W. 5pm
14
As he quickly stepped out the front door, the night air brushed against his face. Seokjin took a deep breath in the cool air. He felt the lingering stuffiness in the house slowly dissipate. He pulled his phone out of his pocket. The time on the screen read 7:58.…It’s not time to close yet.Seokjin hesitated for a moment, then took a step forward. He didn't even need to think. His body had already reacted. His pace toward the parking lot quickened.
The moment I got in the car and started the engine, I didn't even turn on the radio. I didn't even bother setting the navigation. Now, I could drive with my eyes closed. My hands tightened on the steering wheel, and my foot pressed a little more firmly on the accelerator.
As the alley entrance came into view, his gaze first found the window. The lights were still on. Familiar lighting, the silhouettes of flower pots dimly visible. Seokjin parked his car and hurriedly opened the door. His pace was quick, but his heart felt strangely light. It wasn't too late.
At least, today.
15
Meanwhile, Yeoju cleaned up the counter and dimmed the light one last time. The clock was already a little past eight o'clock. Normally, they would have closed earlier, but Seokjin's visit had made closing later a habit. Still, knowing he wouldn't be there today, Yeoju took her time finishing up. She took off her apron, hung it up, and headed for the door.
It was then. The bell on the door rang with a bang. The female protagonist spoke reflexively.
“Oh, our sales are over today.”
He turned around before I could finish speaking.
It was a time when people wouldn't be visiting, but I tried not to expect any familiar faces, and I thought I'd just politely turn them away.
At that moment—
“....!”
An arm touched her from behind. No, it wasn't just a touch. A firm force wrapped around her waist, pulling her straight down.
Seokjin lowered his head to Yeoju's shoulder. Without hesitation or warning.
Seokjin's head rested near her collarbone, and his face was buried deep in her shoulder.
A breath brushed past. A quick, rough breath, poking between the collar of the heroine's clothes and her skin.
He took a long, deep breath.
The scent of flowers came first. It wasn't a scent that always permeated the store, but a scent that only Yeoju could smell.
An indescribable yet distinct scent, like a mixture of soap and earth, moisture and sunlight.
Seokjin's arm gained a little more strength.
It was closer to a gesture of not wanting to let go than a feeling of holding on.
As if trying to confirm in this moment what made me get through the day.
The heroine swallowed her breath.
I felt Seokjin's shoulders tremble slightly.Oh, something happened.
Only then did I realize. This wasn't an impulse or a joke.
16
The tension in Seokjin's arms slowly eased. The pressure that had just wrapped around Yeoju loosened slightly, and his breathing lost its ragged rhythm and slowed down. Yeoju sensed the change, but didn't pull away. Instead, she naturally turned in his embrace.
The distance between them remained close. Enough so that their warmth touched each other with each breath. Yeoju raised both hands and took Seokjin's face. Perhaps from the rush they'd made, his cheeks were cold, and a thin layer of sweat formed on his forehead. The warmth radiating from her palms felt strangely familiar.
Seokjin averted his gaze for a moment at the touch, then returned to the woman. His eyes, previously lost in the distance, slowly returned to reality. His expression, once rigid, hadn't completely crumbled, but fatigue and confusion peeped through the cracks.
The heroine asked carefully without letting go of his face.
“What’s wrong? Your complexion doesn’t look good.”
Seokjin couldn't immediately respond to Yeoju's question. The fact that her hand was still on his face seemed to make speaking more difficult. He lowered his gaze for a moment, took a deep breath, and then spoke.
“For the time being…”
"yes."
“I don’t think I’ll be able to come often.”
The female protagonist's fingertips paused for a moment. Seokjin immediately noticed this slight change. So he hurriedly continued speaking.
“That doesn’t mean I won’t come at all. Actually..”
He continued slowly, as if choosing his words, but eventually chose to speak honestly.
“I hope you don’t worry though.”
He looked straight at the heroine.
“I absolutely have not changed my mind.”
The female protagonist stared at his face without saying a word. Seokjin, feeling unnecessarily nervous, added.
“If I send you a text… please just accept it like you do now, except when you’re busy.”
After hesitating for a moment,
"Call me too. Occasionally is fine. As long as it's not too much of a burden."
The heroine briefly observed the scene, then chuckled. Rather than trying to break the mood, her expression seemed more like a way to ease the tension.
“Why are you so serious?”
I slowly lowered my hand and lightly grabbed his sleeve.
“It’s not like we’re going far or diving.”
Only then did Seokjin blink, looking a little embarrassed.
“No, that’s… I’m afraid you might misunderstand.”
“Don’t misunderstand.”
The heroine spoke firmly yet gently.
“It’s because Seokjin speaks so seriously.”
17
That day, they didn't continue talking. Yeoju, seemingly unwilling to unnecessarily weigh down the atmosphere, smiled and cleared the counter. Seokjin silently helped with the closing. He stayed with them until the very end, emptying the water jug, sweeping up fallen leaves, and lowering the shutter. Even after the store closed, he stood there for a long time.
Seokjin didn't turn around until Yeoju reached the entrance to the alley leading to his house. Only after she turned around and waved several times did he finally nod and head to his car. The moment the car door closed, only the low rumble of the engine echoed through the otherwise quiet space.
Kim Namjoon sat in the front seat. He was his longtime secretary, and he and Seokjin were close enough that they could be called brother and sister.
“Shall we go home?”
“No, to the office.”
It was a short answer. Namjoon didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he slowly started the car.
After a few seconds of silence, Seokjin opened his mouth.
"brother."
At those words, Namjoon's gaze briefly moved to the rearview mirror.
It was a title that was rarely used in public settings.
“I won’t be able to come here for a while.”
Namjoon waited in silence, knowing Seokjin would continue on his own.
“I would like you to report back to me.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s all about her.”
Seokjin said without hesitation.
“What you do, who you meet. Even the little things.”
“…Isn’t this crossing the line?”
Seokjin didn't laugh at that question. He averted his gaze from the window and slowly raised his head.
“The line that must not be crossed,”
He turned off the phone he was looking at and looked into the rearview mirror where Namjoon was looking and said.
“I decided.”
Silence fell again in the car, this time a bit heavier.
Namjoon didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he gave a short answer.
"All right."
Seokjin nodded.
His gaze was still fixed on a certain direction, but it was no longer in the direction of the flower shop or the heroine. However, one thing was clear: even as he prepared to leave, he had no intention of letting go.
18
The car glide silently along the highway. Streetlights outside the window flashed by at regular intervals, their light briefly illuminating Seokjin's face before disappearing. Seokjin rested his arm on the armrest and stared out the window. His expression was unchanged from usual, but his eyes remained fixed on one spot, unmoving easily. It was a habit that emerged when he was deep in thought.
"brother."
At the low voice, Namjoon turned his gaze to the rearview mirror. Seokjin was still looking out the window.
"Father's side, how much has been settled so far?"
"Officially, it's clean. The accounting audits, company finances, everything is organized and appears to be in order."
“.......“
“It’s so obvious that anyone would just pass it by if they didn’t look closely.”
At those words, Seokjin's eyes moved ever so slightly. Only then did his gaze shift from outside the window to Namjoon.
“Then, other than the official one.”
As if he'd been waiting for Seokjin to speak, Namjoon took out the prepared file and passed it to the backseat. Seokjin accepted it a beat later, pressing the cover with his fingertips.
"Thankfully, there was some money that leaked out unofficially. It was through an offshore shell company. This wasn't a quick hit and run, but a pattern that's been repeated for years."
Seokjin was silently flipping through the files. The numbers, corporate names, and account flows printed on the paper repeated with a steady rhythm. It was too regular to be a coincidence. A single paper company established overseas.
The name may have changed, but the money draining structure remained largely the same for years. Money from affiliates, under the guise of service fees, consulting fees, and investment funds, flowed through intermediaries and into the company. Then, it disappeared again. Seokjin's hand stopped on a page. It was the section with numbers.
Total amount,8.7 billion.
This guy stole a lot.He glanced at the number once more, expressionless. There was no surprise or anger. Instead, the corners of his mouth lowered ever so slightly. It seemed as if he was already within the expected range.
“This is only what has been confirmed so far.”
“.......”
“The traces were intentionally split, so there is a possibility that they will increase if you go further.”
Seokjin nodded. Without covering the file, he lightly pressed the top with his palm.
“This isn’t enough right now.”
Namjoon didn't object. It was a reaction he'd expected.
“Still, I can see all the directions I can run to.”
“When do you plan to write it?”
“Not yet. I can’t be the first to waver.”
City lights streamed outside the window. Somewhere among them, something he wanted to protect and something he needed to destroy existed simultaneously. Seokjin slowly closed his eyes and opened them again. His expression remained calm, but his mind was already unraveling.
It's not moving yet.
That night, Seokjin for the first timeThe choice not to run awaywas doing.