The dining hall still carried the weight of the argument.
Chairs were slightly pushed back. Glasses half-full. Dinner forgotten.
At the center of it, Min-Hyuk Kim stood bent almost ninety degrees in a deep bow.
"I'm very sorry, sir."
He bowed again toward Mr. Park.
"And to you too."
Another bow toward Seo-Yeon.
"I didn't expect my mother to say something like that."
His voice carried both embarrassment and determination.
"I truly apologize."
Mr. Park raised his hands slightly.
"There's no need to bow so much."
But Min-Hyuk bowed again anyway.
At that exact moment the dining room doors burst open.
Ji-Ah stormed in like a thundercloud wearing heels.
Her face was blazing.
Without warning she slammed her palm on the dining table.
BANG.
Everyone jumped.
Min-Hyuk straightened immediately.
Seo-Yeon blinked.
Mr. Park nearly dropped his teacup.
Ji-Ah looked like she might start a small war.
"That tyrant!"
Min-Hyuk blinked.
"…My brother?"
"Yes, your brother!"
She paced in front of the table like a lawyer building a case.
"I asked him about the marriage thing. You know what he said?"
They stared at her.
"He said he's not marrying anyone."
Min-Hyuk blinked again.
Then calmly said,
"He will."
Ji-Ah stopped mid-pace.
"You didn't hear the rest."
Her voice rose again.
"He insulted Seo-Yeon!"
Seo-Yeon's eyes widened.
Mr. Park's brows drew together.
Ji-Ah pointed angrily toward the door Ha-Joon had left through.
"He said why would his brother love someone so poor!"
Silence crashed over the room.
Min-Hyuk's jaw tightened.
Seo-Yeon looked down, clearly hurt.
Ji-Ah threw her hands in the air.
"And he said not to bother him again about the marriage!"
Min-Jea rubbed his face slowly.
Seo-Yeon then looked up at Ji-Ah.
Her voice gentle.
"Ji-Ah… please."
Ji-Ah stopped pacing.
Seo-Yeon reached for her hands.
"Only you can convince him."
Ji-Ah stared at her like she had just suggested wrestling a tiger.
"Me?"
She pulled her hands free dramatically. "I can't convince him about anything!"
Her voice rose again.
"That man doesn't listen to anyone!"
She pointed to herself. "To him I'm just a slave in his ridiculous contract!"
Her frustration poured out.
"I'm counting the days until it ends so I can disappear from his life forever!"
Seo-Yeon squeezed her hands again gently.
"Don't say that."
Ji-Ah looked at her sister.
"Maybe he has a reason."
Seo-Yeon's voice was soft but sincere. "Maybe he does."
Mr. Park cleared his throat.
His calm fatherly tone cut through the tension.
"Seo-Yeon will marry Min-Hyuk."
Min-Hyuk looked up immediately.
Mr. Park continued,
"I will speak to Madam myself."
Ji-Ah turned sharply.
"No."
The word stopped him.
Mr. Park blinked.
Ji-Ah sighed and ran a hand through her hair, thinking.
"No, you won't."
Her voice softened slightly.
"Talking to Madam will only make things worse."
The room waited.
Ji-Ah exhaled slowly.
"…I'll see what I can do."
Min-Hyuk blinked.
Seo-Yeon looked hopeful.
Ji-Ah looked extremely annoyed with her own decision.
"I'll talk to him."
Min-Hyuk's eyes widened.
"Really?"
Ji-Ah nodded reluctantly.
"Of course."
Then she pointed between the two of them.
"Anything for you idiots."
---
The apartment was quiet.
Soft night air slipped through the slightly open window, carrying the distant murmur of the city.
Inside, Ji-Ah stepped out of the bathroom, running a towel through her damp hair.
She wore loose pajamas, the kind meant for surrendering to sleep.
But sleep wasn't coming tonight.
Not with that argument replaying in her head.
On the bed, the small white kitten, Type, sat like a fluffy supervisor waiting for her shift to end.
Ji-Ah walked to the mirror.
Her reflection stared back.
Tired.
Annoyed.
She dragged a hand through her damp hair again.
"That man is unbelievable."
Her voice echoed softly in the quiet room.
"Arrogant jerk."
She ruffled her hair aggressively as if Ha-Joon himself were trapped in it.
Then she opened the small drawer beneath the mirror.
Inside lay a few simple things.
A comb.
Some hair ties.
A hair dryer.
She grabbed the dryer.
But something caught her eye.
A white envelope.
It was tucked at the back of the drawer like it had been hiding there for years.
Ji-Ah paused.
"…What's this?"
She set the hair dryer aside and pulled the envelope out.
It was plain.
Old.
The paper slightly yellowed at the edges.
Curiosity flickered in her eyes.
She walked back to the bed and jumped onto it cross-legged.
Type immediately crawled closer, tail swishing like he too wanted the gossip.
"Alright," she muttered.
"Let's see what mystery this house is hiding."
She opened the envelope slowly.
Something small slipped into her palm.
Ji-Ah froze.
A ring.
It looked like an engagement ring.
Simple.
Elegant.
But slightly dull, the metal faintly rusted from being stored too long.
Her brows pulled together.
"…Why is this here?"
Inside the envelope was also a folded letter.
Ji-Ah pulled it out carefully.
The paper crackled softly.
She unfolded it.
Her eyes moved to the first line.
Her expression changed instantly.
Dear My Love,
"…What the…"
She kept reading.
I know this came as a surprise to you.
This is our engagement ring, my own.
Since things are not working out and your mother wants us to separate, I think we should part ways. It's for the best.
Ji-Ah's fingers tightened slightly on the paper.
But know that I will always love you. If you're reading this letter, you have finally decided to return to this house. If it's another person reading it, I hope they give it to you.
I will always love you.
From Han Ji-Ah.
Silence swallowed the room.
Ji-Ah stared at the signature.
Her breath caught.
"Han… Ji-Ah?"
She whispered the name again.
"Han Ji-Ah…"
Her mind raced.
Who was that?
Her eyes flicked back to the ring.
Then to the letter.
Then suddenly a memory surfaced.
Ha-Joon's voice earlier in the car.
"That house… We used to live there."
Ji-Ah slowly lowered the letter.
"…Wait."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Was this… for him?"
Type tilted his tiny head as if equally invested.
Ji-Ah looked between the ring and the letter again.
"This house…"
She whispered.
"…belonged to them."
Her heart thumped once.
Twice.
She grabbed her phone from the bedside table.
Snap.
She took a picture of the ring.
Another of the letter.
Her thumb hovered over the screen.
"…I need to ask him."
The room fell quiet again.
Type curled beside her.
But Ji-Ah sat frozen on the bed, staring at the name written on the paper.
Han Ji-Ah.
A name that suddenly felt like a secret buried in the walls of the house.