Hyun-soo's warning hung on Seo-yeon like a weight long after he had gone. She was alone in the faint light of her apartment, her hands crumpling and smoothing at her sides.
An escape. A way out.
It should have been easy. She should have seized the chance with both hands. And yet, her feet did not budge, her heart pounding inside her chest.
Because fleeing would mean leaving it all behind.
And she didn't know if she was prepared to do that.
Her phone buzzed, the screen lighting up with Hyun-soo's name. **A reminder. A lifeline.**
She did not answer.
Rather, she gazed at her own reflection in the blacked-out window, hoping to find a solution in her own eyes. But there was only doubt.
A sharp rap shook her out of her reverie.
Seo-yeon tensed. Not Hyun-soo.
She already knew who it was.
Drawing a slow breath, she made her way to the door, her fingers tightening around the handle before she opened it.
Joon-woo.
