The Reunion

---

The rain blurred her vision as thunder echoed through the narrow alley.

Hae-rin stood frozen, her heart beating wildly.

There he was.

Lee Jun-seo.

Alive. Bloodied.

And saying her name like it was the only word he remembered.

“...Hae-rin?”

Her lips trembled. “It’s… really you.”

He tried to stand, but faltered, groaning in pain.

Without thinking, she dropped her umbrella and rushed forward.

“Don’t move! You’re hurt!”

She crouched beside him, her fingers brushing over the soaked fabric of his shirt, now crimson with blood.

“W-What happened to you?” she whispered, panic rising in her throat.

Jun-seo winced. “I didn’t know… where else to go.”

BOOM!

A distant thunderclap roared, and for a split second, a shadow flickered at the edge of the alley.

Hae-rin looked up sharply.

She wasn’t alone.

Someone was watching.

Her instincts screamed. She grabbed Jun-seo’s arm.

“Come on! We need to move—now!”

He stumbled, but leaned into her, and together they half-ran, half-dragged through the back alleys of Gangnam.

---

Twenty minutes later…

Her tiny apartment was dimly lit, warm, and filled with the soft scent of lavender. She eased him onto the couch, breathing heavily.

Jun-seo’s face was pale, his lips tight in pain.

“Take off your shirt,” she ordered, rushing to grab her first-aid kit.

He smirked faintly despite the pain. “We haven’t seen each other in five years and you’re already bossing me around?”

“Don’t joke now!” she snapped. “You’re bleeding!”

He winced again, then slowly peeled off his soaked shirt. Hae-rin gasped.

His body was riddled with bruises, old scars, and a fresh stab wound just under his rib.

“God…” she whispered, biting her lip. “What happened to you, Jun-seo?”

He didn’t answer. His gaze was fixed on her—on the way her hands trembled while dabbing the wound, on the way her eyes glistened with worry.

“Still an artist,” he murmured.

She blinked. “What?”

“Your hands… they move like they’re sketching, even when you’re healing.”

A tear rolled down her cheek.

“You disappeared. No goodbye. No explanation. They said horrible things about you. I waited… I searched…”

“I know.” His voice was barely a whisper. “I’m sorry.”

She looked into his eyes—those same haunting eyes—but now they were darker.

Haunted.

“Tell me everything,” she said. “Why did you leave? What happened at school?”

Jun-seo leaned back, exhaling slowly. The storm outside seemed to quiet as he spoke.

---

Flashback – Five Years Ago

“There’s something you never knew about Hwayang High,” Jun-seo began. “It’s not just a school. It’s a front.”

“A front?”

“For a private society. A group of influential families. They used students like us to groom successors—to manipulate, spy, and even destroy reputations. Mr. Kim found out… and he tried to expose them.”

Hae-rin’s eyes widened.

“Are you saying… his death wasn’t an accident?”

Jun-seo nodded. “He recorded everything. And he gave it to me before he died.”

“Why you?”

“Because my family is part of that society. But I wasn’t like them.”

Her breath hitched.

“So… they tried to silence you?”

“Yes. They framed me. I had to run.”

He looked away, jaw clenched.

“For five years, I’ve been hiding… searching for the rest of Mr. Kim’s files. They’re still out there. Hidden. And now, someone’s trying to finish what they started.”

---

A silence fell between them, thick with secrets and fear.

“I shouldn’t have come to you,” he murmured. “I’ve put you in danger.”

Hae-rin stood, heart pounding.

“Don’t say that. If you’re in danger, then so am I. And I’m not running away.”

Jun-seo looked up at her, a flicker of something soft in his eyes.

“You haven’t changed,” he said.

“You have,” she whispered. “You’re stronger… but sadder.”

He reached out, fingers brushing hers.

“I never forgot you, Hae-rin.”

Her breath caught.

Every emotion she buried for five years came rushing back—

the stolen glances,

the shared silence on the rooftop,

the heartbreak of his disappearance.

She closed her eyes.

“Neither did I.”

---

Suddenly—

BANG!

The front door rattled.

Both of them froze.

Another bang.

Someone was trying to break in.

Hae-rin gasped. “They found you…”

Jun-seo struggled to stand, grabbing the kitchen knife.

“No matter what happens, stay behind me,” he said. “Don’t open the door.”

But before either could react, a voice shouted from outside—

“Police! Open up!”

Police?!

Jun-seo’s expression changed.

“This could be a trap. They could be fake.”

Hae-rin’s mind raced.

She looked through the peephole—two men in suits, not uniforms. No badge visible.

Jun-seo whispered, “We need to leave. Now.”

---

They escaped through the fire escape, racing down into the night. The rain had stopped, but the air was thick with tension.

They ducked into an old bookstore where Hae-rin’s uncle worked the night shift. He gave her a spare key years ago.

Inside, among dusty shelves and forgotten stories, they finally caught their breath.

Jun-seo sat against the wall, exhausted.

“I need to find that flash drive,” he said. “It’s the only proof left.”

Hae-rin sat beside him, hugging her knees.

“Then we’ll find it. Together.”

He turned to her, his expression unreadable.

“You don’t have to do this.”

“I want to.”

She paused, then added softly:

“I lost you once, Jun-seo. I’m not losing you again.”

---

Outside, the sky began to lighten.

Morning was coming.

But for them, the real story was just beginning.

Somewhere in the city, shadows moved.

And secrets waited to be uncovered.

But now, they weren’t alone.

They had each other.

---

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