Frozen Memories➔ps.ff

Chapter 33

_

The night before the event, Sarang lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.

She wasn't looking forward to it.

Fancy dresses, meaningless small talk, pretending to be interested in business matters—none of it appealed to her.

She sighed, rolling onto her side. It's just one night. You'll survive.

Her mother had been ecstatic about the event, making sure everything was perfect. She had spent the entire afternoon choosing a dress for Sarang, fussing over colors, styles, and accessories.

"This one suits you best," her mother had finally said, holding up an elegant but simple gown. "You'll look beautiful in it."

Sarang hadn't argued. She had nodded, knowing it would make her mother happy.

Now, as she lay in bed, she reached for her phone. She put on her current obsession—'Infinity'—and let the melody calm her. Again.

As the soft music filled her ears, her thoughts drifted.

She had no idea that someone else—miles away—was listening to the same song, lost in his own thoughts.

And neither of them had any idea what fate had in store for them the next day.

_

Sarang was already regretting her decision to come.

From the moment she stepped into the grand hall, she felt out of place. The chandeliers sparkled overhead, casting a golden glow over the sea of high-profile guests. 

The sound of glasses clinking and hushed conversations mixed with soft instrumental music in the background. It was elegant. Sophisticated. But suffocating.

She had never enjoyed these kinds of events—gatherings where wealth and power dictated the air people breathed. But for her father, she endured it. He had asked her to come as a family, and she couldn't say no.

Dressed in an elegant but simple dress her mother had picked out, she had done her best to blend in. She had spent most of the night beside her family, sipping on a drink while nodding politely at introductions she would forget within the hour.

Then, at some point, her parents had wandered off to greet their business partners, and Dohwa and Sana were pulled aside by a group of acquaintances.

That left Sarang alone, standing near the edge of the ballroom, watching the crowd with quiet disinterest.

Then it happened.

A shiver ran down her spine, though the room wasn't cold.

She felt it—a gaze.

It was strange. Almost magnetic. A feeling she hadn't experienced in years.

Slowly, almost hesitantly, she turned her head.

And then—her breath caught in her throat.

Sunghoon.

Her fingers curled instinctively around the fabric of her dress as she stared.

He stood across the room, dressed in a sleek black suit that fit him too well. He looked exactly as she remembered, yet somehow different. Older. Sharper. More refined.

His eyes—dark and unreadable—were fixed on her.

Her heart slammed against her ribs.

The world around them blurred. The people, the music, the noise—it all faded into nothing.