I used to think the hardest part of love was finding it.
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Turns out, the real battle begins when someone tries to take it away.
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The morning after Ariana confessed everything, I woke up before she did. She slept softly beside me, her body curled slightly toward mine as if afraid that even in sleep, I might vanish.
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I watched her for a while, wondering how someone so strong could carry so much fear beneath her smile.
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Leo (thinking): I won’t let her fight this alone.
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I slipped out of bed and stepped onto the balcony. The Seoul skyline stretched beneath the morning sun gold and bronze light touching every window, every rooftop.
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A new day. A war waiting to begin.
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At 9 AM, I received a call.
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Unknown number.
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I knew who it was.
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I answered.
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Leo: Speak.
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A calm voice replied, steady but laced with quiet arrogance.
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Hyun-Woo: You’re bold to answer so quickly.
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Leo: You’re bold to threaten me so indirectly.
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A short pause. I could practically hear his smirk.
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Hyun-Woo: Threat? No. Consider it… advice. Stay away from what isn’t yours.
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Leo: She is not property.
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Hyun-Woo: She is promised. Our families her legacy her duty belongs here. Not with some outsider chasing fairy tales.
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My grip tightened on the phone.
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Leo: If she wanted you, she wouldn’t have left.
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Silence. Then
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Hyun-Woo: You think she left me? No, Leo. Her leaving was temporary. You… are temporary. And I will prove it.
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The line went dead.
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By afternoon, I was restless. Ariana was on her way back from a meeting, so I decided to wait for her at a café nearby. I sat facing the window, watching people pass by.
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Then someone stepped inside.
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I didn’t need an introduction.
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Tall. Sharp suit. Cold presence. Eyes like winter.
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Hyun-Woo.
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He walked straight to my table.
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Without asking, he sat down.
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Hyun-Woo: It’s better we speak face to face.
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Leo: You’re not wasting time.
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Hyun-Woo: I don’t have time to waste.
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He leaned forward slightly, his gaze piercing.
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Hyun-Woo: Do you know why Ariana is valuable? It’s not just beauty. Not just kindness. It's her loyalty. Her sense of responsibility. And that… will bring her back to me.
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Leo: Loyalty isn’t duty. It’s choice. And she chose me.
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His jaw clenched, but his voice remained calm.
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Hyun-Woo: She will choose right, in the end.
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Leo: Meaning… you’ll force her?
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His eyes hardened.
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Hyun-Woo: Meaning I don’t lose.
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Before I could respond, a familiar voice cut through the tension.
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Ariana: Hyun-Woo.
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She stood at the entrance, her expression unreadable strong, but wounded.
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He turned, his voice softening unnaturally.
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Hyun-Woo: Ariana. I was just
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Ariana: Interfering. Again.
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She walked toward us, her gaze switching between us.
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Ariana: Leo… Hyun-Woo… this ends now.
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She took my hand.
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Hyun-Woo’s eyes flickered not with anger, but with something far more dangerous.
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Possession.
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But as we walked away, I knew this wasn’t over.
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That man was not going to walk away quietly.
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And somewhere deep inside me…
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Something darker than fear began to stir.
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Not just love.
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Defiance.
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