Slowly, the room door creaked open. Darian was slightly surprised as he stepped inside. Something felt different in the air. The atmosphere in Elena's room now felt strange and tense. Darian squinted, trying to make sense of the situation.
At the far end of the room, Ren and Serena stood facing each other—silent, without saying a single word. Their gaze was not ordinary. There was an intensity that was hard to describe, even for Darian, a professor used to reading people's expressions.
He shifted his eyes to Elena, still lying peacefully on the bed, her breathing steady.
It seemed that neither Ren nor Serena had noticed his presence. Darian decided not to interrupt. He stood still, observing the two from behind the now-closed door.
"Is there anything else you're doing besides trying to find the culprit?"
Serena asked softly yet firmly, breaking the silence.
Darian raised an eyebrow. That question made him realize—he had been too focused on taking care of Elena that he forgot someone had tried to hit her with a car the previous night. He hadn't done anything to look into the incident.
Ren replied flatly,
"I've also spoken to another victim besides your mother."
Darian gave a slight nod. In his mind, he acknowledged Ren's sharpness.
"Impressive. Even in a chaotic situation, he could still think clearly, " he thought.
"And you know that person,"
Serena said, certain.
Darian widened his eyes. Serena's tone was full of confidence. He glanced toward Ren, waiting for his answer.
"Yes, he's one of my subordinates,"
Ren finally admitted after a short pause.
Darian was genuinely shocked. That confession hit him like a small explosion in his mind. He hadn't expected there to be another layer to the accident that remained hidden. Was it just coincidence, or… something deeper?
"How long do you plan on standing there, Professor?"
Serena asked, turning her head toward him.
Darian snapped back to reality. So, they had noticed him all along. He quickly hid his surprise and stepped in casually, as if he hadn't heard anything.
"Have you eaten?"
he asked, eyeing the empty food box in Ren's hand.
"Yes," Serena replied. "But what are you doing here?"
"What do you mean?"
Darian pretended to be confused.
Serena rolled her eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be resting? Then why are you here?"
"I can rest anywhere. Right now, I just want to be with Elena. I'll watch over her."
"I can do that too,"
Serena said, her voice starting to rise.
"I know. But I still want to be here," Darian insisted, stubborn as ever.
"She's my mother," Serena said firmly.
"And she's my lover," Darian retorted.
They now locked eyes. Neither of them willing to back down. The tension grew, until—
"Are you two going to keep going like this?" a raspy voice came from the bed.
"Mom!" Serena exclaimed.
"Darling!" Darian said at the same time.
Both of them rushed to Elena, who had just woken up.
"Are you okay?"
Serena asked, eyes glistening.
"Yes, I'm fine. How's your assignment?" Elena replied softly.
"The assignment doesn't matter. Your health is what matters most!" Serena protested.
"She's right! Your health comes first,"
Darian added quickly.
Elena gave them a faint smile. She shook her head slowly.
"I heard you two bickering earlier. Neither of you wanted to back down. But now suddenly you're a team?" she teased.
"Sweetheart… who was bickering? We were just having a regular conversation. Right, S?" Darian glanced at Serena.
Serena rolled her eyes again but eventually nodded, unwilling to drag it out further.
"Serena, Darian... aren't you going to introduce our guest?"
Elena asked, pointing at Ren.
Serena slapped her forehead, just realizing.
"Mom, this is Ren Shield, Iril's cousin," she said quickly.
"I'm Ren, Auntie," Ren greeted politely.
"Hi, Ren," Elena replied.
But her eyes didn't leave Ren's face. She furrowed her brow, as if trying to recall something. Darian noticed this and glanced sharply at Ren, feeling jealous.
Ren remained calm, pretending not to notice the piercing gaze.
"Sweetheart... even if he's a bit more handsome than me, he's much younger than you,"
Darian said, half-joking, half-jealous.
Elena glared at him and playfully smacked his arm.
"What are you thinking! I just feel like... I've seen Ren before."
She then stared at Ren deeply.
"Have we met before, Ren?"
Ren smiled, about to respond, but a knock on the door interrupted.
Serena opened it and two police officers entered respectfully.
"Sorry to disturb, Mrs. Shine. We'd like to ask a few questions about last night's accident. Are you willing?"
one of the officers asked.
"Of course," Elena replied as she tried to sit up.
While Elena answered the officers' questions, Ren, Serena, and Darian waited outside the room.
Darian folded his arms across his chest. He turned to Ren.
"Have you ever met Elena before?"
he asked sharply, as if interrogating.
Ren shrugged, replying vaguely,
"I'm not sure…"
The answer didn't satisfy Darian. He opened his mouth, ready to lash out, but Serena's serious gaze silenced him.
"Professor, please. Can you act a bit more mature?" Serena protested. "There's no point in being jealous. Mom only has feelings for you."
Darian went quiet, turning his face away and muttering,
"You're single, so you wouldn't understand how this feels."
Ren overheard and gave a faint smile. Oddly enough, he agreed with Darian. Sometimes, even when you know the woman you love only has feelings for you, there's still a sense of unease when she gives attention to another man.
Ren knew that feeling well. He had felt it himself—when Serena gave a bit more attention to another man.
A feeling that's hard to describe, yet all too real.
---