Weakness (Jang Hanseok x fem OC)

53.

Kiara sat across from Kang in his sleek, minimalist office, the air between them charged with unspoken words and unresolved feelings. A granite wall decorated with abstract art served as the backdrop for their strained reunion. The late afternoon sun filtered through high windows, casting elongated shadows that mimicked the darkness of their shared history.

Kang’s dark eyes studied her as he slid a small pendrive across the table. “Here you go.” His tone was steady, but an undercurrent of something deeper—an expectation? An emotion?—rippled just beneath. Kiara reached out, her fingers brushing the cold surface of the device before she tucked it away into her bag. The simple act felt monumental, almost as if she was sealing a pact with the past.

“Are you sure you don’t want to tell Hanseok?” Kang ventured, the hint of mockery evident in his voice, as though he was baiting her, testing her resolve.

“It’s none of your concern. I’m paying you for this,” Kiara replied, her tone icy, her jaw set tight. With each word, she felt the walls she’d built around her heart fortify.

Kang raised an eyebrow, a cockiness creeping into his demeanor. “You know I can easily save you if you tell me to. This way, you can save your time and energy.”

“No need. I’ll handle it,” she retorted, her composure unwavering, even as memories of their past hung heavy in the air between them like stale smoke.

Kang leaned forward slightly, the cockiness fading into curiosity. “Do you really think Hanseok or you can handle this?” A sly smile played on his lips as if he were reveling in her stubbornness.

“Stop bringing up his name every time we talk. I’m tired of your obsession with him,” she snapped, rising to her feet, a surge of defiance propelling her.

Confusion flickered across Kang’s expression, washing away the mockery. “Where is this coming from? I’m not obsessed with him; I think I’m obsessed with you,” he countered, closing the space between them, his voice dropping to a softer register.

“Don’t you realize? You were with me because Hanseok was with me, and you left when he left,” Kiara stated, bitterness underpinning her words.

Kang’s brow furrowed, a pinch of regret softening his features. “Our breakup has nothing to do with Hanseok. I ended things because of other circumstances. I don’t think what you said is actually true. We were together when he was in America. When I broke up with you, I didn’t know he had returned.”

“Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night,” Kiara dismissed him, hiding the faint tremor in her voice beneath a veil of indifference. Yet as Kang stepped closer, the memories of shared laughter and whispered secrets lay heavy on her heart.

“Is it really so hard to believe that I love you?” His voice dropped further, the words coming out in a raw, vulnerable whisper that pierced her carefully constructed facade.

Kiara scoffed, laughter spilling out without warmth. “Love? Oh, please. There is everything but love in this equation. If you loved me, you could never have left.”

Kang flinched, a flicker of pain crossing his features. “You were too quick to jump into a new relationship. Were you just waiting for Hanseok to come back so you could crawl back to him, leaving me behind?” His words dripped with venom, the frustration of years spent waiting for her acknowledgment bubbling to the surface.

“Look, you were the one who initiated the breakup. I’m not the one who asked for it,” she shot back, determination lining her shoulders.

“You should have waited for me,” Kang’s voice was edged with bitterness. “You were cruel to me despite my unwavering support. I accepted everything about you, even when you took those pills to—”