When the Clock Strikes|Pi Han Ul x Reader|

Chapter 22

Standing just a few steps away.

Calm. Unreadable.

As if he knew I'd be here.

As if he had expected me.

I swallowed.

My grip tightened around the juice in my hand.

He was watching me. Not just looking-watching. The kind of gaze that stripped away every layer, left nothing hidden.

I felt helpless.

Blinking, I tried to gather my thoughts. "I-"

Then-

"So," he said, voice low, smooth. "Yesterday."

I hesitated. My fingers tightened around the juice carton.

He tilted his head slightly. "It was you."

I swallowed. There was no point in denying it. He already knew.

I wanted to deny it. To say I had no idea what he was talking about. But I knew he'd see through it.

So I exhaled, gripping the juice tighter. "...Yes."

Silence.

Then-

A smirk.

"I knew it."

My stomach twisted.

His expression didn't change, but something about it made my chest feel tight. Like I had walked into something I shouldn't have.

And then-his gaze dropped.

To my hand.

To the juice I was holding.

And then-

He laughed.

Not a soft laugh.

A sharp one.

Mocking.

His lips curled slightly as if I had just done something utterly ridiculous.

I felt... helpless.

"You"

"What?" I asked, barely above a whisper.

His smirk didn't fade.

But then, his expression changed.

His eyes darkened.

And the words that came next-

I wasn't ready for them.

"You really think I care?"

The breath hitched in my throat.

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze sharp, voice cold. "You think you're special?"

My fingers clenched around the carton.

He took a step closer, but I couldn't move.

"I don't know what made you think I'd be interested," he said. "But let me make something clear."

My chest felt tight.

His voice was lower now.

"You are nothing to me."

The words cut sharper than they should have.

"I won't act as you please," he continued. "Don't expect me to."

I felt my heartbeat in my ears.

"And if you ever start following me around..."

His gaze locked onto mine.