When the Clock Strikes|Pi Han Ul x Reader|

(S02) Chapter 38

The tea in front of me had gone cold. I hadn’t touched it.

The rain outside had softened into a drizzle, but inside me, the storm hadn’t moved an inch.

I kept staring at my hands, water-stained and still trembling. The air was thick with silence. Minhwan hadn’t said anything in a while. He was letting me sit with it, the weight, the ache.

Then finally, I whispered, almost too quiet to hear—

“I’m not giving up.”

Minhwan turned toward me, brow furrowing. “What?”

I sat up straighter. My voice came out clearer this time, even though my body still felt like it was unraveling. “I said—I’m not giving up. Not on her.”

Minhwan blinked, taken aback. “Han Wool…”

“I know something’s wrong,” I continued. “I don’t know what, but I know her. I know Ye Na. That wasn’t a goodbye. That was her begging me not to follow.”

Minhwan let out a small breath. “And you want to?”

“I have to.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Well, what’s the plan then, Romeo?”

I didn’t answer with words.

I reached into my jacket, pulled out my phone—still damp from the rain—and unlocked it with shaky fingers.

Minhwan watched as I scrolled through contacts and brought the phone to my ear. A few seconds, then a low voice answered.

“Hyung?” I said. “It’s Han Wool.”

“Han Wool? Hey, I haven’t heard from you in—”

“I need a favor. Do you still know the owner of the café near Seoul National Hospital? The one with the green awning?”

“The one by the crosswalk? Yeah. Why?”

“Can you talk to him for me?” I said, my voice growing steadier by the second. “Ask if they need anyone for part-time work. Mornings, evenings—doesn’t matter.”

There was a pause on the line.

“…Are you serious?”

“Dead serious.”

Minhwan sat up straighter, clearly trying to piece it together.

“Alright, I’ll call him,” the voice on the phone said. “But what’s going on?”

“Just—just let me know, hyung. Please.”

“Okay. I’ll text you soon.”

I ended the call and placed the phone on the table, exhaling for the first time in what felt like hours.

Minhwan was staring at me, mouth half-open. “You’re getting a job? There? Just like that?”

I nodded.

“I need to be near her. Even if she doesn’t talk to me. Even if she ignores me for weeks. I want to be close by. Just so she knows—I’m still here.”

Minhwan leaned back, running both hands down his face. “Bro, you’re out of your mind.”

“I know.”

“Like completely gone.”

“I know.”

He looked at me for a long moment, then shook his head slowly. “But damn it… if that isn’t the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen.”

I laughed, breathlessly. A real one this time. It cracked a little at the edges, but it was real.

Minhwan leaned forward again, his voice quieter. “You think she’ll come around?”

“I think she’s scared,” I said. “Scared of losing more people. Scared of being the cause.”

“She’s not.”

“I know. But if she won’t believe it from herself… maybe she’ll believe it if I don’t leave.”

Minhwan went silent again, his eyes softer now. “You love her like crazy, man.”

“I do.”

He sat back with a sigh. “Well then… guess we’re getting you a café apron.”

I smiled weakly.

Outside, the rain started up again—but I didn’t look.

I just sat there, clutching the hoodie Minhwan had given me earlier, and finally pulled it over my head.

It still smelled like soap and fabric softener.

Like comfort.

Like something Ye Na might have worn on a lazy Sunday.

I thought about her hands. Her voice. Her silence.
The look in her eyes when she turned away.

Whatever it was she was running from—she wouldn’t face it alone.

I’d make sure of that.

Even if I had to stand by the hospital doors every day just to get a glimpse.

Even if all I could offer her was coffee in the morning and a quiet hello.

She didn’t have to let me in.

I would wait outside.

As long as it took.