The storm had passed. Hwang Jin-Woo was removed.The empire built on stolen dreams had collapsed.
And Hana...She didn't feel triumphant.
She felt hollow.
At the rooftop garden of the Seo mansion, the city lights sparkled like a mirror to the stars. The air was cooler than usual, scented with jasmine and something bittersweet.
Hana stood with her arms wrapped around herself, watching the world move on.
Mi-Ho found her there.
He didn't speak at first. Just stood beside her.
Then he quietly said, "You've won."
She turned slowly. "It doesn't feel like winning."
Silence stretched between them.
He looked at her with something deeper than sympathy."Because it wasn't about revenge," Mi-Ho finally said. "It was about belonging again."
Hana's eyes flickered. "Then why do I still feel like an outsider in my own life?"
Mi-Ho reached into his coat. Pulled out a velvet box.
But it wasn't a ring.
It was a necklace.
Her father's.
Restored. Polished. Glowing under the rooftop moonlight.
"I had it fixed," he said, voice low. "Because I wanted to give you something… that had never belonged to anyone but you."
Hana's hands shook as she took it.
This wasn't gold. It wasn't money.
It was memory. It was meaning.
She looked up—and for a heartbeat—there was something so intense in Mi-Ho's eyes, it made her breath hitch.
Mi-Ho stepped closer.
"Hana."
His voice cracked.
"I wanted to wait… until all this was over… but if I don't say it now, I'll explode."
Her heartbeat raced.
"I lo—"
BZZZZZZZ! His phone vibrated violently.
Joon-Hyuk. Emergency.
Hana exhaled, eyes wide, heart pounding. "You should get that."
He hesitated. One more second. Two.
Then: "I'll be back."
He left.
And she was alone again.