Mi-Ho stood by the window, the city lights painting his face in cold hues.
"You should've told me," he said, voice low.
"I was scared," Hana admitted, her voice trembling. "I didn't want to lose you… or the only family I had left."
He turned slowly, eyes sharp. "So you were willing to live in silence?"
"No!" she cried. "I just wanted one part of my life not controlled by someone else's demands. Not my step-sisters, not Dae-Hyun… not even your mother."
Mi-Ho stepped closer, something unreadable in his gaze. "And what about me?"
"You…" She looked up, her voice breaking. "You're the only person I ever chose for myself."
Silence again. Thicker this time.
Then—he pulled her into a sudden hug, tight and raw.
"I'm angry. But not at you. At everyone who broke you and made you think love had to be earned."