Yerin had barely taken two steps into her room before the silence finally caught up with her.
She let her handbag slide from her shoulder onto the armchair near the window, loosened the ribbon tying back her hair, and exhaled deeply.
The city lights shimmered beyond the glass, painting silver reflections across the polished floor. Normally, this view calmed her.
Tonight, it only reminded her of the conversation she couldn't stop replaying.
"I hate not having a choice."
"So do I."
She closed her eyes.
How strange.
Months ago, Choi Do-hyun had simply been another quiet student who sat a few rows away during lectures.
Now...
He was somehow the only person who understood the burden she had carried her entire life.
The thought irritated her more than it comforted her.
She buried her face in one of the decorative pillows.
"...What is wrong with this week?"
A knock echoed against the door.
Three soft taps.
Before she could answer—
The door opened.
Ji-hoon leaned against the frame with his arms folded, wearing the exact smile that always meant trouble.
"So..."
Yerin didn't even look up.
"No."
"I haven't said anything."
"You don't need to."
"I feel incredibly misunderstood."
She sighed dramatically.
"I know that face."
"What face?"
"The one that says you've come here specifically to ruin my evening."
Ji-hoon placed a hand over his chest.
"I would never."
"Liar."
"I've been called worse."
Yerin finally looked at him.
"...Are you coming in, or are you planning to haunt the doorway all night?"
"I'll come in."
He walked inside, casually looking around the room before dropping onto the sofa opposite her like he owned the place.
Which, technically...
He did.
He crossed one leg over the other and studied her with exaggerated seriousness.
"So..."
"There it is."
"There what is?"
"The beginning of my suffering."
Ji-hoon's grin widened.
"I saw you."
Yerin blinked once.
"Saw me?"
"Mhm."
He nodded thoughtfully.
"Outside."
Another nod.
"With Choi Do-hyun."
Silence.
Yerin stared at him for three long seconds before reaching for the nearest cushion.
Ji-hoon's eyes widened.
"...Yerin."
She smiled sweetly.
"You have exactly five seconds."
"For what?"
"To start running."
He laughed.
"You wouldn't."
She threw the pillow.
He barely managed to catch it before it smacked him in the face.
"Violence!"
"You deserve worse."
"I asked one question!"
"You asked it with that smile."
"What smile?"
"The annoying one."
"I have several."
"I know."
She grabbed another pillow.
"This one's my favorite."
Ji-hoon immediately stood.
"...Now hold on."
"You wanted answers."
"I wanted conversation."
"You chose chaos."
He pointed accusingly at her.
"I blame Do-hyun."
Yerin froze.
"...Excuse me?"
"If he hadn't dropped you home—"
A second pillow flew across the room.
Ji-hoon ducked just in time.
"Oh, so I hit a nerve."
"You hit your head years ago."
"I was born handsome."
"You were born dramatic."
"I prefer charming."
"You should ask for a refund."
Ji-hoon laughed so loudly that it echoed down the hallway.
"Oh, I've missed this."
Yerin folded her arms.
"You see me every day."
"Not like this."
He smiled more softly now.
"You've smiled more today than you have all month."
Her expression faltered.
For a brief second.
Just a second.
Ji-hoon noticed.
His teasing smile faded into something gentler.
"...You're thinking."
She looked away toward the window.
"A little."
"About him?"
"...About everything."
He nodded slowly.
For once...
He didn't tease.
He simply leaned back against the sofa.
"You know..."
His voice was quieter now.
"I've never seen you let someone get close enough to understand you."
Yerin looked back at him.
"He doesn't."
"Doesn't he?"
"He just..."
She searched for the right words.
"...listens."
Ji-hoon smiled faintly.
"Sometimes that's enough."
Before Yerin could answer—
A knock interrupted them.
This one was firmer.
More formal.
The door opened just enough for the family housekeeper to step inside.
She bowed respectfully.
"Young Master."
"Young Miss."
"There is someone waiting downstairs."
Ji-hoon frowned.
"Who?"
The housekeeper smiled.
"Sir and Madam have returned."
The room fell completely silent.
Yerin's eyes widened.
"...Mom and Dad?"
"They arrived ten minutes ago, Miss."
For the first time that evening...
Ji-hoon and Yerin looked at each other with exactly the same expression.
Shock.
Then, almost simultaneously—
They both bolted for the door.
"HEY!"
Ji-hoon shouted as Yerin shoved him aside.
"I'M THE OLDER SIBLING!"
"THEN RUN FASTER!"
Their footsteps thundered through the mansion, their laughter echoing down the grand staircase
Completely unaware that downstairs...
Two people they hadn't seen in months were already waiting with open arms.
Their footsteps echoed through the mansion.
"Move!"
"I'm already moving!"
"Clearly not fast enough!"
Ji-hoon reached the staircase first, only for Yerin to grab the back of his suit jacket.
"You cheated!"
"I used my longer legs."
"You pushed me!"
"I lightly encouraged you."
"You call that encouragement?"
Before either of them could continue arguing, they reached the bottom of the staircase.
Both stopped at the exact same moment.
Standing in the center of the grand foyer were two familiar faces.
For a heartbeat...
Nobody moved.
Then—
"Mom!"
Yerin was the first to break.
She hurried forward without a second thought, wrapping her arms tightly around the elegant woman standing before her.
Mrs. Hwang laughed softly, immediately returning the embrace.
"My little girl..."
She gently cupped Yerin's face between her hands, smiling as though she were trying to memorize every feature.
"You've gotten thinner."
Yerin sighed.
"I knew those would be your first words."
"They're always my first words."
"I eat."
"Barely."
"I do."
Mrs. Hwang narrowed her eyes.
"I don't believe you."
Before Yerin could defend herself, another pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders.
"Still alive?"
She looked up.
Her father.
He wasn't as openly affectionate as her mother, but the warmth in his eyes said everything his words didn't.
"I'm alive," Yerin replied, smiling.
He nodded once.
"Good."
That single word somehow meant more than a paragraph ever could.
Ji-hoon walked over a little slower, pretending to look offended.
"So..."
"No hug for your favorite son?"
Mrs. Hwang turned toward him.
"I only have one son."
"Exactly."
"And somehow he's still troublesome."
Ji-hoon placed a hand dramatically over his heart.
"I leave for a few months and come back to emotional damage."
"You deserved it."
"I wasn't even home."
"You deserved it in advance."
Even Mr. Hwang let out a quiet chuckle.
Ji-hoon pointed at him immediately.
"Father laughed."
"I did not."
"You absolutely did."
"I cleared my throat."
"You smiled."
"I breathed."
"You enjoyed it."
"I tolerated it."
Mrs. Hwang shook her head with a laugh.
"The two of you haven't changed at all."
Grandmother Hwang watched the reunion from the sitting area, a warm smile resting on her face.
"This house was far too quiet without them."
Ji-hoon walked over and kissed her forehead.
"It'll be noisy again by tomorrow."
"It already is."
Yerin sat beside her grandmother, resting her head briefly on the older woman's shoulder.
"I missed everyone."
Grandmother gently stroked her hair.
"We noticed."
Mrs. Hwang looked around the room before folding her arms.
"Now..."
"I have an important question."
Both siblings looked at her.
"Who has been annoying the staff more while we were gone?"
Ji-hoon immediately pointed at Yerin.
"Her."
Yerin gasped.
"Excuse me?"
"She threatens people with pillows."
"I threaten you with pillows."
"See?"
Mrs. Hwang turned to Yerin.
"Is this true?"
"He started it."
Ji-hoon looked victorious.
"I rest my case."
"You don't even have a case."
"I always have a case."
"You always have excuses."
Mr. Hwang quietly walked toward the sofa.
"I see nothing has changed."
Ji-hoon grinned.
"We've matured."
Everyone looked at him.
Silence.
Then—
The entire room burst into laughter.
Even Grandmother laughed so hard she had to remove her glasses.
Mrs. Hwang wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
"Mature?"
She looked at Ji-hoon.
"You were just racing your sister down the staircase."
"We were exercising."
"You were shouting."
"We're expressive."
Yerin couldn't stop laughing.
"You nearly cried because I threw a pillow."
"I was emotionally wounded."
"You missed."
"I still felt attacked."
Their father slowly shook his head.
"I leave the country for six months..."
"...and somehow you've become even more childish."
Ji-hoon looked genuinely proud.
"Thank you."
"...That wasn't a compliment."
"I'll accept it anyway."
Another wave of laughter spread through the room.
The staff standing nearby exchanged amused smiles.
It had been months since the mansion had felt this alive.
Mrs. Hwang looked toward the dining room.
"Dinner is ready."
She linked her arm through Yerin's.
"Come."
"I'm starving."
Ji-hoon followed behind them.
"So am I."
Mrs. Hwang glanced over her shoulder.
"Didn't you eat?"
"I always eat."
Yerin immediately looked at her mother.
"Don't believe him."
"He once ate four bowls of ramyeon before dinner."
"It was three."
"It was four."
"You counted?"
"I was horrified."
Their father sighed.
"I remember."
"He blamed the chef because he was still hungry."
"It wasn't my fault."
"It absolutely was."
Grandmother smiled to herself as she watched them disappear into the dining room.
For just one evening...
The Hwang mansion no longer felt like the home of one of the country's most influential families.
It simply felt like home.
The dining room was brighter than Yerin remembered.
Warm lights reflected against the polished walnut table, where dinner had already been prepared. The aroma of grilled beef, steamed fish, fresh vegetables, and homemade soup filled the room, making it impossible not to smile.
For months, meals in the mansion had been quiet.
Professional.
Orderly.
Tonight was anything but.
The moment everyone settled into their seats, Ji-hoon reached for a piece of grilled beef.
Mrs. Hwang smacked the back of his hand with her chopsticks.
"Ow."
"What did I tell you?"
"Ladies first?"
"No."
"Respect your elders?"
"No."
He blinked.
"...Wash my hands?"
Mrs. Hwang sighed.
"We haven't even started eating."
"I was testing the food."
"For poison?"
"For quality."
Yerin laughed into her glass of water.
"How noble of you."
Ji-hoon looked offended.
"I sacrifice for this family."
"You sacrifice the food," Yerin corrected.
Mr. Hwang quietly picked up his chopsticks.
"Can we eat before your brother invents another excuse?"
Everyone agreed immediately.
For the next several minutes, conversation disappeared beneath the comforting sounds of dinner.
It wasn't silent.
It was comfortable.
The kind of silence that only existed between people who never needed to force conversation.
Mrs. Hwang looked at Yerin.
"So..."
"How's university?"
Yerin swallowed the bite she had just taken.
"It's been good."
"Just good?"
She smiled.
"I've made friends."
Mrs. Hwang's face lit up.
"Really?"
Yerin nodded.
"Emily."
"She's Canadian."
"Very loud."
"Very dramatic."
"And somehow always hungry."
Ji-hoon chuckled.
"Sounds like someone else I know."
He looked directly at himself with exaggerated pride.
Mrs. Hwang ignored him.
"And?"
"Min-jae."
Yerin laughed softly.
"He talks before he thinks."
"Then spends the rest of the day regretting it."
Mr. Hwang looked amused.
"That sounds exhausting."
"It is."
Ji-hoon leaned forward.
"You forgot the best story."
Yerin immediately narrowed her eyes.
"...Don't."
"I'm going to."
"You value your life."
"I value comedy more."
Mrs. Hwang looked between them.
"What story?"
Ji-hoon smiled like a child about to cause trouble.
"The celebration dinner after Yerin's team won the physics competition."
Yerin closed her eyes.
"Please don't."
"He spilled an entire bowl of soup on himself."
Mrs. Hwang blinked.
"Who?"
"Min-jae."
Ji-hoon stood dramatically from his chair.
"No."
He pointed toward an imaginary bowl.
"It wasn't a spill."
"It was a performance."
Yerin couldn't stop herself from laughing.
"He reached for the soup like this—"
Ji-hoon stretched his arm across the table.
"—his sleeve caught the tray..."
He spun around theatrically.
"...the bowl did one full turn..."
He pointed at his lap.
"...and landed perfectly."
Mrs. Hwang burst into laughter.
"No..."
"I'm serious."
"He just looked down and asked the waiter..."
Ji-hoon lowered his voice in perfect imitation.
"'Can I pretend this never happened?'"
Mr. Hwang laughed quietly into his tea.
Even Grandmother smiled behind her cup.
Mrs. Hwang laughed so hard she reached for a napkin.
"I already like this boy."
"You would."
"He sounds adorable."
"He's hopeless."
"Those are usually the funniest people."
Yerin shook her head.
"You should've seen Emily."
Mrs. Hwang looked interested.
"What happened?"
"She laughed so hard she almost fell off her chair."
"And Do-hyun..."
The words escaped before Yerin could stop them.
The table became noticeably quieter.
She didn't realize she had been smiling.
"...laughed too."
Ji-hoon noticed it first.
"So..."
He rested his chin on one hand.
"Our famous statue finally laughed?"
Yerin looked at him.
"Statue?"
"You've never described him any other way."
Mr. Hwang set down his chopsticks.
"Choi Do-hyun?"
Yerin nodded naturally.
"Yes."
"The soup finally defeated him."
A small smile appeared on Mr. Hwang's face.
"I see."
Grandmother quietly observed everyone around the table.
Mrs. Hwang poured more tea before speaking.
"I've heard good things about him."
Yerin looked up.
"Really?"
"He has an excellent reputation."
"Quiet."
"Responsible."
"Top of his class."
Ji-hoon smirked.
"And apparently capable of laughing."
Yerin rolled her eyes.
"It only took flying soup."
Mrs. Hwang smiled warmly.
"And what do you think of him?"
The question sounded innocent.
Almost casual.
Yerin answered without hesitation.
"He's..."
She paused, searching for the right word.
"...different."
"Different how?" her mother asked.
"He doesn't speak unless he has something worth saying."
"He notices everything."
"And..."
She thought back to the competition.
The library.
The café.
"...he's kinder than people think."
Across the table, Mr. Hwang and Grandmother exchanged the briefest glance.
So brief...
that Yerin never noticed.
But Ji-hoon did.
He silently lowered his gaze to his plate.
Something about that exchange unsettled him.
He couldn't explain why.
He simply knew...
The conversation had just stepped onto dangerous ground.
A comfortable silence settled over the dining table.
It lasted only a few seconds.
Just long enough for Yerin to realize that everyone else had somehow become unusually interested in their food.
She frowned.
"...Why is everyone looking so serious all of a sudden?"
Ji-hoon answered before anyone else could.
"Because Father is thinking."
Mr. Hwang glanced at him.
"I usually do."
"Exactly."
"That's when we all get nervous."
Mrs. Hwang smiled, nudging her husband's arm lightly.
"He's not wrong."
Mr. Hwang sighed with the patience of a man who had spent years living with this family.
"I was simply remembering something."
Ji-hoon immediately leaned forward.
"Was it embarrassing?"
"No."
"Was it about me?"
"No."
"Then I'm not interested."
"You usually are."
"I'll make an exception."
Yerin laughed, shaking her head.
"I still don't understand how you're older than me."
"I ask myself the same question every morning."
Mrs. Hwang smiled fondly.
"He was born dramatic."
"I inherited it."
"Not from me."
Mr. Hwang quietly raised his teacup.
"Definitely not from me."
Grandmother looked over the rim of her glasses.
"I wonder."
The table erupted into another round of laughter.
For a little while, they spoke about ordinary things.
Ji-hoon's latest business meetings.
His mother's charity work overseas.
His father's endless flights between countries.
Stories from Yerin's childhood that she wished had remained buried forever.
"Do you remember," Mrs. Hwang began with a mischievous smile, "when Yerin insisted she was old enough to make breakfast by herself?"
Yerin immediately froze.
"...Mother."
"What?"
"Please don't."
Ji-hoon was already grinning.
"Oh, this sounds promising."
Mrs. Hwang ignored her daughter's pleading look.
"She was nine."
"I was independent."
"You were determined."
"I still am."
"You climbed onto the kitchen counter because you couldn't reach the cupboard."
Ji-hoon was already laughing.
"No..."
Mrs. Hwang nodded.
"She wanted to surprise everyone."
"I did surprise everyone."
"You certainly did."
"What happened?" Ji-hoon asked between laughs.
Mrs. Hwang smiled sweetly.
"The fire alarm."
Yerin covered her face with both hands.
"I knew this family reunion was a mistake."
"You burned breakfast?"
"I burned toast."
"You burned the toaster."
"I was experimenting."
"You nearly burned the kitchen."
"I learned."
"You cried because the toast looked sad."
Mr. Hwang quietly corrected her.
"She cried because she thought she'd disappointed everyone."
The laughter softened.
Yerin slowly lowered her hands.
Her father looked at her with the same calm expression he always wore.
"You've always tried too hard."
His voice wasn't critical.
It was gentle.
"You've always believed you had to be perfect."
Yerin looked down at her plate.
"...Maybe."
"You don't."
The room grew quieter.
Mrs. Hwang reached across the table and gently squeezed her daughter's hand.
"You never did."
Yerin offered a small smile.
"I know."
"But sometimes..."
She looked at her family one by one.
"...it's difficult to remember."
Mrs. Hwang smiled warmly.
"That's why we're here."
Ji-hoon cleared his throat dramatically.
"And also because Father finally agreed to take a vacation."
"I did not."
"You came home."
"I had meetings."
"You hugged Mother."
"I greeted my wife."
"You smiled."
Mr. Hwang looked genuinely confused.
"Am I not allowed to?"
"No."
"Why?"
"It ruins your mysterious image."
Even Grandmother laughed.
"I think your father stopped caring about his image years ago."
Mrs. Hwang looked at her husband with a teasing smile.
"He still thinks your brother is afraid of him."
Ji-hoon nearly choked on his drink.
"I'm not afraid."
"You were when you were fifteen."
"I was respecting him."
"You climbed out of your bedroom window because you failed a mathematics test."
Yerin looked up so quickly that she almost dropped her chopsticks.
"...You did what?"
Ji-hoon coughed awkwardly.
"...Mother remembers too much."
Mrs. Hwang folded her arms triumphantly.
"I remember everything."
Yerin burst into laughter.
"You climbed out the window?"
"I panicked."
"You live on the second floor."
"I realized that halfway down."
Mr. Hwang calmly added, "He broke his ankle."
The entire table fell silent.
Then—
Yerin laughed so hard tears formed in her eyes.
"You..."
She struggled to breathe.
"...you jumped..."
Ji-hoon pointed at his father.
"He chased me with the report card!"
"I walked."
"You walked very aggressively."
Mrs. Hwang wiped away a tear from laughing.
"I had completely forgotten that."
"I haven't," Ji-hoon muttered.
"You deserved it."
"I got eighty-four."
"You hid the report card."
"I was preserving family peace."
"You forged my signature."
"I was creative."
Mr. Hwang looked at him without changing his expression.
"It was terrible handwriting."
"I was under pressure."
Grandmother shook her head fondly.
"You still are."
The laughter echoed throughout the dining room, spilling into the hallways of the mansion.
Servants passing by smiled to themselves.
It had been years since the Hwang residence had sounded so alive.
Yerin looked around the table, her chest warming at the sight before her.
For a few precious hours...
There were no business rivals.
No university politics.
No marriage discussions.
No expectations.
Just...
Family.
She wished the night could stay that way forever.
But fate had never been kind enough to grant wishes so easily.
Dinner ended much later than anyone had expected.
The dining table, once crowded with dishes and laughter, had slowly emptied. Servants quietly cleared the plates while the family lingered, unwilling to let the evening end.
Mrs. Hwang stood first, stretching her arms above her head.
"I forgot how exhausting laughing could be."
Ji-hoon grinned. "That's because you spent half the night exposing my childhood."
"You deserved every second of it."
"I was an innocent child."
Yerin looked at him with complete disbelief.
"You climbed out of a second-floor window."
"I panicked."
"You forged Father's signature."
"I was adapting."
"You almost broke your neck."
"I survived."
Mr. Hwang rose from his chair, adjusting the cuff of his sleeve.
"Barely."
Everyone laughed again.
For the first time in years, the mansion felt less like the home of one of Korea's most influential families and more like... a home.
Grandmother watched her grandchildren with quiet satisfaction.
This was what she had missed.
Not the expensive dinners.
Not the business celebrations.
Just this.
The sound of family.
Mrs. Hwang gently placed a hand on Yerin's shoulder.
"You've grown."
Yerin looked up.
"So have you."
Her mother smiled.
"I've always looked this young."
Ji-hoon nearly choked on his water.
"Mother."
"What?"
"Father is sitting right there."
Mr. Hwang nodded solemnly.
"I've learned not to argue."
"A wise decision," Grandmother remarked.
Mrs. Hwang laughed victoriously.
"You see? Even your father agrees."
"He surrendered years ago," Ji-hoon muttered.
"I heard that."
"I wanted you to."
The room filled with another round of laughter.
Eventually, Grandmother excused herself for the evening.
"I have an early meeting tomorrow."
Mr. and Mrs. Hwang followed not long after, still talking quietly between themselves as they disappeared upstairs.
The mansion gradually settled into silence once more.
Only Yerin and Ji-hoon remained in the living room.
She curled her legs beneath her on the sofa, absentmindedly flipping through television channels she wasn't really watching.
Ji-hoon walked into the kitchen before returning a minute later with two mugs of hot chocolate.
He placed one in front of her.
She looked up in surprise.
"You remembered."
"You always drink this when you're thinking too much."
Yerin smiled softly.
"You notice everything."
"I practically raised you."
"You were twelve."
"I was a very responsible twelve-year-old."
She laughed.
"No."
"No?"
"You taught me how to cheat at board games."
"I taught you strategy."
"You hid Monopoly money in your pocket."
He looked offended.
"That was an investment."
"It was theft."
"It was capitalism."
She shook her head, laughing into her mug.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
The silence between them wasn't awkward.
It never had been.
Ji-hoon glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
"So..."
She immediately looked suspicious.
"...What?"
"You've been smiling more."
"I have not."
"You have."
"I haven't."
"You smiled three times during dinner."
"You're counting?"
"I always count."
Yerin rolled her eyes.
"You're impossible."
"I learned from the best."
She looked at him.
"...Grandmother?"
"Exactly."
Another quiet laugh escaped her.
Ji-hoon leaned back against the sofa.
"I'm glad."
She frowned slightly.
"About what?"
"You."
He looked at her for a long moment before continuing.
"When you first started university..."
"You looked lonely."
His words caught her off guard.
"I wasn't."
"You were."
She lowered her gaze to the warm mug in her hands.
"...Maybe a little."
"You carried everything by yourself."
"I've always done that."
"I know."
His voice softened.
"But now..."
"You have friends."
"Emily."
"Min-jae."
He paused for a moment.
"And..."
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't have to.
Yerin knew exactly who he meant.
She stared into the steam rising from her drink.
"It's not like that."
Ji-hoon smiled knowingly.
"I didn't say anything."
"You were thinking it."
"I might have been."
She sighed dramatically.
"I regret talking to you."
"No, you don't."
"...No."
She didn't.
Because no matter how much he teased her...
Ji-hoon was still the one person before whom she never had to pretend.
Outside, the lights of Seoul shimmered beneath the night sky.
Inside the Hwang residence, warmth lingered long after the laughter had faded.
Neither of them realized it.
But elsewhere in the city...
Another influential family was sitting around a very different dinner table.
And on that table...
Rested a thin brown file.
On its cover were only two names.
Hwang Yerin.
Choi Do-hyun.
The decision that would change both of their lives had already begun moving long before either of them knew it.
And neither family could stop what was coming next.
...To Be Contniued...