Chapter 74
Haemin’s POV
I rubbed my face once more, making sure no trace of tears remained. My breathing felt steady again, and my mind was strangely clear. Whatever had happened was already over. There was no point dwelling on it anymore.
I stepped out of the lounge and took the elevator down to the lobby. When the doors opened, the bright lights of the lobby felt sharp against my eyes.
As I crossed the space, I noticed several n, and even so won turning their heads toward sothing. Their expressions were a mix of surprise and awe.
“Who is that?” soone whispered.
“Is she a model?”
“She’s insanely gorgeous.” Another voice murmured.
“No way, she has to be a celebrity.”
“I’ve never seen soone like that here before…”
Curiosity tugged at , so I followed their gaze. My steps ca to an abrupt stop when I saw who they were all staring at.
It turns out they were looking at soone in private section of the lobby. But… isn’t that Attorney Park? I thought he had already left. And… soone was sitting across from him. Wait. Was that Sera? Sera’s here? When did she even arrive?
She sat elegantly on the sofa, one leg crossed, her elbow resting casually on the armrest as she listened to Attorney Park. She looked completely unfazed by all the attention in the lobby.
Well… that’s Sera for you.
Then a sudden thought hit . I glanced around instinctively, worried Yuna might still be here. The idea of Yuna and Sera crossing paths in this place sent a chill through . Thankfully, there was no sign of her. She must have already left. I exhaled in relief.
Sera’s expression was cold as she listened to Attorney Park. I wondered how long she had been here. Judging by her suit, she probably ca straight from her office.
Did she co here to see Attorney Park? Before I could think further, Sera’s eyes t mine.
The mont she saw , her expression hardens. Her brows tightening as though she were already upset with for so reason. My stomach dropped.
She lifted her finger, signalling for to co over. I felt uneasy, worried that I might have done sothing wrong without realizing it. Still, I stepped toward them.
When I reached the sofa, Attorney Park looked up at with a worried, almost pitying expression that made my chest feel tight.
“Take a seat,” Sera said, motioning to the spot beside Attorney Park.
I sat down quietly, feeling tense, my hands clasped together. Sera kept her eyes fixed on , her expression cold and hard to read, but the tightness in her jaw and the way her brows drew together showed she was holding back her anger.
The silence stretched, heavy and uncomfortable.
I cleared my throat, trying to break the tension, though I had no idea what was going on.
“Thank you for your help today, Sera. I really appreciate it.”
Sera didn’t answer, her gaze fixed on with that cold expression.
“Explain yourself, Haemin.”
“Excuse ?” I asked, confused.
“I’ve heard everything from Mr. Park. Seriously, what were you thinking? When I sent him to you, I expected you to press the case fully, not end it with only a divorce. That’s not what I intended.”
“Ms. Hwang, please,” Attorney Park gently stepped in, trying to ease the tension. “Mr. Kim has been through a lot today. We should consider—”
“Silence, Mr. Park.” Sera said, her eyes fixed on , unwavering.
“S-Sera, aren’t you being rude to—””
“Hey, Haemin,” she cut off again. “Answer . Why did you do that?”
I swallowed hard, feeling my chest tighten. Sera was completely serious now. There was no trace of her usual calm.
“W-well, There’s no need to drag this any longer, right? Since Yuna already agreed to sign it, I don’t want to push it further.”
Sera’s expression froze, clearly stunned by my answer.
“Just because of that?” She asked.
I couldn’t say anything. I just sat there in silence, unable to response.
Sera let out a low, bitter chuckle.
“This is really irritating,” she muttered under her breath, but I heard every word clearly.
“I should have known you’d be soft-hearted in the end, Haemin.”
Her eyes locked onto mine again. “If I’d known this would happen, I should have co with you from the beginning.”
I could only lower my gaze, unable to look back at her.
“Ms. Hwang,” Attorney Park stepped in again gently.
“Forgive for interfering, but I think it’s best not to pressure Mr. Kim any further. If Ms. Seo tries anything that might harm Mr. Kim in the future, he can still take legal action afterward. There’s no need to rush or force anything now.”
Sera fell silent. Her eyes narrowed slightly, as if she was thinking deeply about sothing. After a few mont, she let out a soft exhale, though the tension in her expression did not loosen at all.
“…You can go now, Mr. Park.”
Attorney Park nodded respectfully. He stood up from his seat, then turned to with a smile before bowing politely to both of us. Without another word, he quietly gathered his things and quietly left the lobby.
The mont he was gone, the air turned heavy again. Sera didn’t say anything. She just stared at , eyes cold, as if there was still sothing about she wasn’t satisfied with.
Actually, I wanted to thank her properly. She had helped so much these past few days. I also wanted to ask how she had known I’d be here. But seeing her like this, I didn’t know how to open my mouth.
After a long mont, Sera clicked her tongue in irritation.
“Let’s go,” she said flatly as she stood up. “I’ll take you ho.”
“I-it’s okay, Sera. You don’t need to worry about . I can just take a—”
Her eyes cut sharply toward before I could finish the sentence. The look alone was enough to silence completely.
“…o-okay.”
I muttered, then quickly stood up and followed Sera. Every pair of eyes in the lobby seed to turn toward now. I could only let out a soft sigh.
I trailed behind her to the car parked in the VIP section near the entrance. As expected, the attention followed us again. Well… kind of impossible to ignore when she drove a Porsche.
Sera, as usual, didn’t seem to care at all. She simply opened the door and got in. I followed quietly, and without a word, we drove away from the hotel.
The ride was painfully quiet and Sera was still in a bad mood. I stole a glance at her, her eyes were fixed sharply on the road.
I wanted to say sothing to break the silence, but I was afraid that if I said the wrong thing, I might only make her angrier. I never knew Sera had this kind of temper. Well, I had seen the glimpses of it when we were at the hospital, but this felt different. Fortunately, it wasn’t nearly as terrifying as Yuna’s.
I just hoped we would arrive soon.
After about twenty minutes, the car slowed to a stop near the roadside in front of my apartnt building. Silence followed again. I noticed her hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.
A nervous feeling crept into my chest.
I was worried she was going to scold again.
But after a few seconds, I saw her loosen her grip on the wheel. She let out a slow breath, as if she was trying to calm herself down and then closed her eyes for a brief mont.
“…I’m sorry.”
I blinked, caught off guard. “Sera?”
She let out a soft sigh. “I shouldn’t have been so hard on you earlier. I was frustrated, but that wasn’t an excuse. You’ve already gone through enough today, and I wasn’t considerate of your feelings. I’m sorry, Haemin.”
“N-no, it’s okay,” I said quickly, shaking my head. “I understand why you were angry. You were just trying to help . I… I appreciate that more than you think. Really. And I’m sorry for disappointing you.”
Sera turned her head slightly, finally looking at . Her expression was still serious, but calr now.
“You didn’t disappoint , Haemin,” she said firmly. “I was just worried. It kills to see you still being kind to Yuna after everything she has put you through. And today too—”
Sera stopped herself abruptly, looking down as she bit her lip. She leaned back slightly, as if afraid that saying any more would let her frustration spill over again.
“W-well… you see, I just don’t want to make things complicated again. It’s too exhausting. And everything’s already over. I don’t want to think about it anymore. I can move on now… and it’s all thanks to you, Sera.”
I smiled gently.
Sera’s expression softened once more as her eyes t mine.
“…Have dinner with tonight.”
“…sorry?”
“You heard .” Her tone was calm but firm, leaving no room for refusal. “Have dinner with tonight”
I hesitated for a mont. This should be fine… right?
“O-okay,” I muttered, almost in a whisper.
A gentle smile tugged at the corners of her lips upon hearing that.
“I’ve got a quick matter to handle at the office first,” she said, checking her watch briefly. “I’ll co pick you up at seven.”
I nodded quietly. “Okay.”
I reached for the door handle, opening it slowly.
“Drive safely, alright.” I said softly, looking back at her.
Sera’s smile deepened just a little. “See you tonight.”
I smiled back and stepped out of the car. The door closed behind with a light click. I stood there for a mont, watching as she looked at through the window, her eyes lingering on mine for a few more second before pulling away from the curb and driving off.
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