Chapter 57: A Midnight Confession

“Absolutely not.”

Though I had somewhat anticipated it, the CEO adamantly rejected my proposal. His reasoning was that getting embroiled in unnecessary gossip would do no good, especially now that things were finally starting to look up.

From the agency’s perspective, the CEO’s words were sound. Yet, this time, I couldn’t easily back down. I simply couldn’t stand by and watch him bear that burden in my stead.

“Joon-hee, couldn’t we just leave it to Seon Woo-jung’s side this time? They say they’re handling the settlement well…”

“You know those people. You know this won’t be the end.”

The CEO had been my benefactor, helping me escape their clutches. Having endured the long, drawn-out trials with me, he understood better than anyone just how tenacious they could be.

“I know, I do…”

“I want to cut ties with them completely. Otherwise, they’ll just keep coming after me.”

This time, the target had only coincidentally shifted to Seon Woo-jung. They wouldn’t curb their extravagant spending, and the settlement money would soon run dry, making it only a matter of time before they came back to me.

Thus, I intended to use this opportunity to sever these tiresome ties once and for all. A small sacrifice might be unavoidable, but this choice was the right one, especially for him, who had suffered because of me.

“They’re your family, so I don’t want to speak ill of them, but I’ve never seen people so utterly devoid of common sense.”

“Neither have I.”

Once, they had been family, and I had striven to earn their love, which only made this situation feel all the more bitter. What was it about money that could make people so grotesquely ugly?

The CEO silently patted my shoulder. I forced a smile. This would undoubtedly be a difficult path, but I fervently hoped this time would finally be the end.

****

Public opinion, which had been clamorous over the Seon Woo-jung incident, took a new turn after my interview.

Anti-fans, who had been quick to brand Seon Woo-jung a violent celebrity without bothering to fact-check, rapidly vanished after my interview. People began to defend him, asserting he had done the right thing.

Of course, his family immediately released refuting articles, claiming my statements were lies. However, the sheer volume of evidence the CEO had amassed ensured public opinion remained unshaken.

Furthermore, Seon Woo-jung’s agency, seizing the opportunity, even released the CCTV footage from that day. The lawsuit was dropped, and the incident was temporarily resolved. Yet, other articles soon began to pour out.

Both agencies withheld comment, stating they were verifying the facts. However, with various circumstances aligning, the news of our romantic relationship was already considered a foregone conclusion.

“I knew this would happen.”

Moments ago, after hearing the truth from me, my manager pressed a hand to his throbbing forehead. When he asked how long we’d been dating, and I honestly replied, “Since the incident in the CCTV footage,” his worries only deepened.

“You’re not actually dating Seon Woo-jung, are you―”

“It’s not like that.”

The manager misunderstood, believing I had given the interview solely to protect him as my lover. While it wouldn’t be entirely false to say so, it certainly wasn’t the whole truth.

“Regardless, don’t even think about meeting Seon Woo-jung for a while. It’ll only complicate things.”

“I understand.”

My manager, who had regarded me suspiciously until the very end despite my compliant answer, once again asked me to stay home until things settled down.

Only after hearing the front door close, signaling my manager’s departure, did I finally sit on the sofa. I picked up my phone to check the messages he had sent three days ago.

[When did you do the interview? You didn’t say anything to me.]

[I didn’t want to cause you any trouble, Senior.]

[It’s because of me, isn’t it?]

[I’m sorry. For causing you trouble, Senior.]

[I don’t think we can meet for a while.]

[There are too many reporters… I’ll contact you when things calm down.]

[Take care until then.]

After these messages, there had been no further contact from him. I didn’t know what to say next, and after much deliberation, I missed the chance to reply.

‘Was he disappointed that I gave the interview without telling him?’ But then again, he had also concealed the situation from me, claiming everything was resolved, so neither of us had the right to be angry.

Yet, that last message, the one telling me to ‘take care,’ felt like a farewell no matter how many times I read it. It was as if he was drawing a line, saying we would never see each other again.

‘Is this truly the end?’

The world outside was buzzing with news of our romance, yet here we were, preparing for a final parting. How utterly ludicrous. A hollow laugh escaped me.

‘He said he’d always be by my side.’

Emotions, I knew, eventually cooled. They started burning intensely, then gradually subsided. But I never imagined they would fade so quickly.

“Senior, I like you very much.”

How long had it been since he’d shyly smiled and confessed his feelings? Was that affection merely a few months deep? After all the thought I’d put into accepting him, I wouldn’t have even started if it was going to end so soon.

Unable to suppress the surge of emotion, I finally typed the reply I had agonized over but hadn’t sent. Countless words flooded my mind, but only one surfaced now.

[I miss you.]

I missed him terribly at that moment.

****

When I next opened my eyes, it was the dead of night. Lying on the sofa, I rubbed my chilled arm and pushed myself upright.

It seemed I had fallen asleep there, miserably melancholic after sending him that message. After all, I hadn’t slept properly for days, so it was no wonder I was exhausted.

‘I want some water.’

I rose from the sofa and shuffled into the kitchen. As I was drinking water, *ding-dong*, the doorbell rang. Checking the time, it was almost midnight.

A visitor at such a late hour — I had a bad feeling about it.

‘Who could it be?’

The monitor displaying the front door camera showed nothing but an empty hallway. Sometimes people would just ring the bell and disappear, so I wondered if this was another such instance.

I tried to shrug off the unsettling feeling and turned to leave, but then, a figure, their face completely obscured by a hat and mask, suddenly appeared directly in front of the camera. I was so startled that I froze on the spot, unable to even scream.

‘Who in the world is that?’

The suspicious appearance made me think I should call the police. As I reached for my phone on the sofa, the person leaned closer to the camera and slightly lowered their mask.

“―Please open the door.”

The moment I heard that whispered voice, my body moved before my mind. I rushed to the door and flung it open. There, standing before me, was the very person I had longed to see.

“Senior.”

He smiled faintly as he called my name. I tried to greet him as usual, but my throat tightened, and no words would come out. It was even difficult to hold back my tears now.

“May I come in for a moment?”

At his cautious question, I stepped aside. After he entered, I checked the empty hallway before closing the door. *Thud*, the heavy sound made my heart thump loudly.

I turned from the closed door to find him still standing in the entryway. When I looked up, our eyes met; he had already been watching me. He forced a smile and spoke first.

“You’ve been, well?”

I couldn’t bring myself to offer a platitude, so I simply shook my head honestly. I had agonized over how to reply to his farewell-like message and had only sent it today.

*I miss you*, I had written.

To him, who might already be moving on, it could seem like lingering attachment… but truthfully, I wanted it to. I wanted to tell him I still needed him.

“Let’s go inside first. We can’t stay out here.”

Putting aside the words I wanted to say for a moment, I took his quiet hand and led him to the living room. The entryway was hardly a suitable place for a conversation.

As soon as he sat on the sofa, he removed his mask and hat. He ruffled his flattened hair, tidying it, then chuckled self-consciously, sensing my steady gaze.

“I look a bit of a mess, don’t I?”

“Where?”

“Just… haven’t been sleeping well lately.”

He did look a little tired, but not a mess, as he claimed. If anything, with his slight dark circles, he looked rather decadent.

I cautiously reached out and touched the deep shadows beneath his eyes. He closed his eyes, completely surrendering his face to my touch.

“They are quite dark.”

Being naturally fair-skinned, the dark shadows were more prominent on him. When I commented that it would be a struggle to cover them with makeup, he smiled, his eyes still closed.

“Why didn’t you reply for three days?”

“…I didn’t know what to say.”

“Why? I didn’t say anything difficult, did I?”

‘How could ‘take care until then’ not be a difficult thing to say?’ Anyone would see it as a farewell. Should I have replied, ‘You too’? That would truly be the end, wouldn’t it?

“I waited for your reply the whole time… I thought it was over between us, Senior.”

“…Huh?”

It was baffling that he was saying what I should have been saying. I was the one who had tossed and turned, convinced he wanted to end things with me, only to find he felt the same.

Because I hadn’t replied, he had mistakenly believed I had already made up my mind. He had suffered in silence, unable to sleep, his dark circles deepening under his eyes.

The fact that we had both been acting so foolishly was so absurd that a laugh escaped me. Neither of us wanted it to end, yet we had both mistakenly thought the other did, suffering for three days. All of it entirely unnecessary.

“What are we going to do, really?”

An uncontrollable laugh bubbled out. He opened his closed eyes and asked why I was laughing. In lieu of an answer, I cupped his cheeks in my hands. Then, I pressed my lips firmly against his.

“I missed you, Jung-ah.”

At my honest confession, he hesitated, then stopped deliberating and moved. Our lips met again, and our breaths mingled.