CH 66.1

As the door opened in the dark, the sensor light that came in shone on the floor of the entryway, which was empty without even a single pair of shoes. Woo-hyun’s steps stopped as he took off his shoes and walked into the living room. Lighting up the dark living room was the moonlight that didn’t hit the blinds and flowed in from the window. In front of that stood Yoo-hwa, with a black silhouette.

“… You’re not sleeping.”

Woo-hyun looked at the clock on the wall. It was close to midnight. At this time, Yoo-hwa usually stayed in her room. Sleeping, or not.

Instead of answering, Yoo-hwa approached him with slow steps. He could see more and more of her features in the black silhouette. As she stood three steps away from him, Yoo-hwa’s face was clearly visible.

Seeing her after a few days, her complexion seemed better than before. Her face, so haggard that it frowned by itself, looked like that of a human being now. He told the housekeeper to be sure to feed her, and it seemed like she did her best.

However, Yoo-hwa’s expression was as before. It contained an emptiness beyond loneliness. There were rare occasions when this face let out emotions. Each time, her heart was crumbling, and her expression seemed to break along with some part of her, like a domino.

“Seems like something big happened.”

Yoo-hwa said calmly, looking up and down at Woo-hyun. His scarred hands were covered in wounds. Woo-hyun’s face she saw a few days ago was thin, and she could see the bandage under his open shirt.

Instead of answering, Woo-hyun looked at Yoo-hwa’s face.

Like a thirsty person drinking water without stopping.

“… I guess it’s over.”

The quick-witted Yoo-hwa quietly continued.

“Since you’re back safely, it means that everything is over… And it was probably related to the person who threatened me.”

Yoo-hwa’s gaze, which was scanning the floor, slowly turned upwards and reached Woo-hyun. The two unwavering gazes faced each other.

“Now.”

“…”

“… I can go.”

Yoo-hwa smiled lightly. At the same time, Woo-hyun’s face hardened slightly.

“It’s still…”

Woo-hyun said in a hoarse voice.

“Don’t lie to me and tell me that I still can’t.”

“…”

“I’m more quick-witted than you think.”

“…”

Living wasn’t easy, so she had no choice but to increase her awareness.

Since the housekeeper said that Woo-hyun could not come home for a few days, she sensed a strange atmosphere. She had some expectations that he would need quite a long time to return.

She also calculated to some extent that her life would go through more hardships than right now if he were to not return. And now that Woo-hyun had returned, as soon as she faced his complicated expression, she knew she was right.

Yoo-hwa smiled faintly, then looked down. After the housekeeper left and she was left alone in the house, she continued to ponder.

What should she say when Woo-hyun returns? She was overflowing with words that she wanted to say, but in an instant, she repeatedly felt that it was useless. She repeatedly chose and discarded her last goodbye, and only a few words remained.

Yoo-hwa slowly said the words she had barely prepared.

“Stay well. Let’s not meet each other again. Don’t hold on to it with a few lingering feelings.”

“…”

In the darkness, Woo-hyun’s expression disappeared from his face. She even felt his hardened expression crack. However, Yoo-hwa did not stop and continued to say what she had to say. They were words she couldn’t say unless it was now.

“We came around too much even though we broke up.”

Could this be called love? Was what they did at that time a breakup? All of that was still questionable, but the closest thing was that this was a ‘breakup’.

“So let’s really stop now.”

Yoo-hwa smiled faintly with all her might. Even if the relationship between them is not one to break up while smiling, she didn’t want to break up while crying.

She went around avoiding Woo-hyun, who was standing in the middle of the living room. She went around him as wide as possible to avoid touching him, and finally, Woo-hyun was out of her sight. Her heart sank the moment she looked at the dark entrance, but Yoo-hwa pretended to be fine and picked up the paper bag that she had placed on the sofa.

She could wear slippers as her shoes. As for her coat… If Woo-hyun didn’t give it to her, she was just going to go out. She could take the bus or a taxi.

It was time to force herself to think about what to do from now on, so that she wouldn’t think of anything else.

“… What should I do?”

The sinking voice cracked violently.

“Should I beg, should I kneel?”

“…”

“I don’t think an apology is enough.”

“…”

“… What should I do?”

The cracking voice asked, containing both hopelessness and earnestness. Unlike her intention of never looking back, Yoo-hwa’s body turned obliquely. She looked at Woo-hyun with a numb expression, unable to ask what he was saying or what he meant.

Yoo-hwa, who turned her head around belatedly, met his eyes. The moment she saw something swaying within his empty eyes, it seemed like the density of the air was rising. It felt as if she were caught between time.

“Me.”

The low voice sounded clear in her ears, even though she didn’t hear it. She couldn’t tell if it was because there were a lot of emotions in that word, or because the surroundings were quiet.