From the writers of Sociopath Universe, comes a new spin-off book set in the Phase Two of Lovesick Monster Universe.
During the weeks following the conclusion of the events in CHECKMATE, while GUN and IPG are struggling to find a way to stop Lee Kan...
I looked up, my vision blurred with tears, but there she was. Clear as day. Kim Gaeul. Fresh from the shower, warm, clean, radiating that quiet, grounding presence I had only begun to realize I needed so much. Her brows knit with concern as she took in my tear-streaked face, and before I could even attempt a reply, she was already moving—crossing the room, plopping down beside me, wrapping me in a tight embrace.
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"Yeon-seo... Gwaenchanha?" her voice was gentle. "I–I'm..." my words faltered between quiet sobs. "I'm... Yeah. I'm fine. Really..."
Gaeul didn't look convinced. Her gaze flickered to the letter trembling in my hands.
"Are you sure?"
I nodded. And I meant it.
Because my tears weren't of grief. They weren't the sorrowful, aching tears I had expected. This past month, as much as I tried to steer away from it, I unconsciously had braced myself for devastation, for the unbearable weight of missing Yuri.
But instead—all I felt was love.
Love for my sister. For her sharp mind, her boundless warmth, the way she had always seen further than anyone else, even when her own time was slipping away. Gratitude, not grief, flooded my heart.
I wanted to say that. To tell Gaeul that she didn't have to worry, that my heart was breaking but not in a way that needed fixing. That this wasn't sadness—it was relief. Relief that Yuri's wish had come true. That I had made peace with Wonyoung, that we had found our way back to each other as friends.
But no words came. Just more sobs, more shaky breaths.
And Gaeul understood. Of course she did. She smiled softly, pulling me into her arms again, her small hand moving up and down my back in slow, comforting strokes.
"It's alright," she whispered against my hair. "It's alright, Yeon-seo..."
I nodded, clutching onto her, letting my tears soak into her shoulder. And for the first time since opening Yuri's letter, I let myself feel light. Light, because I wasn't alone. Because Gaeul was there. Holding me, anchoring me, loving me.
We held each other for a long time—nothing hurried, nothing forced. Just the quiet warmth of her arms around me, steady and patient, as if she had all the time in the world.
And only then did it hit me.
Gaeul had been doing this all along. Reaching for me. Holding me. Even when I couldn't hold myself. Even in the silence, when I had shut down, when I had refused to acknowledge my own grief, she had never stopped being there. She never asked for anything in return.
As my sobs faded, as the weight in my chest softened enough for me to form real words again, I slowly pulled back. I met her eyes, a small, shaky smile forming on my lips. And before doubt could creep in, before I could overthink myself into retreating again—I reached for her hands.
