The storage room suddenly felt too small, quiet and suffocating.
Yoon Ha-rin stood frozen in the doorway, her hand still gripping the edge of the door. Kang Jae-min was right in front of her. Closer than they had ever been before. Then slowly, he let go. But his hand didn't fall away completely. It lingered, as if he wasn't ready to let her go.
"What happened?" His voice was calm. But there was something beneath it. Something sharper and more serious. Ha-rin quickly looked away.
"Nothing. I just… felt a little dizzy." It sounded weak even to her own ears. Jae-min didn't respond immediately. His gaze remained fixed on her face. As if he could see through the answer she had given.
"You're pale," he said. Her knees buckled.
"I'm fine." A lie which both of them knew it. Silence stretched between them like a garment. Just then Jae-min stepped aside.
"Come with me."
"What?" She marveled.
"You shouldn't stay in there." His tone left no room for argument. Ha-rin hesitated for half a second and then nodded reluctantly. "…Okay."
Soon, she found herself heading into a quiet office on the upper floor with him. He immediately closed the door behind them as they entered. The room was spacious, minimal, and completely silent.
Ha-rin awkwardly stood near the center. She had never imagined she would end up there. Alone, in the CEO's office.
"This is… a bit much for dizziness," she said nervously but Jae-min ignored her comment.
"Sit." He commanded, handing over a glass of water to calm her nerves. But then, his tone triggered her memory.
" It was you...the guy from the cafe, the pendant" She exclaimed. "Why do you care so much?" she asked softly. His gaze locked onto hers.
"Because I remember what happens when I don't." Her breath caught. It felt like he had a dark past he didn't want to talk about. But she insisted anyways.
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one you're getting." Frustration flared as their voices clashed. His voice weighed with authority and coldness. She sat down as he had said and took the glass without saying anymore.
He immediately walked over to the other side of the desk but didn't sit down. Instead, he remained standing. Eyes fixed on her as he watched.
"Tell me what happened," he insisted after she dropped back the glass on the table.
Ha-rin hesitated. Would he believe her, this and many more thoughts kept haunting. She didn't want to sound crazy. But something about his presence made it difficult to lie again.
"I thought I heard something," she admitted quietly.
"What kind of something?" He demanded a confirmation.
"A voice."
His expression didn't change. But his eyes slightly sharpened.
"What did it say?" Ha-rin swallowed.
"I'm not sure." She answered but that wasn't entirely true. She remembered it clearly. "…Arin…" The word echoed again in her mind. She looked up at him, her breath uneven.
"It sounded like someone calling a name." He went completely still. The air in the room shifted.
"What name?" She hesitated for a second. Her heart torn between fear and something she couldn't name. His gaze lingered on her.
"Arin." The word hit the room like a storm, shattering silence across. The air tensed, heavy and unmoving. Jae-min's fingers curled slowly at his side. That name again.
A name buried deep in history. A name no one alive should know. "How do you know that name?" he asked after finding his voice. Ha-rin blinked.
"I don't."
"Then why did you say it?"
"Because that's what I heard." Her voice grew slightly defensive. "I'm not making this up."
Jae-min stared at her. That's when he felt it flicker in his eyes. He still couldn't place a name on it but he felt a connection he couldn't yet conclude or behold. "Have you heard it before?" he asked and she thoughtfully nodded.
"In my dreams." That was the first time she had said it out loud. It felt weird at first but once she did, it felt real. He involuntarily exhaled.
Then, for the first time since she had met him, he sat down. And thus, directly across from her.
"Tell me about the dreams." She was surprised at his request. No one had ever asked for that. She wasn't so sure of it but went on anyways.
Ha-rin carefully explained everything as he silently listened without interrupting. From the palace, to the moonlight, the sword, the man and lastly, the feeling of dying. She didn't leave out anything.
And he stayed through it all. When she finished, the room fell quiet again. "…I know it sounds strange," she said softly.
"No." His answer was immediate. "It doesn't." That surprised her.
"…You don't think I'm imagining things?"
Jae-min leaned back. "No." His voice calmed. But his next words were quieter, almost to himself. "Not anymore."
At that exact moment, sudden sharp pain shot through Ha-rin's head. She gripped the edge of the chair. Her vision blurred at once.
"Hey—" Jae-min immediately stood to his feet. But before he could reach her, her world shifted. In a trance, the moonlight flooded her vision. The courtyard returned with much clarity than ever before. Closer and real.
A man stood in front of her. His back turned against her with Royal robes, flowing behind him. It was the Crown Prince. She could see him clearly now.
He slightly turned and she gasped. The vision shattered instantly she collapsed forward. Jae-min caught her right in time. His arms steady around her.
"Ha-rin." The name left his lips without thought. And without hesitation. As if he had said it many times before. Ha-rin's eyes slightly widened, her breath unsteady.
" You… said my name…" Jae-min froze and the room fell still. He was rigid in front of her. Protective.
For a moment, he didn't realize what he had done but slowly his grip tightened. Because for that brief second, he hadn't called her Ha-rin but almost called her—Arin.