Klok…
Klok…
Klok…
Reina's steps felt unbearably heavy as she walked along the sidewalk toward her apartment building. Only the patter of rain and the occasional passing car filled the emptiness around her.
The click of her heels against the wet asphalt left faint traces—quickly erased by the falling rain. Her long hair clung to her cheeks, and tears streamed down her face, mingling with the downpour that was growing heavier.
"Am I really this foolish… to hope for something more?" she whispered, her voice so faint it was almost lost in the rain.
Every drop seemed to mock her weakness. The cold wind bit into her bones, but the chill inside her chest was far worse. Shame weighed on her—shame for daring to dream she might be special, when in truth, she believed she was nothing more than a shadow. A filler. Never the one who mattered.
Reina quickened her pace despite her trembling body. Tears kept falling, reddening her eyes.
"Why am I like this? Why does it hurt so much when I already know where I stand with him?" She bit her lower lip, a soft sob breaking through, her fists clenched tight and shaking from the cold.
That night's rain fell relentlessly, pounding down in suffocating sheets. Reina walked with her head bowed, her vision blurred by tears that refused to stop.
Her mind replayed Sayaka's face over and over again—the confident look, the smile that seemed to claim Ryuu as hers.
And Ryuu… who had stayed silent. Who had let it happen. Who had let her break apart in front of everyone.
Her steps faltered. She didn't notice the traffic lights, nor did she care about the flow of cars. It felt as though her world consisted only of herself and the pain stabbing through her heart.
Suddenly, blinding headlights flared across her face.
BEEEEEP!!!
A deafening horn split the night, tires screeching against the slick road. Reina froze, her body locking in fear in the middle of the street. A car surged toward her, slicing through puddles that splashed against her legs.
"Hhh—!" Her breath caught.
At the very last second, the vehicle halted, stopping just inches from her. The rush of air from its speed whipped her soaked hair back.
Stumbling, Reina staggered backwards, her entire body trembling violently. Her hand clutched the nearest lamppost for support, barely keeping her from collapsing.
"Are you insane?! Do you have a death wish?!" a muffled voice shouted from the car window before the vehicle roared away, leaving her standing alone in the storm.
Reina stood frozen. Her breath came in rapid gasps, her heart pounding so hard it threatened to burst. Her body gave out, and tears poured freely as sobs broke from her chest, blending with the rain until neither could be told apart.
She lifted a trembling hand to cover her drenched face.
"I'm… nothing to him… so why does it hurt this much…" she whispered hoarsely, almost inaudible.
With faltering steps, she continued forward, as though each footfall only added weight to her heart. She looked like a girl who had truly lost her grip on the world.
By the time she reached her apartment lobby, she hurried inside and took the elevator up to her floor. Her hands shook as she keyed in the door code, and when it finally swung open, darkness swallowed her. Only the sound of the relentless rain outside seeped through the windows.
She tossed her bag carelessly onto the couch and sank to the floor. Her breathing came in ragged bursts, her chest tight, her thoughts loud and merciless.
That woman's face—Sayaka—kept flashing in her mind. The confident gaze, the smile that declared Ryuu was still hers. Compared to her, what did Reina have?
"Who am I? A waitress at a lounge… just an ordinary woman who happened to catch his attention?" She let out a bitter laugh. "If I'm nothing more than a rebound… then why does it hurt this much?"
Between sobs, she whispered, "I'm just Reina Carter… a nobody. He'll never see me as anything more." Her shoulders shook as she cried soundlessly, accompanied only by the storm hammering against the glass.
---
On the other side of the city, Ryuu sat motionless behind the wheel of his car. His suit was damp from the drizzle that had been falling all evening, yet he didn't move. Both hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, his blank gaze fixed on the faintly lit road ahead.
Memories intruded unbidden. Sayaka's image appeared vividly in his mind—the woman who once stood by his side when he had nothing.
The long nights of endless work, the moments he had nearly given up—her soft voice, her smile, her unwavering support that told him he could endure. Those memories rooted him to silence, his chest tightening with the weight of emotions he didn't want to name.
Ryuu exhaled slowly, the sound rough in the stillness. His chest ached.
"Why was I so passive earlier? Why did I let her touch me like nothing had changed?" he muttered, regret lacing every word.
He knew his silence had wounded Reina. And worse, he couldn't deny the conflict tearing through his own heart.
Part of him wanted to chase after her immediately. To pull her back into his arms and tell her everything. But something held him back. A secret from his past—one that, if revealed, might cut her even deeper and drive her further away.
The car rolled smoothly into the Lancaster mansion's driveway. Later, Ryuu sat alone in his vast study, still in his damp suit, staring blankly out at the rain streaking the tall windows.
"Reina…" he breathed, her name escaping like a confession.
The office door opened quietly. Haru Sinclair, his personal assistant, stepped in carrying a tray with a cup of hot black tea. "Sir, you should change your clothes first. If you stay like this, you'll fall ill."
Ryuu glanced at him briefly before turning back to the storm outside. "I'm used to it.."
Haru set the tea down carefully, then hesitated before speaking again. "I've never seen you this troubled. Is this… about the young lady at the lounge?"
Silence.
Ryuu's fist tightened against the chair's armrest.
Haru's voice lowered, cautious but steady. "I rarely see you like this, Sir. Usually you're so composed, untouchable—as if nothing in the world could faze you. But now… it's clear you've lost something important." He paused, then added softly, "The last time I saw you like this was when Miss Sayaka left you. Ugh, i just remembered that.. she's so bad.."
The words hit harder than Haru intended. Ryuu's chest constricted; he closed his eyes briefly, drawing in a sharp breath as though holding back an explosion.
"She's not just anyone. And don't compare her to Sayaka," Ryuu said at last, his voice low but firm. "But I… I was too much of a coward to say what I truly feel."
Haru lowered his gaze respectfully. "If you stay silent, Sir, you may lose her for good. A girl like that… she won't wait forever. And there are only so few like her in this world."
The words pierced deeper than Ryuu expected. His eyes drifted toward the steaming cup of tea, but the reflection he saw was not the drink—it was Reina's tear-streaked face.
"Reina…" he murmured again, this time heavier, as though her name alone was enough to break him.
That night, the rain showed no sign of stopping. And in two different places, two hearts that longed to reach each other only sank further apart—drowning in the same wound neither could speak aloud.