The tension in the room was palpable, thick enough to cut with a knife. All eyes were on Miri, and Woojin was ready to press further when Chizuru stepped in. Of course she would—she always did. Naive and painfully innocent, she couldn't see what her stepsister was truly capable of. Woojin, on the other hand, saw it all with crystal clarity.
How was he so sure?
Because Woojin lied too—lied to the world, to himself. Pretending to feel like everyone else, pretending to be normal. But the truth was a void—emptiness so vast it consumed everything. No empathy, no attachment, just cold calculations.
Chizuru derailed Taeha's focus with a ridiculous theory, one so baseless it was almost comical. And Taeha believed her. Pathetic. Woojin bit back his frustration. Was he really stuck with two fools? Two blind idiots who couldn't see what was so painfully obvious to him?
As soon as they returned, Woojin's hand shot out, gripping Chizuru's wrist like a vice. His voice was low, sharp, almost venomous.
"Since when have you known about this?" he hissed, dragging her into the dimly lit hallway. The shadows played tricks with the flickering light, but there was no mistaking the cold fury in his eyes. "You know something, don't you? Don't even think about lying to me."
Chizuru wrenched her arm back, glaring at him. "I don't know what you're talking about!" she snapped, but her voice wavered. Just enough to make Woojin's suspicion deepen.
"Oh, don't play dumb with me." Woojin leaned in, his tone dropping into something far more dangerous. "You diverted Taeha's attention on purpose. Why? What are you trying to hide?"
"I wasn't hiding anything!" Chizuru shot back, her voice rising. She took a step back, but the wall stopped her retreat. "I just didn't think accusing Miri without proof would help anyone!"
Woojin's laugh was cold, humorless. "Proof? You really think I need proof to know what she's doing? Or…" His eyes narrowed, his voice softening into something sharper. "Or is it you? Have you been covering for her this entire time?"
Chizuru's face drained of color. "That's ridiculous!"
"Is it?" Woojin's words were a dagger, each one driving her further into a corner. "You're always quick to defend her, always so eager to step in at the perfect moment. Almost like you're protecting her. Or yourself."
"That's enough!" Chizuru's voice cracked as she shoved past him. "You don't know anything, Woojin! Not about me, not about her, not about—"
Woojin caught her wrist again, spinning her around. "Then tell me," he said softly, almost too softly. His grip tightened just enough to remind her he wouldn't let go. "Tell me what you're so desperate to keep hidden."
For a moment, the only sound was the faint hum of the light above them. Chizuru's lips parted as if to speak, but no words came out. Her silence was louder than any confession.
And Woojin's smirk? It was the kind that sent chills down her spine.
"You can't, can you?" he whispered.
How could she tell him? How could she explain the unexplainable, the unimaginable truth? What words could possibly convey that none of this—none of them—were real?
Her heart pounded as she stared at Woojin, his piercing gaze drilling into her, demanding answers. But she couldn't say it. She couldn't tell him that this world, his world, was nothing more than a fragile construct. A story. A cruel script where his fate was already written in blood.
No, she wouldn't let that happen again.
She had failed four times already. Four cycles, four lives, each one ending with him dead and her watching helplessly as the world crumbled around her. Each failure etched into her soul like scars that would never heal.
This time had to be different.
This time, she would protect him, no matter what it cost her. Even if it meant keeping him in the dark. Even if it meant letting him hate her. She wouldn't fail again. Not this time.
Her breath hitched as she forced herself to look into his eyes. "Woojin…" she began, her voice trembling. The words caught in her throat.
"What?" he snapped, his patience razor-thin. "If you're going to say something, spit it out."
She hesitated. How could she make him understand without revealing everything? She couldn't. Not yet. All she could do was stay ahead of him, stay ahead of the truth that would unravel everything.
"You're wrong," she said finally, her voice steadier than she felt. "I'm not hiding anything. I just… I don't want to see you make a mistake you can't take back."
Woojin's expression darkened, suspicion flickering across his face. "A mistake? That's rich, coming from you. You think protecting her will save anyone? Or is it yourself you're trying to save?"
Chizuru flinched but held her ground. "Believe whatever you want," she said, forcing steel into her voice. "But if you keep pushing like this, you'll regret it. And I won't stand by and let that happen."
Woojin's smirk was cold, his words like ice. "Oh, I think you'll regret it first, Chizuru. Because I will find out what you're hiding. And when I do…" He let the threat hang in the air, heavy and suffocating.
As he turned and walked away, Chizuru let out a shaky breath, her fingers curling into fists.
She had bought herself time. Barely. But time was all she needed to keep him alive, to change his fate, no matter how impossible it seemed.
Even if it meant lying to him. Even if it meant losing him.
Because if she didn't step in, he would have gotten to Miri faster. And that would have killed him faster.
Not this time, she vowed, her resolve hardening. Not this time.
Chizuru straightened, her pulse racing, but her voice was calm, almost icy. "Fine. If you want answers, Woojin, let's start with you."
He stopped mid-step, his back to her, the tension in his shoulders evident.
"What?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.
She took a step closer, her eyes locked on him like a predator watching its prey. "Your memories. How far back do they go?"
Woojin turned slowly, his face a mask of disbelief and suspicion. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb," she snapped, her voice sharper now. "How much do you remember?"
For the first time, Woojin faltered. His composure, usually as solid as steel, cracked just slightly. But it was enough for Chizuru to press on.
"You shouldn't remember, should you? The memory loss was supposed to wipe everything clean. And yet…" She stepped closer, her gaze unrelenting. "You do. You remember everything, don't you?"
Woojin's eyes narrowed, his fists clenching at his sides. "How do you know that?"
Her smirk was faint but loaded with defiance. "You're not the only one who sees more than people realize."
His breath hitched, but his expression quickly hardened. "You're bluffing."
"Am I?" Chizuru's tone turned mocking. "You've been so careful, haven't you? Pretending the amnesia worked, acting like you're just another piece in this game. But I see right through you, Woojin."
Woojin's jaw tightened, his mind racing. She couldn't know. She shouldn't know. And yet…
"Why does it matter?" he asked, his voice deadly calm. "What are you trying to prove?"
Chizuru's smile faded, replaced by a look of quiet determination. "It matters because you don't get to question me, not when you've been lying to everyone. If you can't answer my question, Woojin…" She stepped even closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "…then don't you dare question me."
For a moment, the hallway was silent, the air between them charged with unspoken challenges.
Woojin's mind reeled, caught completely off guard. No one had ever confronted him like this—no one had ever come so close to uncovering his secrets.
But he couldn't let her win. Not now. Not ever.
"You think you're so clever," he said finally, his voice dripping with venom. "But you're just as much a liar as I am. You don't know half as much as you pretend to."
Chizuru's eyes narrowed, her hands curling into fists. "Maybe. But at least I'm not running away from the truth."
"Truth?" Woojin scoffed, his laugh hollow. "You wouldn't recognize the truth if it slapped you in the face."
"Maybe not," she shot back, her voice trembling with barely contained anger. "But at least I'm not afraid of it."
Their gazes locked, a silent battle of wills. Neither spoke, neither moved, but the tension between them was suffocating.
Woojin broke the silence first, his voice colder than ever. "You've made your point. But don't think this is over."
"It never is with you," Chizuru replied softly, her tone almost sad.
He turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Chizuru alone with her pounding heart and the crushing weight of her secret. She finally let out a breath she was holding in.