'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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Miyeon watched as Sohee made her way toward the dorm building, giving her a final wave before disappearing inside. She let out a deep sigh, turning her gaze up towards the sky as she took a moment to herself.
Everything that had happened in the past two days felt like an endless marathon running through her mind. She closed her eyes briefly, trying to calm the racing thoughts and steady her heartbeat. It was all too much.
Her mind replayed each event: the unexpected run-in with Jiyang before the match, the crushing loss and the blow to their team with their captain gone, fainting and coughing up blood, letting her guard down with Jeonghan, meeting Yewon again, becoming captain of her team, and, finally, the raw vulnerability of confessing the truth to Sohee.
It was as though every piece of her life, every emotion she had buried deep, was surfacing all at once, leaving her dazed and exhausted. And then, amidst the turmoil, her thoughts drifted to Jeonghan. She thought of the way he had held her, his arms a steady anchor until her tears subsided. Not once complaining or interrupting her.
How he had shown up just because he noticed something was off in her demeanor. How he had given her his undivided attention over dinner, listening without judgment, letting her unload things she hadn't shared with many people.
The realization crept up on her slowly, in a quiet, trembling way. Somewhere along the line, she might have fallen for him. Despite his reputation-his cocky charm, the pride that he seemed to wear so confidently-she saw something softer in him. A caring warmth that he hadn't shown everyone but had shown her. And yet, that spark of attraction was overshadowed by something heavier.
Guilt.
The guilt of even thinking about someone else when she still spent countless nights mourning her first love. And beyond the guilt, there was fear. A fear rooted in the tragedies that seemed to follow her heart.
The people she had loved most had always ended up hurt. Daehan was just one part of the story, but he had left the deepest scar. Loving again felt like tempting fate, and she wasn't sure her heart could bear another loss.
The worst part was that she didn't know what to do with these feelings. She didn't want to risk Jeonghan, or anyone else, getting close to her only to suffer the consequences. The thought haunted her-that maybe she was some kind of curse to those she held dear. And she knew if she lost one more person, it would shatter her beyond repair.
There was only so much a person could take.
So, she made a promise to herself, standing there beneath the wide-open sky. If circumstances ever threatened the people she loved, she would protect them at all costs. Even if it meant losing herself in the process. The people in her life now mattered to her in ways she hadn't expected.
She had always assumed her inner circle wouldn't grow beyond Wonwoo, Nari, her brother and Daehan. But since moving back to Korea, new people had slipped into her life, becoming as dear as family.
