The morning sunlight spilled softly across Ji Eun's room, but there was nothing gentle about the way her eyes opened. She didn't stir slowly, nor did she stretch. But rather, she woke… sharp. Like someone who had decided something. Her gaze went immediately to her phone. Still on her nightstand.
Still quiet.
No new messages.
From him.
Ji Eun exhaled slowly and sat up, pressing her fingers briefly to her temple. With fragments of the dream lingering in her mind.
The garden.
The dog.
The boy.
That voice.
It won't touch you.
Her brows furrowed slightly. "…Why now?" she murmured. Of all nights - Of all moments - Why did that memory surface now? Her thoughts flickered.
Unwelcome.
Unavoidable.
To Park Hyun Woo.
To the way he stood in front of her, and to the way he spoke, then to the way he...
She stiffened.
Her fingers unconsciously brushing her lips again...
Before she yanked her hand away in irritation.
"Ridiculous," she muttered sharply.
The version of her in that dream…
Small.
Helpless.
Afraid.
That wasn't her. Not anymore.
Ji Eun swung her legs off the bed and stood, walking toward the full-length mirror. She studied her reflection - Calm, composed, familiar. Now, this is the villainess everyone feared. The "problem" her parents could no longer control. Her lips curved slowly in a cold, deliberate way.
"Good," she said softly.
"If that's what they expect…"
Her gaze sharpened.
"Then I'll give them more."