The hotel room had become completely silent.
Outside the windows, Vancouver was buried beneath the cold darkness of night. The lights from the buildings across the street blurred against the glass, some of them trembling slightly whenever the wind moved past.
Ji-Ah had been asleep for hours.
She had fallen asleep without properly deciding to.
One moment she had been lying beneath the blankets, staring at the ceiling and thinking about everything she had discovered.
The next, her thoughts had begun to lose their shape.
Seo-Rin.
Ji-Hoo.
Tae-Hyun.
The documents.
The medical reports.
The abandoned building.
The voice on the phone.
And Ha-Joon.
Especially Ha-Joon.
Her mind had gone over everything so many times that eventually even thinking had become exhausting.
Now she slept deeply.
But her face wasn't peaceful.
Her eyebrows were faintly drawn together, and every once in a while her fingers moved against the blanket as though she were trying to hold onto something in her sleep.
Then the dream began.
At first, Ji-Ah didn't know she was dreaming.
She simply opened her eyes.
Cold air touched her face.
She blinked.
The first thing she noticed was the smell.
Dust. Damp concrete. Something old.
Her eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness. She was standing in the abandoned building.
The same building. The same place where she had met Ji-Hoo.
The same cracked walls. The same broken windows. The same uneven floor covered in dust.
Even the thin line of pale light coming through the damaged ceiling was exactly where she remembered it.
Ji-Ah stood completely still. She looked down at herself. She was wearing the clothes she'd gone to sleep in.
That should have made her realize something was wrong. It didn't.
Dreams rarely announce themselves politely.
She rubbed her arms. The cold felt real. Too real.
Her breath even seemed to disappear faintly in front of her.
She slowly turned toward the entrance. Nothing. Only darkness.
"Hello?"
Her voice traveled through the empty building.
It bounced against the walls and returned to her in a faint echo.
Ji-Ah frowned. She took a careful step forward.
The sole of her shoe scraped against the concrete. The sound seemed incredibly loud.
She stopped. Something about the place felt different. She couldn't explain what.
It was the building she remembered, but it felt as though it had been waiting for her.
Then she heard footsteps.
Ji-Ah's head turned sharply.
Someone was coming from the other side of the room.
Min-Ji. Ji-Ah's stomach tightened.
Min-Ji walked slowly into the pale strip of light.
Her clothes were neat.
Her hair was perfect.
There wasn't a single strand out of place.
But there was something terribly strange about her face. She wasn't smiling. She simply looked at Ji-Ah. And behind her came someone else.
Seo-Yeon.
Then Min-Hyuk.
Then Yoo-Na.
Ji-Ah's confusion deepened. She looked from one person to another. Nobody seemed surprised to see her. Nobody asked how she had gotten there.
Nobody asked if she was okay. They simply stood there. Watching.
Ji-Ah gave a small, nervous laugh. The sound died almost immediately. "What's going on?"
No one answered.
The silence became heavier.
She looked at Yoo-Na.
Normally, Yoo-Na would have already said something.
Probably complained about the building.
Probably complained about the cold.
Probably complained about why everyone was standing around like they were waiting for a funeral.
But Yoo-Na's face was blank.
She wouldn't even look at Ji-Ah.
A small knot formed in Ji-Ah's stomach.
She turned back toward Min-Ji.
Min-Ji finally moved.
Her footsteps were slow.
Deliberate.
Each one echoed against the concrete.
Ji-Ah instinctively stepped backward.
Min-Ji stopped. "You really don't know?"
Ji-Ah stared at her. "Know what?"
Min-Ji's expression barely changed. "You've been pretending for so long."
The words didn't make sense.
Ji-Ah shook her head. "I haven't."
Min-Ji's eyes hardened.
And suddenly the others began speaking.
Not loudly.
That was what made it worse.
Their voices overlapped quietly around her.
Liar.
Attention seeker.
Marriage destroyer.
Ji-Ah's face slowly lost its color. "Stop."
Nobody did.
She turned around.
Seo-Yeon was looking at her. There was disappointment in her eyes. That hurt.
Ji-Ah knew that look. Or at least she thought she did.
"Seo-Yeon..."
Seo-Yeon didn't answer.
Ji-Ah took a step toward her. "Please."
Still nothing.
Ji-Ah's eyes moved toward Min-Hyuk.
Then Yoo-Na.
Yoo-Na finally looked at her.
For one brief second, their eyes met.
Ji-Ah felt relief.
There. Someone would understand. Someone would say this wasn't true. But Yoo-Na looked away. The relief disappeared.
Ji-Ah's chest tightened. "Yoo-Na?"
Nothing.
Her breathing became shallower.
She turned back toward Min-Ji. Min-Ji was smiling now.
Not happily. It was the kind of smile that told Ji-Ah she already knew how this would end.
"You wanted Ha-Joon."
Ji-Ah shook her head. "No."
"You stayed beside him."
"Because I'm his secretary."
"You followed him."
"I work for him."
"You touched him."
Ji-Ah froze.
The abandoned building seemed to become colder.
Her mind immediately returned to that night.
Ha-Joon lying on the bed. His unfocused eyes.
The medicine. Her trying to help him.
Min-Ji's phone. The video.
Ji-Ah's stomach twisted. "I was helping him."
The words came out weakly.
Min-Ji's smile widened.
The others looked at her.
Ji-Ah suddenly felt as though she were standing in the middle of a courtroom.
Except there was no judge.
No one asking for her side.
The verdict had already been decided.
She looked around desperately. "That's not what happened."
Nobody answered.
Then she heard another sound.
Footsteps.Slow. Heavy.
Ji-Ah turned. Ha-Joon was standing near the entrance.
Her entire body seemed to relax for half a second.
"Ha-Joon."
He looked at her.
His face was calm.
Too calm.
There was no anger.
No warmth either.
Just disappointment.
Ji-Ah's relief disappeared almost immediately.
She took a step toward him. "You know."
Her voice trembled. "You were there."
Ha-Joon didn't move.
Ji-Ah took another step. "You know I was helping you."
His expression didn't change.
The space between them suddenly felt much larger than it actually was.
He finally spoke.
His voice was quiet. "You lied to me."
Ji-Ah shook her head. "No."
"You betrayed me."
"No."
"You destroyed everything."
Ji-Ah's eyes filled with tears. "I didn't."
She tried to move closer. Her foot wouldn't move. She looked down. Her shoe was firmly planted against the concrete. She tried again. Nothing. Panic began crawling up her chest.
She looked at Ha-Joon. "Why can't I move?"
He remained where he was.
Ji-Ah reached toward him.
Her fingers trembled in the cold air. "Ha-Joon..."
He turned slightly away.
That tiny movement shattered something inside her.
"No." She shook her head. "Don't."
She tried to move again.
Nothing. Her breathing became faster. She could hear everyone's voices behind her again. Liar.
Marriage destroyer. She wanted his money. She wanted his position. She wanted him.
Ji-Ah pressed her hands against her ears. "Stop."
The voices grew louder.
She looked toward Ha-Joon again.
He was farther away now.
She didn't understand how.
He hadn't even walked.
Yet the distance between them seemed endless. "Ha-Joon!"
He didn't answer.
She tried to call him again. Her voice caught.
Nothing came out. Her throat felt sealed shut. She panicked.
She tried again. Still nothing. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Then she felt something behind her. A hand.
Ji-Ah froze. The warmth of it against her back was so startling that every muscle in her body tightened.
She couldn't see who was there.
Slowly, she turned her head. Nothing.
Only darkness.
Her heart began pounding. She looked toward Ha-Joon. He was still there.
Watching.
Not moving.
Ji-Ah's lips trembled. She reached toward him.
And then the hand pressed against her back. Everything shifted.
The floor seemed to tilt.
Ji-Ah stumbled.
She screamed. "Ha-Joon!"
He didn't move.
She reached toward him again.
The darkness swallowed the space between them.
And then Ji-Ah woke up.
She shot upright in bed.
A scream tore from her throat before she could stop it. "Ha-Joon!"
Her hands immediately grabbed the blanket.
She couldn't breathe properly.
For several seconds, she didn't know where she was.
Her eyes flew around the room.
The curtains. The bedside lamp. The chair near the window.
Her suitcase. The glass of water she'd left beside the bed.
The hotel room.
She stared at everything as though she had never seen any of it before.
Her chest continued rising and falling rapidly.
She touched the mattress beneath her.
Then the blanket. Then her own face.
Her fingertips came away wet.
Ji-Ah stared at them.
Tears.
She hadn't even realized she was crying.
Her breathing slowly began to settle.
"It was a dream..."
Her voice sounded tiny in the dark room.
She swallowed. "It was just a dream."
But her body still felt as though she were standing inside that building.
She could still feel the cold.
She could still see Ha-Joon's face.
She could still hear those words.
You lied to me.
Ji-Ah shut her eyes. "No."
Another tear slipped down her cheek.
"He wouldn't..."
She couldn't finish. A soft click came from the door.
Ji-Ah immediately looked up. The door opened.
Yoo-Na stepped inside. She had probably expected to find Ji-Ah asleep.
Instead, she found her sitting upright with tangled hair, tear-streaked cheeks and a blanket clutched tightly around her.
Yoo-Na's expression changed instantly. "Ji-Ah?"
Ji-Ah looked at her.
For a moment, she tried to pretend she was fine.
Her lips even parted as though she were about to say it.
But the moment Yoo-Na walked closer, the last bit of control she had disappeared.
Yoo-Na sat beside her and pulled her gently into a hug.
Ji-Ah leaned against her immediately. Her forehead rested against Yoo-Na's shoulder.
Yoo-Na slowly rubbed her back. "It's okay."
Ji-Ah sniffed.
She stayed quiet for a few seconds.
Then, barely above a whisper, she admitted, "It felt real."
Yoo-Na didn't rush to answer.
She simply continued rubbing her back.
Ji-Ah's fingers tightened around her sleeve. "Everyone was there."
Her voice trembled. "Everyone was looking at me."
Yoo-Na's hand moved gently between her shoulders.
"And Ha-Joon..."
Ji-Ah stopped. She swallowed. "He looked at me like he hated me."
Yoo-Na pulled back enough to look at her. "It was a nightmare."
"I know."
"He doesn't hate you."
"I know."
Ji-Ah wiped beneath her eyes. "But my mind keeps making everything worse."
Yoo-Na nodded. "Because you've been thinking about all of this too much."
Ji-Ah looked down. "The truth is chasing me even when I'm asleep."
That made Yoo-Na's expression soften.
Ji-Ah took a shaky breath. "I just want Min-Ji gone."
Yoo-Na nodded. "So do I."
Ji-Ah looked at her. "But we have to be careful."
"I know."
"I can't let that video destroy Ha-Joon."
Yoo-Na's expression became serious. "Then we don't let it."
Ji-Ah nodded slowly.
The room became quiet again.
Not frightening this time.
Just quiet.
After a few seconds, Yoo-Na glanced toward Ji-Ah's ankle. "Did you eat?"
Ji-Ah immediately looked away. "No."
Yoo-Na sighed. "Of course."
"I'm not hungry."
"That's not an answer."
Yoo-Na was about to say something else when she heard footsteps outside.
She turned toward the door.
A shadow appeared beneath it.
Then the handle moved.
Yoo-Na opened the door.
Ha-Joon stood there holding a tray of food.
Yoo-Na looked at the tray.
Then at him.
Her eyebrows rose.
Ha-Joon already knew what she was thinking. "Don't."
Yoo-Na's mouth curved. "You brought her food."
"Move."
She glanced toward Ji-Ah.
Then back at him. "She had a nightmare."
Ha-Joon's expression changed.
The faint amusement disappeared.
His eyes immediately moved toward Ji-Ah.
She was still sitting on the bed, trying to wipe the last traces of tears from her face.
Yoo-Na stepped aside. "She's scared."
Ha-Joon nodded once. "I know."
Yoo-Na smiled faintly. "Then go."
He entered quietly.
Yoo-Na walked away.
Then, naturally, she couldn't resist. "Love sick!"
Ha-Joon closed his eyes. "Yoo-Na."
Her laughter floated down the hallway.
Ji-Ah's lips twitched.
It wasn't a full smile.
Not yet.
But it was enough to make the room feel a little less cold.