Chapter 21: The Confession and the Shadow
The café was quiet.
Not the empty kind of quiet, but one that allowed for heartbeats and soft laughter. It was the same place Yunjun had brought Yeri months ago, when their relationship was filled with silence and guarded looks. But today felt different.
Warm light filled the table where they sat, two steaming cups between them, untouched.
Yeri traced the rim of her mug with her finger, watching the swirl of steam. "I still can't believe The Taemin Trust launched a week ago."
"You made it real," Yunjun said, his voice low and serious. "You turned pain into purpose."
She smiled, small and sincere. "You helped."
He looked at her, and she felt that familiar warmth in her chest. For weeks, there had been a change between them. It started subtly—a lingering glance, a touch that lasted too long, an unspoken bond drawing them closer in moments that didn't need words.
But neither of them had said it out loud.
Not yet.
Today, she felt something might change.
She looked up to find him already watching her, his face softening, but there was something else in his eyes—hesitation? Fear?
He cleared his throat. "Yeri, can I tell you something?"
Her heart raced, loud and nervous. "Of course."
"I've been trying to say this for a while. But there was always something blocking me. Guilt. Timing. The past." He looked down, then back up. "But mostly, I was scared."
She tilted her head. "Of what?"
He exhaled. "Of ruining this. Of ruining… us."
Yeri's chest tightened. Her fingers stilled.
"There's an old part of me," he continued, "that believes love is dangerous. If you let someone in, they might leave or get hurt because of you. But then you came into my life like a storm, and for the first time, I wanted to stay in the wreckage."
She laughed softly, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "That's a really poetic way of calling me a disaster."
He smiled, then reached across the table and took her hand—slowly, gently, almost as if asking for permission. She didn't pull away.
"I love you, Yeri," he said. "Not because you survived, not because you're strong. I love you because when I see you, I remember who I want to be. You make me want to be better. You make me feel again."
She opened her mouth—but no words came out.
Emotion choked her throat, pressing hot and real behind her eyes.
She squeezed his hand tighter. "Yunjun…"
But just then, his phone buzzed on the table.
A sharp vibration. Once. Twice.
He ignored it.
But the screen lit up again—this time, a name she didn't know.
**"Sunho (Correctional)."**
Yeri blinked.
Correctional?
Yunjun noticed her gaze. He pulled his hand back, discomfort flashing across his face as he picked up the phone.
"I should take this."
She nodded slowly.
He stood, answering with a curt, "Yeah?"
Yeri watched him walk to the far end of the café, his shoulders tense, his voice low and sharp. She couldn't hear the words, but she could feel the tension rolling off him like smoke.
He returned five minutes later, his expression unreadable.
"I need to go," he said. "There's… something I have to handle."
Yeri stood too, worry prickling at her chest. "Is everything okay?"
He hesitated, just for a second. But it was long enough.
"It's nothing serious," he lied with a tight smile. "I'll call you tonight."
Then he pressed a quick kiss to her forehead and left.
But something in his eyes had changed.
And Yeri knew—deep down—that it wasn't nothing.
**Later that night**, Yeri sat on her bed, phone pressed to her ear. But there was no call.
No message.
Not even a simple *I'm okay.*
She stared at the screen, her mind racing. Who was *Sunho*? Why did the contact say *Correctional*? What had Yunjun gotten himself into?
She had seen fear in his eyes before.
But this time… it wasn't for her.
It was *about* him.
**Meanwhile…**
Yunjun stood in the dim corridor of an underground parking lot, facing the man he hadn't seen in six years.
Sunho looked rough. Older. Scars on his face told stories of fights no one ever asked about. But his eyes—cold and familiar—were the same.
"You really thought you could walk away from all this?" Sunho said with a sneer.
"I *did* walk away," Yunjun replied, jaw clenched.
Sunho chuckled. "And yet here you are, running toward the fire again."
"I'm not here for your games."
"No?" Sunho stepped closer. "Then why did you come when I called?"
Yunjun didn't flinch. "Because if you go near Yeri, I swear to God—"
"Oh, *that's* what this is about." Sunho smirked. "The girl. Of course. It's always about the girl with you, isn't it?"
Yunjun's hand balled into a fist.
"She has nothing to do with this," he said through gritted teeth. "This is between you and me."
"Exactly," Sunho said, leaning in. "And if you want to keep her safe, you'll finish what we started."
Yunjun's stomach turned.
This was what he had feared.
His past—the things he had buried deep, the violence he had turned away from—was clawing its way back.
And now, it threatened the only thing that mattered.
**Back at Yeri's apartment**, she stood at the kitchen sink, staring out at the city. She hadn't moved in hours.
When her phone finally buzzed, she lunged for it.
**Yunjun:** *I'm sorry I disappeared. I'm fine. Can we talk tomorrow?*
She stared at the message, her fingers hovering.
Then, slowly, she typed back.
**Yeri:** *Yes. But don't lie to me again.*
**The next day**, they met on the rooftop of Yunjun's apartment building.
He was already there when she arrived, leaning against the railing, staring into the distance.
When he turned to look at her, he appeared tired—not physically, but in that way that meant his heart was carrying too much.
"I wasn't honest with you," he said, not waiting for her to speak first. "I should've been."
She crossed her arms. "Then start now."
He nodded.
"I used to be part of something… violent. It was before I met you, before I knew how empty revenge could make you feel."
Her stomach clenched.
"Sunho and I—we were close. Like brothers. But then everything went wrong. We were working for someone powerful. Dangerous. One night, things went too far. There was blood on my hands, Yeri. I realized I was becoming exactly the kind of man I hated."
He looked down.
"I ran. Left everything. Everyone. Including him."
Yeri's voice was quiet. "So why is he back now?"
"Because he thinks I owe him," Yunjun said bitterly. "Because I chose peace, and he chose to drown in the darkness."
She stepped forward, her fingers reaching for his. "And now?"
He looked at her, vulnerable. "Now, I'm terrified he'll use you to punish me."
"I'm not afraid of him," Yeri whispered.
"You *should* be."
She shook her head. "I've survived worse. What I'm afraid of is you pushing me away again."
His throat worked.
"I don't want to. But I might have to."
"No," she said firmly. "You don't get to decide for me."
He blinked.
"If you love me," she continued, "then trust me. Let me *stand* with you. Not behind you. Not far away. *With* you."
A beat of silence.
Then another.
And slowly, Yunjun pulled her into his arms.
"I love you so much it hurts," he murmured into her hair.
She held him tighter. "Then don't run. We'll face this together."
To be continued...
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