Junpyo pov:
The rain hit the window like a thousand tiny fists — relentless, furious — but I didn't care. though something in my mind is wondering why it's raining so hard today, it's been raining for almost 24hours.
I'd been standing there for ten minutes, after dragging bobae to my room, watching the drops slide down the glass like tears, listening to the silence in the room thicken like syrup, waiting for her to speak.
She didn't.
Just stood near the door, arms wrapped around herself, eyes fixed on the floor, lips pressed together like she was holding back a scream.
I turned.
Slow.
Deliberate.
And walked toward her — not fast, just steady, like the tide pulling you back even when you swear you'll drown.
I stopped a foot away.
Didn't touch her.
Didn't speak.
Just waited, until she lifted her gaze, until her eyes met mine, until I saw the fear there, the doubt, the tiny flicker of hope she tried to hide.
"You're scared," I said, voice low.
She swallowed.
"Yes."
"Of me?" I reached out — slow — and brushed my thumb across her cheekbone — wiping away a tear she didn't know she'd shed.
"Then let me be the one who breaks the rules," I whispered. "Let me be the one who burns the bridges. Let me be the one who chooses you, even if it costs me everything."
I took her hand — gently — and pulled her toward me — until her chest pressed against mine.
"Stay," I murmured into her hair.
I tilted her chin up — until her eyes locked on mine.
"Everything will be fine," I said, voice rough. "I'll sort it out. I'll break the contract. I promised, but she didn't move, she just there standing akimbo
I kissed her — soft, slow, deep — like I was sealing a vow with my lips.
When I pulled back, her lips were parted, her eyes glazed, her fingers trembling against my shirt.
"Stay," I repeated — quieter now, almost a plea. "Just… stay."
> She didn't answer, didn't nod, Just stared at me like she was trying to memorize my face, like she was waiting for the lie to fall apart, like she was afraid to believe me. and then, slowly she shook her head.
"No." she said
I froze.
"What?" I exclaimed
"I won't stay." Her voice was steady, quiet, but unshakable. "Not like this.
I opened my mouth — to argue, to beg, to promise — but she stepback
You're promising, everything will be fine, But you can't do anything, she gritted her teeth. Because you're _engaged_. To someone else, someone rich, someone your parents picked, someone who doesn't love you but who will give you everything they think you need."
She laughed — a broken, bitter sound — and looked away.
"And I… I'm just a maid's, the girl who owed your family money. The girl you kissed in a moment of weakness. The girl who got caught up in your drama because she had no choice." I loved you at first sight, She swallowed hard.
"I can't date someone like you, Jun‑pyo. We're not the same. We never were. You live in mansions. my parents live in rented apartments. You have contracts. I have forbidden love. You have a future planned out in gold leaf and marble. I have… nothing."
She took a shaky breath.
"I won't be your burden. I won't be the girl you feel guilty about. I won't be the secret you hide in your closet. I won't be the 'what‑if' you regret when you're old and married to someone else."
She lifted her chin — proud, defiant — even as tears slid down her cheeks.
"So… don't tell me not to worry. Don't promise me to stay. Because you can't do anything.And I won't let you lie to yourself."
She turned and leave.
He didn't stop her, didn't speak.
Just watched her walk away — again — his heart pounding in his chest like a dying drum.
And when the door closed behind her — softly, finally — he whispered — voice raw, broken, barely audible:
"Then I'll be the only one who remembers you."
He didn't follow her downstairs.
Just sat there — silent, still — until the rain stopped.
Until the sun peeked through the clouds, until the silence became too loud to ignore.
Then he stood, and whispered,
"You're right, Bobae. We're different. But maybe… that's why I need you."
He picked up his phone, Typed one message.
Sent it.
Then he waited, for the storm inside him to quiet down before leaving the estate.