Chapter 14: Don't Be Scared, I'm Here
The mistake started small.
It always did.
Anxin stared at the same file for the fifth time.
The words blurred.
Numbers didn't make sense.
Nothing made sense.
Her pen tapped lightly against the table, rhythm uneven, matching the restlessness inside her.
Focus.
She forced her eyes back to the page.
Failed again.
Her fingers unconsciously brushed her wrist.
That same spot.
That same warmth.
That same memory.
"This is me holding back."
She shut the file abruptly.
"Are you even listening?"
Jisung's voice snapped her out of it.
She blinked, realizing the meeting room had gone silent.
Everyone was looking at her.
"I—yeah," she said quickly. "I got it."
"You sure?" Jisung tilted his head slightly, watching her carefully. "Because you've been reading the same page for ten minutes."
A few people chuckled softly.
Her jaw tightened.
"I said I'm fine."
Jisung didn't push further.
But his gaze lingered.
And then—
Casually.
Too casually.
"Hedi didn't come today."
Her pen stopped.
Just for a second.
But he noticed.
Of course he did.
"…So?" she said, trying to sound indifferent.
Jisung shrugged. "Nothing. Just thought you'd know why."
"I don't keep track of him."
"Right."
That one word carried too much meaning.
She stood up abruptly.
"I need some air."
And before anyone could stop her—
She walked out.
Forty minutes later
She stood in front of his house.
Staring at the gate.
Annoyed.
Confused.
And very aware that this was a bad idea.
"Why am I even here…" she muttered.
But she didn't leave.
Of course she didn't.
The staff hesitated when they saw her.
"Miss… Sir isn't meeting anyone today."
"I'm not anyone."
That was enough.
They let her in.
Inside, the house felt… quiet.
Too quiet.
She walked further in, her steps slower now.
"Didi?" she called.
No response.
Her brows furrowed.
Then she noticed—
A faint light coming from the storage corridor.
She walked toward it.
The door was slightly open.
"…Hello?"
She stepped inside.
Big mistake.
The moment she crossed the threshold—
Click.
Darkness swallowed everything.
The door shut behind her.
Locked.
"What—?!"
She turned instantly, grabbing the handle.
It didn't move.
"No, no, no—"
Thunder cracked outside.
Loud.
Too loud.
Her breath hitched.
"Didi?!" her voice rose slightly now. "This isn't funny!"
Silence.
Another thunderclap.
Closer this time.
The lights didn't come back.
And suddenly—
The darkness felt heavier.
Too heavy.
Her chest tightened.
"I don't like this…" she whispered.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she pressed her back against the door.
Another flash of lightning lit the room for a split second—
Empty.
Then dark again.
Her breathing quickened.
"Damn it…"
She hated this.
Darkness.
Thunder.
Being stuck.
It all pressed in at once.
Then—
A voice.
Low.
Familiar.
"Anxin."
Relief hit her instantly.
"Hedi?!"
A step.
Then another.
And then—
He was there.
Close.
Even in the dark, she could feel him.
"Why are you here?" he asked quietly.
"Why am I here?!" she snapped,
though her voice shook slightly. "I got locked in!"
"You walked into a restricted storage room during a storm," he said calmly. "That's on you."
She glared—though he probably couldn't see it.
"You're unbelievable."
Thunder roared again.
Louder.
Closer.
And this time—
She flinched.
Instinctively.
Without thinking—
Her hand grabbed his shirt.
Tightly.
Silence.
"…You're scared?" he asked.
"No," she said immediately.
Another thunderclap.
She didn't let go.
"…Liar."
"Shut up."
A faint pause.
Then—
His hand moved.
Slowly.
Carefully.
He placed it over hers, still clutching his shirt.
Not removing it.
Just… holding it there.
"Relax," he said, softer now. "I'm here."
Her grip loosened slightly.
But she didn't pull away.
"Don't call me Anxin," she muttered quietly.
A beat.
"…Then what should I call you?"
Silence.
Then, softer—
"…Xinxin."
He froze for half a second.
Barely noticeable.
But real.
"Xinxin," he repeated, lower this time.
Something about the way he said it—
Made her heartbeat stumble.
"And you?" he added.
She hesitated.
Then—
"…Didi is fine."
A quiet exhale escaped him.
Almost like a laugh.
"Still so distant."
"I came here, didn't I?"
That shut him up.
For a second.
Thunder echoed again.
She stepped closer this time.
Not by accident.
Not fully on purpose either.
"Stay close," he said quietly.
"Don't order me."
"I'm not."
"…It sounded like it."
A pause.
Then, softer—
"I'm asking."
That was new.
She noticed.
Of course she did.
The darkness made everything sharper.
Every word.
Every breath.
Every tiny shift between them.
"Why did you come, Xinxin?" he asked after a moment.
She didn't answer immediately.
Because she didn't know how to.
"I just—"
Another thunderclap.
Her words cut off as she instinctively moved even closer.
Now—
There was no space left.
Her forehead almost brushed his chest.
His hand moved again.
This time—
To her shoulder.
Steady.
Grounding.
"You're shaking."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"…Shut up."
A quiet pause.
Then—
"You couldn't focus, could you?" he said.
Her breath stilled.
"You left work halfway."
"…How do you—"
"I know you."
That simple.
That dangerous.
Silence filled the space again.
But this time—
It wasn't uncomfortable.
It was heavy in a different way.
"Then why did you act like that?" she asked suddenly. "At the hospital."
His hand stilled on her shoulder.
"You told me not to interfere."
"So you just disappear?"
"I stepped back."
"That's not the same thing."
Another pause.
Thunder rolled again, softer now.
"I didn't disappear," he said quietly. "I just stopped standing where I wasn't wanted."
That hit harder than anything else.
Her grip on his shirt tightened again.
"I never said you weren't wanted."
"You didn't have to."
Silence.
Thick.
Complicated.
"Then why did you come?" he asked again, softer this time.
She swallowed.
Her voice came out barely above a whisper.
"…Because you left."
A beat.
And that—
Changed everything.
His hand tightened slightly on her shoulder.
Not enough to hurt.
Just enough to show—
That affected him.
"Xinxin…"
Her heart raced.
"Don't," she said quickly. "Don't say anything."
"Why?"
"Because I'll regret it."
A quiet exhale.
Then—
"Too late."
The words were barely audible.
But she heard them.
Of course she did.
Another flash of lightning.
For a split second—
They could see each other.
Close.
Too close.
Her hand on his chest.
His hand on her shoulder.
Eyes locked.
And something dangerously close to breaking.
Then darkness again.
But now—
Neither of them moved away.