Yu jin's POV
When he pushed me back, it wasn't rough. It was worse– careful.
Woo Min stared at me, water dripping from his hair, his jaw tight. He looked like someone holding in an earthquake.
"What the hell was that?" he said with a raw and calm voice.
"I don't know," I said. "I just…"
He laughed once, no humor in it. "You just? You just what? Do you just kiss anyone when you can't handle your guilt?"
My chest went cold.
"That's not what.."
"Did you kiss him too?"
"Who?"
"Don't play dumb with me!"
It came out fast. He didn't say Park Min's name, but I knew who he meant.
I should've lied. That would've been smart.
But I wasn't smart.
"Yes," I said.
The word fell out like something rotten. My knees gave out and I sat down right there, on the wet floor. My hands were shaking, but I couldn't even tell if it was from fear or shame.
He stared at me like I'd just confessed to burning the world down. "You kissed your boss."
"It wasn't like that, I have a reason, when I was looking for you…," I said, my voice cracking.
"Let me guess, he got tired and you thought kissing him was a thank-you gesture?"
"Don't be an ass," I said, wiping at my eyes even though the tears were already useless. "It wasn't planned. It just happened."
"Things don't just happen, Yu Jin. People make choices."
I laughed under my breath. "You think I don't know that?"
He shook his head, rubbing his temple like he was trying to erase the conversation. "You're unbelievable."
"Say it," I said. "You already think I'm pathetic. Just say it."
He looked at me then, and there was more pain than anger in his face. "You use affection like a fire extinguisher. Something burns, you grab the nearest kiss and hope it stops the smoke."
That hit harder than anything else he'd said.
"I wasn't trying to escape," I said quietly. "I was just."
He didn't answer. His silence was worse than yelling.
Then we both heard it, a small voice shaking from the living room.
"Papa?"
Rin stood there in his pajamas, hair messy, holding his stuffed toy. His eyes were wide and wet.
"Daddy's yelling again," he whispered.
Both of us froze.
Woo Min moved first. His whole face changed – softer, quieter. He went to Rin and crouched down. "Hey, no, Daddy's not yelling. We were just talking, okay?"
Rin sniffled. "You scared me."
"I know, buddy. I'm sorry."
He picked him up, and Rin clung to him right away, face buried in his neck. I stood there watching, feeling like my body had turned to ash.
Woo Min carried him to the bedroom. I followed, but he stopped at the door. "Don't," he said. His voice wasn't cruel. "He needs to calm down. You're not helping right now."
So I stood outside while he tucked Rin in, whispering softly.
When the door closed, I sank to the couch. My throat felt tight. I wasn't crying anymore, but my head hurt like I had. The sound of the rain came back.
I sat there for a long time before I heard footsteps again.
He walked into the living room, arms crossed, still wet from before. He didn't sit. He just stood there, watching me.
"You should've told me," he said.
I rubbed my face. "Told you what? That I'm a mess? You already know."
"No. About him. About Park Min."
My stomach twisted. "What about him?"
"Don't play dumb. You've been weird since he showed up. And while fitting the puzzles I can't help but notice there's a connection.He may be human but for some reason I see how extremely soothed Rin is when he's around, like lost pheromones are being made up for."
I cut him off. "He's Rin's father."
The silence that followed could've swallowed us both.
He blinked once. "What?"
I looked up, meeting his eyes. "Park Min. He's Rin's biological dad."
For a second, he didn't move at all. Just stared, like his brain refused to translate what he'd just heard. Then his face changed completely.
"Are you saying…" His voice shook a little. "I knew it! Did he? did he force you?"
"No." I stood up, fast. "Don't twist it into that. It wasn't like that. It was five years ago. I was stupid. I thought it meant something. It didn't."
He took a step closer. "So you slept with him, he got you pregnant, and what, he just walked away?"
"He didn't even give me a chance ," I said. "He rejected me before I could do anything. Said whatever we had was a mistake.. He was straight.That I should forget it."
"Jesus Christ."
"I found out I was pregnant after that. I didn't want to see him again. I wanted to raise Rin myself."
Woo Min dragged a hand over his face. "So when he showed up again, what suddenly he wants to play family?"
"He doesn't know about Rin," I said. "Not yet."
He looked up sharply. "You mean you still haven't told him?"
"I was going to," I said, voice low. "But I wanted to make him pay first."
His eyes narrowed. "Pay?"
"He destroyed my life," I said. "He treated me like I was disposable. Now he walks around like nothing happened. He doesn't get to live that easily."
Woo Min just stared. "So this is revenge?"
I nodded once. "Yeah."
He paced the room, running his hand through his hair. "You've got to be kidding me."
"I'm not."
"And your plan is what? To flirt your way into his conscience? That's your big revenge?"
I laughed bitterly. "I don't even know what I'm doing anymore."
He stopped pacing. "You want to ruin him?"
"Yes."
He looked at me for a long time, and I could see the storm behind his calm. Then he said, "Fine. I'll help you."
I blinked. "What?"
"I said I'll help you," he repeated. "You think I'm going to let some guy who treated you like garbage walk free after that? No chance."
"You don't even like me right now."
"I don't have to like you to hate him."
That was the first thing that made me laugh for real in hours. "You really think we can pull it off?"
He sat down across from me, elbows on his knees. "Depends what you want from him."
"I want him to feel what I felt," I said. "The rejection, the guilt, the shame. I want him to lose control."
"That's a tall order," he said. "But okay."
We sat there in silence.
He rubbed the back of his neck. "I should tell you to stop. I should walk out."
"Then why aren't you?"
He didn't answer. He just stared at the table.
After a while, he said, "If we're doing this, we should try to do it right. No chaos, no half-truths. You tell me everything. All of it."
"Definitely."
He met my eyes. "You owe me that much."
I nodded. "Okay."
He stood up, walked to the kitchen, and came back with two mugs. Coffee. He placed one in front of me. "You'll need it."
He sat across again. "Start from the night you met him."
So I did. And after that,
"Woo Min," I said quietly.
He stopped but didn't look back.
"Thank you."
He didn't say anything. Just nodded once and kept walking.
"Follow me, I have a genius plan, he said."