* * *
“Cha Rui, you don’t even like me. Why are you being so nice?”
“…”
“When someone says they’ve lost their memory, most people get weird or avoid them.”
People usually think it’s a lie to cover up their past.
Given how ‘Seo Inho’ had acted before, that’d be a reasonable assumption.
But Cha Rui reacted differently.
“It’s just… you seemed kind of relieved.”
I couldn’t put it into words, but for some reason, that was the feeling I couldn’t shake.
Ever since I told him I had lost my memory, he’d definitely started treating me differently.
At my words, Cha Rui clenched his jaw and lowered his head, a conflicted look on his face.
“…Maybe I have something left.”
“What?”
He said it so quietly I almost missed it, but I was sure I heard it—regret.
I honestly thought I’d misheard.
That word just didn’t suit someone like Cha Rui.
What the hell had happened between him and ‘Seo Inho’ for him to still feel regret?
And why did my chest feel so tight hearing it?
Cha Rui just quietly kept his head down, but for some reason, I hated seeing him like that.
“Don’t look down.”
Half on impulse, I lifted his chin.
His gray eyes trembled ever so slightly.
He looked genuinely flustered by my sudden move but didn’t pull away.
At this point, I was almost sure.
“What kind of scars did I leave you?”
It was obvious now.
‘Seo Inho’ had hurt Cha Rui in some way.
That’s why their relationship had grown distant.
But for some reason, Cha Rui still seemed to hold on.
Judging from how my own body reacted to him, ‘Seo Inho’ must’ve felt the same.
I wanted to know now. What really happened?
“…”
But Cha Rui didn’t say anything.
He shut his mouth tight and turned his head away.
Unlike his wavering gaze from before, this movement was firm.
Then, right on cue, Woo Jaehyun appeared again, and the moment was lost.
Still, that night, I made a promise to myself.
One day, I’d hear the truth from his lips.
Beep—beep—beep—
A mechanical sound, neither too loud nor too soft, had been echoing in my head for a while now.
It was like a water droplet falling on my forehead over and over—if this kept going, I really would lose my mind.
It had been hours since I regained consciousness.
No sensation. No light.
Just that damn sound.
No—maybe it hadn’t been hours.
Maybe it had been days.
I had no sense of time.
It felt like I’d been abandoned in a pitch-black void.
Is this death?
Is this the hell I didn’t know existed?
Am I doomed to wander this darkness, insane, forever?
No one would answer.
Pointless questions piled on top of one another.
If only I could go numb—but my clear mind was crueler than anything else.
Beep—beep—beep—
What did I even do wrong?
All I ever did was work hard, without rest.
Was that so wrong?
Beep—beep—beep—
What the hell did I—
Knock knock knock.
It happened then.
A dull thud—like someone knocking on a wooden board—cut through the silence, and my eyes snapped open.
“Hahh…”
Panting, I reflexively clenched my fists, crumpling the sweat-soaked bedsheets beneath me.
Still dazed, I slowly pushed myself up to get a grasp of the situation.
Soon, the familiar room came into view.
It was the hotel suite I was staying in—though a little messier than I remembered.
But why was I here?
Just a moment ago, I was…
“Where… was I?”
The words came out of my mouth before I even registered them, and I tilted my head in confusion.
Of course, I should’ve been in the hotel—so why did I say that?
Frowning slightly, I pressed my fingertips to my temples, trying to think through the haze.
A deep, familiar throbbing pounded in my head.
“Ugh, my head…”
How much had I drunk?
My skull felt like it was splitting open, and my stomach churned uncomfortably.
The lingering scent of alcohol tickled my nose, and I gagged, slapping a hand over my mouth.
When I finally managed to look around the room properly, I couldn’t believe my eyes—three empty wine bottles were rolling around on the table.
All of them completely drained.
When did I drink all that?
Before heading out with Woo Jaehyun, I distinctly remember there only being two.
And now there was one more.
I must’ve roped him into drinking again as soon as we got back.
Even if I’d lost control, this was…
“That’s insane.”
I almost wished I’d blacked out completely.
But the fragmented memories coming back made me want to tear my hair out.
Clinging to the others, riding on their backs one by one… and even pretending they were horses and shaking them around.
I must’ve lost my damn mind. I’d let go of all reason and acted like a complete fool.
And yet somehow, I’d still managed to take a shower—the soaked bathrobe discarded on the floor like a shed skin was proof of that.
Wearing something like that, I’d been so passionate in the pool…
“Wait—then what am I wearing now?”
Knock knock.
But before I could think it through, a knock came from the front door.
That sound—maybe that’s what had woken me up.
I wasn’t sure why, but when I’d opened my eyes, it had felt almost like salvation.
Did I have a nightmare?
Still holding my aching head, I staggered toward the door.
A glance at the clock on the table told me it was 6 a.m.—a bit early for anyone to be visiting.
Had the hotel staff come up this early to complain because we were too loud last night?
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
The voice that answered was completely unexpected.
I hesitated for a second—should I open the door?
But it felt even weirder not to, after responding.
He had treated my hand, after all.
So I opened the door just enough for my eye to peek through.
The cold, familiar face that came into view was unmistakable.
“Wh-what brings you here so early in the morning…?”
“We need to depart. Get ready.”
“…Sorry?”
The words slipped out of me before I could stop them.
I’d heard the flight wasn’t until the afternoon.
But now I was suddenly being told to prepare?
Do Soohyuk calmly checked his watch.
“The flight’s been moved up. You have five minutes.”
Then, without hesitation, he slipped a foot into the doorframe.
His eyes remained on his watch, like an unspoken command telling me to hurry up.
“Ah…”
Well, if the schedule changed, what could I do?
I rushed to the bathroom to follow orders.
I had no luggage to pack, so I figured a quick wash would do.
Tossing off the damp bathrobe, I walked toward the sink—and there, neatly folded, were clothes I didn’t recognize.
“Woo Jaehyun, maybe? Whoever it was, thanks.”
I’d been worrying about what to wear, so this was a relief.
I quickly washed up and changed, managing to barely make it in time.
Still—five minutes? Seriously?
I didn’t even have time to clean up.
The room was a disaster, and I had to leave it like that.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes…”
I wasn’t happy about the tight timing, but the moment our eyes met—those cold, steely eyes—I quietly grabbed my bag and followed after him.
Strangely, though, the other two guys were nowhere to be seen.
“What about the others?”
“They left ahead of us.”
Come on—what was the rush?
Then again, considering who they were, maybe it was urgent.
Still, would it have killed them to wake me up?
Feeling oddly left out, I exited the hotel and climbed into the pitch-black tinted limousine.
The airport wasn’t far, but the thought of being alone with Do Soohyuk already had me on edge.
It was suffocating, almost. I couldn’t help but notice every small movement, every breath.
The car started moving, and I turned my eyes to the window, tense.
Then suddenly, a black cap appeared in front of me.
It was the one Do Soohyuk had been wearing the whole time.
“Just in case. Wear this.”
“…Thank you.”
It was true—he’d treated me multiple times.
Moments like this made him seem like a decent person.
But the memory of what happened in the bathroom was still too vivid. I couldn’t fully relax.
Besides, he was the only one who’d shown any suspicion about who—or what—I really was.
After that brief exchange, silence settled between us and lasted until we arrived at the airport.
Whatever arrangements he’d made, the previously crowded halls were now completely empty along our path.
Once we stepped inside the waiting private jet, the first thing I noticed was how empty it was.
“The others aren’t here?”
“They got an urgent call and returned to Korea ahead of us.”
Wait, what? Didn’t he say they left earlier?
I hadn’t realized he’d meant they’d already flown back to Korea.
Just yesterday, we were all moving around in secret—so why had a separate jet been arranged now?
Then again, it wasn’t really my place to question it.
I just tilted my head slightly and let it go.
More than anything, my attention was on something else now.
I’d never been on a plane before—and the moment I stepped into the cabin, my heart started pounding.
And this was a private jet, no less.
It reminded me of how I felt the first time I went to a movie theater—a kind of quiet excitement bubbling inside me.
* * *
