The car sat still in the open lot, facing the blank, towering screen of the drive-in cinema. The silence between them was heavy, almost suffocating. The only sound was the occasional rustle of the autumn breeze through the trees.
Then, out of nowhere, Carrie let out a small laugh.
"You seriously just had a squad of bodyguards hiding in the shadows?" she asked, turning toward Jae-wook, her amusement flickering through the tense atmosphere.
Jae-wook smirked, clearly enjoying the moment. "What can I say? I like making dramatic entrances."
Carrie huffed, shaking her head. "Thank you," she said, softer this time.
"You should have just listened to me from the start," Jae-wook replied, giving a disappointed nod. "Then those kids wouldn't have to go home with broken limbs."
Carrie blinked. "Wait… Are they really going to break their limbs?" She almost sounded concerned.
Jae-wook leaned back against his seat, his expression nonchalant. "Well, that depends on how generous my bodyguards feel tonight."
"Won't you get arrested for that?" she asked, eyeing him warily.
He shrugged. "Self-defense. And if it ever gets messy, I'll just say they tried to assault my sister."
Carrie nudged him in the arm, muffling a laugh. "Are you insane? How do you explain our race?"
"Easy. You're adopted," he deadpanned. "Besides, I doubt a bunch of high school smokers would dare report anything. And just in case they get any bright ideas, my bodyguards will 'escort' them home and remind them of what really happened."
Carrie exhaled deeply, shaking her head in disbelief. "You really are a demon." But then, after a pause, she whispered again, "Thank you."
Jae-wook said nothing, just glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.
Then, suddenly, she jolted up. "Look, it's starting!"
"So it seems," he murmured.
The hum of engines faded as the screen flickered to life, casting a soft glow over the sea of parked cars. Laughter and chatter filled the air, blending with the crisp scent of buttered popcorn floating through the autumn breeze.
Carrie leaned forward, staring at the screen, but the moment the movie began—something inside her cracked.
It took less than thirty minutes for her composure to shatter.
Her breath hitched, her vision blurring. Then, before she could stop it, a choked sob escaped her lips.
"Carrie?" He turned, his voice lower, more careful now. His eyes darted to her trembling hands. "Is it the movie?"
She wiped at her face frantically, but the tears wouldn't stop. She felt ridiculous. It was just a movie. A stupid, old romantic film. But she knew, deep down, that wasn't why she was crying.
Jae-wook leaned closer. His voice softened. "Did they hurt you? Are you sick?"
She shook her head violently. "No… I wish that was it."
His concern deepened. "Then what is it? You're scaring me,"
Carrie sucked in a shaky breath. Her hands curled into fists in her lap. "I don't know, Alex. That's the worst part." Her voice wavered, breaking under the weight of the words she had been holding in for so long. "I don't know why I'm crying. I don't know why I feel like this—why I can't just be happy for them."
Jae-wook's breath hitched slightly.
Carrie let out a shaky laugh, but it was drenched in pain. "I mean, I am happy for them. They deserve it. But why… why does it hurt so much every time I see them together?" Her voice cracked, and she quickly covered her mouth as another sob ripped through her.
Jae-wook's fingers twitched, aching to reach out, but he just sat there, watching her unravel.
Carrie swallowed hard, then whispered the fear that had been suffocating her for so long.
"I'm scared, Jae-wook."
Her shoulders trembled violently now, tears slipping down her cheeks like raindrops on a fragile glass pane. "What if… what if I ruin our friendship?" She let out a hollow laugh, shaking her head in disbelief at her own confession. "I can't lose my friends."
Her voice was barely above a whisper, but the weight of her pain crashed over him like a tidal wave.
Jae-wook had always known.
He had always known.
She had been holding onto this hurt for so long, burying it beneath forced smiles and playful banter. But now, sitting beside her, listening to the cracks in her voice, watching her break apart in front of him—he realized he had never truly understood just how much she had been carrying.
He clenched his jaw, swallowing the lump in his throat. The words formed in his mind, a thousand different things he could say. But none of them felt right. None of them could fix this.
So instead, he did the only thing he could.
He reached out.
Slowly, carefully, he placed his hand on her hair, he patted her head almost too gently.
Carrie stiffened for a second, as if shocked by the touch. Then, in a split second, she turned toward him and collapsed into his chest.
Jae-wook froze, his heartbeat thundering in his ears.
Then, wordlessly, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her as she sobbed into his shirt.
The movie played on in the background, the characters laughing, falling in love, promising forever.
But in the car, beneath the glow of the screen, beneath the weight of a secret she could no longer contain—Carrie cried like the world was ending.
And for the first time, Jae-wook held her like he was afraid it actually might.
---
THE NEXT DAY
As if the previous night had been nothing more than a fleeting dream, Carrie sat tucked into the corner of the restaurant, the soft hum of chatter filling the space around her. Across from her, Ryan sat, his expression unreadable.
With a quiet sigh, she twirled the pen between her fingers before letting it slip from her grasp, the soft clink against the table breaking the silence. Her gaze lifted, curiosity flickering in her eyes.
"Well?" she asked, leaning forward slightly. "Do you understand now? or do you..."
"Carrie," Ryan said suddenly, interrupting her mid-sentence.
"Yes?" She responded instinctively, tilting her head in curiosity.
"On a lighter note… Can we do something different?" he asked, a playful glint in his eyes.
Carrie leaned back slightly. "Hmm… and what exactly do you have in mind?"
"Let's get to know each other better," Ryan suggested, resting his elbows on the table. "The atmosphere feels too formal."
She chuckled. "Well, as you know, I'm Carrie Evans. I love reading novels, and sometimes I try my hand at writing too. Oh, and I have a soft spot for jazz music. What else…?" She tapped her fingers on the table before adding with a small smirk, "I guess, more than anything, I love adventures and mysteries. And I can be a little rebellious at times."
Ryan nodded, an amused smile tugging at his lips. "Classic. I, on the other hand, love just one thing—my peace of mind. And that comes in various forms, like sports, music, and drawing." He shrugged. "I also play gigs at restaurants during my free time."
Carrie's brows lifted with interest. "If you could be anything else, what would you choose?"
Without hesitation, Ryan replied, "A musician."
"Ohhh! That's fascinating," she mused, her gaze filled with curiosity.
Ryan's lips curled into a grin. "Maybe… would you like to hear something?"
Before she could respond, he was already on his feet. Carrie blinked in surprise as he straightened his blazer, his expression teasing.
"Where are you going?" she asked, watching him suspiciously.
Instead of answering, Ryan shot her a knowing smirk and strode toward the grand piano sitting in the corner of the restaurant. The murmur of conversation in the room softened as he ran his fingers over the keys, testing the notes. Then, without hesitation, he began to play—a soft, mesmerizing melody that rippled through the air like a whispered confession.
Carrie's breath hitched. His deep, velvety voice carried through the room, wrapping around her like a slow embrace. Each note, each lyric, felt like it had an important meaning. The atmosphere shifted, the clinking of silverware and hushed conversations fading into the background. In that moment, it felt like they were the only two people in the room.
As he finished, the restaurant erupted into soft applause, but Carrie barely noticed. The weight of her past still clung to her, but for the first time, it didn't feel unbearable. Instead, it settled around her like a familiar melody—aching, yet strangely comforting. Maybe being broken wasn't the worst thing. Maybe, just maybe, she could exist in the cracks and still be whole.
Ryan leaned slightly forward, a teasing glint in his eyes. "So? How did I do?"
Carrie exhaled, finally finding her voice. "Wow. That was… impressive. It felt like a scene straight out of a romantic novel." She chuckled softly, shaking her head.
Ryan smirked. "I'll take that as a win."