Guilty As Sin ► Y.JH

15

It had been a week since Soleil and Jeonghan had met in her apartment, and the weight of that night was still fresh, still hanging between them like an invisible thread that neither of them could pull free. They had made tentative steps toward reconciling-talking about their feelings, acknowledging the mess they had made-but the shadows of their actions were long, and the guilt was heavy.

Soleil had spent the last several days in a quiet, constant state of tension. While Jeonghan's presence gave her a kind of solace, it also reminded her of the fractures she had caused. Their fragile hope that they could start over, that they could rebuild what they had lost, was still just that-hope. It was a hope that was difficult to hold onto when everything around them was broken.

But there was something else weighing on her heart now. She couldn't avoid it any longer. It had been gnawing at her ever since Jeonghan had spoken those final words to her, his voice carrying the question that had been burning in her chest since the beginning: What about Minho?

The thought of seeing Minho again, of finally confronting him after everything that had happened, terrified her. She had spent so much time hiding, running from the reality that her betrayal had shattered the close-knit relationship she had with her brother. And now there was no escaping it. She couldn't keep running.

She had to face him.

It was a bright afternoon when Soleil finally made the decision. The sun streamed through her window, bathing the room in soft, warm light, but there was no warmth in her heart. Only a cold, sinking sensation, the deep dread of knowing that once she stepped into Minho's world again, nothing would ever be the same.

Her phone buzzed on the table, and she picked it up to see a message from Jeonghan. He had been checking in on her, as he always did now, offering quiet support and checking to see how she was doing. But today, she couldn't answer him. Today, she had to do this on her own.

She slid her phone into her pocket and stood up, her fingers trembling. She felt sick with anticipation, but she knew she couldn't delay it any longer. She had to see Minho-had to lay everything out for him, no matter how much it tore her apart.

The drive to Minho's apartment felt long and suffocating. Soleil tried to steady her breath, to calm her racing heart, but every nerve in her body was on fire. The city passed in a blur, a swirl of color and noise that felt disconnected from her reality. Every streetlight, every corner she turned, only brought her closer to the inevitable confrontation she had been dreading.

She parked outside his building, the same one she had visited so many times over the years. The memories came flooding back-late-night hangouts, hours spent talking and laughing, the comfort of their bond that now felt like a distant dream. And now, here she was, about to tear all of it apart.

She hesitated before getting out of the car, gripping the steering wheel tightly. Her palms were clammy, her mind racing with thoughts of what she could say, how she could explain herself. But there were no words that would ever be enough. She had betrayed him-betrayed everything they had built together-and there was no way to undo that.

When she finally got out and walked to the entrance of the building, her legs felt heavy, like she was walking through water. The elevator ride was slow, the numbers lighting up on the panel one by one as the space between them and the truth grew smaller.

She took a deep breath as the elevator doors opened on the fourth floor. The hallway was eerily quiet, the door to Minho's apartment just a few steps away. It looked the same as always-neutral colors, the same familiar welcome mat, a pair of sneakers by the door.