Sol's Biggest Secret | A Lovely Runner Spin-off

The Weight of Secrets

Sol had woken up by the time Sunjae finally got the car running again. She had eaten, but a heavy silence lingered between them. Since then, she'd been unusually quiet, almost withdrawn. Sunjae had asked her once about Baek Kyung, but she acted as though she hadn't heard the question at all. Her deliberate avoidance of the topic stirred a growing unease in him, leaving him wondering what she was holding back.

Sunjae gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles turning white as he drove. The hum of the car engine seemed to amplify the tension in the air. He couldn't shake off the memory of Kyung's behavior earlier. The way Kyung had called Sol "Solie" with such familiarity and the intimate way he looked at her stirred something deep within Sunjae. A surge of jealousy and frustration bubbled up, especially because in every timeline, he was the one who had saved Sol—now it seemed someone else had stepped into that role.

The car suddenly jolted as if it had hit a bump. Sunjae glanced over at Sol, who was staring out of the window, her face a mask of worry. The silence was unbearable, filled only with the sound of the engine and the occasional bump in the road.

"Baby," Sunjae said softly, his voice tinged with concern. "Who saved you tonight?" He attempted to ask again.

Sol turned to him, her eyes reflecting a mix of fear and resolve. "Who?"

"Kyung. Baek Kyung," Sunjae replied, trying to keep his tone steady. "He seemed pretty familiar with you. Called you 'Solie' like you two were close."

Sol's face turned a shade paler. Her expression was a mix of fear and guilt, and it made Sunjae's heart race. "Kyung...?"

"Yeah. Were you close to him? He seemed to have a lot of familiarity with you."

Sol's eyes widened, and she looked away, her hands fidgeting nervously. She knew she had to tell him, she's been practicing since she saw Kyung again. "I... I need to tell you something."

Sunjae's gaze was intense. "What is it? You're scaring me here."

Sol's hands fidgeted in her lap. "There's something I've been keeping from you. Before you, I had... an ex-boyfriend."

Sunjae's heart faltered. The name Baek Kyung had already unsettled him, but hearing it tied to Sol in this way sent an uneasy chill through his veins. "Kyung was your ex?"

Sol nodded, her voice trembling. "Yes. And... I was with him."

For a moment, Sunjae's mind stalled. The word "with" echoed in his head, looping endlessly as if his brain refused to process the full meaning. He felt a knot tighten in his chest, twisting harder with each passing second. His pulse quickened, anger and disbelief swirling into a volatile storm. The ambiguity of her words gnawed at him, the sickening realization hitting him like a slow, creeping poison.

The word "with" wasn't just casual—it carried weight. It wasn't just proximity; it implied something deeper, something intimate. A hot, sharp wave of jealousy cut through him, his stomach tightening as his mind raced through the worst possibilities.

His jaw clenched, fists tightening at his sides. His breath grew ragged as the word reverberated in his mind, each repetition sharpening his anger. The thought of Kyung touching her, of being with her in ways that were now sacred to him, made his blood boil.

He could barely suppress the rage that surged up, overwhelming everything else. His voice came out in a harsh whisper, almost a snarl.

"Wait... you were with him? Did he... did he fuck you?"

Sol's silence was like a punch to the gut. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she couldn't bring herself to speak.

Sunjae's rage exploded. "Answer me, goddammit! Was it just once? Did he fuck you more than once? You need to tell me!"

Sunjae slammed the steering wheel with both hands, the impact echoing in the confined space of the car. The vehicle lurched slightly, and Sol's sobs grew louder. Sunjae's eyes were fixed on the road, but his focus was shattered by the revelation that someone else had shared such an intimate part of Sol's life.

"How long were you with him?" Sunjae's voice cracked with hurt. "Was it just a one-time thing?"

Sol's sobs were uncontrollable now. "We were together for... half a year."

Sunjae's face twisted in pain. "Half a year? You let him have that part of you, and you never told me? I thought I was your first. I thought I was the only one who mattered. Was he better than me? Did he mean more to you than I did?"

Sol's cries were barely audible through the crushing weight of Sunjae's anger. "I'm so sorry, Sunjae. Kyung was a mistake. I was trying to move on from you. But you were always the one I loved."

Sunjae's anger was searing, his voice rising with each word. "I saved you in every fucking timeline! I fought for you, I died for you, and this is what I get? Some other guy got to be your first? How the hell am I supposed to deal with that?"

Sol's apologies were lost in her tears. "I didn't want to hurt you. I thought I could protect you from my past."

Sunjae's eyes burned with rage and heartbreak. "You should have just let me die. I gave everything for you, and now I find out you let him have that part of you? How the fuck am I supposed to move on from this? Was he better than me? Was he more important?"

Sol's voice was choked with desperation. "I'm sorry. I thought I could protect you. You were always the one I loved."

Sunjae's face was a mask of torment, his anger now tempered by deep sorrow. "I thought I was the only one. I thought I was your first and your last. And now, I don't even know what to believe anymore."

The car was silent except for Sol's quiet sobs and Sunjae's ragged breathing. Sunjae's heart felt like it was breaking into a million pieces. The road stretched out before them, but it felt like a dead end. His mind was a whirlwind of pain and betrayal, struggling to make sense of the devastation that had been revealed.

Sunjae's voice was low and broken. "How could you do this to us, Sol? I thought I was everything to you. I thought I was the only one who mattered. How am I supposed to come back from this?"

Sol's tears flowed freely, her voice barely a whisper. "I never wanted to hurt you. I only ever loved you."

Sunjae's anger faded, replaced by a profound sense of loss. "I thought I was the only one. I thought I was your first and your last. And now, I don't even know how to fix this. I love you, Sol. More than anything. But this... this is too much."

The weight of Sunjae's words hung heavy in the air, the silence between them filled with the echoes of shattered trust. The car moved forward slowly, but neither of them seemed to be heading anywhere.

The harsh light of dawn crept through the thin curtains, illuminating the aftermath of the night's confrontation. Sol and Sunjae's argument had been raw and devastating, their words cutting through the fragile fabric of their relationship. The revelation about Kyung had unleashed a storm of emotions, leaving both of them exhausted and emotionally drained. Sunjae's fury and pain had been palpable, and Sol's attempts to explain herself had been overshadowed by the weight of Sunjae's accusations. The night ended with them retreating to opposite sides of the bed, the space between them feeling like an insurmountable chasm.