Park Ji Woo, a charming crime investigator at the peak of his career, his life taking an unexpected turn when the intelligent doctor trainee, Min Seohyun, winds up at his house with no explanation. With their paths continuously crossing, both are pu...
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Seohyun had grieved so many times. The emptiness hollowed out her heart, a shear of nothingness that somehow took over her mind and threatened to kill her. She was afraid of the same repetitive pain that would envelop her in a choking embrace like once before. Afraid of spiraling into the endless despair that plunged her with a sharp-edged blade. Empty, almost on the verge of going insane. Or perhaps, she already was.
Adjusting the black ribbon tied in her hair, she greeted visitors as they clustered in to pay their condolences. They weren't many, only close friends and colleagues. Seohyun masked her face with a polite smile she practiced to wear before the funeral; it almost came naturally to deceive anyone of the stinging in her eyes.
Everyone looked at her through pitiful eyes, and she despised it.
Each word of condolence that lulled in her ears, and she would look away immediately as their eyes shifted to the casket behind her. She was scared to look back; one look, and she knew the bitter truth would shatter her senses to an ultimate breakdown.
"I'm so sorry for your loss." The simple words lingered as she recognized the smooth voice. Her eyes connected with those of Dr. Jong's as she turned to the side.
Eyes pooling with pity.
"Thanks," she muttered softly, her lips twisting to a mundane smile. Thunder roared outside the hall, crackling in the midnight sky with a rambunctious growl. Dr. Jong gently placed a hand on her shoulder, smoothing out the fabric of the black hanbok she was dressed in.
"I have to go. Ring me if you need anything, alright?" He sent her an apologetic look, before patting her shoulder and turning to leave.
The night rolled by like that, Seohyun entertaining visitors as they offered their best wishes and prayers. She couldn't think straight; she was in a daze and felt lost in a foggy mist of her feelings.
Jiwoo stood idly by a lone corner, observing the host from afar as if he was drinking in a lonely painting of a museum. Dressed in dark traditional clothing, he saw how vulnerable she looked. Even when she once stood behind bars, the esteemed lab coat she wore always seemed to give her a cunning flair. But this time, no amount of gentle smiles could cover her tired eyes and white barren face.
It was now nearly eleven, and the desolate function hall was now dimly lit with a handful of warm lights that illuminated the casket. Seohyun slowly turned around, afraid of the sight that confirmed her worst nightmares time and time again.
Gradually, she neared the altar, where the cheery face of her brother's portrait sat. It looked heavenly, surrounded by a grand arch of pure chrysanthemums and an array of fruits and wine below. She bit her lip, eyebrows crossing. A single tear slipped down her cheek like a raindrop scintillating on a glass pane.
"It can't be true. Please, tell me I've been lied to."
Seohyun whirled around, dashing out of the dim function hall and into the chilly night, only the thin hanbok clad to her skin. She ran into the depths of the midnight, adrenaline pulsing her body to move. She didn't know or care to which direction; she just needed to breathe.
