When the Clock Strikes|Pi Han Ul x Reader|

(S02) Chapter 9

Lame.

Harin’s smile tightens.

“I think we can handle it,” she says, voice smooth but edged with steel. “It’s not a big deal.”

“But—”

“Oh!” Harin's mom claps her hands. “That reminds me, Ye Na, weren’t you going to help me with something today?”

I blink. “I was?”

She tilts her head, eyes sharp.

“Right.” I cough. “I was.”

Harin smirks.

I glare at her.

Han Wool? Still indifferent.

She practically drags him away, her grip possessive, her victory shining through her every step.

And I hate it.

I hate it.

Because it’s not just jealousy.

It’s the twisting feeling in my stomach, the way my fingers itch to grab onto something, the way my chest feels too tight for my heart.

Because it’s not just that she gets to go with him.

It’s that she gets to go with him—the Han Wool I used to know.

Or at least, the Han Wool I thought I knew.

And I have no idea if the man she’s holding onto now is the same one I once loved.

I can never let this wedding happen.

The front door clicks shut behind them, and with it, the last remnants of my patience.

I stare at the now-empty doorway, my fingers curled into fists by my side, my heart a mess of emotions I refuse to acknowledge.

They're gone.

I lost.

And I hate losing.

Aunt Joo Won sighs beside me, stretching her arms. “Now then, I should get my phone… Where did I put it?”

She mutters to herself as she walks away, heading toward her room, leaving me alone in the living room.

Alone—except for Harin’s mother.

And that’s when I feel it.

The weight of her gaze.

I turn my head slowly.

She’s standing there, arms crossed, expression unreadable. But her eyes—her eyes are sharp, like a knife pressing against my skin.

“What exactly are you trying to do?” she asks, voice deceptively calm.

I blink. “Excuse me?”

Her lips curl. “Don’t act innocent. You know exactly what I mean.”

Oh.

Oh, this is happening.

I exhale through my nose, lifting an eyebrow. “You’ll have to be more specific. I tend to cause a lot of trouble, apparently.”

Her eyes narrow. “You tried to stop them from going today.”

I shrug. “So?”

“So?” She lets out a sharp laugh. “Ye Na, don’t play dumb. You didn’t want them to go because you didn’t want Harin to be happy.”

That makes me pause.

Not because she’s right.

Because she’s so wrong it’s insulting.