DISGRACE ──── ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ ✔️

67 ─── ʰᵉʳ ʳⁱᵃⁿ

ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ

Mi-hee ran.

Her legs were weak, her body still unsteady from months of immobility, but none of that mattered.

Not when she saw him.

At the bottom of the stairs, amidst the crowd of hospital staff and onlookers, Kim Rian stood in handcuffs, flanked by two police officers. His expression was unreadable, his jaw set tight, his usual arrogance replaced by something quieter, something heavier.

Mi-hee's breath hitched as panic gripped her chest.

What the hell was happening?

She pushed forward, her heart racing, but her body betrayed her. Her frail stamina gave out, her legs wobbling beneath her, and before she could stop herself-she stumbled.

A sharp gasp escaped her lips as she hit the cold, hard floor, the impact jolting pain through her body.

For a moment, the world blurred.

But before anyone could react, before anyone could rush to her side, she forced herself back up.

Ignoring the burn in her limbs, she pushed through the crowd and caught up to Rian, her fingers grasping his sleeve just as they were about to drag him away.

"Rian!" she gasped, her voice raw. "What-why are they taking you? What the hell is going on?"

Rian turned at her touch, his eyes meeting hers.

And for the first time since she had woken up, she saw it.

The exhaustion. The torment.

But most of all-the tenderness he could never quite hide from her.

He exhaled softly, as if seeing her like this made everything worse. "Mi-hee, it's-"

Before he could finish, one of the officers scoffed loudly.

"A lot happened while you were sleeping, young lady," the man said, his voice gruff, impatient. "Now stop interrupting protocols and go eat something."

Mi-hee froze.

Her grip on Rian's sleeve loosened as the weight of those words settled deep into her bones.

A lot happened while you were sleeping.

She didn't know why, but those words made her feel sick.

Rian gave her a small, tired smile-one that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Go back, Mi-hee," he murmured, his voice quieter, softer. "You just woke up. Don't-don't worry about this."

But how could she not?

How could she not worry when Rian, her Rian, was being taken away in handcuffs?

Her fingers clenched into fists as the officers tugged him forward, leading him toward the exit.

Mi-hee stood there, frozen in place, her mind racing.

A lot happened while you were sleeping.

She needed to know everything.

ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ