When the Clock Strikes|Pi Han Ul x Reader|

(S02) Chapter 16

His steps are quick. Unforgiving.

He doesn’t look back.

Not even once.

And I—

I just stand there.

Alone.

A lump rises in my throat, burning, suffocating.

I squeeze my eyes shut, willing the sting to disappear.

But it doesn’t.

Because for the first time since seeing him again—

For the first time since I dared to hope—

I realize it.

He’s not the Han Wool I used to know.

And maybe…

Maybe he never will be.

Han Wool disappears into the trees, his figure swallowed by the light.

I stand frozen, staring at the empty space where he was just moments ago.

He’s gone.

The cold wind brushes against my damp skin, but I don’t move.

I can’t.

Because if I do—if I so much as take a step forward—I might break apart completely.

Minutes pass.

I don’t know how long I stand there, trapped in the weight of my own thoughts, my own heartbreak.

Then, slowly, my feet move.

But not in the direction Han Wool left.

I walk the opposite way.

I don’t know where I’m going.

And I don’t care.

The sky has turned darker now, the moon visible behind the clouds. The road ahead is unfamiliar, empty. Only the sound of my footsteps echoes in the distance.

My chest is heavy.

My breath uneven.

My face is already ruined from crying, my eyes swollen, my throat raw.

But even then—

Even when I have nothing left inside me—

I still cry.

The tears fall silently, burning my cheeks, slipping past my trembling lips.

I sniffle, wiping at my face, but it doesn’t help.

Nothing helps.

Not when the one person I was desperate to hold onto—

Doesn’t remember me at all.

The ache in my chest tightens.

And before I know it—

I stop in the middle of the road.

Then slowly—

I squat down.

And cry.

Loud, broken sobs that shake my entire body.

The streetlights blur in my vision. The night air is freezing against my skin, but I don’t care.

I clutch my knees, pressing my forehead against them, letting the pain swallow me whole.

I hate this.

I hate everything.

I hate that I still love him.