When the Clock Strikes|Pi Han Ul x Reader|

(S02) Chapter 22

"Harin," her mother interrupted, her tone a warning.

"No, Mom!" Harin spun toward her. "I need to know! Does he even love me?!"

The question hung in the air like a guillotine, poised to strike.

Why the fuck she is screaming, she plays well the victim role every time.

Honestly, I can't stand this girl.

The sales attendant was frozen, his polite customer-service smile now bordering on absolute terror.

"Of course," Han Wool finally said, voice measured, "I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t."

It was the logical response. The correct one.

But it was also…

Cold.

Unconvincing.

Harin let out another scoff, her eyes flashing. "Wow," she breathed, shaking her head. "That’s the best you can do?"

Han Wool sighed, rubbing his temple again. "Harin, you’re overreacting."

"I’m overreacting?! I’M OVERREACTING?" Harin’s voice rose even higher, and I flinched, along with everyone else in the store. "You’re the one acting like I dragged you here against your will!"

Han Wool’s mom cleared her throat, trying to salvage the situation. "Harin, sweetheart, let’s just choose the rings first—"

"No!" Harin’s hands balled into fists. "I am not choosing anything until I know why my fiancé is acting like he’s being held hostage!"

Han Wool let out a sharp exhale, stepping back and crossing his arms. "Fine. You want honesty?"

Harin narrowed her eyes.

"I don’t care about rings," Han Wool said bluntly. "I don’t care about shopping. I don’t care about spending hours choosing between ‘platinum’ and ‘white gold’ when they look exactly the same."

Harin’s jaw dropped.

"Is that what you wanted to hear?" he continued, unfazed. "You already know this about me. You knew it when you forced me to come, you knew it when you kept asking me over and over again to ‘act excited.’ Why are we still doing this?"

A heavy silence followed.

And then—

A bitter laugh.

Harin looked away, shaking her head with a humorless chuckle. "Right. Of course. Of course you don’t care."

I took a slow, careful step back, watching the storm unfold.

Han Wool sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Harin—"

"You know what, Oppa?" Harin cut him off, her voice eerily calm now. "Forget it. Just forget it."

Then, without another word, she spun on her heel and stomped toward the exit.

The doors slid open with a soft whoosh, and she stormed outside, heels clicking against the pavement.

The store was completely silent.

For a moment, no one moved.

Not the mothers. Not the terrified sales attendant. Not even Han Wool.

Then, finally—

Han Wool ran a hand down his face, exhaling deeply. "Fuck..."

His mother sighed. "Han Wool, you shouldn’t have said it like that."

He didn’t respond.

My eyes flickered toward the exit.

I expected Harin to keep walking straight to the car. But instead, she stopped just outside the glass window.

And then—

She turned.

And looked straight at me.

Han Wool’s mother exhaled, rubbing her temple. “Han Wool, go after her.”

Han Wool’s shoulders tensed, his jaw tightening as if he was physically restraining himself from sighing again.

“She’ll be fine,” he muttered, hands slipping into his pockets.

“HAN WOOL,” his mother snapped, her patience visibly running out.

Han Wool shut his eyes for a brief moment before finally giving in. With a deep sigh, he turned and walked toward the exit, dragging his feet like a child being sent to time-out.

Harin’s mother quickly followed after him, her heels clicking against the marble floor. “Aigoo, this girl…” she muttered, hurrying outside.

Soon, the store was nearly empty.

Except for me.

And the poor sales attendant, who looked like he was reconsidering his career choices.

I let out a slow breath, watching as the scene outside unfolded—Harin crossing her arms, Han Wool rubbing the back of his neck, their voices muffled by the glass.

Drama.

Too much drama.

I shook my head and turned away, feeling a strange sense of exhaustion that wasn’t even mine to carry.

Then—

A glimmer caught my eye.

The sales attendant was still standing behind the glass case, awkwardly shifting from foot to foot, unsure whether he should say something or pretend he didn’t exist.

My gaze drifted down to the display in front of him.

There it was.

A simple, delicate gold necklace with a small, dainty pendant.

Nothing too extravagant. Nothing that screamed look at me.

Just… pretty.

I tilted my head, leaning closer.

Then, before I could stop myself—

I smiled.

“Please pack this for me,” I said, pointing at the necklace.

The sales attendant blinked, clearly not expecting me to say anything after the mess he just witnessed.

“You… You want this one?” he asked cautiously.

I nodded. “Yeah. I kind of like today.”