Boundless

제 24 장

⸻

Jae Eun's POV

My forehead lifted slowly from the steering wheel, my breath shallow, my heartbeat a tempest. The car clicked open with a soft hum, and Minhyuk climbed in, cradling two humble bags of noodles like trophies.

"Jae Eun... that was her. That was Athena." His voice trembled with urgency. "He called her by name. Said he wanted to show her a 'good time.' They're leaving now."

His finger pointed beyond the glass, and there she was—Athena. Moving like a summer breeze, laughing beside him. Him—a man who cast a long shadow, darker and broader than mine. Stronger, taller, closer to her now than I'd ever been. He wasn't just holding her gaze. He was holding her.

But I wasn't afraid of losing a competition.
I was afraid of losing her.

My heart clenched.

She wasn't just someone I loved—
She was the hymn in every quiet corner of my soul.
She was my sanctuary.
My wild and holy place.

I started the car. The engine roared like the ache in my chest. Minhyuk whooped beside me, unknowing and wild, his joy echoing in the silence I carried.

"You're not letting her go," he said.
No. I wasn't.

"I didn't like the way he looked at her. I say we take him from the front—I'll catch him in the back. Shake him up a little—"

"Would you shut up?" I muttered, voice low and shaking with restraint. I pulled out of the lot, the tires whispering my promise to the pavement: She will be mine again.

Minhyuk put on his seatbelt, tossing the noodles into the backseat, slipping a mask over his mouth. "I think he said they were going to their spot. Think they've known each other long?"

"They must have," I muttered. "Athena doesn't trust people easily. She's gracious, not naive."

"You connected quickly too. That mean nothing now?" His voice was pointed, but I didn't answer. He knew. She and I had ignited like flint and steel—hot, reckless, unforgettable. But it wasn't lust. It was fate in collision.

"She's not like that. I've told you... she's good to me."

Minhyuk shrugged. "Still, that guy was a ten. You've got competition."

I gritted my teeth.
There's no man alive who can love her like I can.

Not in her language. Not in her stillness. Not in the way she weeps when she thinks no one's watching.

I followed them through winding streets, turning when they turned, drawn to her like a planet to its sun.
Athena—my warrior goddess. My undoing and my reason. Her name belonged to myth, but her body carried my child.

A life without her wasn't a life.
It was a slow, hollow death.

⸻

Athena's POV

"Is that car following us?" I asked, my voice barely above a breath. Josiah leaned forward, checking the mirror with a calm he didn't wear well.

"Could be headed the same way," he offered, but I caught the doubt behind his words.

I tilted my head. "Where are we headed, Siah? Because I'd prefer not to die today."

He laughed, but it didn't last long. "They're wearing hospital masks," he whispered.

My stomach dropped.
Masks. Pale skin. Dark eyes.

No...

"Pull over," I said, my fingers gripping his sleeve. "Please, hurry."

Josiah obeyed without question. The car slowed, eased to the side. I held my breath. Behind us, the other car did the same.

"They stopped too," Josiah said, his voice clipped now. "You want me to go check it out?"

I shook my head and opened the door.

I didn't run.
I floated.
Like something ancient had taken over me.

The car door in front of me cracked open. My name flew out of it like a prayer.

"Athena," said the passenger, voice too familiar to ignore.

Josiah turned to me. "You know them?"

I started to deny it—but then the driver stepped out, and the earth shifted beneath my feet.

He pulled the mask from his face, and my hands flew to my mouth.

Bleached hair. Weary eyes. A fragile smile.

Jae.

My Jae, here in Georgia. A dream draped in reality.

"I came back for you, Athena."

His voice was both an apology and a vow. I wanted to run into his arms, to bury my face in his neck and whisper our son's name into his skin.

But love is not always enough.

And I loved him too much to let him keep breaking.

"I'm not going anywhere," I said, eyes turned away from his soul.

"What? Athena... you don't have to be afraid. My father's out of the picture. Things can be different now—"

"I don't care!" I shouted, voice trembling. "South Korea isn't my home. It never was."

Jae stepped closer, pressing my hands against his chest, over his heart as it galloped beneath his ribs. His eyes were oceans, overflowing.

"You're carrying my baby," he whispered. "We can be free. Together. I'll protect you. I will."

But I shattered the dream with a single breath.

"This is my son."

He froze. "Son? It's a—"

"Yes. And your father will never touch him. Never even know him. Because I'm never going back."

My voice broke as I hurled the truth at him like a blade.

"You couldn't protect me. You couldn't protect yourself. They came into our home and hurt me while you—while you—"

Jae gripped his chest like my words had pierced through muscle and bone.
Josiah stepped forward, shielding me.

"I don't want anything to do with you," I screamed, though my heart cracked with every syllable.
"I hate you!"

Jae stumbled, tears falling like stars from his eyes. "No... Athena, no. Tell me you love me. Tell me it's not true."

"I don't love you anymore," I whispered.

I took a step forward. " I am in a relationship now Jae Eun. I don't love you anymore" I wrapped my arms around Josiah. And died.

Jae turned away, collapsing into his car like a ghost in search of a grave.

The passenger climbed out and walked toward me. His eyes were sharp, his words laced with venom.

"You don't deserve him," he said in Korean. "He worshipped you like you were divine. Heaven in a woman. Now I know better—there's no such thing."

Then he added, with a cruel smirk,
"He leaves tonight. 9 PM. That's your last chance to prove me wrong."

And then he was gone.

Leaving me there, arms wrapped around a man I didn't love, heart still bleeding for the one I did.