When the Clock Strikes|Pi Han Ul x Reader|

(S02) Chapter 7

Her grip on my wrist tightened subtly before she let go, turning her attention back to Han Wool’s mother. “Where is Han Wool, by the way?”

“Oh,” his mother said with a small chuckle, “he went out with some friends earlier. He’ll be back soon.”

Went out?

Harin’s smile twitched ever so slightly. “Oh,” she repeated, clearly thrown off. “I see.”

A man—Han Wool’s supposed father—sighed. “That boy always runs off somewhere. Even when we have important guests.”

His mother shook her head, laughing softly. “You know how he is. He’ll be back before dinner starts.”

I couldn’t focus.

The voices around me blurred as I stared at them, my mind struggling to keep up. Who were these people?

The Han Wool I knew had no mother.

The Han Wool I knew had a different father.

This wasn’t just forgetting.

This was something deeper.

Something is wrong.

The dining room was just as elegant as the rest of the house, a long mahogany table set with fine china, delicate wine glasses, and silver cutlery that gleamed under the golden lights. The scent of freshly prepared dishes wafted through the air—grilled meats, aromatic stews, a perfect balance of spices.

The atmosphere was light, filled with polite conversation.

Harin, ever the perfect fiancée, sat beside Han Wool’s mother, chatting sweetly about their engagement, subtly dropping compliments that made his mother beam with pride.

I, on the other hand, felt like I was suffocating.

Every time I glanced around the table, I was met with the wrong faces, the wrong voices, the wrong everything.

I kept my expression neutral, but inside, my thoughts were racing.

At one point, Han Wool’s mother turned to me with a curious smile. “So, Ye Na,” she said, “how long have you been staying with Joo Won?”

I swallowed. “Just recently,” I answered carefully.

“Ah, I see,” she nodded. “It’s wonderful that you’re here. Family should always stay close.”

Family.

What a joke.

Harin turned to me with a honeyed smile. “It’s nice having Ye Na with us, isn’t it, Mother?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Han Wool’s mother agreed. “You both must be so happy to spend time together.”

I forced a polite smile. Harin’s fingers lightly tapped against the table, her nails clicking against the surface—a subtle reminder. I knew what she was doing.

And I wasn’t playing along.

Just as dessert was being served, the front doors opened.

Footsteps echoed in the hall, slow and unhurried.

A second later, Han Wool walked in.

Casual. Unbothered. As if this wasn’t a dinner meant to discuss his engagement.

He had changed out of his earlier clothes, now dressed in a crisp black shirt with sleeves slightly rolled up, his hair slightly tousled like he had just come back from having fun—not from meeting his fiancée’s family.