Both of you, just get in the back seat."
The two girls locked eyes, sharp with silent curses. After a tense second, Suhyeon huffed and moved to the left side of the back seat, while Seyoung climbed in on the right.
Jinhwan shook his head lightly, turned the ignition, and the engine purred to life. With one smooth motion, he pulled out of the parking space and rolled toward the school's main gate.
The car passed through slowly, sunlight bouncing off its polished frame.
"See you tomorrow. Bye." Jinhwan said, offering a small wave to Suhyeon, who stood outside the car with her schoolbag slung over one shoulder. They were parked just outside a large, iron gate that guarded the front of her family's house, its black bars slightly rusted from age but still imposing.
Suhyeon smiled warmly at him and raised her hand in a casual wave. But then her eyes shifted, landing briefly on Seyoung, now sitting quietly in the passenger seat next to Jinhwan. For a heartbeat, the smile faded. She gave Seyoung a sharp, unreadable glance, one that carried more weight than words, before turning away. Without saying anything else, she pushed open the heavy gate and stepped inside, letting it creak shut behind her.
As Suhyeon disappeared into the dimly lit yard, Jinhwan sighed quietly, his eyes lingering on the closed gate for a moment. Then he started the engine again, the quiet hum of the car filling the silence.
The road ahead was calm, almost too calm. It was late afternoon, and the sky was painted with soft streaks of orange and purple. Buildings passed by slowly on either side, some old and weather-stained, others newer with clean glass windows reflecting the fading light. Streetlights hadn't come on yet, and the occasional breeze rustled the leaves of roadside trees.
Ten minutes passed in mostly silence, save for the soft sound of tires against pavement. Eventually, they pulled up in front of a modest apartment building, five stories tall, with peeling beige paint and a flickering lobby light that buzzed faintly in the background.
Jinhwan parked the car in the ground-floor parking lot. The engine let out a soft sigh as he turned it off. He opened the door and stepped out, stretching a little from the long drive. Seyoung followed, slipping out from the other side with her bag slung over her shoulder. Both of them were still in their school uniforms, wrinkled slightly from the day but neat enough to show they'd come straight from class.
They shut the car doors and walked side by side toward the elevator. The dim fluorescent lights above flickered slightly, casting a cold glow on the concrete walls. When they reached the elevator, Seyoung pressed the button. A soft ding followed, and the small light above the door blinked.
They waited in silence, a quiet hum of tension hanging in the air between them.
After a few moments, the elevator doors slid open with a faint creak. It was empty. They stepped inside, and Seyoung pressed the button for the fourth floor. The doors closed with a soft chime, and the elevator began its slow ascent.
Seyoung turned her head toward Jinhwan, her expression calm but serious.
"Remember what you have to do," she said softly. "Just apologise to Dad for what happened last time. Nothing else, okay?"
Her voice was sweet and measured, but her eyes held steady on his, watching, waiting for his reply.
"Yeah, yeah, I won't do anything," Jinhwan said, nodding quickly. "I'll just apologise."
She kept her gaze on him for a second longer, then finally gave a small, approving nod. The elevator continued its climb, the hum of machinery filling the silence between them once more.
I just have to control myself this time.
I can't repeat what happened last month.
If I remember it right, I was invited to dinner at her place. Her whole family was there, and I didn't know what the hell to do, so I brought gifts. A lot of them. For her siblings, for her parents. Figured it was polite or something. Better to do too much than too little, right?
We had dinner. We talked. I played with her siblings, those little creatures were actually kinda fun, loud and chaotic, but in a good way. Things were going fine. Her mom smiled, her dad laughed a few times. I thought I was doing alright.
And then.. he asked that question.
It started simply, he asked about my plans for the future. I said I didn't really have any. Because, well.. I don't. I'm not gonna lie. I'm figuring things out. Then he asked, "How will you take care of my daughter?"
[Episode 19 End]