When the Clock Strikes|Pi Han Ul x Reader|

(S02) Chapter 36

Morning came soft and slow.

A golden light seeped through the thin curtains, casting warm streaks across the walls. It touched everything gently—the folds of the blanket, the curve of the pillow, and finally… my face.

I blinked, slowly coming into the world.

The first thing I felt was weight—warm, steady, comforting. A hand wrapped around mine, fingers still intertwined like they hadn’t dared let go through the night. And then I saw him.

Han Wool.

Lying beside me, one arm under his head, the other still holding onto me like a promise.

The rise and fall of his chest was calm, peaceful. His mouth slightly parted, his lashes resting against his cheeks, soft like the first snow. There was a stillness to him I’d never seen before—this boy who used to bounce off walls and fill every space with noise. Now quiet, serene. Beautiful.

I turned slightly, letting myself admire the sight no one else would ever see quite like this. The way the light caught in his hair. The faint outline of a smile still playing on his lips even in sleep.

My fingers moved before I could stop them—gently brushing against his cheek.

He stirred just the slightest bit but didn’t wake.

I smiled to myself, my heart doing that achey-soft thing it did only with him.

God, how did I ever live without this?

How did I go all those years without touching him like this, without seeing his face first thing in the morning, without feeling this… this safety?

“Stop staring,” he muttered, eyes still closed, voice thick with sleep. “It’s rude.”

I froze, caught in the act. “You were awake?”

He cracked one eye open. “I woke up five minutes ago. But your hand was really warm and you looked cute so I pretended.”

I rolled my eyes, but I didn’t pull my hand away. “You’re so annoying.”

“I try.” He shifted a little closer, our noses almost touching. “But only for you.”

I studied his face again, letting the light fill in the spaces between us. “You sleep like a rock.”

“And you move like a hurricane. I think you kicked me twice.”

His nose brushed against mine, a soft almost-touch, and his breath warmed the space between us.

Han Wool whispered, “You know what I thought about the moment I woke up?”

I blinked slowly, lips already curved. “What?”

“How unfair it is,” he murmured, kissing the tip of my nose. “That I get to wake up next to you now, after seven years of waking up alone.”

My chest pulled tight, a mix of guilt and warmth rolling together in the space behind my ribs.

“You’re not alone anymore,” I whispered.

He smiled like that was enough to hold him together for the rest of his life. Then leaned forward and placed a lingering kiss on my forehead, another on my cheek, and one more at the corner of my mouth—gentle, sweet, nothing demanding.

“You hungry?” he asked, pulling back just a little, though his arm was still wrapped around my waist.

I nodded lazily. “Starving. Emotionally and physically.”

He snorted. “You’re getting both. Breakfast and me.”

“Cheesy.”

“Still true.”