The Love We Hide

Ep 8 : Unspoken Confessions

Chapter 8: Unspoken Confessions

Soo-Jin had always been good at staying calm, keeping her emotions tightly bottled up, especially in moments when everything seemed to be crumbling around her. But being with Kang Ji-Hoon was different. His presence was overwhelming, his gaze always so piercing that she felt exposed, as if he could see through every carefully constructed wall she had built.

It had been a week since the two of them had begun working closely together on the art exhibition. Late-night phone calls, urgent texts, and the endless back-and-forth of ideas had become the norm. Yet, beyond the professional exchanges, something else had blossomed—something far more complicated.

Tonight was no different. Ji-Hoon had invited her to his office under the pretense of finalizing the details for the exhibition, but the atmosphere in the room was thick with tension.

Ji-Hoon sat across from her, his fingers tracing the edge of a crystal glass filled with whiskey, his eyes never leaving her. “You’ve been avoiding me, Soo-Jin,” he finally said, his voice low, almost accusatory.

Her heart skipped a beat. She had been avoiding him, or at least trying to. Every time they were alone, the air between them seemed to sizzle with an unspoken electricity that left her feeling both exhilarated and terrified.

"I haven’t," she replied, though her voice betrayed her uncertainty. "I’ve just been...busy."

Ji-Hoon chuckled softly, the sound sending a shiver down her spine. "Busy avoiding me, perhaps?"

He stood up, walking slowly toward her. Soo-Jin felt the heat rising in her cheeks as he closed the distance between them, his towering figure casting a shadow over her. She swallowed hard, trying to maintain her composure, but the intensity in his eyes made her feel as if she was standing on the edge of a precipice, waiting to fall.

"You can’t run from this forever, Soo-Jin," Ji-Hoon murmured, his voice dropping to a near-whisper. "What are you so afraid of?"

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Her pulse was racing, her mind a blur of emotions she had long suppressed. She was afraid—afraid of what being with him could mean, afraid of getting hurt again, and more than anything, afraid of how much she already wanted him.

Ji-Hoon reached out, his hand gently brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. His touch was warm, sending sparks of heat through her. Soo-Jin's breath hitched, and she instinctively leaned into his touch, craving more.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still. The room was silent, save for the steady beating of their hearts. His hand lingered on her cheek, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw.

"You don’t have to be afraid with me," he said, his voice soft yet commanding. "I won’t hurt you, Soo-Jin."

Soo-Jin’s chest tightened at his words. She had heard those promises before—promises that had been broken and left her shattered. But there was something in Ji-Hoon’s eyes, something raw and genuine that made her want to believe him, despite all her fears.

"Ji-Hoon..." Her voice was barely a whisper, her eyes meeting his.

He closed the final gap between them, his forehead resting gently against hers, their breaths mingling in the space between. "I know you feel it too," he said, his voice barely audible. "This...whatever it is between us."

Soo-Jin’s heart raced as she felt the warmth of his body so close to hers. She could feel the tension radiating off of him, his desire mirroring her own.

Before she could say anything else, his lips found hers—soft, tentative at first, as if asking for permission. But the moment their mouths touched, a spark ignited between them. The kiss deepened, growing more urgent, more desperate, as if they had been waiting for this moment for far too long.

Soo-Jin melted into him, her arms wrapping around his neck as she surrendered to the kiss. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before—intense, passionate, and filled with an unspoken longing.

When they finally pulled away, both of them were breathless, their foreheads still resting against one another.

Ji-Hoon’s voice was husky as he whispered, "I can’t stop thinking about you, Soo-Jin. You’re always in my head."

Her heart fluttered at his words. She had tried so hard to keep her distance, but now, standing here with him, it was impossible to deny the truth any longer.

"I don’t know what this is," she said softly, her voice shaky. "But I can’t pretend I don’t feel something too."

Ji-Hoon smiled, a rare, genuine smile that made her heart skip a beat. "Then stop fighting it."

For the first time in a long time, Soo-Jin let herself feel—let herself want—and for tonight, at least, she wasn’t afraid to let go.