Chapter Sixteen - I Let Myself Break

I keep brushing her hair, slow and gentle, like I’m telling her, without words, that I’m here. I haven’t touched my phone. Haven’t said a single thing. I just hold her, letting the silence stretch, because sometimes silence is safer than any answer.

After a long time, she shifts.She looks up at me, her eyes still far away but searching.

“Hmm?” I whisper, barely louder than the breath between us.And then, she kisses me and sits on my lap.Not the kind that starts slow and turns hungry. No, this one’s different.It’s full of desperation.

Like she’s clinging to something she’s afraid will disappear if she lets go.Her hands bury deep into my short pink hair. Mine naturally find her waist, the curve of her back, and finally, the nape of her neck, where I hold her like I never want to let go.

She doesn’t rush it. She just moves with a kind of aching slowness.And then, I feel it.A tear.Falling.Then another.

She breaks the kiss, pulling away with a shudder, and collapses against me, arms wrapped around me like I’m the only thing anchoring her to this world.And then she finally breaks.

She sobs. Not loud. But hard. The kind of sobs that shake the bones. That sound like they’ve been trapped inside her for too long.

“I spent all my youth there…” she chokes out. “I got all the yell. I worked like a horse back then.”I don’t say anything. Just hold her tighter, burying my fingers deeper in her hair, stroking it with all the care I have.

“I even seduced you.”Her voice is a cracked whisper.That word makes me smirk, even if I’m trying not to.God, I’m proud of that.I lean down, close to her ear.

“It worked,” I whisper, soft and sincere. “Baby, it worked.”I kiss her temple gently. My lips linger there, just breathing her in.“Even if you lose everything… you still have me.”

I say it slowly, with the softest voice I have.And I mean it.Every damn word.

Because watching her cry like this, watching the strongest woman I know finally allow herself to fall apart in my arms, I know I’ll do everything to be the place where she never has to pretend again.

“I might live like a parasite... spending all your money,” she mumbles through her sobs, her voice trembling.I chuckle softly, pulling her closer, wiping her cheeks with my thumbs as I look into those teary eyes.

“Just do it,” I grin. “Spend it all. Use my card. Crash my bank account.”She lets out a shaky sound somewhere between a laugh and a hiccup. Her lips twitch. She’s trying not to smile.

“I’ll work even harder,” I say, acting all serious now. “Maybe I’ll do a concert on Mars. Even on Pluto.”That finally cracks her.She laughs. Really laughs.

The sound hits me like a sunrise.She hides her face against my neck, her shoulders still shaking from leftover tears, but now there’s warmth in her again. Color returning to her face.

“You’re so stupid,” she mumbles into my skin.“But I’m your stupid,” I tease.

For a moment, the weight in her chest feels a little lighter. The world feels a little safer.And I promise myself...Whatever it takes… I’ll keep that laugh alive.

“C’mon, let’s eat. You slept like a pig for two days straight, I bet you’re starving now,” I say as I lift her effortlessly and carry her toward the kitchen.

Her eyes blink open wide, still dazed. “You… cooked?” she asks, suspicious.“Just simple ramen. Your comfort food,” I grin.“I can cook,” she protests gently.“Not today, baby.” I kiss her forehead as I lower her onto the chair. “Today, you’re spoiled.”

She watches me walk to the stove with narrowed eyes and a small, teasing smile.“You really walk like a worm.”

I whip my head dramatically. “Then I’ll wiggle more!”I start walking exaggeratedly silly, swaying side to side like a dancing caterpillar.

Her laughter fills the kitchen like music, pure, real. She sighs and buries her face into her palms, still laughing.Then, softly, so soft I almost miss it, she whispers

“Gumawo…”

I turn around.She’s looking at me. Tired, but glowing. Wounded, but healing. Still a little broken, but finally laughing again.And then I serve her ramen, trying to pretend I didn’t just fall in love with her all over again.

“What will you do today?” she asks quietly, finally lifting the chopsticks and gently blowing on the steaming ramen.I glance at her while pouring orange juice. “Umm… I have a meeting this afternoon, then dance practice after that, and then another meeting for the next AI collaboration.”

She nods slowly, listening. But I can see it in her eyes, the way they dip for a second. That flicker of envy. That familiar guilt of suddenly being jobless, like she’s no longer moving while the world spins fast around her.

I walk back over and set the orange juice in front of her.“You wanna come with me?” I ask casually, like I’m talking about going to a convenience store. “Since you need to start making a plan on how to waste all my money.”

That makes her laugh, really laugh this time. She puts down the chopsticks and wipes the corner of her eye, her mood lifting just a little more.

“I might buy Mars,” she says, chin lifted proudly. “Call Elon Musk, buy Tesla, and maybe make a deal with Donald Trump.”

I pretend to drop the juice box in shock. “Wooo, wooo, slow down, baby. I might need to call Jerome Powell if you’re gonna wreck the global economy like that.”

She throws her head back laughing. It’s the kind of laugh that makes me want to freeze this moment forever. Her hair a little messy from sleep, still in my oversize tee, a smile finally blooming on her lips again.

“Deal,” she says, raising her orange juice like it’s a champagne glass.“To world domination.”“And ramen,” I add, clinking my glass to hers.She chuckles again.

God, I missed this version of her.

--

“Okay! One more time! Five six seven eight!”Kwon Twins shout, clapping their hands with too much energy for 10 a.m.

I hit the moves like muscle memory, smooth, sharp, practiced to death. But today’s different.Because today… she's here.Sitting by the speakers, sipping her iced latte, smiling at me like I'm the main act at Coachella.Damn.

After a few songs, drenched in sweat but full of pride, I strut over to her like I just won Show Me The Money.“Enjoying, huh?” I ask, wiping sweat with my towel.

She sips her drink, eyes squinting. “You dance like Lee Kwang Soo, you know.”I blink.“Excuse me?”

“Mosquitoes dance,” she adds, deadpan. “Like you're trying to swat something invisible.”

All the dancers freeze.Then the room explodes with laughter.

“YAAAA!” I yell, my jaw dropping.She looks around, realizing people actually heard that.

Instant switch, elegant Mi Yu mode. Legs crossed. Chin lifted. Neutral face.Too late, baby. We all saw.

I turn to my dancers, raising my hands like a judge at court.“Teach her the 'too bad' dance. Immediately. Preferably Kwang Soo-style. I want full mosquito choreo.”

“What?! NO!” she screams, standing up.Kwon Twins are already circling her.“Let’s goooo,” Dony grins.“Five six seven eight, mosquito style!” Deuky yells.

She tries to run, but she’s wearing my shirt and it’s too big, she trips on it.

Everyone wheezes.I’m on the floor laughing.

She stands back up, red-faced but giggling.“You’ll pay for this, Kwon Jiyong.”

“Already am,” I say, still dying from laughter. “In love tax.”And I wink.

Even she can’t help but laugh now.Best. Rehearsal. Ever.

--

Mi Yu POV

“You okay?” Jiyong asks gently, his arms wrapping around my waist from behind. I’m standing at the vanity, my fingers hesitating with the eyeliner.

“I try to be,” I say, trying to sound casual, but I can’t even convince myself. My chest feels like it’s being squeezed from the inside out. My heart’s racing, but my face… it’s pretending.

“I’ll drive you,” he whispers, kissing my temple. “I’ll wait at the lobby?”

“I can go by myself,” I murmur, avoiding his reflection in the mirror. I don’t want him to see the weakness I’m hiding.

“Just let me,” he says again, quietly, but firmly. Still hugging me.

I nod.Because deep down, I don’t want to be alone either.

---

The car ride is silent. His hand reaches over to hold mine the entire way, but we don’t speak. We don’t need to. There’s nothing that words could do right now.

When I step out of the car in front of the building, it’s like walking into fire.

Eyes.All on me.Burning. Whispering. Judging.The girl who betrayed the company.

I walk straight to the internal hearing room. My heels click sharply against the tiled floor, but my head stays high.

Inside the room, the air is cold. Too cold.

“Do you acknowledge that our data was leaked under your user credentials?” one of the senior executives asks, sternly.

“Yes,” I answer, calm and clear. I grip my fingers under the table to keep myself from shaking.

“Then we will proceed with termination. Legal has confirmed that a financial penalty must also be enforced per your contract,” another one adds.

I don’t argue. I don’t beg.I just nod.

There’s no point in explaining.Not when Claire’s name would be dragged too.Not when this was my decision.I made the choice to protect her. So I stay silent. Let them think what they want.

---

After the hearing, I head back to my old office, my room.As I step in, the door creaks slightly. The familiar scent of paper, ink, and lavender diffuser hits me like a wave.

Everything is still in place. The neatly stacked documents, the mug with the chipped edge.The same corner where I once laughed with Claire. Where I once dared to dream. Where I worked my way up from nothing.

Now it’s all ending.

I kneel and begin packing slowly. File by file. Book by book.Each one feels heavier than the last.I can feel the tears pricking at the edge of my eyes, but I won’t let them fall.Not here. Not now.

The door opens.I don’t have to look. I know it’s her.Claire.

Her footsteps are slow. Hesitant.“Mi Yu ya…” she says softly, like the name hurts her to say.

“Don’t,” I cut her off sharply.I don’t even look at her. I keep folding my documents, keep pretending I don’t hear the tremble in her voice.

“Get your head up,” I say, firmer now. “Don’t make me regret my decision.”

I finally glance up.She’s staring at me, eyes filled with guilt. Her shoulders small. Her face pale.She doesn’t say a word, just stands there like a ghost.

I want to say so much.I trusted you. I covered for you. I lost everything.But I say nothing. Because I know she’s already saying it to herself a hundred times louder inside.

She’s crying now. Silently.I return to my packing.

No more tears.No more blame.It’s done.

Claire stands there like a child being scolded, but it’s not anger in my voice. It’s something deeper. Something I can barely hold back.

“Make sure you sit at that chair,” I say, pointing to my chair. My voice is sharp, clear, but trembling at the edge. “And even higher. That’s the only way this is worth it.”

Her lips part, but no words come.

“Only you can replace me,” I continue. My eyes lock onto hers. There’s no space for pity now. “I didn’t sacrifice everything for someone else to walk in here with clean hands. If I’m falling for this, you better rise from it.”

I step closer.

“Don’t regret anything,” I say, voice dropping into something quiet, heavy. “Not the mistake. Not me. Not this company.”

Claire’s chest starts to shake, but I don’t let up.

“You’re still my sibling,” I say. Firm. Unshaken. “With or without this fucking company.”

That’s when she breaks.Her knees buckle. She crumbles to the floor, sobbing into her hands like she’s trying to dig a hole through the tiles with her guilt.I don’t rush to her. I let her cry. Let her feel it.

“Get up,” I say. My voice is hoarse now, staring at the ceiling with everything in me screaming to fall apart.

“Wipe your tears.”My throat is tight.“And work like a horse.”The words taste bitter, but they’re all I have left to give.

My fists clench at my side. I stare at the ceiling like maybe if I look long enough, the tears building in my eyes won’t fall. Not here. Not now.Hold it, Mi Yu ya… hold it.

You can cry later, on Jiyong’s shoulder.Where it’s safe.Where the world can’t see you fall.But not here.Not while you’re still standing.

Claire stands up, her eyes swollen, her shoulders trembling."I’ll work harder than a horse," she says, her voice cracking between sobs."I’m so sorry, I’m really sorry, Mi Yu-ya."

I just place my hand gently on her shoulder, a gesture that says everything I can’t say right now.I can’t hug her.If I do, I’ll break. And I can’t afford to break here.Not while there’s still weight in my hands. Not while my dignity is hanging by a thread.

I pick up the box I’ve finished packing and walk toward the door without another word.Each step echoes louder than it should.Like even the floor knows something is being left behind.

When the elevator doors open, I step in.And when they open again.I freeze.The lobby is packed.It’s like the whole company has gathered, and circling Gdragon. A low murmur runs through the crowd, and then,There he is.My idiot.

Wearing sunglasses indoors, standing like he owns the universe, but walking like a dorky worm.People gasp. Some smile. Some look confused.But there he is, bowing politely to every single person, tattoos on full display, a quiet storm of confidence and chaos.

He walks straight to me, with that same ridiculous little wiggle of a walk.I can’t help it.I chuckle.

That silly worm.Covered in tattoos.And yet somehow... mine.He doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t ask if I’m okay.

He just takes the heavy box from my arms, like it was always meant to be his burden to carry.Then he turns, as if there’s no one else in the world watching, and walks with me straight to the car.Like I didn’t just lose everything.

Like I still have him.

“Where are we going?” I ask, staring out the window, watching the building, my building, get smaller behind us.

“Umm... I have a meeting in an hour,” Jiyong says carefully, glancing at me with those worry-filled eyes.He’s not asking if I’m okay.Not yet.He knows better. He knows the kind of quiet I carry when I’m not ready to speak.

I just nod.

There’s a pause, and then I ask, “Can I use your car, when you're in the meeting?”

He looks at me for a second too long, his fingers tightening just slightly on the steering wheel.I can see it, the thousand questions in his head.Where are you going?Are you okay?Should I say no? Should I follow you?

But he doesn’t ask.He just nods once.

“Okay,” he says quietly.

That’s it. No protest. No pressure.Just… trust.

We arrived at his company. He parks gently, then reaches into his pocket and hands me the key to his car.

“Tell me if something happens. Don’t go too far,” he says, his voice soft, too soft.His eyes hold the weight of a thousand questions he doesn’t dare ask.He’s worried. I can feel it. But he’s holding back.Giving me space. Giving me trust.

I force a smile. “Yes, sir.”

As I slide behind the wheel, I roll down the window and wave at him.“I’ll make sure to get some tattoos on your car,” I tease, trying to be light.

His eyes widen in horror, “Ya! Don’t even joke about that...”Then he pauses, and his expression melts into something softer.“Just… drive safely, please,” he says, using that baby tone, his lips curling into a pout.

I laugh. Not because I feel joy, but because I need to laugh, even if it’s fake.Because I can’t break.Not in front of him.

I drive.And for the first time in days, I’m completely alone.

I don’t play music.I don’t touch my phone.I just drive.

The world outside the windows moves, but inside, everything is still.My mind is blank. My chest heavy. My heart, aching.The kind of ache that doesn’t scream, but rots you quietly.

I stop at a small flower shop.Simple white lilies. They don’t ask for much.Just like me.

I get back in the car.And I drive again.And then… I arrive.

The familiar gate. The quiet hill.The nameplates that never change.I step out of the car slowly. My hands gripping the flowers so tightly, the stems snap beneath my fingers.

I walk up the slope.

“Eomma… Appa… Oppa…”My voice cracks.“Na... wasseoyo.”I came.That’s all it takes.

My knees give out, collapsing into the cold dirt like it’s home.I fall forward, hands trembling, forehead pressing against the ground as the flowers scatter around me.And finally, finally, I cry.

No holding back.No pretending.No elegant posture.No charm.Just pain.

Sobs erupt from somewhere deep in my chest, raw and broken.“My work is gone… everything is gone…”“I did everything right… didn’t I…?”

I claw at the grass like it can hold me.Like it can explain why everything hurts so much.Why betrayal feels like suffocating from the inside out.

The cemetery is silent, only the breeze and my cries echoing in the distance.And for the first time in so long, I don’t try to be strong.I don’t try to be graceful.

Just a daughter.A sister.A woman whose heart is shattering.

And in that moment, with the white lilies resting on the stone,I let myself break.