He gave her a small, polite smile. "I'm Kevin. Choi Kevin. I'm a friend of Kim Suho," he said.
She frowned, still suspicious. She had never seen him before.
He smiled gently, trying to ease her tension. "We've never met. But Suho and I have been friends since school. I moved to the US later, and I only recently came back to Korea for business," he explained in a calm voice.
Hauen stayed silent.
Kevin took a quiet breath and glanced around, checking for any police officers watching them. Once he felt sure no one was listening, he leaned closer toward the small window between them.
"Mrs. Kim, listen to me carefully," he whispered. "I know everything that happened in the last two days. And I also know you were falsely accused. But the situation outside is very unstable right now. And most importantly…"
He checked again to make sure no one was nearby.
"Suho is in the hospital."
Her breath halted, her entire body freezing at his words.
"Stay strong, Mrs. Kim," Kevin said quickly. "He was hospitalized because of the shock. And you need to be there… you're the only one who can help him right now. But if you stay here, they won't let you see him. The Kim family is more worried about Suho's condition than the accusations against you."
He leaned closer, voice low and urgent. "So listen carefully. Take this candy and eat it. In ten minutes, you'll lose consciousness. The police will rush you to the hospital, and I'll make sure they take you to the same one where Suho is admitted. Do you understand?"
Hauen just stared at him, unable to process any of this. Her mind felt blank, tears filling her eyes.
"Mrs. Kim, breathe… don't panic. This is important. Just do as I say," he coaxed gently.
She blinked, then slowly took the candy from his hand through the small metal window. Without thinking twice, she swallowed it.
"Take me to him… please… I want to see him," she whispered, her voice cracking as tears slid down her cheeks.
Kevin looked at her for a moment and nodded slowly.
Just then, the lady officer stepped in. "Time's up."
Kevin's eyes stayed on Hauen, her trembling, tear-streaked face.
"Take care," he whispered.
She turned to go. Took a few steps.
And suddenly, her body crumpled to the floor.
"Mrs. Kim!" Kevin gasped.
Later
When Hauen opened her eyes, the world felt wrong. Everything felt just unfamiliar.
She was lying in a large, luxurious room. Soft, dim light slipped in through the window, telling her it was evening, the sun slowly setting. Her mind was empty. Not calm. Empty like a page torn out mid-sentence.
She blinked. Once. Twice. Slowly.
Where was she?
Her mind felt blank, heavy, struggling to understand where she was. She frowned slowly, memories coming in broken pieces.
Suho…He was in the hospital.The man's promise to take her to him.The candy.
That was all she could remember.
Her breath caught. This wasn't a hospital. Her heart slammed against her ribs as panic clawed up her spine. Where was she? Why was she brought here? And who was that man?
Panic crawled through her veins.
She sat up quickly, scanned the room, then jumped off the bed and rushed to the door. She twisted the handle. Locked.
"No… no, no." Her hands shook as she twisted the handle, rattled it, pulled harder. "Is anyone there?" she yelled, pounding on the wood. "Please… help me!"
Only silence answered.
Her breathing grew uneven as she hit the door harder, trying to force it open. The lock didn't move. She struck the door again, louder this time, creating chaos in the quiet room.
Finally, the door opened.
A maid stood there, frozen, staring at her.
Hauen stared at the woman. "Who are you? Why was I brought here? Who is your boss? Where is that man? Why are you all doing this to me? Why?"
Her voice rose with every question.
The maid remained silent.
Hauen's chest heaved. Tears blurred her vision, her face burning with helpless rage. And then, over the maid's shoulder, she saw it.
The television.
The screen glowed quietly, cruel in its calm.
Her heart dropped. Her legs gave way as the words reached her ears.
"Kim Hauen, wife of Mirae Group head Kim Suho, who was accused of attempting to murder her husband, has escaped police custody this morning."
Her eyes widened. Tears slipped down her cheeks. "No…" The word fell from her lips without sound.
"The accused fooled police officers by pretending to faint. The officers panicked and rushed her to the hospital. On the way, she outsmarted them and escaped."
The room felt like it was spinning around her, tears spilling freely now. Her hands trembled as she stared at the screen, unable to blink, unable to breathe.
This wasn't real. This couldn't be real.
Hauen slowly sank to the floor, staring at the news in disbelief. She couldn't understand what was happening or what had happened while she was unconscious. Who had done this? How could they twist the truth so easily? Why would anyone want to destroy her like this?
Her head spun, thoughts crashing into each other, making no sense. All she could feel was helplessness… the suffocating pain of being separated from Suho.
Where was he now? Was he awake? Did he believe this? Did he think she had abandoned him, betrayed him, run away when he needed her most?
Her breathing turned uneven. Her chest tightened, her eyes burning as tears poured out uncontrollably. It became too much to bear.
Suddenly, she grabbed a vessel from the nearby counter and slammed it onto the floor. It shattered violently, the sound echoing through the room like a scream.
And then she broke down. A raw, painful cry tore from her throat.
The maid stood frozen in shock, unsure of what to do or how to react.
Hauen collapsed forward, crying aloud, raw and uncontrollable, grief ripping through her body. She didn't know what was happening. She didn't know who was behind this. All she knew was that she was trapped, her name stained, and the man she loved was somewhere beyond her reach.
The maid stood frozen at the doorway, shock written across her face, helpless and unsure.
Hauen cried until her throat burned, until her chest ached, until the silence swallowed her sobs one by one.
Alone. Trapped. And painfully separated from her Suho.