When the Clock Strikes|Pi Han Ul x Reader|

(S02) Chapter 42

We finished our bowls in a warm, easy silence. The kind where the clinking of chopsticks and the occasional hum of approval filled the space more than words ever could. I leaned back, full and content in a way I hadn’t been in weeks. Maybe months.

Han Wool stood, stacking the bowls with that casual grace of his. I reached for mine too, standing up beside him. “Let me help you clean—”

“Nope.” He blocked me with his arm like a wall. “Go lie down.”

“But—”

“Ye Na.” He looked down at me with that gentle seriousness he wore only when he meant something. “You’ve done enough thinking. Enough worrying. I’ll clean. You go rest. The room’s ready.”

“But I’m not tired,” I muttered.

He smiled. “Then go pretend to sleep until you actually do.”

And somehow, that was enough to get me walking toward the bedroom.

I pulled back the soft sheets and climbed in, his shirt still loose on my body, the scent of him wrapping around me like a second blanket. The room was quiet—too quiet, maybe—but for once, the silence didn’t scare me.

I lay there, staring at the ceiling, letting my thoughts settle like dust in sunlight.

Breaking up with him had been the worst decision of my life.

I’d thought it would protect him. That leaving would somehow build a wall between him and the danger that surrounded me. But all it did was leave me alone in the dark, spiraling. And it left him confused. Hurt.

And still, he came back.

Still, he held me like I hadn’t broken his heart with that silence.

Still, he made me soup.

Han Wool wasn’t just love. He was comfort. He was that exhale I’d been chasing since everything started to fall apart. The quiet in the chaos.

And now that I had him back—even just in this little apartment, for now—I didn’t want to let go.

I was almost asleep when I heard the door creak open.

Soft footsteps padded across the floor, then the bed dipped under his weight. A second later, his arm slid around my waist, pulling me back against the warmth of his chest. His breath touched the curve of my neck, soft and steady.

“Sleep,” he whispered, his voice lower now, soothing. “I’m by your side.”

I turned slightly, eyes half-closed, and looked at him. “Will everything really sort out?”

He kissed the back of my shoulder. “It will. Minhwan’s got them. We’re not alone anymore.”

I pressed my fingers against his, intertwining our hands over my stomach.

And in that moment, I felt the weight lift.

Not all of it. Not forever.

But enough.

Enough to close my eyes and trust him again.

Enough to finally let go and sleep.

Because with Han Wool beside me…
I wasn’t afraid of tomorrow anymore.

____________________

The morning light spilled through the sheer curtains, golden and gentle. I felt a warm hand brushing my hair away from my face. Then a tap—soft, rhythmic—against my arm.

“Ye Na,” Han Wool whispered, voice laced with a smile. “Wake up, sleepyhead.”

I stirred, blinking against the sunlight. “What time is it…?”