The day of the design competition arrived.
Hana stood backstage, hands trembling as her final look was zipped onto the model. Her designs—once just sketches in a dusty notebook—now shimmered beneath the runway lights.
She took a shaky breath. This wasn't just fashion.
It was her freedom.
Across the venue, Ji-A cheered like a proud sister. But Mi-Ho… he stood near the entrance, watching silently. Uninvited, but unable to stay away.
When Hana's name was called, she stepped out.
Confident. Radiant.
The applause shook her. Not because of the noise—but because it was real. She had earned this moment.
Mi-Ho's throat tightened.
She didn't need him.
Backstage, Hana received the grand prize—an internship in Paris. She blinked at the announcement, stunned.
Mi-Ho didn't congratulate her.
He left before she saw the look in his eyes: pride… and pain.