Caught helplessly between the two choices, Ian could only remain seated in silence.
And strangely enough—
for the first time in a very long while, the usually composed Ian actually stuttered before answering.
"I..."
Even while responding to the elders, his eyes instinctively drifted toward Aira.
Toward the faint disappointment hidden behind her expression.
His fingers curled slightly.
In the end, he forced himself to look away, choosing to listen to the restless heart that desperately wanted to stay near her, yet kept pushing her away at the same time.
"Sure..."
The answer left his lips quietly as he rose from his seat and walked toward her.
But the moment their eyes met, his footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
Aira smiled.
A small, bitter smile.
Her lips curved gently, yet her narrowed eyes carried a heat sharp enough to make Ian feel the danger behind it.
"Hmhm."
The soft hum escaping her lips sounded less like amusement and more like silent disappointment.
"We'll be back soon, Dad," she said calmly before walking past Ian.
For a brief second, he simply stared at her retreating figure.
Then, unable to stop himself, Ian quickened his pace to follow behind her, a faint laugh escaping under his breath after seeing that expression on her face.
It was ridiculous.
Even with countless unanswered questions, tangled emotions, and feelings neither of them knew how to confront yet—
the heaviness between them had eased, if only a little after their last exchange.
At least the silence between them had finally broken.
Now there were questions, frustration, lingering emotions...
anything but silence.
The walk toward the lift remained quiet, yet Ian could almost feel the coldness radiating from Aira beside him.
He tried desperately to maintain his composure.
One careless moment—
one slip in expression—
and his suppressed laughter might escape.
Because the anger hidden beneath Aira's calm face was painfully obvious to him.
But soon, the faint amusement in his chest was swallowed by heavier thoughts.
The memory of the day he confessed to her...
and left her behind once again.
Ian knew nothing between them had truly been resolved.
If anything, even more questions had been added to the tangled mess already existing between them.
And yet—
right now, he simply wanted to stay beside her.
To live through each passing moment near her without worrying about the future waiting ahead.
Completely unaware of the traces that night had quietly left behind.
"Ting..."
The elevator doors slid open.
Without looking back, Aira stepped inside.
Ian followed shortly after.
He wanted to speak to her.
Desperately.
Even though he had heard her voice countless times while she spoke with everyone else in the room...
his heart still wanted more.
More of the way she used to stay around him so naturally, as if none of this had ever happened between them.
Meanwhile, Aira found herself trapped in a battle between her heart and mind.
One refused to let go of the anger lingering inside her.
The other desperately wanted answers.
A part of her wanted to speak.
To finally tell him what she truly felt.
Because last time...
Ian had been the only one given the chance to speak.
Yet her mind stubbornly resisted the idea.
It was easier to stay guarded.
Easier to hide everything behind pride, composure, and endless overthinking.
The silent debate inside her mind stretched far longer than she expected.
Then the elevator stopped once more.
One by one, everyone stepped out.
And now...
only the two of them remained.
The space inside the elevator suddenly felt far too small.
The silence inside the elevator felt oddly close, making even the faintest breath and smallest movement between them feel strangely intimate.
As though even the slightest glance toward each other could shatter the fragile balance they had somehow maintained until now.
Aira quietly tightened her fingers together.
Meanwhile, Ian lowered his gaze, pretending to look somewhere near her shoulder—
but his eyes kept drifting back to her instead.
And for one brief moment...
he did.
At this distance, her features seemed even sharper.
The delicate bridge of her nose.
Her fair skin.
The soft glow on her face made her seem almost untouchable, as though even the slightest careless touch might leave a mark behind.
The moment Ian realized he had been staring, he quickly looked away.
Heat rushed to his face.
Ian slowly exhaled, forcing himself to calm down.
In the quiet elevator, even the faint sound of his swallow felt embarrassingly loud.
Unable to endure the strange tension any longer, he quietly stepped back and leaned against the elevator wall.
Aira never once turned toward him.
Yet the slight tightening of her grip revealed she was far less composed than she appeared.
And through the reflection on the elevator door—
she silently watched him instead.
Her gaze lowered slightly before a quiet sigh escaped her lips.
Soon, the elevator reached the ground floor, and the two stepped out into the hallway.
Ian knew he could not allow himself to become any greedier than he already was.
For now, simply being able to stay near her felt enough.
With both hands tucked into his pockets, he quietly followed behind her.
Yet despite his slow pace, his long strides naturally shortened the distance between them.
Meanwhile, the endless conflict inside Aira's mind had finally begun to settle.
And in the end—
she chose to listen to her heart.
Maybe, deep down, that was what she had truly wanted from the very beginning.
Her footsteps gradually slowed before finally coming to a stop.
She drew a small breath and slowly turned around.
Lost in his own thoughts, Ian nearly walked straight into her.
Before he could properly steady himself, Aira raised her eyes and looked directly at him.
"I still don't understand what you meant that day..." she asked softly.
"What exactly are you bound by?"
The moment the question left her lips, countless others followed behind it inside her mind.
Questions she had tried to ignore.
Questions she was no longer sure she wanted to suppress anymore.
"You said you've never even been in a relationship... then what kind of trauma are you carrying?"
Ian froze.
Once again, he found himself unable to decide what he should say—
or whether he should say anything at all.
Even if he wanted to, he could never tell anyone about the chains that bound him.
Aira continued speaking.
"You confessed to me... though honestly, I don't even know if I can call that a confession."
She had started confidently, almost boldly—
yet with every question she asked, the strength in her voice slowly faded.
As though the courage she gathered at the beginning was slowly running out.
"You said what you wanted to say... and then left again."
Her eyes lowered slightly.
"If you never intended to listen to my answer... then why did you even ask me in the first place?"
Ian listened quietly until she finished.
But even now, he still did not know what answer he was supposed to give her.
No... I wanted to listen.
I just didn't have the courage to stay.
I wanted to ask how you truly felt...
but I was afraid of hearing the answer.
Afraid that I would no longer be able to stay calm after hearing it.
If Aira had accepted his feelings, he feared he would lose control over emotions he had spent so long suppressing.
And if her answer had been rejection—
then he would never have been able to face her again after everything that had already happened between them.
But this time...
he wanted to try.
What would happen if I truly told her everything?
Would she believe me?
After a long moment of hesitation, Ian finally spoke.
"It's not trauma..."
His eyes met hers quietly.
"It's a curse."
Aira fell silent.
The seriousness in his voice erased even the slightest trace of doubt from her expression.