Chapter 5: "Crossroads of the Heart"
Soo-Jin felt the cold wind bite at her skin as she walked away from Ji-Hoon. Every step felt heavier, like the weight of their crumbling relationship was pulling her down. She needed to clear her mind, but how could she when Ji-Hoon’s words echoed in her heart?
Her phone vibrated again, but she ignored it, focusing instead on the path ahead. She was determined to not let her emotions rule her decisions. She needed space to think, to figure out whether Ji-Hoon could still be a part of her life, or if she needed to move on for good.
Hours later, she found herself sitting alone in her small apartment, staring blankly at the walls. The silence was unbearable. Her phone, lying on the coffee table, buzzed once more. With a sigh, she finally picked it up, half-expecting another message from Ji-Hoon. Instead, it was a message from Hana, her best friend.
*“Hey, are you okay? I haven’t heard from you. Call me when you can.”*
Soo-Jin stared at the message for a moment, feeling a rush of emotions. She needed someone to talk to, someone who wasn’t tangled up in the mess that was her relationship with Ji-Hoon.
She pressed the call button, and Hana picked up almost immediately. “Soo-Jin! What’s going on? I’ve been worried about you.”
Soo-Jin’s voice wavered as she spoke. “Hana, I don’t know what to do anymore. Ji-Hoon... he told me about someone else. Her name is Mira.”
There was a pause on the other end, and Soo-Jin could imagine Hana processing the information. “Mira? Who is she? Is she his ex or something?”
“No, not exactly. He said she’s someone from his past, someone important. But it’s not just about her. It’s about how Ji-Hoon is still tied to her emotionally. I can’t be in this relationship if he’s not completely here, you know?”
Hana sighed. “I get it. You deserve someone who’s all in, someone who’s not stuck in the past. Have you told him how you feel?”
“I did,” Soo-Jin replied, her voice cracking. “But I don’t think he gets it. He keeps saying he’ll fix it, but how can I trust that?”
“You need to do what’s right for you,” Hana said gently. “If he can’t give you the commitment you deserve, then maybe it’s time to walk away. But only you can decide that.”
Soo-Jin’s eyes filled with tears. “I just don’t know if I’m strong enough to leave him. Even now, after everything, I still... I still care about him.”
“I know,” Hana whispered. “But you have to think about your own heart too. You can’t keep hurting yourself because you’re waiting for him to change.”
After ending the call, Soo-Jin curled up on the couch, her thoughts a jumble of emotions. Hana was right. She needed to prioritize herself, but how could she when her heart was still so tied to Ji-Hoon?
---
The next day, Ji-Hoon stood at his office window, staring out at the city skyline. He hadn’t been able to sleep since his conversation with Soo-Jin. The guilt gnawed at him, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was about to lose her for good.
A soft knock on his door interrupted his thoughts. It was his assistant, Min-Soo. “Sir, you have a visitor. It’s... Mira.”
Ji-Hoon’s heart sank. He hadn’t expected her to come. He had been avoiding this confrontation, but it seemed there was no running from it anymore.
“Send her in,” he said, his voice strained.
Mira entered the room, her presence immediately filling the space. She was poised, confident, and as always, carried a quiet elegance. But there was something different in her eyes this time—something fragile.
“Ji-Hoon,” she greeted him softly. “We need to talk.”
He nodded, gesturing for her to sit. “I know.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence between them stretched, thick with unresolved emotions.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about us,” Mira began, her voice calm but laced with tension. “About everything that’s happened since... since we drifted apart.”
Ji-Hoon looked at her, his expression unreadable. “Mira, I owe you a lot, but I can’t keep holding onto the past. I’m with someone now. I care about her.”
Mira’s eyes flickered with hurt, though she quickly masked it. “I know, Ji-Hoon. And that’s why I’m here. I want you to be happy, but I also need closure. We never really ended things. It’s been hanging over us for too long.”
Ji-Hoon sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I never wanted to hurt you. But things changed. We changed.”
Mira nodded, tears brimming in her eyes. “I know. I’ve been trying to move on, too. But I needed to hear it from you—to really let go.”
Ji-Hoon reached out, taking her hand in his. “Mira, you were a big part of my life. But I need to let you go, for both of our sakes.”
She gave him a sad smile. “Thank you, Ji-Hoon. I needed that.”
As Mira left his office, Ji-Hoon felt a strange sense of relief. It was as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. But there was still one more thing he needed to do.
He grabbed his phone and sent a message to Soo-Jin.
*“Can we meet? I need to tell you something important.”*
---
Soo-Jin stared at her phone, Ji-Hoon’s message flashing on the screen. She hesitated for a moment before typing a reply.
*“Okay. Let’s talk.”*
As she pressed send, she knew that whatever happened next would determine the fate of their relationship. She just hoped her heart could handle it.
YOU ARE READING
The Love We Hide
Romance*Description* Han Soo-Jin has mastered the art of hiding her emotions. After a devastating breakup that shattered her heart, she vowed to never fall in love again. Now, as a successful art gallery curator, she keeps her feelings locked away, focusin...
