Later that night, Yura returned to the mansion, her steps heavy as she walked through the grand entrance. Her mind was still swirling with everything that had happened—Minho’s release, his words, and the emptiness that followed.
Ru Shi was waiting for her in the living room, his eyes filled with concern as he saw the pain etched on her face. He stood up as she entered, but Yura didn’t even look at him.
“Yura,” he said softly, his voice hesitant. “I know you went to see Minho.”
She didn’t respond, her silence speaking volumes.
“I’m sorry for everything you’ve had to go through,” Ru Shi continued, stepping closer. “I never wanted it to be like this.”
Yura finally looked up, her eyes cold and distant. “It doesn’t matter now,” she said, her voice flat. “It’s done.”
Ru Shi clenched his fists, frustrated by the distance between them, by the fact that she still saw him as the villain. “Yura, I never meant to hurt you. I just—”
“I don’t care,” she interrupted, her voice sharp. “You can tell me a thousand times that you didn’t mean to hurt me, but it doesn’t change the fact that you did. You stole my life, Ru Shi.”
Ru Shi’s expression hardened, but he kept his voice calm. “I know you hate me. But I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that I’m not the monster you think I am.”
Yura laughed bitterly. “You don’t get it, do you? I don’t want your promises. I don’t want anything from you. I hate you, and I’ll hate you until the day I die.”
Ru Shi’s heart sank, but he nodded slowly, accepting her words. “I know. But I’m not giving up on us, Yura. Not yet.”
Yura turned her back on him, her heart too heavy to bear. As she walked away, she whispered, “There is no ‘us,’ Ru Shi. There never will be.”
And with those words, she disappeared into the darkness of the mansion, leaving Ru Shi standing alone, filled with regret and determination.
---
