Love Him...Forever

Denying the Heart

"Don't worry, dear. You won't be 'dead' again," Yuna said gently, giving Shine's legs a reassuring squeeze. Shine's face was a mixture of fear and confusion.

"The CCTV in the hospital—we can show him that!" her father added.

Shine hesitated. "But... won't it also show that my bed was moved?" she asked, doubt shadowing her tone.

"That's possible," Allen agreed with her father.

"Shine," Allen said, his voice firm but calm, "that day, we made sure your body was continuously seen on the cameras. Even inside the morgue—we made sure you were always there. There won't be any doubts."

How is that even possible? Shine's inner voice questioned, still confused. But she stayed silent.

Hyeon pulled out his phone and started dialing.

"Get me a copy of the CCTV footage from the 11th of November," he ordered before hanging up.

Shine's throat went dry. She stood abruptly.

"Where are you going?" Allen asked, looking up.

"I'm... thirsty," she said, trying to steady her voice.

"You can just ask the maids," Allen insisted.

It never feels right asking agents to fetch me water! Shine's inner voice argued.

"No, it's fine," she said aloud, hurrying away.

Shine sat quietly with a glass of water in her hands, staring blankly into it. Her mind wandered back to the afternoon with Yuzuru.

"...But I heard from Nam that you refused to believe that she's dead. Why?"

"...Because she's not."

"...I love you, Shine."

Shine exhaled softly. "Yuzu..." she murmured.

The door opened, and Shine looked up to see Allen enter.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he sat beside her.

Are you kidding me? I ran to the man I love again... how am I supposed to be okay? her inner voice snapped.

"Yes... thank you," she said aloud, forcing a lie.

"Aren't you going to ask me how I found you?" Allen asked quietly, eyes downcast.

Shine finally looked at him, seeing the sadness in his expression. "How?" she asked softly.

Allen handed her Shine's phone. "I went to your room and saw this," he said, regret lining his words. "I'm sorry—I read his messages, but I had to find you somehow."

"Allen..." Shine whispered, her frustration melting into sympathy.

"It's okay... I mean, it's not 'okay' okay, but I understand why you love him," Allen said with a sad smile.

Shine placed her hand on his arm, feeling the weight of his understanding.

"Don't look at me like that," Allen said, holding her hands tightly. "It's like you're saying there's nothing I can do to make you like me—and I can't accept that."

"I like—" Shine began, but Allen hushed her.

"No, don't, Hana! I'm not giving up now." He stood, lifting her hand gently. "Let's go. They're waiting for us. We still need to plan."

He guided her back toward the living room.

Later, as they watched the CCTV footage, Shine's Hana phone vibrated. She picked it up and saw a message from Yuzuru:

Yuzuru Hanyu:
I'll be going back to Japan tonight. Sorry if I startled you earlier, but I really need to know... Why are you denying me? Why are you hiding? I have so many questions, and I need answers. My flight is at 3 a.m. I LOVE YOU ALWAYS, SHINE.

Shine stared at the screen, the weight of his words pressing down on her chest.