Yuna:
Ethan's phone rang at the exact moment the tension in the room had just begun to settle.
The sharp vibration cut through the quiet.
He didn't even need to look at the screen for long.
"Kai," he muttered, already turning away.
Without another word, he walked toward the stairs, his expression shifting back into that familiar cold focus. Business. Control. Distance.
I watched him go.
Something in my chest tightened slightly.
Not because he was leaving—but because I could already feel that whatever that call was about… it wasn't small.
His footsteps faded upstairs.
The sound of a door closing followed.
And just like that—
I was alone.
With her.
---
The silence that followed felt different.
Heavier.
More noticeable.
I shifted slightly where I stood, suddenly aware of myself again.
Elena didn't say anything immediately.
She just… looked at me.
Not in a rude way.
Not even in a threatening way.
Just… studying me.
Trying to understand me.
I swallowed softly.
"…What?" I asked, unable to take the silence anymore.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
"Nothing."
"That doesn't look like nothing."
She chuckled lightly.
"You're more direct than I expected."
"I don't like being stared at."
"Good," she said. "You'll need that."
I frowned slightly.
"…Need that for what?"
She didn't answer that.
Instead, she stepped a little closer, her arms crossing loosely.
"So," she said casually, "how did you meet Ethan?"
The question caught me off guard.
I hesitated for a second.
But something about her tone—it wasn't mocking this time.
It was… curious.
Genuine.
So I answered.
"We met when I was nineteen."
Her eyebrows lifted slightly.
"That young?"
I nodded.
"Yes."
"And?"
I took a small breath.
"We lived together."
Her eyes widened just a little.
"For how long?"
"Three years."
Now she was fully interested.
"Three years…" she repeated slowly.
"And then?"
I looked down briefly.
"…We broke up."
The word felt strange even now.
Elena tilted her head.
"Why?"
I didn't answer that.
Not fully.
"Things happened," I said softly. "We separated."
She didn't push.
But she didn't let it go either.
"And after that?"
"We didn't meet again for six years."
There was a pause.
Then—
Elena laughed.
Not loudly.
But clearly.
I blinked, confused.
"…Why are you laughing?"
She looked at me, amusement still in her eyes.
"You really think he let you go for six years?"
I frowned.
"What do you mean?"
She shook her head slightly.
"You don't understand him."
Something about the way she said that—
Made my heart beat a little faster.
"He doesn't leave things behind," she continued. "Especially not something important."
I stared at her.
"…Important?"
Her gaze met mine directly.
"You."
My breath caught slightly.
"That's not true," I said quickly. "We didn't see each other for years."
"That doesn't mean he forgot you."
Her voice was calm.
Certain.
And for some reason—
That certainty unsettled me more than anything else.
I looked away.
"…Then why didn't he come back?"
Elena didn't answer immediately.
For the first time—
She hesitated.
Her expression changed.
Just slightly.
Like she was thinking about something she wasn't sure she should say.
"…He's different now," she said instead.
I looked at her again.
"…Different how?"
Another pause.
Then she exhaled softly.
"…Better."
"That doesn't explain anything."
She smiled faintly.
"I know."
"Then explain it."
She looked at me for a long second.
Her eyes searching mine.
"…Maybe because of you," she said quietly.
I froze.
"What?"
"He's changed," she repeated. "And I haven't seen that in years."
Her voice had lost its teasing edge.
Now it sounded… real.
Serious.
"Before," she continued slowly, "he didn't care about anything. Or anyone."
My chest tightened.
"…And now?"
She looked at me.
"…Now he does."
Silence filled the space between us.
My mind racing.
Trying to connect everything.
Trying to understand.
"…What happened to him?" I asked softly.
Her expression shifted again.
Closed.
Guarded.
"Nothing you need to worry about."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're getting."
I frowned.
"Why?"
"Because," she said simply, "some things are better left alone."
I didn't like that.
Not at all.
I opened my mouth to ask again—
But she spoke first.
Changing the topic completely.
"I'm his sister."
I blinked.
"…You already said that."
She shook her head slightly.
"No. Not like you think."
I frowned.
"…Then what?"
"I'm his uncle's daughter," she explained. "His father's younger brother."
I processed that.
"So… cousin?"
"Yes," she said. "But we grew up close. Closer than most siblings."
Her tone softened slightly.
"He trusts me."
That was… surprising.
Because Ethan didn't seem like someone who trusted easily.
"And you?" I asked. "Do you trust him?"
She smiled faintly.
"With my life."
That answer came too quickly to doubt.
---
A small silence followed.
Then she looked at me again.
This time—
Warmer.
"I like seeing him like this," she said.
I blinked.
"…Like what?"
"With you."
My heart skipped.
"He's… different," she repeated.
I didn't know what to say to that.
So I stayed quiet.
But inside—
Something shifted.
---
"I was going to ask you something else—" I started.
But before I could finish—
Footsteps.
Coming down the stairs.
We both turned.
Ethan.
He looked exactly like before.
Composed.
Untouchable.
But there was something sharper in his eyes now.
More focused.
More dangerous.
"Elena," he said.
She raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"I'm leaving."
Her expression changed slightly.
"…Already?"
"Yes."
She studied him for a moment.
Then asked—
"Are you going to meet him?"
The word hung in the air.
Him.
She didn't say the name.
But somehow—
I felt it.
Important.
Dangerous.
Ethan didn't answer directly.
But his silence said enough.
Elena sighed softly.
"…You really don't waste time."
"No."
She crossed her arms.
"Be careful."
His gaze met hers.
"I always am."
---
Then—
He looked at me.
Just for a second.
But it felt longer.
"You stay here," he said.
"With her."
I blinked.
"…Where are you going?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he turned.
Walking toward the elevator.
Like the conversation was already over.
"Ethan—"
But the doors opened.
And he stepped inside.
Without looking back.
The elevator closed.
And he was gone.
---
I stood there for a moment.
Staring at the empty space where he had been.
Then I turned to Elena.
"…Where is he going?"
She looked at me.
Then sighed.
"…It's not something simple."
"That doesn't tell me anything."
"It's not supposed to."
I frowned.
"Why is everything so complicated with him?"
She smiled faintly.
"Because his life is."
I stepped closer.
"…Tell me."
She hesitated.
Then shook her head.
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because if you're really going to stay with him," she said quietly, "you'll find out on your own."
Her words sent a chill through me.
"…That doesn't sound good."
"It's not."
Silence.
Then she added—
Softly.
"…But neither is loving him."
My breath caught.
I didn't respond.
Because deep down—
I already knew that.