Chapter 10 - the crack in the armor
The Hangar – After Hours.
The echoes of the departing team have faded, leaving a heavy, suffocating silence. HYUNA stands frozen, her shadow long against the cold floor. The broken white rose lies at her feet, a mangled symbol of a birthday that wasn't supposed to be like this.
JAE-WON walks back into the hangar, his footsteps light. He's already thinking of where to take her for a "consolation" dinner.
Jae-won: "Miss Hyuna! About that party? I know a great place that does the best—"
He stops mid-sentence. He sees her shoulders shaking. He sees the crushed petals. The "Sunshine Pilot" goes quiet, his playful expression melting into something deep and pained.
Jae-won: (Softly, stepping closer) "What happened, Hyuna-ssi? Are you okay?"
Hyuna: (Her voice cracking, a whisper of a broken girl) "No... I am not okay. I'm not okay at all."
And then, the dam breaks. She starts crying—not the quiet, polite tears from before, but real, soul-shaking sobs. She looks small, her 25th birthday dress feeling like a costume she no longer wants to wear.
Jae-won, a natural empath who feels the world's weight on his own shoulders, feels his own eyes grow teary. He doesn't ask questions. He doesn't try to "fix" it with a joke. He simply steps forward and pulls her into his arms.
Hyuna collapses against his chest, her hands clutching his pilot jacket. He wraps his arms around her, one hand resting on the back of her head, the other caressing her back in slow, soothing circles.
Jae-won: "Shh... it's okay. You can cry. Just let it out. I'm right here."
The Hallway – Moments Later.
HAEYOUNG is walking back toward the hangar. She's holding a thick blue folder—the one Jae-won needs for his early morning flight to London. She moves with her usual efficiency, her heels clicking rhythmically.
I should have just given it to him at dinner, she thinks. But there is no dinner tonight.
She reaches the entrance to the tarmac and stops. Her entire body goes rigid. Through the glass doors, framed by the moonlight and the industrial orange glow of the hangar lights, she sees them.
She sees Jae-won—her priority, her anchor, the only person allowed inside her limits—holding Hyuna. She sees the way he is caressing her back, the way he is leaning his head against hers. It isn't a casual hug; it's an intimate, protective embrace.
Haeyoung's feet move backward instinctively, as if she's been physically struck. Her breath hitches, then stops entirely. The folder in her hand begins to shake. For the first time in years, the "Ice Queen" loses her composure. Her hands are trembling so violently she has to tuck them into her pockets.
She turns and bolts. She doesn't walk; she runs toward the parking lot, her vision blurring.
Junghan: (Calling out from the lobby) "Captain Hong! Haeyoung! Wait, I have the revised—"
He sees her. He sees her racing past him, her face as pale as a ghost, her eyes wide and panicked. She doesn't hear him. She doesn't hear anything but the roar of blood in her ears.
The Han River – 11:30 PM.
Haeyoung's car screeches to a halt by the dark water of the Han River. She kills the engine, but the silence makes it worse. She grips the steering wheel, her knuckles white. Her breathing is shallow, coming in jagged, terrifying gasps.
A panic attack. The one thing she has fought to keep hidden behind her gold pilot bars is winning.
She reaches for the glove compartment with trembling fingers and pulls out a small, amber bottle. Panic pills. She fumbles with the cap, spills two onto her palm, and swallows them dry.
She leans forward, pressing her forehead against the steering wheel. Her heart is hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird.
Haeyoung: (Whistling a shaky breath) "Priority... I said I wanted to be the priority... I'm a fool."
She stays there, alone in the dark, waiting for the medicine to dull the ache of seeing her only friend hold someone else.