No explanation. No reassurance that everything would be fine when they saw each other again. Just five words—five small, heavy words—that somehow made her feel even more unsettled than before.
And so Seo-in waited—alone in their too-quiet apartment, with dread pooling heavily at the bottom of her stomach like ink bleeding across a pristine sheet of paper.
About fifteen minutes later, the front door finally clicked open.
Luca stepped inside.
His expression was unreadable—nothing unusual for him—but there was something off. His gaze wasn't sharp like usual; it drifted, unfocused, like he was standing half a step outside his own body.
Seo-in rose to her feet the instant she heard him. "Luca…?"
Her voice came out softer than she meant it to—thin, tentative. "What happened? Are you okay?"
He didn't answer at first. He just walked past her, shoulders heavy, and dropped his bag onto the couch with a dull thud. Only then did he finally turn to face her.
His eyes looked hollow.
Empty in a way that made her stomach twist violently, because this wasn't the kind of silence Luca used to guard himself—this was something deeper. Something wrong.
"...We need to talk," he said again, the same words as his message—but quieter now, flatter, stripped of all emotion. And somehow, the lack of emotion scared her more.
He reached for her hand, guiding her to sit on the sofa with him.
"Hase," he began, staring at their intertwined fingers like they were something fragile, "do you think … I look dangerous?"
Her breath caught.
"I mean—are you afraid of me?" His tone didn't shake, but his eyes did. "You can be honest. I won't be angry. You can tell me anything that makes you uncomfortable. I know I sometimes have … explosive anger."
Seo-in could only stare at him for a moment, stunned by the rawness in his voice.
"What? No, Luca—" She shook her head before he could continue.
Her fingers curled around his as though to keep him from slipping away. "I've never been afraid of you," she said quietly, but with a conviction sharp enough to cut the suffocating tension in the air.
For a brief second, something flickered behind Luca's eyes—like a part of him had expected, maybe even wanted, her to lie because it would've made whatever was coming next easier.
Unknown to him, Seo-in assumed he had already learned about the arranged marriage. But he hadn't.
"Really?" he asked, searching her expression. A pause. "You know … I never meant to hurt you—" He stopped, swallowed, then added, "I've already scheduled an appointment with a psychiatrist next week."
His voice was steady, but something urgent trembled beneath it.
Seo-in's grip tightened—not out of fear, but protectiveness. Fierce, overwhelming protectiveness.
"You don't have to justify that like it's a confession," she whispered. "I'm proud of you."
Her chest ached at how vulnerable he looked. This wasn't the confrontation she had braced for at all. This was Luca being honest and terrified while she was the one hiding things.
And before she could stop herself, the words slipped out like a dam finally breaking.
"There's something I need to tell you too…"
Luca sensed the heaviness in her tone—but instead of letting her continue, he squeezed her hand gently and shook his head.
"You don't have to push yourself. We can talk later," he murmured, rising to his feet to brush his fingers along her cheek.
Seo-in's heart tightened painfully at the tenderness in his touch. He was still trying to protect her—still putting her first, even now.
But she couldn't wait anymore.
She caught his hand against her cheek, voice trembling but firm. "No, Luca-ya. I need to say it now."
Because whatever came tomorrow—whatever he was hiding—she couldn't keep this inside anymore.
His eyes widened slightly, then he let out a soft, almost disbelieving laugh.
"No way," he murmured, brushing a thumb across her cheekbone. "We have to wait. I need to go again—I have to meet my professor. Is that okay?"
"You're … going again?" she breathed, fingers tightening around him before she realized it.
He nodded. "I have to follow him to Stuttgart. I'll be back tomorrow afternoon."
He stood and quietly gathered a few clothes into his backpack. "Don't worry about me. You can rest. If you're lonely, go see Ye-rin or Anya."
Seo-in watched him pack, helplessness curling around her like cold air seeping into her bones. She felt like she was losing her chance—like the time she had been waiting for was slipping right out of her hands.
"Ya—" Her voice was barely a whisper as she stepped toward him, reaching out—hesitating—almost grabbing his sleeve, but stopping herself.
She wasn't allowed to be selfish right now. Not when he clearly had something heavy on his mind too.
Instead, she swallowed the knot in her throat. "Okay … Just—text me when you get there."
Simple. Too simple. But all she could manage without breaking.
Luca suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace, pressing his face against her hair.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I love you. So much."
Seo-in's breath faltered as she held him back with equal intensity, burying her face in his chest like she needed to memorize his warmth. Her fingers curled into the back of his shirt.
"I love you too," she murmured. "Please be careful, okay?"
She pulled back just enough to look at him—really look at him.
Every line of his face. Every subtle shift in his expression. The gentleness he was trying so hard to hold together.
Her hands rose to cup his face, thumbs brushing along his cheekbones as if committing the shape of him to memory.
"Promise me you'll come back."