The day of the engagement ceremony was startlingly bright. With not a single cloud in the vast blue sky, everyone chimed in, calling them a blessed couple—but Winston felt absolutely nothing.
When his engagement to Evelyn had been decided, she had asked him cautiously, “Would it be okay… if it were me?” Winston, out of the bare minimum sense of friendship, had answered honestly.
“I don’t care who it is.”
Whether Evelyn had been hurt by that or not—he never knew. Because, quite literally, he didn’t care.
It was as if his heart had disappeared somewhere. No matter what he did, no emotions stirred. Even though these things were happening to him, it all felt like someone else’s story. Winston had believed he died that day.
So when he heard that Yu-jin had come looking for him just hours before the ceremony, he remained calm and indifferent.
“Will you be all right? I worry that thing might try to deceive you again with some other lie…”
Madam Campbell sighed as she tried to stop him, but Winston replied impassively.
“It’ll be fine.”
Leaving only those words behind, he walked away. Watching her son’s retreating back, she wore a deeply troubled expression—but that was all she could do. Winston was still walking with crutches, but he was in far better shape than before. The day he’d finally be free of those damn things wasn’t far off.
And the crutches weren’t the only thing he’d be letting go of.
When he opened the door without knocking, the lover he had once loved so deeply was waiting inside. Seol Yu-jin, shrinking back with a terrified expression, had tears welling up in his wide eyes the instant he saw Winston’s face.
“Winnie…!”
Yu-jin started to run toward him, calling his name, but then froze. It wasn’t just because Winston was still using crutches. Clearly, he’d sensed something off in Winston’s expression. And Winston, in turn, merely stared at him blankly.
“How’s… your body…?”
Yu-jin spoke cautiously.
“Fine.”
Winston responded in a flat tone—and that was it. Yu-jin let out a breath of relief, muttering, “That’s good,” but it was clear he hadn’t truly relaxed.
“About the crutches… what happened? Don’t tell me you’ll still have to…”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll be able to walk without them soon.”
Winston told him the truth, as he always did. He didn’t lie—unlike Yu-jin. Yeah, Yu-jin replied again, and an awkward silence settled between them. It was the first time things had felt this uncomfortable. Normally, whenever they saw each other, they were always eager to talk more, to steal another kiss. This tense air was unfamiliar, unsettling.
“…Um.”
Yu-jin hesitated, struggling to gather the courage to speak.
“Are you… really mad at me…?”
“Me?”
At Winston’s indifferent reply, Yu-jin gave a small nod after a brief pause.
“Because of me… you a-almost died…”
His words trembled, as though he was desperately holding back the surge of emotion welling up inside him. In the past, Winston would’ve pulled him into an embrace right away, telling him it was fine, that everything was okay. But now, Winston didn’t lift a single finger. He simply looked at Yu-jin—cold, unmoving. The unease in Yu-jin’s eyes grew more frantic by the second.
“I’m sorry, Winston. It must’ve hurt a lot… didn’t it…?”
Yu-jin’s voice quivered. His anxious glances, his helpless body language—it was like watching a prey animal cornered before a predator, trembling in fear, unsure when it might be devoured. But for Winston, it was strangely hollow. He felt nothing. Back then, he would’ve clumsily fumbled to comfort Yu-jin, panicked at the sight of his tears—but now, he just stared as if it were someone else’s problem entirely.
“Yu-jin.”
“Yeah.”
Yu-jin immediately responded at the sound of his name, as if on edge, watching Winston carefully.
“Is that all you came to say?”
Silence fell again. Yu-jin held his breath, staring at him. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. His lips just moved noiselessly before a voice—barely audible, as if it were dying—finally escaped.
“Is it… true? That you’re getting… engaged? To Evelyn?”
Winston simply stared at him in silence. But that alone was answer enough.
“…How…”
Yu-jin’s eyes instantly shimmered with tears. He clenched his fists, only to unclench them again in helpless frustration. He repeated the motion several times—fists tightening and loosening—as if he wanted to hit Winston but couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, his voice cracked with a mix of sobs and outrage as he cried out.
“How could you?! How could you do this to me?! You said you loved me! You said I was yours!”
Winston said nothing. He turned his back as if he didn’t need to hear any more. Yu-jin’s face went pale as he rushed forward, grabbing onto him in desperation.
“W-Wait! Don’t go!”
Finally, Yu-jin dropped to his knees. Clinging to Winston’s leg, he screamed like a madman.
“Don’t go, Winston! I-It’s okay if you marry Evelyn. I’ll endure it. Just let me stay by your side—I’m fine with that, really!”
That was what grated on Winston the most.
“So you prefer being the mistress now? What about back then—weren’t you jealous of Evelyn?”
Yu-jin hesitated for a moment. As if choosing his words carefully, he finally replied.
“I’m fine being the other one… I’m not jealous anymore. Evelyn suits you better anyway.”
“…Ha.”
Winston let out a bitter, incredulous breath. But just as he turned to leave again, Yu-jin grabbed onto him once more, clinging desperately.
“W-Wait, Winston! It was my fault, all of it was my fault—please, I’m begging you, forgive me!”
You’re the only one I have… Yu-jin pleaded desperately, looking up at him. As he gazed down at the tear-soaked face of his lover, Winston finally spoke.
“For what?”
Yu-jin blinked, stunned by the unfamiliar chill in his voice. Winston repeated the question, enunciating each word as though biting down on them.
“What exactly did you do wrong?”
Yu-jin couldn’t answer. Maybe he was trying to figure out what response might placate Winston. But Winston believed that no matter what came out of his mouth now, he wouldn’t be moved—he wouldn’t be shocked, and certainly wouldn’t change his mind. And yet, even in that hopelessness, Yu-jin still clung to a shred of desperation.
“…I…”
Yu-jin finally spoke, his voice tight with anxiety, breath shallow. For a split second, Winston’s brow twitched. No… please, don’t say it. Staring him down, Winston waited. And then Yu-jin confessed.
“I’m pregnant.”
Ah…
Winston’s expression crumbled into vacant disbelief.
How could you… How can you still…
“It’s your child,” Yu-jin added in a trembling voice.
A memory flashed in Winston’s mind—Yu-jin, smiling in his father’s arms. That image burned vivid before his eyes. A bitter smirk curled on his lips.
You really intend to trample over my love until the very end.
The face of the man before him looked no different from how he remembered. The only thing that had changed—was Winston himself. His expression as he looked down at his former lover was now filled only with bitterness, regret, and resentment.
That day, Yu-jin vanished from his life. Winston thought he would never see him again for the rest of his life.
And so nearly five years passed.
He had planned to carry out the rest of his meaningless life with a heart long since dead. And maybe, just maybe, that really would have come true—
—if not for Harold’s final words.
***
“Ugh…”
Yu-jin let out a soft groan, his brow furrowing in pain. As he slowly lifted his eyelids, an unfamiliar ceiling came into view. After blinking several times to bring it into focus, the image around him gradually became clearer.
Where… am I?
Turning his head in confusion, he spotted the medical equipment connected to his body—and it finally dawned on him.
He was in a hospital.
With that realization, memories began trickling back, piece by piece—and a shiver ran down his spine.
He remembered—he had almost died.
Thankfully, he was still alive. The aching pain coursing through his body was undeniable proof of that. Sitting in a chair, against one of the walls—
The next thing he noticed was the figure of a man fast asleep nearby.
Winston.
The moment he recognized him, Yu-jin’s heart began pounding like mad. What is he doing here? Was he guarding him in case Yu-jin tried to escape in this condition? Is Angela okay? What about Charlotte…?
A flood of thoughts came crashing in, so overwhelming that even breathing became difficult. Gasping for air, Yu-jin forced himself to stop thinking. Right now, the most important thing was to assess his own condition.
His hands fumbled across his body until they brushed against a thick bandage wrapped around his chest. It felt like he’d been stabbed multiple times, but they hadn’t been fatal wounds. Come to think of it, it wasn’t surprising. Charlotte didn’t seem like someone who had any real experience wielding a knife—so failure had probably been the likelier outcome.
But why would she do something like that to me…?
Just as that thought surfaced, Winston let out a faint groan, his brow creasing in discomfort. Startled, Yu-jin tensed, watching him warily. Slowly, Winston opened his eyes.
And at last, their gazes met.
