DISGRACE ✴ kim rian

69 ─── ʳᵉᵃᵈʸ

ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ

The first thing Rian did when he walked out of that police detention center three years ago was breathe.

For the first time in his life, he was truly free. No titles. No expectations. No chains disguised as privileges.

And yet, he had never felt so lost.

He had spent his entire life being told what to do, who to be, what his worth was. And now, stripped of everything, he had no idea what the hell to do next.

Then Mi-hee called.

He remembered staring at the phone, watching her name light up the screen, his fingers twitching—desperate to answer, desperate to hear her voice. But he never picked up.

Because what could he possibly say?

He had nothing. No status, no future, no certainty of who he even was without the weight of his last name.

And Mi-hee had already been through too much. She had fought tooth and nail for her justice, for her people. She had fought against the very system that he had once represented.

How could he ask her to stand by him when he wasn’t even sure of himself?

So, he disappeared.

For three years, he worked in silence.

The first year was hell. Job after job, rejection after rejection. Nobody wanted to hire a former heir turned criminal. He had to start from the very bottom. But Rian was used to fighting for what he wanted. He was no stranger to getting his hands dirty.

Then, he found his path.

A small steel and enterprises startup. It was nothing at first, just an idea and a desperate attempt to build something of his own. But slowly, with time, effort, and sleepless nights, the company grew. It scaled beyond his imagination, becoming a major name in the industry.

He named it YunHee.

He told himself it was because of its meaning—“shining hope.” But deep down, he knew the real reason.

Yun Mi-hee.

She was the only person who had ever truly seen him. The only person who had believed he could be better.

And now, three years later, Rian was finally the man he wanted to be.

Yet, something was still missing.

Or rather, someone.

He had kept tabs on her. It was pathetic, he knew, but he couldn’t help it. Her YouTube channel, her Instagram—he watched every video the second it was uploaded. It was his only connection to her, the only glimpse into her life that he allowed himself.

She looked happy.

But not whole.

And it made him wonder—had she been missing him the way he had been missing her?

It didn’t matter anymore.

Because now, he was ready.

He had spent three years convincing himself that he had to stay away, that she deserved better.

But that was a lie.

Because the truth was, Mi-hee had never needed saving.

She was the storm.

And for the first time in his life, Rian wasn’t afraid of drowning in it.

So, he sent the email.

A simple message, one sentence long.

"I kept my promise. Now, will you?"

And now, all he could do was wait.

Wait for Mi-hee to find him.

Because this time, he wouldn’t run.

ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ
ʰⁱᵉʳᵃʳᶜʰʸ