INK AND SHADOWS [???]

The grocery store buzzed with weekend life—parents pushing strollers, kids tugging on sleeves, music playing softly overhead.

Hara's hands wrapped around the trolley handle, pushing it forward absentmindedly while May skipped a few steps ahead, babbling about the newest ramyeon flavor she saw on TikTok.

But Hara wasn't listening.

She stood frozen in front of the fruit section.

Rows of strawberries stared back at her from their plastic containers—bright, ripe, innocent.

She felt her jaw tighten.

Strawberries.

Once, they reminded her of her mother, of broken memories and childhood trauma.

But he was the one who helped her eat her first one again without trembling.

Jay was the one who gently peeled away the layers of fear in her, one red berry at a time, until she felt safe again.

And now?

He became the reason she hated them all over again.

How cruel was that?

He helped her survive the pain and then became the cause of it.

Hara let out a harsh breath and spun the trolley away, leaving the strawberries behind like abandoned memories.

She hated them.

She hated him.

And more than anything, she hated how a fruit could still make her feel like this.

—

She searched for May through the aisles, eyes scanning each row quickly until something clicked in her memory.

Ramyeon.

Of course.

She turned sharply, wheeling down the noodle aisle—and there May was, standing on her toes and awkwardly reaching toward the top shelf.

"Seriously?" Hara raised an eyebrow.

"What are you trying to do, become Spider-Man?"

May pouted. "It's the last one. That spicy mala ramyeon. I need it."

Hara rolled her eyes fondly and reached out—only for another hand to beat her to it.

"Hey—!" she started, ready to snap.

Then her voice caught in her throat.

She knew that face.

He looked slightly taller, leaner, his jaw more defined than the last time she saw him.

But those soft eyes, that calm aura—

Lee Heeseung.

"...Heeseung?" she whispered.

He blinked in disbelief, his hand still holding the packet of ramyeon.

"Hara?" He stepped back slightly.

"I thought you were still overseas?"

"I—uh, I'll explain," she said softly.

—

Minutes later, the three of them sat at a cozy corner café just across the street.

May sipped on her iced matcha while eyeing Heeseung curiously.

"This is May," Hara said.

"My best friend."

"Nice to meet you," Heeseung smiled politely.