CHAPTER: THE STORM THAT WON'T STOP
JAE RIN'S POV
Morning sunlight slowly slipped through the tall glass windows of the penthouse.
Seoul was already awake.
Cars moved through the streets far below, the city buzzing with energy like it always did.
But inside the penthouse, everything was quiet.
Too quiet.
Jae Rin slowly opened her eyes.
For a moment she didn't move.
Her long silky hair was spread across the pillow and the blanket, almost reaching the edge of the bed. The exhaustion from the past few days still clung to her body.
The concert.
The meeting.
Seeing them again after eleven years.
Her mind felt heavy.
She stared at the ceiling.
Then she sighed softly.
"진짜 피곤해…"
(I'm really tired…)
A few seconds later she heard movement outside the room.
Footsteps.
The smell of food.
And then—
A knock.
"Jae Rin? Are you awake?"
Min Jae.
Her lips curved into a small smile.
"들어와."
(Come in.)
The door opened.
Min Jae walked in holding a tray.
And Jae Rin immediately sat up.
"잠깐… 저거 음식이야?"
(Wait… is that food?)
Min Jae looked offended.
"야, 내가 아침 일찍 일어나서 만든 거야."
(Hey, I woke up early and made this.)
She stared at the tray.
Eggs.
Toast.
Fruit.
And coffee.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"네가 요리했다고?"
(You cooked?)
Min Jae placed the tray on the bed.
"응."
(Yes.)
She looked suspicious.
"부엌은 아직 살아있어?"
(Did the kitchen survive?)
Min Jae sighed dramatically.
"너 진짜 너무해."
(You're unbelievable.)
She laughed softly.
For the first time since the meeting, the tension in her chest eased a little.
Min Jae sat beside her.
"어제 완전히 기절한 것처럼 잤어."
(You slept like you passed out.)
She grabbed the coffee.
"그렇게 느껴졌어."
(It felt like that.)
Then she went quiet.
Min Jae noticed immediately.
"어제 일 생각하는 거지?"
(You're thinking about yesterday, right?)
She didn't answer.
Which was answer enough.
Min Jae leaned back slightly.
"그래서."
(So.)
She looked at him.
"그래서 뭐?"
(So what?)
"네 계획은 성공한 거야?"
(Did your plan work?)
Jae Rin smirked slightly.
"완벽했어."
(Perfectly.)
"Keifer 표정 봤어? 완전 멈춰버렸어."
(Did you see Keifer's face? His brain literally stopped working.)
Min Jae chuckled.
"그건 맞아."
(That's true.)
She took another sip of coffee.
But then her expression slowly changed.
More serious.
"근데… 생각보다 이상했어."
(But… it felt stranger than I expected.)
Min Jae tilted his head.
"어떻게?"
(How?)
Jae Rin looked down at her hands.
Seeing them again had felt strange.
Not painful.
Not exactly.
But like opening a door she had sealed shut years ago.
She finally spoke.
"다들 변했어."
(They all changed.)
Min Jae nodded.
"11년이면 당연하지."
(Eleven years will do that.)
She nodded slowly.
"Aries… 더 늙어 보였어."
(Aries looked older.)
Min Jae stayed silent.
She continued quietly.
"Angelo는… 죄책감 있는 얼굴이었어."
(Angelo looked guilty.)
Min Jae leaned forward slightly.
"그리고 Keifer는?"
(And Keifer?)
She froze.
For a moment she didn't answer.
Then she sighed.
"…똑같았어."
(The same.)
Min Jae didn't like the way she said that.
"어떻게 똑같아?"
(The same how?)
Jae Rin stared out the window.
"아무 일도 없었던 것처럼."
(Like nothing ever happened.)
Like the past didn't exist.
Like he still believed he could walk back into her life.
Her voice hardened slightly.
"근데 일은 있었어."
(But things did happen.)
Min Jae nodded slowly.
"맞아."
(Yeah.)
Then he reached forward and flicked her forehead.
She blinked.
"야!"
(Hey!)
"아파!"
(That hurt!)
"그만 생각해."
(Stop overthinking.)
She glared at him.
"진짜 아팠어."
(That actually hurt.)
"필요했어."
(You needed it.)
She crossed her arms.
"너 진짜 무례해."
(You're rude.)
Min Jae shrugged.
"너는 드라마 같아."
(You're dramatic.)
She tried to stay annoyed.
But after a moment she laughed.
The tension faded again.
Then Min Jae suddenly spoke.
"근데 있잖아."
(But you know…)
She looked at him.
"그 사람들이 포기 안 할 거야."
(They won't give up.)
Jae Rin already knew that.
Keifer especially.
He had always been stubborn.
And now that he had finally found her again…
He definitely wouldn't disappear quietly.
She sighed.
"알아."
(I know.)
Min Jae stood up.
"그래서 다음 계획은?"
(So what's the next step in your evil plan?)
She smirked.
"기다려 봐."
(Just wait.)
Min Jae narrowed his eyes.
"수상해."
(That's suspicious.)
Before she could respond—
Her phone suddenly started vibrating.
Over and over.
She grabbed it.
And immediately froze.
Min Jae noticed.
"What happened?"
She slowly turned the screen toward him.
He read the headline.
Then his eyes widened.
"OH."
The headline read:
JAE RIN'S SECRET MEETING WITH UNKNOWN MEN IN SEOUL HOTEL
Another article popped up.
WHO ARE THE MEN WHO MET GLOBAL SUPERSTAR JAE RIN?
Min Jae blinked.
"…Well."
Jae Rin sighed.
"역시."
(As expected.)
Min Jae scratched his head.
"So much for things staying quiet."
She leaned back against the bed.
"괜찮아."
(It's fine.)
Min Jae looked surprised.
"That's your reaction?"
She shrugged.
"I expected worse."
He stared at her.
"You're terrifyingly calm."
She smirked.
"Years of being famous."
Min Jae laughed.
But suddenly—
The penthouse door burst open.
Yuna stormed inside.
"JAE RIN!"
Jae Rin sighed.
"아… 시작이네."
(Ah… here we go.)
Yuna held up her phone.
"왜 인터넷에서 네가 어떤 남자들이랑 호텔에서 만났다고 난리야?!"
(Why is the internet going crazy about you meeting random men in a hotel?!)
Sora appeared behind her.
"그리고 왜 다들 드라마 주인공처럼 생겼어?"
(And why do they look like drama leads?)
Jisoo leaned against the doorway.
"This is already trending."
Min Jae slowly backed away.
"I'm going to let you handle this."
Jae Rin threw a pillow at him.
"배신자!"
(Traitor!)
Yuna crossed her arms.
"설명해."
(Explain.)
Jae Rin sighed.
Then she muttered quietly.
"진짜 귀찮다…"
(This is really annoying…)
Sora smirked.
"You're avoiding the question."
Jae Rin rubbed her forehead.
"알겠어."
(Fine.)
She looked at them.
"그 사람들… 내 과거야."
(Those people… are my past.)
The room went silent.
Yuna blinked.
"진짜 과거?"
(Like serious past?)
Jae Rin nodded.
"Yes."
Jisoo tilted her head.
"Dangerous past?"
Jae Rin smirked slightly.
"Oh definitely."
Meanwhile…
Across the city.
KEIFER'S POV
Keifer stared at the news article on his phone.
Ci-n leaned over his shoulder.
"Well."
"That escalated quickly."
Keifer's jaw tightened.
But then—
Slowly—
A small smile appeared.
Ci-n frowned.
"…Why are you smiling?"
Keifer locked his phone.
"Because now she can't avoid us."
Ci-n sighed.
"You're insane."
Keifer looked out the window toward the city skyline.
Somewhere out there—
Jay was living her new life.
But tomorrow everything would change.
Because tomorrow they were leaving Seoul.
Going back to the Philippines.
He had responsibilities waiting for him.
As the heir of Watson Enterprises, he needed to return and take control of the company's operations again.
Across the room, Angelo leaned against the table while Aries checked messages on his phone.
Both of them had responsibilities too.
Fernandez Corporation had been unstable lately.
And with Angelo as the acting head and Aries managing several divisions, they needed to return immediately.
Ci-n sighed.
"So tomorrow we're flying back."
Keifer nodded.
"Yeah."
Ci-n crossed his arms.
"And you're just going to leave her here?"
Keifer looked toward the city lights.
For a moment he stayed silent.
Then he said quietly,
"No."
Ci-n groaned.
"I knew it."
Keifer's voice was calm.
"But this isn't the end."
He looked back at the skyline of Seoul.
Because now he knew where she was.
And once someone like Keifer Watson found what he was looking for—
He never stopped chasing it.