CHAPTER 26: CHAPTER 26

Woo Min’s POV

"You really think I’d fake that?" I asked, my voice trembling more than I wanted it to. "After everything?"

Yu Jin just stood there, mouth parting a little, like he didn’t know what to do with what I’d said. His silence pressed on my chest until it hurt.

He looked away. "You know I love you Min but I can’t love you that way Min. I’m sorry."

For a second, I forgot how to breathe. The words landed heavy, like I’d just been hit but couldn’t figure out where the pain started.

"The only thing in my head right now is Park Min," he went on, voice low. "Revenge. That’s all I see. I can’t feel anything else. Not even for you."

"Revenge?" I said, almost laughing again. "You’ve been living like this for months. You think hurting him back is going to fix anything?"

He shook his head slowly. "It’s not about fixing anything. It’s about giving Rin the life he deserves. I can’t think about love right now. Not yours, not mine."

Something inside me twisted. "You think I can’t give him that life?"

"You can’t," he said quietly.

I took a step closer. "Why not?"

He met my eyes. "Because you’re not his father."

The air left me. "So what?" I said. "You think Park Min is the only one who can give him what he needs? The same Park Min who wrecked your life?"

"He’s still Rin’s father," Yu Jin said, voice steady but his hands shaking. "I won’t make another man raise a child that isn’t his."

That hit deeper than I wanted to admit. I’d been there for every scraped knee, every sleepless night, every time Yu Jin broke down behind closed doors and pretended he didn’t. I’d been there, and somehow that still didn’t count.

"You think I care about that?" I said. "He’s mine, Jin. Maybe not by blood, but that doesn’t make it less real."

He closed his eyes, and for a moment I thought he’d come closer. But then he said softly, "You deserve more than to live with someone else’s mistake."

That word...mistake...snapped something in me. I laughed again, bitter and tired. "Right. You think loving you is a mistake, and being here for Rin is some kind of punishment. You don’t get it, do you?"

He stayed quiet. Always quiet when I needed him to fight back.

I turned away for a second, trying to breathe, but it was useless. The pressure built until my chest burned. I grabbed the nearest thing, a framed picture of the three of us and before I knew it, it shattered against the wall.

The sound was sharp.

Yu Jin flinched hard. His body jerked back, his hand moving protectively toward Rin’s room. Then Rin started crying, a high, panicked sound that made my anger vanish instantly.

I froze. The guilt hit before the glass stopped rattling on the floor.

"Jin.." I started, stepping toward the door, but Yu Jin’s voice cut through the air.

"Stay away."

He didn’t raise his voice, but the way he said it made me stop cold.

"I didn’t. "

"Just go," he said again. His eyes were glassy, tired, and I realized then how much I’d scared him. How much I’d scared them.

Rin’s cries filled the space between us. I wanted to hold him, to tell him it was fine, but my hands wouldn’t move.

"Fine," I said quietly. "But don’t come after me. Don’t leave him like before."

Yu Jin looked up, startled. "Min.. "

I met his eyes one last time. "You heard me."

His expression softened, barely. "Just... make sure you come back."

"I will."

I left before I could change my mind.

Outside, the night air was thick. I walked until the streetlights blurred, until I didn’t know where I was going. My hands still shook. I hated that. I hated that I’d let myself lose control, that I’d broken something I couldn’t fix.

I ended up at a club I didn’t even like. It was loud enough to drown out the noise in my head. I found a seat at the bar and ordered something strong.

The first drink went down too easy. So did the second.

I kept thinking about Yu Jin’s face, about the way he’d looked at me like I’d become someone else. And maybe I had. Maybe I was tired of pretending I could handle being his second choice.

Someone laughed nearby. I looked over and saw a man gripping a woman’s wrist near the dance floor. She was trying to pull away, eyes darting around, looking for an exit. No one moved.

I stood up before I thought about it.

"Hey," I said, walking over. "Let her go."

The guy turned, annoyed. "Mind your business."

"She said no," I said. "That’s my business."

He shoved me back, and I felt the old anger stir again the kind that wanted a target. I shoved him harder.

The fight didn’t last long. I punched him first, dodged his own lunch and yanked him against the bar. Ouch I think he broke a bone or two. People were yelling and calling for security. My jaw stung, his nose bled, and by the time the bouncers dragged us outside, I’d already decided I didn’t care who started it.

The cops showed up fast. Someone must’ve called them. I didn’t resist. Just stood there, breathing hard, as they cuffed me.

The jail was very cold, I can’t believe I actually ended up there.

They gave me one phone call. I sat there staring at the receiver for a long time. Yu Jin’s number hovered in my mind. It would take one press of a button. He’d come. I knew he would.

But I couldn’t bring myself to dial.

The officer at the desk looked bored. "You calling someone or not?"

I shook my head. "No one’s answering."

He shrugged and went back to his coffee.

I leaned back against the wall, closing my eyes. My hands still hurt from the fight. My jaw throbbed. I wondered if Rin had finally stopped crying. I wondered if Yu Jin had meant it if he really couldn’t love me, or if he was just scared to try.

A few hours passed before someone came. Footsteps echoed down the hallway. The guard opened the cell door. "You’re lucky. Someone came for you."

I frowned. "I didn’t call anyone."

"Guess she did," he said.

"She?"

The guard stepped aside, and there she was the woman from the club. Cleaned up now, hair tied back, eyes calm.

"You," I said quietly.

She nodded. "You didn’t have to help me. So I figured I should return the favor."

I stood there for a second, trying to make sense of it. "You bailed me out?"

She gave a small shrug. "You looked like you needed it."

I followed her out, the night air hitting hard again. My head was still buzzing, but I caught a better look at her face under the streetlight. Something about her felt familiar, like a name stuck at the back of my tongue.

"Do I know you?" I asked.

Her mouth curved into a faint smile. "Maybe."

That answer didn’t help, but I didn’t push. We walked down the quiet street.

"What’s your name?" I asked.

"It’ll take more than just a question for me tell you," she said after a pause. "You probably don’t know me, never mind."

I stopped walking. She glanced at me, curious. "You okay?"

"Yeah," I said, though I wasn’t. "Just jail tired."

She didn’t press, and I was grateful.

We reached the corner. She turned toward a car parked by the curb. "You should go home, Woo Min."

I gave a short, humorless laugh. "Home’s not exactly an option right now."

"Then follow me," she said simply. "Before you decide to destroy something else."

I looked at her again, the calm way she said it, and I did.