When the Clock Strikes|Pi Han Ul x Reader|

(S02) Chapter 32

Harin's eyes flashed, and for a second, I saw something else beneath all that anger—fear.

I took another step forward. "Let’s get one thing straight," I said, my voice lowering. "I don’t need to sneak around with Han Wool. I don’t need to play games like you. Because deep down, no matter how much you try to twist reality, you know the truth. You know that if Han Wool had all his memories—every single one—he wouldn't be standing next to you."

Harin’s breath hitched.

"That's why you're so scared," I whispered. "You’re terrified of the day he remembers."

The room was dead silent. Even Seok Kyung, Ha Ya, and Woo Joon didn’t dare breathe too loud.

Harin’s hands trembled as she tried to find words, but she couldn’t.

I smiled—small, knowing, sharp. "Now, if you're done making a scene, I have work to do."

Harin’s hands trembled, her nails digging into her palms. Her face twisted into something ugly—frustration, rage, maybe even fear—but she didn’t say anything for a moment. Then, with a sharp breath, she straightened, masking whatever vulnerability had slipped through.

"You’ll regret this soon, Ye Na," she spat, her voice shaking as she turned on her heel. The door slammed behind her as she stormed out, the echo lingering in the sudden silence.

I exhaled slowly, dragging my hands over my face before sinking back into my chair.

For a moment, no one said a word.

Then—

"What the hell was that?" Seok Kyung blurted, her hands planted firmly on my desk.

I let my head drop back against the chair, staring at the ceiling as if it had the answers. "Nothing."

Ha Ya scoffed. "That wasn’t ‘nothing.’ That was a full-on war declaration."

Woo Joon whistled lowly. "Gotta say, though, that was intense. I felt like I was watching a courtroom drama. If Harin had any hair to pull, I think she would’ve tried."

"Not helping, Woo Joon," Seok Kyung snapped before turning back to me. "Okay, seriously. You better start explaining because I want to know exactly what you’re up to. And don't say it's ‘nothing.’ Because that—" she gestured at the door where Harin had disappeared "—was not nothing."

I closed my eyes for a second, inhaling deeply. My fingers curled into my coat, gripping it tightly before I finally exhaled, sitting up straight.

"It’s not what you think it is," I said carefully.

"Then tell us what it is," Ha Ya pressed, crossing her arms.

I hesitated.

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust them. Will they understand?

But as I looked at their expectant faces, something inside me loosened.

"You want to know the truth?" I murmured.

Seok Kyung nodded immediately. "Obviously."

Ha Ya leaned in. "Spill."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair before shaking my head. “It’s not the time to tell,” I said quietly.

Seok Kyung’s expression dropped. “Oh, come on, Ye Na. After all that tension, you’re just going to leave us hanging?”

Woo Joon leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. “You realize this is cruel, right? Like, this should be illegal.”