WebNovels

Chapter 5 - Five: Too broken

It wasn't long before the identity of the man who had fallen from the hospital rooftop was discovered. He had plunged from the fifth floor, but the way his body landed was enough to crush bones and silence life in an instant.

Mi Rae sat hunched on the edge of her bed, her eyes hollow, the TV's glow painting her pale face. She hadn't slept properly. Her head throbbed, her eyes were bloodshot, and every time she tried to rest, she saw it all over again: the twisted body, the pool of blood, the sound of Raven's voice chasing her down the corridor.

Even in her dreams, he found her.

"Work," she whispered hoarsely to herself, shoving her hair behind her ears. "I just need to work. That's all."

Work had always been her one refuge, the place she could bury herself and pretend she was whole. She decided she'd forget about Raven Park, forget about anything entertainment-related.

She'd stick to investigative journalism. It was safe that way.

By the time she reached the newsroom, her legs already felt like stone. The moment she pushed open the glass doors, chatter and clacking keyboards filled her ears. Everyone seemed too alive and too loud.

Some glanced at her, whispering, their eyes carrying that cruel and curious glance. She'd created a scene yesterday by fainting.

Before she could slip into her chair, the editor-in-chief's voice thundered from his office. "Lim Mi Rae. Inside. Now."

Her throat tightened but she obeyed as she stood up hurriedly, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

The office smelled of burnt coffee and old paper. He sat behind his desk, his glasses hanging low on his nose. A thick folder lay open before him.

"Do you know how embarrassed I was yesterday?" he snapped, jabbing a finger against the papers. "You fainted. In my office. In front of everyone."

Mi Rae's lips trembled. "I… I didn't mean to—"

He cut her off, slamming the folder shut. "And while you were out cold, other outlets published leads on Assemblyman Park's corruption. That was your assignment. Instead, you come back with nothing. Always nothing."

Her eyes stung. "I'll catch up, I promise. Please, just give me—"

"Catch up?" He gave a bitter laugh. "You've been distracted for months. Your reports about him were rejected. Your health remains unreliable. You faint in the middle of assignments. Tell me, Mi Rae, what exactly am I supposed to do with you?!"

She couldn't answer. She just stood there, swallowing down the lump in her throat.

The editor leaned back, his eyes cold. "You don't belong here. You're suspended. Go home. Think about what you really want to do with your life."

Her breath hitched. The walls felt too small, the air too sharp. She knew at that moment, it was too late to change anything. Being suspended means being fired and with the fire blazing in the chief's eyes, Mi Rae was sure there was nothing she could do to reverse the man's words.

Without another word, she turned and left the office, ignoring the smirks, the pitying glances, the whispers that followed her out the door.

Mi Rae didn't know how long she packed her stuff but with every move of hers, it felt like eyes were following her. For a moment, she felt dizzy again but she knew she couldn't lose consciousness like she'd yesterday.

Instead, tears gathered in her eyes, flowing freely like she had been holding on for too long.

By the time she stepped outside, the sky had sunk into a bruised gray. A low rumble echoed, and then the heavens broke open.

The rain didn't fall gently, it attacked, each drop cold and punishing as it slapped against her skin. Within seconds, she was drenched, her blouse clinging to her, her hair plastered against her face.

Mi Rae didn't run. She didn't shield herself. She just stood there, frozen in the downpour, as if the storm itself was mocking her. Tears spilled down her cheeks, indistinguishable from the rain, but her shaking shoulders gave her away.

Strangers passed by, some sparing her a curious glance, others frowning as if she were a nuisance. To them, she was just a grown woman unraveling in public, but to her, it was the only way to breathe.

Her knees nearly gave out. She didn't know when she dropped the box, bending down while her tears flowed freely. She hugged her arms around herself, biting back sobs that still clawed their way out of her throat.

And then, suddenly, the downpour eased above her.

Confused, Mi Rae blinked through the blur of rain and tears. A shadow loomed closely over her. An umbrella stretched over her, sheltering her body while the storm raged on around it.

She lifted her gaze and collided with a pair of dark stormy eyes.

"Miss Lim Mi Rae," Raven Park's voice slid into her ears slowly, a sound that felt more dangerous than the thunder cracking overhead.

Her breath stalled. She didn't know if she was standing in the rain anymore or if she'd just stepped into his storm as his overwhelming presence filled her.

Raven's grip on the umbrella tightened as he studied the woman crouched in front of him, soaked to the bone, her face streaked with tears and rain.

He hadn't planned this. He hadn't planned this unnecessary encounter with this woman wailing in the heavy rain. He had woken up restless, that gnawing irritation in his chest that never seemed to leave him, and decided to pay her workplace a visit. Curiosity, maybe. Or the lingering thrill of someone knowing what they shouldn't know about him.

But when he arrived, he'd seen her walking out the doors, head bowed, shoulders sagging like the world had crushed her. Then the sky had opened, rain poured down mercilessly and here she was, collapsing under the rain.

Pathetic. That was his first thought.

Raven hated people who cried too much. Weakness irritated him. And Lim Mi Rae… she seemed to cry far too easily.

Yet he didn't walk away. He stood there, frowning, shielding her from the storm he should've let her drown in.

"Are you just going to sit in the rain and keep crying?" his voice cut through the downpour.

Mi Rae lifted her face, her eyes red and wet, her breath hitching. The sight of him, looking perfect, untouched by the storm, holding an umbrella above her like a dark angel, broke something in her chest.

"Why… why are you here?" Her voice cracked. "Are you here to kill me? So that I won't tell your secret to the world?"

Her words tumbled out in gasps, each syllable twisted with despair. She pressed her trembling hands against her soaked clothes as if she could steady herself, but she couldn't.

"Don't worry…" she sobbed, her voice spiraling into something fragile. "I don't plan on doing that. You can kill me if you want."

And then the dam burst. She wailed openly, her shoulders heaving like a lost child, her sobs growing loud against the roar of the rain.

"Kill me now, Mr. Park!" she choked out.

Raven's frown deepened. His chest felt tight. He felt irritated, unsettled and something unnameable was clawing beneath his ribs.

Something stuttered in his heart.

For a brief, fleeting second, he wondered if she was broken or if she was trying, in her own pitiful way, to break him.

But Raven almost scoffed. He was already broken. Too broken to be broken again.

More Chapters