The morning sun filters through my curtains, golden streaks warming my bedroom. I should feel rested. I should feel grateful—today is my day off, and someone else has taken over my duty.
But instead, I sit on the edge of my bed, a photo clutched between my fingers.
A photo from seven years ago.
It’s slightly faded now, edges curling just a little, but the memories it holds are still painfully sharp.
Han Wool and I, standing by the lake.
Our face close, pure happiness frozen in time. He’s smiling, eyes bright with mischief. And I—God, I look so happy. Like the world belonged to us, like nothing could ever break us.
My fingers brush over his face in the photo. Do you remember this, Han Wool? Do you remember us?
I swallow hard. Of course, he doesn’t.
The Han Wool I knew is gone. Replaced by someone who looks like him, but doesn’t remember me.
I close my eyes, gripping the photo tighter. If only he knew how much I miss him. How much I’ve searched for him. How I still can’t believe he’s right in front of me, yet so far away.
Back then, he was mine.
If only you knew, Han Wool…
A sudden knock on my door makes me snap upright.
Heart racing, I shove the photo into my drawer, sliding it shut just as the door opens.
It’s my aunt. She barely glances at me before muttering, “Han Wool and his grandmother are here. Come to the hall.”
I blink. His grandmother?
So he has a grandmother now?
Aunt mutters something under her breath. “That girl isn’t even coming out when her fiancé and his family are here.” I hear her footsteps retreating toward Harin’s room.
I exhale, forcing my heartbeat to slow as I smooth down my clothes and head for the stairs.
The moment I step into the living room, the air shifts.
Han Wool is sitting there, relaxed, elbow propped on the armrest, fingers tapping against his knee. But it’s the woman beside him who commands the entire room.
She’s dressed in a pristine hanbok, her posture rigid, her gaze sharp.
Her eyes land on me, cool and assessing.
“Is this the one?” she asks.
I stop in my tracks.
The one?
I glance at Han Wool’s mother, who looks nervous. “Ah, no, Mother, this is—”
“Harin's cousin,” Han Wool cuts in smoothly. His voice is light, but there’s something careful about the way he says it. “Baek Ye Na.”
His grandmother hums, her gaze still locked onto me. “Cousin?”
I straighten. “Yes, Grandmother.”
She studies me, as if peeling back my layers, before finally nodding once.
“I expected someone different.”
My breath catches. “Excuse me?”
Before she can elaborate, footsteps sound behind me.
Harin.
She steps into the room, her expression unreadable. She bows politely. “Grandmother, I am Harin. I hope you’ve been well.”
The elderly woman barely glances at her. “I see you’re the one, slow as much as the snail".
YOU ARE READING
When the Clock Strikes|Pi Han Ul x Reader|
FanfictionBeak Cheonga never expected much from life. Not love, not warmth-just survival. Adopted into a wealthy family that never truly wanted her, she learned how to exist in the empty spaces between their affection. Transferring from Daehwa High to Yusung...
