CHAPTER 34……………………………………………….
One of them slowly got up and headed toward the elevator. She had to collect the shopping bags she’d left behind earlier.
When she returned to the luxury boutique floor, the shopping bags were piled up like a mountain beside the sofa. Paper bags stamped clearly with brand logos were lined up in neat rows.
Am I supposed to carry all of this?
She let out a short breath. Without a word, she looped the bags over her hands one by one. It didn’t take long for both hands to be full. Every time the handles pressed against her wrists, a wave of pain surged through them.
Even so, she couldn’t stop.
She took the elevator up to the 10th floor. A luxury watch store caught her eye. Inside the glass display cases, watches sparkled brilliantly under the lights.
In the distance, she saw Misook and Serin. Serin was smiling as she tried a watch on her wrist, while Misook watched her with a pleased expression.
Carrying the shopping bags, she walked toward them slowly. Her arms grew heavier by the second. The marks on her wrists deepened, and her fingers began to tingle.
“Ugh…”
A small groan escaped her lips. She barely managed to reach the two of them and stopped behind them.
“You’re here?”
Misook turned her head and spoke. Their eyes met briefly before Misook’s attention returned to the watch.
“…Yes.”
She answered with difficulty. After that, another short silence followed.
That moment felt even more cruel.
Then, another voice came from behind.
“…Seo Hana, what are you doing here?”
At those words, Hana’s entire body froze. It felt as if electricity ran across her skin.
When she slowly turned her head, Gunwoo was standing there, staring at her with a cold, hardened expression.
His eyes trembled slightly, but they were filled with frost.
Misook and Serin turned their heads at the same time. Surprise flickered across their faces.
“G-Gunwoo? How did you end up here…?”
Misook hurriedly spoke. Though she tried to sound calm, her voice wavered with unease.
Gunwoo didn’t answer. His gaze swept over Misook and Serin before returning to Hana.
Then it stopped on the shopping bags clenched in both her hands. Some were already hanging from her wrists, the straps digging into her skin and leaving red marks.
The muscles in Gunwoo’s jaw tightened. His lips moved slowly.
“I’m asking you. What are you doing here?”
His voice carried unmistakable anger.
“Th-that’s…”
Hana couldn’t finish. Her lips trembled, but no sound came out.
At that moment, Misook hurriedly cut in, forcing a smile into her voice.
“Oh… well… I asked her to come shopping with us. I was going to buy Hana some clothes too.”
Gunwoo’s gaze shifted to Misook. He was listening, but he didn’t believe her. His eyes said it all.
A brief silence passed. The air gradually turned cold.
Avoiding his gaze, Misook continued nervously, “I was out with Serin, and I thought it would be nice if Hana joined us too…”
“So you could make her carry all the bags and shop comfortably?”
Gunwoo’s voice dropped low. Even with that calm tone, his eyes alone made his meaning clear.
Misook blurted out another excuse.
“No, it’s just… Hana said she’s strong and insisted on carrying them…”
Her voice grew smaller and smaller, as if she herself knew how ridiculous it sounded.
Gunwoo said nothing. He simply stared at her with an icy gaze.
The silence that followed was sharp as a blade. Misook finally couldn’t endure it and lowered her eyes. Serin quietly bowed her head as well.
There was no ease left on their faces.
Gunwoo slowly walked toward Hana. His footsteps echoed heavily.
Hana flinched instinctively.
What is he going to say? What should I say?
Without a word, Gunwoo began taking the shopping bags from her hands one by one—left hand, right hand, even the ones hanging from her arms.
When he removed the last one, the handle slipped off her wrist, revealing deep red indentations.
He threw the shopping bags onto the floor.
Thud.
The heavy sound echoed through the corridor.
For a moment, the air seemed to freeze. People’s gazes briefly turned toward them. Misook flinched and opened her mouth.
“Gunwoo, listen to your mother. It’s not what you—!”
“That’s enough.”
Gunwoo cut her off firmly. Then he gently took Hana’s wrist.
“Ah…”
A small cry slipped from her lips.
Gunwoo’s eyes darkened deeply. He wrapped his hand around her wrist more carefully and, without another word, slowly pulled her toward him.
“Let’s go.”
“Gunwoo, wait…!”
Misook called out to him, but he didn’t turn back. Holding Hana’s wrist, he walked down the corridor.
Hana followed as if being led away. Misook’s voice echoed from behind.
“Gunwoo! It’s a misunderstanding, really—Hana was the one who…!”
But Gunwoo didn’t stop. Only Serin’s small, trembling voice brushed through the air.
“What are we going to do…?”
At that, Misook clenched her teeth and muttered sharply,
“Be quiet.”
There was sharp anger embedded in her words.
Then her gaze shot toward Hana—cold, heavy, and filled with disbelief.
—
Gunwoo and Hana walked silently down the corridor toward the elevator. His grip was tight; the veins stood out on the back of his hand.
“Um…”
Hana called him cautiously, her voice trembling as if gauging his mood.
“Don’t say anything.”
At that single sentence, she closed her mouth.
Ding—
The elevator doors opened, and the two stepped inside without speaking.
As the doors closed, the noise from outside was cut off. Only the sound of their breathing remained in the narrow space.
Gunwoo slowly released Hana’s wrist. He stepped back, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes.
A shadow of fatigue and anger was cast across his face.
Hana glanced at him. His expression felt unfamiliar. He seemed angry, but also exhausted—like someone who had been suppressing something for a long time, and it had just burst out.
“Since when has this been happening?”
Gunwoo asked without opening his eyes. His voice was low, but the anger within it was clear.
“Pardon?”
Hana asked, startled. Gunwoo slowly lifted his head.
His eyes met hers.
“This isn’t the first time you’ve been dragged around like this, is it? Since when?”
His gaze pierced deeply into her. Hana quickly looked away. Her lips felt dry.
“…Just sometimes.”
She tried to sound casual, but her voice was too small.
The end of her sentence faded weakly.
In two years, she had lost count of how many times this had happened. There were far too many for the word sometimes to hold.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“…Mother told me not to.”
“Ha…”
Gunwoo ran a hand through his hair with an irritated sigh. The air inside the elevator grew even heavier.
At that moment, the elevator reached the first floor and the doors slowly opened.
Without a word, Gunwoo stepped out first. Hana followed. Their footsteps echoed clearly across the lobby floor.
On the way to the parking lot, a silence deeper than words lay between them.
Then Gunwoo’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He stopped walking and checked the message.
“Get in the car first.”
He handed the car key to Hana.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going…?”
Hana asked carefully.
“I need to pick up the watch. It’s a birthday gift for Suho.”
Hana nodded quietly. Only then did she understand why he had been there—and why they had run into each other at that exact moment.
