Jinyoung barely noticed the woman walking across the street.
He had been sitting in the back of his car, staring absently through the window while the driver waited for the traffic light to change.
It had been another long day.
Another day filled with meetings.
Another day filled with numbers, reports, and people expecting him to behave like the perfect heir.
Then he saw her.
A pregnant woman.
She walked slowly across the pedestrian crossing, one hand resting beneath her stomach while the other held a small shopping bag.
Something inside Jinyoung stopped.
His eyes followed her.
And suddenly, he wasn't in the car anymore.
He was somewhere else.
Somewhere years—or perhaps only moments—away.
Kyrah.
His Kyrah.
The memories came without warning.
Their laughter.
The way she used to look at him when she thought he wasn't paying attention.
The silly arguments.
The late-night conversations.
The way they could spend hours together doing absolutely nothing and still somehow enjoy every minute.
And then—
That night.
The night everything had changed.
Jinyoung closed his eyes.
He remembered the warmth of her beside him.
He remembered waking up the next morning and seeing her face.
She had looked so vulnerable.
So frightened.
She had been trying not to cry.
And he had promised her.
He would take responsibility.
He would take care of her.
He would take care of the baby.
He remembered the hope in her eyes.
And then he remembered what happened next.
How quickly he had destroyed it.
How easily he had chosen another woman.
How cruelly he had made Kyrah feel as though everything between them had meant nothing.
Jinyoung opened his eyes.
The pregnant woman had disappeared into the crowd.
But Kyrah remained in his mind.
She had never really left.
He leaned back against the seat.
"Sir?"
Jinyoung didn't answer.
The driver glanced at him through the mirror.
"Sir?"
"Drive."
The car moved forward.
Jinyoung looked out the window again.
Everywhere he looked, something reminded him of her.
A couple holding hands.
A woman carrying baby clothes.
A restaurant they had once visited.
Even the scent of a particular perfume could suddenly bring her back.
He had thought leaving Kyrah would make everything easier.
It hadn't.
It had made everything worse.
There had been no joy afterward.
Not real joy.
He had married Mi Rae.
He had continued working.
He had attended meetings.
He had smiled when necessary.
He had played the role everyone expected.
But there had always been something missing.
Kyrah.
He had tried to convince himself that it was simply guilt.
That he missed the familiarity.
That he was only worried because she was carrying his child.
But deep down, he knew the truth.
He still loved her.
And that was the part he hated most.
Because love was useless when the person you loved wanted nothing to do with you.
---
By the time Jinyoung reached the office, the building was almost empty.
He walked into his office and dropped his briefcase onto the desk.
A stack of documents was waiting for him.
He stared at them.
Normally, he would have gone through everything immediately.
Tonight, he couldn't concentrate.
He sat down and opened the first file.
Three minutes later, he was still looking at the same page.
Kyrah.
He rubbed his face.
"Get it together."
He picked up a pen.
He tried again.
Nothing.
His phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
Mother.
Jinyoung stared at the name for several seconds before answering.
"Hello."
"Where are you?"
"At the office."
"You're still working?"
"Yes."
His mother sighed.
"You need to come home earlier."
"I have work."
"You always have work."
Jinyoung said nothing.
She continued.
"You and Mi Rae need to start thinking seriously about children."
His jaw tightened.
"Mom."
"What?"
"Not tonight."
"This is exactly why I'm calling. You keep avoiding the subject."
"I said not tonight."
"You've been married for months."
"I know."
"Then why are you behaving as though you're still single?"
Jinyoung leaned back in his chair.
Because he couldn't bring himself to touch the woman he married.
Because every time he looked at Mi Rae, he remembered Kyrah.
Because forcing himself into a marriage that had never contained his heart felt like another betrayal.
But he couldn't tell his mother that.
"You don't understand."
"Then explain it to me."
"I can't."
His mother became quiet.
Then she said,
"You need to give Mi Rae a chance."
Jinyoung closed his eyes.
"I've tried."
"No, you haven't."
"I can't do this right now."
"Jinyoung—"
He ended the call.
The office fell silent again.
He stared at his phone.
A few seconds later, another notification appeared.
He almost ignored it.
Then he saw the name.
Linda.
Jinyoung's heart skipped.
He opened the social-media app.
Linda had posted a new story.
His finger hovered over the screen.
Then he tapped it.
The first image showed Linda smiling.
The next one was taken inside an elegant restaurant.
And then—
Kyrah.
Jinyoung stopped breathing.
She was smiling.
Really smiling.
She looked beautiful.
But there was something different about her.
Something he had never seen before.
She looked peaceful.
Her face had a softness to it.
Her pregnancy had given her a glow that made her almost impossible to look away from.
Jinyoung stared at the screen.
His thumb moved across the image, almost as though he could touch her.
"Kyrah…"
She was wearing a beautiful dress.
The same woman he had once watched cry in front of him was now sitting in a luxurious restaurant in Hong Kong, laughing with her best friend.
And she looked happy.
Without him.
That realization hurt more than he expected.
Then he noticed something else.
A small detail in the corner of the photograph.
A man's arm.
Jinyoung's eyes narrowed.
He recognized the watch.
Seojun.
His expression darkened.
He continued watching the story.
There was another photograph.
Linda and Kyrah laughing.
Then a short video.
Seojun was sitting across from them.
Kyrah was laughing at something Linda had said.
Jinyoung watched the video twice.
Then a third time.
He lowered the phone.
His chest felt heavy.
He had imagined Kyrah suffering.
He had imagined her missing him.
He had imagined that perhaps, one day, she would understand why he had made the choices he did.
But this—
This wasn't what he had imagined.
She had moved on.
She had people around her.
She had a career.
She had a beautiful home.
She had friends.
And she had Seojun.
Jinyoung clenched his jaw.
"No."
He didn't know who he was arguing with.
Maybe himself.
Maybe the photograph.
Maybe reality.
He stood up and walked toward the window.
Hong Kong was thousands of miles away.
But suddenly it felt painfully close.
He could go there.
He could see her.
He could explain.
He could apologize.
He could tell her everything.
Maybe she would listen.
Maybe—
Jinyoung stopped himself.
She had already refused his calls.
She had already told him not to contact her again.
Still, he couldn't accept that.
Not yet.
He pulled out his phone.
He opened his contacts.
Kyrah's name wasn't there anymore.
He had deleted it.
Or perhaps he had convinced himself that deleting her number would help him forget her.
It hadn't.
He stared at the blank contact screen.
Then he whispered,
"I'll find a way."
He didn't know it yet, but this decision would change everything.
Because regret could make a person better.
But regret could also make a person reckless.
And Jinyoung was beginning to walk toward the wrong kind.