The beach was quiet.
Too quiet.
The wind had grown colder… the waves louder… like the ocean was swallowing every sound Hana tried to hold inside.
She sat on the sand, knees pulled to her chest, face buried in her arms.
Her shoulders trembled.
She tried to cry silently… but pain doesn't stay quiet forever.
A broken sound escaped her throat.
Then another.
And another.
Everything she had held back… exploded.
Footsteps approached from behind.
Fast. Searching. Urgent.
Nick had been looking everywhere.
He checked the tents.
The campfire.
The bus.
Even the cliffs.
Something told him exactly where she would be.
Alone.
Hiding.
Breaking.
When he saw her… sitting in the dark… shaking… crying like her heart had been ripped open—
Something inside him snapped instantly.
Anger.
Pure, burning anger.
He walked toward her quickly.
"Hana."
She froze.
Slowly… she lifted her head.
Her eyes were swollen… cheeks wet… breathing uneven.
She looked so small.
So hurt.
So shattered.
Nick's fists clenched.
"…He did this," he said quietly.
Not a question.
A fact.
She wiped her face quickly.
"No… it's nothing…"
His voice hardened.
"Don't lie to me."
She looked away.
Silence.
That silence confirmed everything.
Nick ran a hand through his hair roughly, pacing once in frustration.
"I knew it," he muttered. "I knew he'd hurt you again."
Her voice came out weak.
"It's not like that…"
He turned sharply.
"Then what is it like?!"
His voice was louder than he meant… but he couldn't stop.
"You cry alone… you can't breathe… you look like someone crushed you from the inside— and you're telling me it's nothing?!"
Her eyes filled again.
But she still defended him.
"I chose this… okay? I knew what I was doing…"
That made him even angrier.
Nick stepped closer… his voice shaking now — not just anger… but something deeper.
"Why do you keep protecting him… even when he's destroying you?"
She had no answer.
Because she didn't understand it herself.
Nick looked at her tears… her trembling hands… her broken expression…
And something inside him softened… painfully.
His voice dropped.
"…He kissed her, didn't he?"
Hana's breath stopped.
Her silence said everything.
Nick closed his eyes slowly.
For a moment… he said nothing.
Then he turned away… jaw tight… breathing heavy… trying to control himself.
But he couldn't.
He kicked the sand hard in frustration.
"Damn it!"
He turned back to her, eyes blazing.
"I swear… if he hurts you one more time—"
"Stop!" she cried.
He froze.
Her voice was shaking… desperate… scared.
"Don't fight him… don't hate him… please…"
Nick stared at her in disbelief.
"…You still care about him that much?"
Her tears fell again.
She whispered—
"I don't know how to stop…"
That broke something inside him.
Not anger.
Not frustration.
Something sadder.
Something quieter.
Nick stepped closer slowly… then crouched in front of her so their eyes were level.
His voice was no longer loud.
Just heavy.
"…You tried to choose me today."
She nodded weakly.
He gave a small, painful smile.
"But your heart never moved… did it?"
She couldn't answer.
That was answer enough.
He gently pulled off his jacket… and placed it around her shoulders.
Careful. Protective. Silent.
Then he sat beside her.
Close enough so she wouldn't feel alone.
But not touching her.
Because he knew…
Her heart still belonged somewhere else.
After a long silence… he spoke quietly.
"…If he makes you cry again…"
She looked at him.
His eyes were calm now… but serious… unshakable.
"…I won't stay silent next time."
Not a threat.
A promise.
Hana leaned forward slowly…
And rested her head on his shoulder.
Not love.
Not romance.
Just exhaustion.
Just needing someone strong enough to hold the weight she couldn't carry.
Nick didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Just stayed there…
Watching the dark waves…
Guarding the girl whose heart was breaking for someone else.
Far in the distance…
Someone stood behind the rocks.
Watching them.
Joon-woo.
His chest felt tight seeing Hana leaning on Nick… crying… being comforted by someone who wasn't him.
He wanted to step forward.
He wanted to call her name.
He wanted to take her away.
But he didn't move.
Because he knew…
He was the reason she was crying.
And for the first time…
He hated himself for it.