After a while, the chaotic princess and the protective queen sat in the café Hyunsu had suggested — two iced Americanos resting on the table between them. The atmosphere was meant to be casual, but neither could fully unwind.
"I heard that woman say 'Doctor'..." Luna finally broke the silence, absentmindedly stirring her drink with the straw. "Your brother became a doctor?" Her voice carried a light, indifferent tone, but the flicker of curiosity beneath it didn't go unnoticed.
"Yeah... Doctor Hyunsu, the prodigy of the family," Nina sighed dramatically, leaning back in her chair. "He specializes in sleep disorders and dream therapy... something with AI and neuroscience. Honestly, I don't understand half of what he's doing—"
"You remember, right? I told you yesterday." Nina sipped her Americano.
"He can help with your problem. He's working on some big project... something like... was it AIDS, or... whatever it was called. Miracle Hospital paid him a fortune to bring him back from Japan. I heard his experiment received world recognition—something like that."
"Oh... so that's what you meant when you said he could help me."
Luna's fingers froze mid-stir as she processed Nina's words.
"Why would you believe him? We've been stuck here all this time—unable to take a single step forward. He only came back a week ago. How could he have found someone like that so quickly? I don't trust him."
Nina glanced at the clock as the minute hand ticked past one—the time Hyunsu had promised to meet them.
"Let's just leave. I'll message him," Nina suggested, masking the slight disappointment in her voice.
Luna's gaze remained fixed on the entrance, her heartbeat syncing with the ticking clock. The ice in her cup clinked softly as her grip tightened around the glass—the faint tremor in her fingers betraying the storm beneath her calm exterior.
Ringgggg... Ringg...
Nina bolted upright. "It's your father calling me."
"Pick up. Don't tell him that I'm with you," Luna instructed.
Nina swallowed and answered nervously. "Hello... Yes, Uncle."
"How are things going for the annual competition?" Mr. Kim said.
"I'll be there shortly, Uncle," Nina replied, ending the call.
"Lulu, he's heading to the gallery. We need to leave right now."
"Let's wait for ten more minutes. If he doesn't show up, we'll go."
Nina's eyes widened. "Are you out of your mind? If your father finds out—"
"You handle the briefing. Tell him I'm sick and stayed home."
Nina stared at her, incredulous. "You're really planning to lie to your father now? You've completely lost it. Do whatever you want—I'm leaving. I'll text my brother to drop you off when you're done."
Without another word, Nina stormed out, leaving Luna alone.
Time dragged on, each second stretching unbearably. Just as Luna was about to give up, the café door creaked open, the soft chime echoing through the quiet space.
Her heart skipped. Instinctively, her gaze snapped to the entrance.
A figure stood in the doorway, scanning the room—dark eyes flicking across the space before locking onto hers. Sharp. Unreadable.
Hyunsu.
He hadn't changed much since his teenage years—still the same tousled hair, the same piercing gaze—but there was something different now. A quiet authority clung to him, stripping away the last remnants of the boy he once was.
Luna's stomach twisted. Had he really become the man he claimed to be?
Questions swirled in her mind—curiosity sparking within—but in that moment, all she could do was stare.
"Where's Nina? Why are you waiting alone?" Hyunsu's voice broke the silence, steady yet unreadable. Instinctively, he took her hand—a silent gesture of concern, as if to say he understood—she had been waiting for him, all alone.
Luna barely glanced up, still in shock from his sudden gesture. Why did this man suddenly hold my hand?Was he concerned about me?
"She got a call… went back to the gallery." Her tone was flat as she gently pulled her hand away from his.
"Sorry for making you wait." His voice was deeper than she remembered. More grounded. "I found the person who took that photo."
Her heart clenched. The past—the one their parents had buried so carefully—was about to resurface, and she was about to take the first step closer to the truth.
Before she could respond, the café door creaked open again. The sharp chime cut through the room, drawing everyone's attention. A man stepped inside.
Lean, with a worn camera bag slung over his shoulder. Dark brown hair peeked from under his cap, stray strands falling messily over his forehead. His eyes flicked around the room—cautious, searching—before landing on her.
Luna's chest tightened.
"Ethan—the cameraman. One of the few people present that day," Hyunsu mentioned, his gaze fixed on him.
He approached slowly, his gaze lingered on Luna for a moment before he wordlessly took the seat across from them.
Hyunsu slid into the seat beside her. Luna's pulse skipped. Why is he sitting beside me?
Ethan's voice broke through the thick silence, low and guarded. "You're looking for me?"
Luna's eyes narrowed. "You were there that day... at the DrawWithin auction, right?"
His fingers tightened around his camera strap. "A lot of people were there."
"But not everyone caught what you did, right?" Hyunsu's voice was steady, probing.
His gaze stayed locked on Ethan, calm yet unrelenting. He had seen too many patients try to bury the truth beneath fragmented memories—too many people convincing themselves they had seen nothing, heard nothing, all in an effort to escape the pain of what they truly knew.
Ethan was no different in this situation. The subtle twitch of his fingers.
Hyunsu knew that look.
He was definitely hiding something.
He shifted slightly, positioning himself closer to Luna without even realizing it—protective, instinctive. She was trying to act strong, but he could see through her. The way her hands trembled as she gripped the glass, the flicker of fear in her eyes that she thought no one could notice, all spoke louder than words ever could.
I hate seeing you like this. Not again, Hyunsu thought, a deep ache settling in his chest.
"Do you remember what happened that day? Did you listen to the conversation between my parents and my aunt, uncle?"
Ethan's gaze shifted nervously around the café, his voice dropping to a whisper. "They were talking about someone... from Miracle Hospital."
"Miracle Hospital?" she echoed, glancing at Hyunsu, knowing that he works there, who remained unnervingly quiet.
Ethan nodded. "They mentioned Elder Lee. Your grandfather."
Luna's breath caught. Her grandfather? Her mind raced back to the very few memories she still held onto — the once proud and dignified man who had guided both families, now locked away in his own fading world, but why? No one knows the reason yet.
"Did you hear anything else?"
Ethan's jaw tightened. "Your parents... they were begging. They kept saying they were sorry... to the Lee family."
Luna's fingers curled around her cup, the cold biting into her palm.
"Begging?" The word felt strange on her tongue.
"Begging that you should never find out," Ethan added.
"Find out what?" Luna's world tilted, puzzle pieces crashing together—yet still painfully incomplete, leaving a gaping hole where the truth should be.
"I saw that much... then I left," Ethan added.
Her voice soft and shaky as Ethan turned to leave, "Please, let me know if you remember anything else."
The weight of Ethan's words pressed down on her chest, making it harder to breathe. One step forward — yet the truth felt agonizingly out of reach.
Just then, Hyunsu's hand closed gently around hers.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded numbly, but as she tried to rise, her vision blurred. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed into his arms.
"Luna!"
Without wasting a second, he scooped her into his arms and rushed out.
Hyunsu's heart pounded in sync with the tires screeching against the asphalt. His knuckles whitened against the steering wheel as he glanced at Luna's pale face slumped beside him. Every shallow breath she took echoed like a warning bell in his ears.
Not again... please, not again.
Memories he'd long buried clawed their way to the surface—the helplessness of watching someone slip away right before his eyes, the weight of promises left unfulfilled. His grip tightened on the wheel as he pressed harder on the accelerator, weaving through traffic without a second thought.
By the time he pulled up to Miracle Hospital, Jinwoo was already waiting at the entrance, the stretcher ready.
"Hyunsu—" Jinwoo started, but Hyunsu cut him off.
"She fainted. Pulse weak, cold sweat... might be shock or exhaustion. Get her inside quickly."
His voice was clipped, professional — but the tremor in his hands betrayed the storm raging beneath his calm exterior.
They wheeled Luna into the ER, Hyunsu issuing orders to the nurses. He adjusted the IV drip himself, his fingers brushing against her wrist as he checked her pulse again — slower than he'd like. With practiced precision, he administered a saline solution to stabilize her hydration and gave a mild sedative to ease her breathing, his focus unwavering as he worked to steady her.
His eyes flicked to the heart monitor. Steady... but fragile. Just like her.
Miuntes passed in a haze of medical routines, but Hyunsu never left her side. When the machines finally beeped with a more consistent rhythm, he allowed himself to breathe again.
Only then did the mask of the doctor slip away—revealing the boy who had once crushed on her, the one who wanted to protect her, his emotions raw and unguarded.
He sat down beside her bed, his hand finding hers without realizing. Her fingers felt so small in his, colder than he expected.
"You always did push yourself too far..." he murmured, his thumb brushing against her knuckles. The weight in his chest grew heavier with every second of silence.
"I don't know what you're chasing... or what you're so afraid of." His voice barely above a whisper, for someone who couldn't hear him.
"But... I'm here now. Whether you trust me or not... I'll protect you."
His dark eyes lingered on her face — fragile, vulnerable — so different from the fierce girl who always fought to hide her pain.
The Hyunsu from years ago would have never dared to reach out. But the Hyunsu sitting here now, with years of distance and regret weighing on him — he couldn't stop himself.
He squeezed her hand tighter, leaning in just a little closer.
"Luna... if you're suffering like this... what exactly have they been hiding from you all these years?"
Hyunsu's gaze remained on Luna's sleeping face, her delicate breaths rising and falling under the pale hospital lights. The rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor faded into the background as his mind drifted back — to a time when the weight on her shoulders wasn't so suffocating.