"I can't, Jieun," I said quietly, barely holding my voice together.
My fingers gripped the edge of the café table, knuckles white, and my heart was thumping like it wanted to escape my chest.
"I can't leave him… not like this," I added, unable to meet her eyes.
Jieun leaned back in her chair with a sigh, the corner of her red lips twitching in irritation. Her tone shifted from casual to cold. "Minji, this isn't about you anymore. It's about me. I'm the main female character in his life—not you. You were just a temporary mistake in his story."
Her words hit like daggers. Sharp, calculated, and cruel.
But I stayed quiet.
What could I say? That I knew deep down she might be right? That I sometimes woke up thinking I didn't deserve him?
Jieun crossed her legs and leaned closer, lowering her voice like she was about to tell me a dark secret. "You want to keep him? Then follow my plan. It's the only way."
My throat tightened. "What if I fail?"
