'I don't wanna look at anything else now that I saw you.'
Coming from a wealthy family was never the major flex in her life. To others, she might come off as a rich spoilt brat but the reality was far from what they perceived her to be.
In a world...
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"Don’t let Mom or Dad know I ended up in the infirmary," Miyeon said quietly, side-eyeing Wonwoo as they strolled toward the changing rooms. She nibbled on the chocolate bar he’d brought her, each bite a small comfort against the tension she felt.
Wonwoo’s brows furrowed. "And why exactly are we keeping this a secret?" he asked, his tone both concerned and skeptical.
She sighed, knowing he wouldn’t let it go so easily. "Mom’s health isn’t great right now, and Dad’s already running on working hard between balancing work and looking after her. I don’t want to add to their worries.
Besides, if they found out, they’d probably stop me from playing and turn the entire university upside down just to see if someone tampered with my drink. Even if nothing happened." She chuckled slightly, trying to downplay her worry.
She could still vividly remember the time she got sick after eating ice cream from a small parlor downtown back in China. She’d spent hours curled up with a stomachache, miserable and barely able to keep anything down.
When her father found out, he stormed into the parlor the next day, demanding to speak to the manager. In his usual fiery way, he threatened to sue them for negligence, waving his business card and refusing to back down until the manager promised to inspect every ingredient they used.
The whole scene had been absurd, and she remembered laughing through her tears, grateful but also amused by her dad’s over-the-top protective instincts. By the end of the day, she was clinging to him, hugging him tightly, and crying because she knew he would do anything to protect her—even over a scoop of ice cream.
'If only he’d defended and protected me like that against his own family.'
Wonwoo noticed the shift in her mood. He wanted to tell her the truth—that he, Nari and Jeonghan had already been investigating. They’d seen footage, done their own digging. It wasn’t much yet, nothing concrete, but what they’d found had left them uneasy, teetering between protecting her and risking her trust.
He hated hiding things from her. The two of them had always told each other everything, especially after losing their common link. They’d leaned on each other, shared every thought, every worry, and every fear. And yet, here he was, keeping things from her.
He sighed, glancing over at her. "Fine," he said at last, watching her face light up with relief, "but you’ll tell me if you start feeling unwell or if you notice anything suspicious. Okay, Sweetheart?"
At the sound of his nickname for her, Miyeon narrowed her eyes, a small flicker of resistance lingering in her gaze. He knew she couldn’t resist him when he used that name. When they first met, he’d told her she was so sweet and open-hearted, so unafraid to wear her emotions on her sleeve, that sweetheart felt like the only word that fit her.
