The Love We Hide

Ep 3 : Shattered Walls

Chapter 3: "Shattered Walls"

The rain had finally stopped, but the weight of Ji-Hoon’s confession lingered with Soo-Jin long after he left the café. She replayed his words over and over again, each time finding herself more invested in his story, in his pain.

Days passed without any word from him. She tried to distract herself with work, friends, and everything else life threw her way, but her thoughts always circled back to Ji-Hoon. Why did he show her that vulnerable side only to disappear again?

It wasn’t until a week later that she saw him again—this time, under very different circumstances.

Soo-Jin was attending a charity event her company had sponsored, a formal affair where she had to wear a dress that felt far too constricting. She was standing by a corner, sipping on a glass of wine, when she spotted Ji-Hoon across the room. He was standing among a group of people, all laughing and chatting, but he looked disconnected, as though he were a million miles away.

Their eyes met.

For a split second, the room seemed to freeze. The laughter, the clinking glasses, the conversations—all of it became background noise as Ji-Hoon’s gaze locked onto hers. He excused himself from the group and made his way towards her, each step deliberate, as if he was crossing an invisible line.

“Soo-Jin,” he greeted, his voice a mix of surprise and something softer, something more.

“Ji-Hoon,” she replied, trying to keep her voice steady.

“You look beautiful tonight,” he said, his eyes flickering over her dress before meeting hers again. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Same,” she replied. “You look... different.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Different how?”

Soo-Jin smiled faintly. “Less guarded.”

Ji-Hoon’s expression shifted, the wall he had carefully built around himself cracking just a little. He didn’t deny it. Instead, he glanced around the room, then leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. “Can we talk? Somewhere quieter.”

She nodded, curious and a little nervous.

They slipped out of the crowded ballroom and found a secluded balcony overlooking the city. The cool night air was a welcome change from the stuffy event inside, and for a moment, they just stood there in silence, taking it all in.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said,” Ji-Hoon finally broke the silence, his voice quieter than usual. “About not having to carry it alone.”

Soo-Jin turned to him, her heart beating a little faster. “And?”

Ji-Hoon let out a breath, leaning on the balcony railing. “You were right. I’ve been carrying it alone for so long that I forgot what it’s like to trust someone. To let someone in.”

Soo-Jin’s breath caught in her throat. This was the first time Ji-Hoon had ever truly let his guard down with her, and the vulnerability in his eyes was something she hadn’t seen before.

“I’m not asking for you to fix me, Soo-Jin,” he continued, his voice filled with raw emotion. “I just... I don’t know how to do this. How to let someone in without being terrified that I’ll lose them.”

Soo-Jin’s heart ached for him. She had seen glimpses of his pain before, but now he was baring it all, and it was heavier than she had imagined.

“You don’t have to do it alone,” she said softly, stepping closer to him. “And you don’t have to be perfect. We all have scars, Ji-Hoon.”

He looked at her, his expression torn between fear and something deeper—something he hadn’t allowed himself to feel in a long time.

Before either of them could say anything more, the door to the balcony creaked open, and one of Ji-Hoon’s colleagues stepped out, calling his name.

Ji-Hoon glanced back at the door, then at Soo-Jin. His eyes were filled with regret as he muttered, “I have to go.”

Soo-Jin nodded, her heart sinking just a little. She watched as he walked away once again, disappearing into the crowd. But this time, something was different. She could feel it.

He was trying. And maybe, just maybe, this was the beginning of something real.