𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍 𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐈𝐑𝐄 ||𝐊𝐓𝐇 𝐅𝐭. 𝐏𝐉𝐌||

25. The Return of Taemin

PRESENT \\ JEON SIYA:

The rain poured heavily over the city, each drop drowning out the noise in my head. I stood on the rooftop, my clothes clinging to my skin, drenched from head to toe. The clouds had long since swallowed the moonlight, casting everything in a shadowy haze. I shivered, but not from the cold. The rain had always been a strange comfort to me, pulling me back into moments I tried to forget, yet couldn't shake off.

I leaned on the ledge, looking out into the distance, but my thoughts drifted somewhere else entirely.

That day.

The day I stood in front of Taemin, trembling as I told him I liked him. My heart had never beat so fast in my life, and I felt like it would break free from my chest. But all I got in return was silence. His eyes had studied me for a long moment, as if he were searching for something, yet no words came. He didn't say it back.

The rejection I felt after lingered for weeks, festering in the dark corners of my mind. And now, standing here, soaked in rain, it resurfaced with a vengeance.

Did he really care about me the way I cared about him? Or was it all in my head?

My hands clenched the edge of the ledge as I fought back the urge to scream.

"Stupid," I muttered to myself, hitting my forehead lightly with my palm. "What are you even thinking, Siya?"

Just as I was spiraling deeper into my thoughts, the sound of the front gate opening pierced through the rain's steady patter. My head snapped down to the driveway. All the guards stationed outside immediately straightened, bowing in unison. A car door swung open, and from it, a figure in a dark suit stepped out. My heart skipped a beat, and the world narrowed in on that single moment.

It was him. Taemin.

Even through the heavy rain, I could see his unmistakable red hair peeking out from under the umbrella one of the guards hurriedly held over him. The sight of him, after all this time, made my pulse race. Why was he here now?

Without thinking, I turned and sprinted toward the stairs, my feet slipping on the wet ground. My chest heaved as adrenaline pumped through my veins, pushing me faster. I had to see him.

In my haste, I barely registered the shattering sound of the vase I knocked over. A sharp pain shot through my leg, but I didn't stop. Not for anything. Not even as the warm sensation of blood trickled down my ankle.

I rushed down the staircase, barely registering the blood smeared on the marble steps behind me. I had to see him. I had to know why he was here.

When I finally reached the living room, I saw him. Taemin stood there, drenched, strands of his wet hair clinging to his forehead. His suit, though slightly damp, clung to his body, highlighting his broad shoulders and tired expression. He was talking to the guards, his assistant standing nearby.

And then his gaze shifted to me.

The room fell silent. His eyes, wide and dark, weren't just looking at me-they were looking past me. To the bloody footprints I had left trailing down the stairs.

Without a word, Taemin's expression shifted into something darker, more intense. He took long strides toward me, closing the distance before I could even react.

His hands gripped my shoulders tightly, his voice low but filled with anger. "What the hell, Siya? How could you hurt yourself like this?"

I yanked his hands away, shoving him back with all the anger I had been bottling up. "Where the fuck were you?" I snapped, my voice trembling with a mixture of rage and pain. The guards nearby gasped, clearly shocked by the scene, but I didn't care. "You disappeared! You didn't call, didn't text-nothing! And now you just show up like this? Do you even care? I'm your wife, Kim Taemin!!" My voice cracked, and I hated how weak it sounded.