Jinu knew he couldn't afford a single mistake.
Carefully, almost reverently, he lifted Jia into his arms.
She felt impossibly light, fragile — like something that could shatter if held too tightly.
He adjusted his grip, supporting her head gently against his chest before stepping out of the suffocating storage room.
The hallway was silent.
Her father lay sprawled across the floor, empty bottles scattered around him.
The sharp smell of cheap alcohol filled the air.
His heavy snoring echoed through the house like a warning.
Jinu moved slowly.
One wrong step.
One clink of glass.
And everything would collapse.
Holding his breath, he stepped over the bottles and crossed the hallway like a shadow.
He didn't allow himself to look at the man on the floor. Anger burned inside him, but this wasn't the time.
Reaching the back window, he pushed it open just enough and carefully climbed out, shielding Jia's body from the frame so she wouldn't get hurt.
The cool morning air hit his face.
He didn't look back.
He couldn't.
Instead of taking her to the hospital, he chose somewhere no one else knew about — a small apartment tucked away in a narrow alley on the quieter side of the city.
It was a place he had rented long ago, a private refuge from a world he never fully trusted.
The apartment was modest — a narrow room, a single old bed, shelves stacked with books, and dim yellow lighting. But it was clean.
And most importantly, it was safe.
He laid Jia gently on the bed and covered her with a blanket.
For a moment, he simply stood there, watching her chest rise and fall.
She was still pale.
Still too cold.
He sat on the floor beside the bed, taking her hand in his. It felt icy in his warm grip.
"I've got you," he whispered quietly, brushing a strand of hair away from her face.
"You're safe now."
He didn't sleep.
Not for a second.
Every small movement she made made his heart stop.
Every shallow breath felt like a fragile thread holding him together.
The Ice Prince was gone.
In his place sat someone else — someone who had finally understood what it meant to protect, not by pushing away… but by staying.
And this time, he wasn't going anywhere.