"Min Jun," Y/N called, her eyes wide open. How did he know? He couldn't know. He shouldn't know. It was impossible unless he was-
"Yes, Lee Y/N?" It was supposed to be Kang Yejin, and he wasn't supposed to know her real name. She was screwed. The two of them were looking into each other's eyes as they breathed heavily, thinking of their next move.
He didn't want to hurt her. Gosh, no, he would never. He could never.
"Who are you?" She spoke, eyes narrowing as he leaned forward. "How do you know my name?"
"Don't worry, I'm not-" Stopping him midsentence, she raised her leg and kicked him enough to make him stumble backward. She didn't run away though, she just locked his door and glared at him.
"Does your father know?"
"He doesn't." Groaning, he stood up and fixed his clothes. "I misunderestimated your strength, Miss Y/N." His chuckle made her frown as she looked at him in confusion.
Why was his voice so familiar? Why was she brought back to her memories of years ago? Why was he so-
"Haru?" The name rolled out of her tongue as a tear escaped her eyes. It was impossible, but that was the only way to explain everything. It felt real, his presence was familiar, how could she be so blind?
Y/N didn't wait for him to reply, because the way his eyes softened was enough to make her realize it was indeed him. And before he knew it, her arms wrapped around his shoulders as she rested her head in the crook of his neck.
"You... remember me." He whispered, his eyebrows slightly furrowing as he hugged her tighter. He was afraid she wouldn't remember him, just like everyone. But how could she when Haru was her first love?
They were young when they first met, but Y/N was sure she had feelings for him. Whatever it was, she knew he would always be the boy who comforted her ten years ago, when her world was on the verge of being doomed.
"How..." She muttered, frowning as she slowly pulled away. "You were-"
"I wasn't dead, Y/N," He smiled a little before he pulled her closer to him. "They just put us apart so that you don't remember me. It kind of worked."
His words made her eyes glisten as she slightly tilted her head and rested her hand against his cheek. "You're all... grown up..."
"Right? I'm not skinny anymore, look," He flexed his muscles and she laughed. "And I'm more handsome than before." She just smiled at that and nodded genuinely.
It was comforting, how she could talk to him while being herself. She wasn't pretending anymore, because she knew he was already ahead of her.
"What happened?" Haru's childish traits were replaced by a serious expression that made her frown. She knew something was so wrong.
"The old Seong Min Jun died, so I had to be the new one." He winced. "He died in a car accident and I had to be him for the rest of my life."
"Does Mr. Kang know?" Y/N asked and Haru nodded. "How? He never told me. He knew how much I-" She stopped, staring at him with wide eyes before she frowned.
"I know... he knew how much I loved you too." His eyes softened. "That's why he didn't tell you. You were training to be a great agent, Y/N. If you knew that I was alive... you wouldn't have gone to Japan."
Y/N knew he was right because if she knew he was alive, she would have done anything to find him and stay with him. She could remember the sleepless nights that she spent crying. She was young, yet she loved him a lot.
"I'm glad you're here." She smiled weakly and he pulled her closer once again. "Thank you for finding me, Haru." Calling him by that name felt weird yet right because she never thought that he would come back.
What a twist of events.
"There are a lot of things I need to tell you, Y/N, so listen to me very well." Haru rested his hands on her shoulders and made her look at him. "I think that Park Sunghoon isn't the one who killed Chul."
She furrowed her eyebrows as she stared at him in confusion. She's sure it was him who killed the kid, the bracelet she gave him was on his wrist. "Why?"
"The other day, I went to Chul's grave and he was there. Park Sunghoon." He looked down, slightly frowning. "I was confused as to why he was there. But then I heard him say something and I knew he wasn't a murderer. He can't be one."
"What... did he say?" Y/N felt as if she was standing at the edge of a cliff.
"I will avenge you," Haru muttered and she tensed. "I guess he knows who the real murderer is, but no one believes him."
Y/N knew he was talking about her. She was the only person who was close to Sunghoon, he must have realized that they were together at some point if he knew about her a while ago.
"I..." She started, finding it hard to come up with the right words. What words were even right then?
"Maybe we need to think about the whole thing again," Haru spoke. "Maybe you should give him a chance to explain, hm?"
"Haru..."
"He's in love with you, Y/N, even now." He smiled sadly. "And I have a feeling there's still some love for him left in your heart."
She didn't say anything, just looked down and sighed heavily. Everything was too overwhelming, she had to think about one thing at a time. Haru was back, but he wasn't the right one for her because her heart still belonged to the one man that she couldn't stop thinking about.
"I... need to think about it." She muttered. "I think I should go back, dad... Mr. Kang must be worried. Maybe he already knows... I don't know."
"Yes, you should go back." He nodded. "Let's meet again."
"Yeah... of course." She smiled a little then she turned around and exited his room, leaving him standing there with a heavy heart. And she went back to their hideout before knocking on Mr. Kang's door, thinking about how she should tell him about everything that happened so far.
"Come in." Hearing his voice, she opened the door and stepped inside. "Dear."
"Hello." Y/N slightly bowed at him. When she looked at him, his eyes were sad and soft and... glistening.
"Mr. Kang... what's wrong?" She frowned, and the next thing she knew was him standing up from his chair before he walked to her and pulled her into his embrace. She just stood there with his arms around her, feeling her heart beat faster.
"Your... mother." He spoke and Y/N froze. "I'm sorry."
A single tear fell down her cheek as she stared blankly at the wall in front of her. She believed that her mother died a long time ago, the moment she gave up on her.
She always thought that if she ever died, she would be okay. That if the universe took her away, she'd feel better.
Yet when the universe did, she felt empty.
