✓ TOO REAL TO DENY | SUNGHOON

60 - Crimes of the Heart

Y/N'S POV

Danbi rests his head on my lap as he curls on the couch, his warm presence a comforting reminder of the life I've managed to salvage from the wreckage of deceit and danger. My fingers thread through his soft fur, the rhythmic motion grounding me, pulling me back from the precipice of the night's chaos. The sound of Sunghoon's even breathing beside me is a lullaby in the silence of the room, a promise of safety and love that I've come to depend on.

I glance at Sunghoon, his face serene in the soft light of the room, a masterpiece painted by the gentle hands of sleep. His breaths are steady and rhythmic I almost lose myself to slumber, but I'd like to enjoy how the world feels brighter and the air fresher just a little longer. Reaching out, I gently brush a stray lock of hair from his forehead and plant a soft kiss on his temple. The warmth of his skin against my lips is like a sunbeam breaking through a cloudy sky. The way how the moment we came back home after what felt like an eternity of pretense, all he could think was me is enough to make me love him for a lifetime and beyond.

How he takes care of me without me uttering a single word, how he knows me so well I don't have to ask, how he simply knows what I need before I even realize it myself. 

I close my eyes, savoring the moment, the quiet, the love. It's a fragile bloom in the garden of our lives, a delicate flower that requires constant tending. But for now, as I bask in the warmth of his presence, I allow myself to believe that perhaps, just perhaps, we have found our happily ever after.

"Flower girl," His soft voice breaks through the silence, carrying a warmth that mirrors the sun's gentle kiss upon my skin. My eyes flutter open, meeting his gaze, a universe of tenderness and adoration swimming in their depths. His hand finds mine and he kisses it, the way one would kiss the petals of a cherished flower—tender and reverent. 

I smile, a soft, contented curve of my lips. "Yes?"

"I missed you," He simply says and I'm right next to him, letting him rest his head against my chest, right where my heartbeat is strongest, yet I know what he's feeling even before he speaks. The vulnerability in his voice, the way his eyes close as he listens to the steady rhythm of my heart—it all speaks of a longing that I know so well. I wrap my arms around him, holding him close, feeling the steady rhythm of his breaths synchronize with the beat of my heart.

Sunghoon shifts just enough to look up at me, his eyes bright with the sincerity of his feelings. "I missed you too," I whisper, my voice trembling slightly with the emotion of the moment. I missed being with him without pretending he was not the love of my life. I miss being in his arms without having to fear for our lives. I miss the three of us cuddling on our couch like this, Danbi purring contentedly at the center of our warmth. 

The sun is rising as a comfortable silence settles between us like a warm blanket, and though I would prefer for us to stay like this for the rest of the day, I know there's a murder that's waiting to be solved. No body, no crime, they say, but the absence of a body often speaks louder than a thousand witnesses. And in this case, the silence is deafening.

Hours later and we're at the heart of Park Corporation, sitting inside the huge conference room with its floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of the city. Whoever steps inside frowns at the sight of me sitting next to Sunghoon, wondering who I am and what would become of the shareholders' meeting that's about to begin. He squeezes my hand reassuringly, a silent promise of support and I smile, knowing that the two of us are about to turn this corporation on its head.

Mr. Choi and Minho sit across from us, our only allies in a world teeming with deception and betrayal. Minho flashes me a grin and I roll my eyes, not able to hide the smile that sneaks to my lips.