Chapter 871
"That trash…" he muttered under his breath, his jaw tightening visibly. "How dare he say something like killing a baby so casually."
Eunjun closed her eyes briefly.
"After everything we went through," she said quietly, her voice trembling again despite her attempt to keep it steady, "after all those ups and downs, I got back together with him…"
She let out a weak breath.
"And it still ended like this."
Sungjun leaned back slightly, exhaling through his nose as if trying to control his own frustration.
"Alright, alright," he said, his tone calming deliberately. "Do not think about it too much right now."
He looked at her firmly.
"Take a break from work," he added. "Rest for a while."
"I will inform the agency."
Eunjun opened her eyes again, her gaze clearer now despite the exhaustion lingering in them.
"Oppa," she said softly, "make the announcement."
Sungjun frowned slightly.
"Confirm it with the media," she continued.
A pause.
"But whatever reason I give, I will be the one who gets bashed online," she added quietly. "And I do not want to ruin Emily's reputation either."
She looked at him.
"Can you think of a way?"
Sungjun leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly against the armrest as he thought, his expression turning contemplative as he considered the situation from multiple angles.
"We can manage it," he said after a moment. "If we involve their family strategically."
Eunjun's lips pressed together.
"That is fine with me," she said coldly. "Their company can go to hell."
Sungjun clicked his tongue softly.
"That is not how it works," he replied, shaking his head slightly. "G and R Group is too big."
He leaned forward slightly.
"If you try to drag them down, you will be the one who burns instead," he added.
A pause.
"So instead," he continued, his tone more practical now, "we release two articles."
He raised two fingers.
"One official," he said. "Your breakup due to irreconcilable differences."
"Second, an unofficial leak," he added. "Hinting that your ex-boyfriend belongs to a powerful conglomerate family."
Eunjun listened.
Then—
She shook her head slowly.
"No," she said.
Her voice was quiet.
But firm.
"I do not want anything to do with their lives anymore," she continued. "Let people say whatever they want about me."
She exhaled softly.
"Just say that we broke up because of our schedules," she added. "His work, my work… both of us chose to focus on our careers and parted on good terms."
She closed her eyes briefly.
"Do that."
Sungjun looked at her for a long moment.
Then sighed.
He reached out slowly, his hand resting gently on her head, his fingers brushing through her hair in a soft, almost comforting motion.
"You still love him," he said quietly.
"Silly girl…"
Eunjun's eyes opened.
She looked at him.
For a second—
The tears returned.
They gathered quickly, threatening to fall again, but she lifted her hand and wiped them away before they could spill, her lips pressing together as she forced herself to steady.
"Falling in love with someone is not in our hands, Oppa," she said softly.
A pause.
"But choosing whether to stay with them… that is."
Her voice grew firmer.
"And I chose not to."
Silence lingered for a moment.
Then—
She spoke again.
This time, differently.
More detached.
"Also," she added, her gaze shifting slightly, "inform the production house."
Sungjun frowned.
"The drama," she said.
"I am removing my no-kiss policy."
Sungjun blinked.
Surprised.
"Why should I hold back anymore?" she continued, her tone flat, almost indifferent now, though the faint tremor beneath it still existed. "For whom should I care?"
She looked ahead.
"I am just going to enjoy my youth."
Her words sounded simple.
But beneath them—
Something had changed.
Not loudly.
Not visibly.
But completely.
### **Chapter: What Breaks, What Remains**
Sungjun clicked his tongue softly, the sound carrying a mix of concern and restrained irritation as he looked at her, his brows furrowing slightly while he leaned back in the chair, his arms crossing loosely as if trying to contain his reaction.
"Do not make reckless decisions, alright?" he said, his tone firm but not harsh, the words landing somewhere between a warning and a plea.
Eunjun let out a long sigh, her shoulders sinking slightly against the hospital bed as the fatigue in her body made even small movements feel heavier than they should, her fingers curling into the bedsheet as she stared at the ceiling for a moment before turning her head toward him again.
"I know," she said quietly, her voice softer now, the earlier sharpness fading into something more grounded. "I was just being bratty for a moment."
She paused, inhaling slowly as if organizing her thoughts before continuing.
"But I did think about it properly," she added, her tone steadier now. "I am still against bold and sensual scenes, that will never change."
Her gaze remained firm.
"I will never do anything that is meant to arouse lust," she continued, her voice carrying conviction despite the exhaustion in her body. "That goes against my beliefs, and I am not compromising on that."
She shifted slightly, adjusting her posture against the pillow.
"I am only removing the restriction on normal kiss scenes," she clarified, her expression calm but resolute. "That is something I decided for myself, not because of anyone else."
A brief pause.
"It is simply what I want to do," she finished.
Sungjun watched her carefully, his expression easing slightly as he listened, though the concern in his eyes did not disappear entirely, his fingers tapping lightly against his arm as he processed her words.
Before he could respond—
Eunjun spoke again.
"Oppa," she said softly.
He looked at her.
"I want more work."
Her voice did not waver this time.
"I will take a week of rest," she continued, "but after that, I want to immerse myself completely."
Her eyes held a different kind of determination now, something sharper, something that had been forged not from ambition alone but from what she had just gone through.
"I do not want time to think," she admitted quietly.
A pause.
"I want to be busy."
She swallowed slightly, her throat tightening again as emotion crept back in, though this time it carried something more focused, more directed.
"By the time you leave," she said, her voice gaining strength, "I want to become an A-list celebrity."
Her gaze lifted.
"Help me, Oppa," she said.
The words were simple.
But heavy.
"One day," she continued, her voice lowering slightly, her eyes hardening just a fraction, "I want to sit in front of CEO Han…"
She paused briefly.
"And look straight into her eyes."
Her fingers tightened against the sheet.
"And tell her that her influence, her money, and her arrogance mean nothing to me."
The sentence ended.
But the emotion behind it did not.
It broke.
Her lips trembled.
Her eyes filled again.
The tears came back before she could stop them, her breath hitching as the strength she had gathered moments ago cracked under the weight of everything she had been holding inside.
Sungjun did not hesitate this time.
He stood up.
Moved closer.
And pulled her into an embrace.
Eunjun leaned into him immediately, her arms wrapping around his waist as if she needed something solid to hold onto, her fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt tightly as the sobs escaped her again, louder this time, rawer, no longer restrained.
"That bastard…" she cried, her voice breaking between breaths. "And his mother…"
Her grip tightened.
"She threatened me," she continued, her words tumbling out in fragments, each one carrying anger and pain. "She said she would make my life difficult…"
Her shoulders shook.
"But instead of facing me directly, she used such underhanded methods…"
Her voice rose slightly.
"And that trash…"
She clenched her eyes shut.
"It is one thing to have secrets," she said, her tone turning sharper even through her tears, "but how could he…"
Her voice cracked again.
"How could he sleep with someone else, and then come back to me, lie to my face, spend time with me, laugh with me…"
Her breath hitched violently.
"And keep everything hidden…"
She pulled back slightly, just enough to speak clearly, though her hands still clung to him.
"If that woman had not gotten pregnant," she said, her voice trembling with disbelief and hurt, "he would have never told me."
Her lips trembled.
"Would he?"
The question lingered.
Unanswered.
"He said he loved me for eight years," she continued, her tone dropping into something quieter but far more painful. "Eight years…"
A tear slid down her cheek.
"And yet one photo was enough to make him doubt me."
Her brows knit tightly.
"Instead of asking me," she said, her voice tightening again, "instead of confronting me…"
She clenched her jaw.
"He went and slept with another woman."
Her hands trembled.
"That means…" she whispered, her voice breaking completely now, "he never truly trusted me."
The realization hit her again.
As if it were happening for the first time.
"I hate him…" she said weakly, though the words carried more pain than anger.
"I really hate him…"