DISGRACE ✴ kim rian

16 ── ᵈʳᵘᵍˢ?

ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ

The communal restaurant was buzzing with low chatter and the clinking of dishes, but to Mi-hee, it was white noise. She sat slouched in her oversized black shirt and fuzzy pink pants, her face puffy from lack of sleep, a sharp contrast to the poised and distant image she typically cultivated. Across from her sat Kang Ha, his confident smirk grating on her nerves.

“Ahh, you look just like Minji now,” he teased, chuckling. His eyes gleamed with amusement, but there was a bitterness behind them.

“Cute,” Mi-hee responded dryly, sipping her water.

“Well, of course, the stunt yesterday,” he continued. “Gosh, I feel kind of grateful to see that Kim Rian has moved on from Jae-i.”

Her smirk deepened. If only Kang Ha knew the truth. Jae-i’s gaze from yesterday flashed through Mi-hee’s mind, a silent confirmation that a sliver of Jae-i’s heart still held Rian. But she couldn’t share that. Not now. Their deal had to stay buried beneath layers of pretense.

“You know,” she said, locking eyes with him, “I still don’t get why you’re so fixated on Rian. I saw it, Kang Ha. A woman was driving the car. Kang In-han wouldn’t have died if not for the accident.”

His scoff was sharp, almost mocking.

“That’s who you choose to protect?” His voice was bitter. “After you stopped coming back, I knew we wouldn’t make it. But In-han? He adored you, Mi-hee. You were like a sister to him.”

Mi-hee flinched internally but kept her expression neutral. “I did what I could,” she replied coolly. “And I’m not explaining it to you again when I know you won’t trust a word I say.”

The memory of Woojin’s birthday party resurfaced, sharp and unwelcome. She had begged In-han to stay out of things, to avoid escalating with Jae-i and Rian until she could step in. But he hadn’t listened. Her warnings had fallen on deaf ears.

“Wow,” Kang Ha’s tone was laced with sarcasm. “I saw Kim Rian supplying drugs to his friend. Do you have anything to say about that? Weren’t you the one who professed her hatred for drugs and anyone who used them?”

The accusation shocked her. Mi-hee knew the world they lived in was riddled with vices, but drugs at eighteen? That was a line she hadn’t anticipated being crossed.

Still, she kept her voice cold and calculated. “Then let me say this without sugarcoating it. Kang In-han entered my world. A world where money speaks louder than anything else. It’s salvation and damnation wrapped in gold. If he wanted to make a change, he should have been smarter. He ignored my repeated warnings. In-han didn’t belong here, and he wasn’t ready for it.”

Her voice hardened as she continued. “Bullying is wrong, but in my world, to decide what’s right and wrong, you need power. Kim Rian is at the top of this hierarchy, and In-han chose to start with him. Just like you’re doing now. If you want real change, you need to be calm, collected, and strategic—not blinded by vengeance or a girl who wasn’t even yours to begin with.”

The chair scraped loudly as she stood, her parting words ringing in his ears.

She walked away, her mind swirling with frustration and unease. She hated the way Kang Ha’s words lingered, the weight of what she knew, and what she’d just learned.

Her first instinct was to call Rian.

He picked up after a single ring, his voice curt. “I need to talk—”

“Come to my place,” he interrupted. “We’ll talk there.”

Before she could argue, the line went dead.

Rolling her eyes, Mi-hee strode into the nearest Dior store she could find. If she had to meet Rian on his turf, she wouldn’t do it in fuzzy pink pants. She emerged minutes later, clad in a sleek black dress that hugged her figure perfectly, her usual armor of elegance back in place.

It was time to face Kim Rian. Again.

ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ