Chapter 3: Collapse ③

There’s a secret I’ll take to the grave, but this was my first impression of the kid.

‘Ugly.’

Seoran chuckled.
Who would’ve guessed that the ugly baby would become her everything?

–Why are you laughing all of a sudden?
“Just reminiscing. Made me think of baby Iran back in the day.”
–Hehe. That peerless beauty never changes, huh?
“Of course, of course. I actually considered making her a baby model, you know?”
–Ehehe.

A few minutes after hanging up, Dohyeon—who’d been quietly snickering beside her—stood up.

“I’ve seen close siblings before, but you two are on another level.”

He smiled like it was nothing, but Seoran ’s heart twisted a little as she watched him.

“Sorry.”
“Huh? Why’re you apologizing all of a sudden?”
“I asked you to focus on me on Saturdays.”

Back when she was still wearing her school uniform—those fresh, youthful days.
On their first date, Seoran kept ignoring Dohyeon and fussing over Iran instead.

‘This outfit would look great on Iran.’
‘That’s one of Iran’s favorite snacks!’
‘I wonder what Iran’s doing right now?’

It kept going until they broke up, and eventually Dohyeon couldn’t take it anymore and spoke up.
A memory that isn’t exactly funny in hindsight.

“Ah, ahh? No, no. Please just forget that. Total cringe. Like… high school trauma-level stuff.”

His cheeks turned bright red with genuine embarrassment.
Looking up at him, Seoran ’s lips twitched with amusement.

Biting her lower lip to hold it in, she shot him a playful glare.

“But seriously, it was shocking. That guy who I thought had zero romantic instincts suddenly did a wall slam… haha.”
“Ugh… stooop….”
“Pfft! Okay, okay. Heehee, I’ll try to forget it. Hahaha.”

As the fluttering in her chest began to settle, a thought suddenly came to her.

‘So much has changed, hasn’t it?’

The girl once crushed by pressure had risen to the top of the hero world. And the boy who once knew nothing of feelings… had learned how to love.

‘Only one thing hasn’t changed.’

The warm presence always nestled in her arms.

The little lemon-colored head bobbing with joy.

Seoran ’s expression softened.
Watching her quietly, Dohyeon smiled the same gentle smile.

“I get jealous about a lot of things, but not when it comes to Iran.
If I’d known your past back then, I never would’ve said anything.”

He spoke plainly, just listing facts.
And when their eyes met, the corners of his eyes crinkled.

“……”

Seoran looked forward again.

The smile on her lips had shifted.
Now, it was shy, but filled with warmth.

It was a happy morning.
Their last—and happiest—date.

“The movie was good, right?”
“Mhm. I’m glad it had a proper ending.”
“Yeah. I was bracing for a sad one.”

Seated on swings at the playground, Seoran and Dohyeon lingered in the afterglow of the film.
They chatted easily, for a long while.

“……”

But as Seoran kept her gaze lowered, certain images flickered in her mind.

‘Should I say something? Or not?’

The thought hovered above her head like a comic bubble.
Eventually, Seoran spoke—carefully.

“But… there were a lot of kissing scenes.”
“……”

Dohyeon’s breath caught.

“You were the one who suggested we watch that movie, right?”
“……Yeah.”
“So… did you pick it on purpose?”
“……”

By the time she finished speaking, the atmosphere between them had shifted.
Seoran ’s eyes remained fixed on the ground.

A kiss.
She thought of her first kiss.

‘Funny… it happened at a playground just like this.’

And that kiss… ended up being the last one for them, too.

They were both clumsy at love.
Honestly, “clumsy at human relationships” would be more accurate.
They’d both grown up that way.

“Or, never mind…”

As the silence dragged on, Seoran ’s face turned beet red.
An overwhelming wave of shame crashed over her.

“S-So, the next thing is—huh?”

She tried to quickly get up from the swing, but Dohyeon grabbed her wrist.

“I actually already knew. About the ending.”

His chiseled features, the kind that could charm legions of fans, moved closer.
Closer, and closer—right toward Seoran .

Her heart felt like it might burst.

Which meant… for the sake of her health, she needed to end this quickly.

“……!”

Seoran wrapped her arms around Dohyeon’s neck.
Her long lashes fluttered closed.

And in Dohyeon’s eyes—sparks flew.

♪ Incoming call~ Incoming call~ Incoming caaall~ ♪

“……”
“……”

The two of them froze like statues.
With a side glance, Seoran pulled out her phone.

[From: Sis♥]

“Let me just take this call…”
“…Sorry.”

Dohyeon quickly retreated to his swing.
Seoran brought the phone to her ear.

“Hey, Iran. What’s up?”
–Just wanted to hear your voice. Was I interrupting?
“……”

Seoran took a breath to steady her emotions, then made her voice sound cheerful.

“Not at all! I actually needed a break from my Iran craving. Phew~ finally feel alive again!”
–Ahaha! What even is that?

Seoran glanced sideways at Dohyeon.
He waved a hand, smiling, as if to say, Don’t mind me.

…

…

“Heh. So you haven’t forgotten your dear big sis’s cooking skills.”
–I’ll be waiting! Hanging up now!
“Okay. I’ll be home soon, just wait a little.”

Beep—beep—

By the time the call ended, a wry smile had formed at the corner of Seoran’s lips.

She locked eyes with Dohyeon. Both of them let out a short laugh.

“Shall we get moving?”
“Okay~!”

Seoran clung to Dohyeon’s arm, enjoying the way he tensed up at her touch.
She nudged him with a grin.

“Where to next?”

Their date wasn’t over yet.

As they exited the aquarium, rain started pouring out of nowhere.
Seoran looked up at the sky in surprise and murmured,

“I didn’t bring an umbrella.”
“…There wasn’t any rain in the forecast.”
“4:32 PM…”

She checked the time and let out a small sigh.

“Guess we should head back. I promised Iran pork cutlet tonight. If I count grocery shopping and cooking, we’re cutting it close.”
“But it’s pouring out here.”
“Still, I can’t let the kid go hungry.”
“Fair point… Hang on. Wait here.”
“Huh? Hey, where are you going?!”

Suddenly, Dohyeon dashed out into the rain.
Seoran gasped and started to follow, but he waved her off.

“I’ll be right back! Just wait two minutes!”

And exactly two minutes later, Dohyeon returned—with an umbrella in each hand.

“You—what…?”
“It’s raining harder than I thought. Can’t have Iran waiting just ‘cause of a shower, right?”

Just like he said, Dohyeon looked like a drenched stray dog.
Seoran stared at the umbrella in his hand, then flicked his wet hair.

“Not cool at all. It’s just overkill.”
“Ahaha… yeah, I guess. Anyway, let’s hurry. Rain’s picking up.”

Dohyeon turned away, smiling awkwardly.
Seoran watched his back and bit down on her lower lip.

Suddenly, sparks flashed in her wide eyes.

“……!”

She grabbed him by the collar in one swift motion, and Dohyeon’s eyes went wide.

Her face was cherry red.
Her long lashes trembled.

“……”

Dohyeon relaxed his body.

He didn’t resist her pull, just bent at the waist.
As their faces grew closer, Seoran ’s soft lips moved.

“Repayment.”

Dohyeon closed his eyes naturally.

♪ Incoming call~ ♪

“……”
“……”

♪ Incoming call~ ♪
♪ Incoming caaall~ ♪

“……”
“……”
“…Pretty sure that’s Iran.”

With a bitter smile, Dohyeon straightened up.

He meant to, anyway.

Smooch.

A soft, breath-stealing sensation invaded his mouth.

Dohyeon froze.
But the tongue that slipped in moved fiercely, stirring things up with want.

♪ Incoming call~ ♪

The obnoxious ringtone faded into the background.
All of their attention was consumed by the slick tension between their lips.

The more their saliva mixed, the deeper their joy swelled.

With one arm wrapped around Seoran ’s waist, Dohyeon began to move his tongue in earnest.
Her own awkward movements quickly adjusted to his rhythm.

♪ Incoming call~ ♪
♪ Incoming caaall~ ♪

A kiss that had been bottled up for years went on longer than expected—
Long enough for the ringtone to finally stop.

On the way back.

A dopey smile lingered on Seoran ’s face.
The warmth of love, so long forgotten, still clung to her skin.

But the closer she got to home, the more that smile gave way to unease.

‘She must be really upset.’

It was the first time she’d ever ignored a call from Iran.
And also the first time Iran hadn’t picked up hers.

Which is why Seoran ’s shopping bag was heavier than usual.
Not only had she picked up pork cutlet ingredients, she’d also bought every kind of snack Iran liked.

‘I need to apologize.’

She’d broken a promise and prioritized someone else over her little sister.
It must’ve been quite the blow.

All she could do was hope Iran would understand—that there was a reason.

‘Still… it’s been a while since I saw her sulk.’

Most people who met Iran for the first time imagined her as a bright and carefree child.
She had the face for it—smiling innocently as she darted around like a curious little thing.

But if you spent just a little time with her, you’d realize how wrong that impression was.

She had a knack for reading emotions and smoothing things over.
She forgave others’ flaws with grace but held herself to brutal standards.
She couldn’t walk past a crying person without stopping to help.

Truthfully, Seoran thought her sister was more like a little old soul than a kid.

She’d never seen Iran cry—aside from when she was a newborn.
Even tantrums or petty sulking were rare enough to count on one hand.

‘She could stand to act more her age, really.’

It had long been one of Seoran ’s biggest worries.

Maybe that’s why—
This situation, being ignored for once, didn’t feel entirely bad.

‘If this is her way of letting it all out, maybe it’s for the best… wait. What’s that?’

The area near their house was in chaos.
Despite the heavy rain, a small crowd had gathered outside.

‘Why… does this feel so wrong?’

It was as if her heart was coughing up rotted blood.

She tried to convince herself it was nothing.
That she was overthinking.

But her eyes flew wide open when she reached the scene.

A hole in the wall of a familiar house.
Neighbors clustered near a police car, one older woman speaking with an officer.

“There was a loud noise about thirty minutes ago. I never imagined it’d be something like this…”
“Do you happen to have a contact number for Ms. Lee Seoran …?”
“That’s me. I’m Lee Seoran “

As Seoran approached, all eyes turned to her.
The elderly neighbor blinked in shock, then lowered her gaze with a sorrowful look.

Dread ballooned in an instant, monstrous in scale.

“Are you Ms. Lee Seoran ?”
“Yes, but my little sister’s inside. Excuse me—”

She tried to rush past, but a police officer caught her arm.

“Please, stay calm. According to the CCTV footage, your sister is currently…”

The rest of the sentence didn’t register.
Seoran threw her shopping bag aside and sprinted toward the house.

Several officers moved to restrain her—but as she flared her ability, they froze in place.

No time to remove her shoes.
She ran straight into the living room. The inside was wrecked.

But none of that mattered.

“……”

Iran’s room—empty.
Her own room—nothing.
The bathroom. The balcony.

Iran was nowhere to be found.

“……”

Staggering, Seoran ’s steps led her to the kitchen.

Of course, it was empty too.

“……”

Her eyes landed on a pot sitting atop the gas stove.

She approached and looked inside.

“…Ah.”

…Pasta. Tomato pasta.
Seoran ’s favorite dish.

“Ugh… ah…”

Her vision blurred.
Hands trembling, she reached for a pair of chopsticks.
It took several tries before she managed to grab a single strand.

She placed it carefully in her mouth.

“Nngh…”

The noodles were completely soggy.
But it was the most delicious thing she’d ever tasted in her life.
She couldn’t taste it—but somehow, she knew.

Seoran collapsed onto the floor.

That damn ringtone had been echoing in her head for a while now.

–You promised, okay? No matter what, I come first!

“Hnghh… ahh… I-I’m sorry… sor…”

A chilling sob echoed through the kitchen.

A beat later, a policeman who had arrived late stood at the doorway in silence, watching her.

…It was the devastating sight of a girl who had just lost everything—
Crushed, shattered, and utterly broken.

Ep 1. Collapse (完)