Shadows of the Spotlight

Chapter 44

Arc froze, his lips parting slightly in surprise as if he hadn't expected me to say it so outright. His blush deepened, and he shifted awkwardly on his feet, his hands still buried in his pockets.

"I... yeah," he finally admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "그것이 제가 이야기하고 싶었던 것입니다.(That's what I wanted to talk about.)"

The room fell silent, the weight of the topic settling between us like a tangible force.

"Well?" I prompted after a moment, raising an eyebrow. "What about it?"

Arc hesitated, glancing away briefly before looking back at me. His expression was a mix of hesitation and resolve, his brows furrowed slightly. "First, I... I want to apologize for that night."

The words hit me like a sharp gust of wind, taking me by surprise. Apologize? For what? My chest tightened instinctively, the vulnerability of the moment making me feel exposed. I straightened my posture, masking the sting his words brought.

"Apologize?" I repeated, my voice steady despite the sudden ache in my chest. "Why would you apologize?"

Arc's gaze faltered for a moment, but he pushed through. "왜냐하면... 내가 너무 지나쳤을 수도 있다는 생각이 들거든요. 그것은 당신에게도, 전문가에게도 공평하지 않았고, 그리고—(Because I feel like... I might've overstepped. It wasn't fair to you, or professional, and—)"

"Arc," I interrupted, holding up a hand to stop him. My tone was firm, though I could feel my heart beating faster. "우리는 동의하는 두 명의 성인입니다. 그날 밤 당신이 나에게 어떤 일을 강요한 것은 아닙니다. 우리 둘 다 그런 결정을 내렸어(We're two consenting adults. It's not like you forced me into anything that night. We both made that decision.)"

His jaw clenched as he ran a hand over his face, exhaling deeply. "I know," he said quietly. "나는 그것을 깨닫는다. 단지... 그 순간에는 결과에 대해 생각하지 않았습니다. 그것이 무엇을 의미하는지에 대해.(I realize that. It's just... in the moment, I wasn't thinking about the consequences. About what it would mean.)"

I felt my shoulders tense, but I forced myself to stay composed. "그것은 무엇을 의미할까요?(What it would mean?)" I echoed, my words carrying a trace of bitterness. "아무 의미도 없어, 아크. 내가 말했듯이 그것은 우리 둘 다 내린 결정이었습니다. 아무도 당신에게 그것에 대해 어떤 종류의 죄책감을 가져오라고 요구하지 않습니다.(It doesn't have to mean anything, Arc. Like I said, it was a decision we both made. No one's asking you to carry some kind of guilt for it.)"

He shook his head, stepping back slightly as if trying to create more space between us. "후회한다는 말은 아니야(I'm not saying I regret it)," he said, his voice soft but earnest. ""그냥... 깊게 생각하지 못했어요. 나는 이것이 우리의 역동성에 어떤 영향을 미칠지 생각하지 않았습니다. 당신은 나의 번역가 Lila입니다. 나는 당신의 고객입니다. 그리고 우리가 한 일을 함으로써 우리는 선을 넘었습니다.(I just... I didn't think it through. I didn't think about what it might do to this—our dynamic. You're my translator, Lila. I'm your client. And by doing what we did, we crossed a line.)"

I felt a flicker of anger rise in my chest, though I wasn't sure why. Maybe it was the way he emphasized the word "line," as if it suddenly defined the entirety of what had happened between us.

"You're right," I said after a moment, my tone calm but edged with finality. "우리는 선을 넘었습니다. 하지만 취소할 수는 없습니다. 모든 작업이 완료되었으며 우리는 여전히 여기에 있습니다. 우리는 여전히 함께 일하고 있습니다. 우리는 일어난 일에 대해 걱정하는 것을 멈추고 미래에 집중해야 합니다.(We crossed a line. But it's not like we can undo it. What's done is done, and we're still here. We're still working together. We need to stop worrying about what happened and focus on the future.)"