Shattered Illusions

Chapter 18: Shattered Illusions

Yuna had always thought she understood her place in the world. The quiet university student, the girl who kept her head down, who tried not to get too involved in the messiness of emotions. But lately, everything had been shifting—turning into something unrecognizable.

Hyun's presence in her life was a storm she couldn't ignore. His intensity, the way he looked at her as if she was both his salvation and his torment, made her heart race. And then there was Rey, warm and steady, someone who could give her the normalcy she thought she wanted.

But fate had other plans.

It started with a call from home. Yuna's mother sounded weary, her words carefully measured. "Your father wants to see you. It's been too long."

A lump formed in her throat. She knew what that meant—another round of expectations, of carefully chosen words meant to remind her of the family's strict traditions. Her father had never approved of her decisions, always wanting her to fit into the mold he had crafted for her future.

She sighed. "I'll come this weekend."

That evening, she found herself on campus, lost in thought, when she spotted Hyun standing near the library. He wasn't alone. A girl was with him—tall, elegant, with long black hair and a knowing smile. They were speaking in hushed tones, their body language familiar.

Yuna felt something tighten in her chest. She wasn't sure why it bothered her so much. Hyun wasn't hers to claim.

Rey appeared beside her. "You okay?"

She forced a smile. "Yeah, just tired."

He didn't believe her. "Want to talk?"

She hesitated. Talking to Rey was easy, but she wasn't sure she was ready to say out loud what she was feeling.

Before she could answer, Hyun turned and met her gaze. For a moment, everything else faded—the people, the noise, even Rey. There was something in Hyun's eyes, something pleading, something desperate. As if he wanted to reach for her but couldn't.

The girl beside him followed his gaze, then smirked. "You should introduce me, Hyun."

Yuna swallowed hard as Hyun stiffened. "Yuna, this is Soojin. My—"

He paused. The hesitation was all Yuna needed to hear before she turned away.

Maybe it was better this way.

Maybe she needed to stop hoping for something that was never meant to be.

Chapter 19: Echoes of a Fading Dream

Yuna tried to push away the emotions clawing at her heart. The scene of Hyun with Soojin replayed in her mind like a cruel reminder of the uncertainty she was drowning in. She had no right to feel this way—Hyun wasn't hers. And yet, the ache in her chest refused to subside.

The weekend arrived sooner than she had hoped. Yuna found herself sitting stiffly in her family's living room, the air heavy with unspoken words. Her father, as imposing as ever, regarded her with the same critical gaze she had grown up fearing.

"You're wasting time, Yuna," he said, his tone clipped. "Your future should be secured, not spent wandering aimlessly."

Yuna clenched her fists under the table. "I'm not wandering. I have a plan."

Her father scoffed. "A plan? Does that plan include a stable job? A respectable husband? Or are you still indulging in your childish dreams?"

She felt the sting of his words but refused to let them break her. "I know what I want, Father. I just need you to trust me."

Silence stretched between them, thick with disappointment. Her mother sat beside them, her eyes darting between them anxiously, but she said nothing. She never did.

When Yuna returned to campus, her mind was still clouded with frustration. She wanted to talk to someone—to find solace in the familiarity of a presence that made her feel seen.

That was when she saw Hyun again. He was sitting by the campus fountain, staring at the rippling water as if searching for answers in its depths.

She hesitated, but before she could turn away, he looked up. Their eyes met, and for a moment, the world slowed.

"Yuna," he murmured, as if her name itself was a lifeline.

She stepped closer, cautiously. "Hyun, are you okay?"

He exhaled a shaky breath. "I don't know anymore. Everything feels…wrong. Like I'm chasing something I can't remember. But when I see you, it's like…"

Yuna's heart pounded. "Like what?"

Hyun shook his head. "Like déjà vu. Like I've lost something, and you're the only clue I have left."

The words sent a shiver down her spine. She had felt it too—that strange, lingering feeling that they were meant to be something more. But reality was cruel, and Soojin's presence was a reminder of that.

Before she could respond, a voice called out from behind her.

"Yuna!"

She turned to see Rey approaching, his warm smile easing the tension in her chest. "I was looking for you. Want to grab some coffee?"

She glanced at Hyun, his expression unreadable. Then she looked back at Rey, who was offering her the stability she had always yearned for.

For the first time, Yuna didn't know which path to take.

Chapter 20: Fractured Destinies

Hyun couldn't shake off the lingering weight of Yuna's absence. Ever since that encounter with Soojin, things had shifted between them—subtly, but undeniably. Yuna was more distant, her smiles felt rehearsed, and the warmth in her eyes had dimmed. And yet, the worst part was that he couldn't even blame her.

He had shattered something between them—something fragile, something irreplaceable.

The problem was, he couldn't find the right words to explain. To tell her that Soojin was nothing more than a ghost from his past, someone who had once meant something but no longer did. But words were never enough, were they? Actions spoke louder, and right now, all his actions had done was push Yuna further away.

He knew he had hurt her.

The problem was, he couldn't find the right words to explain. To tell her that Soojin was nothing more than a ghost from his past, someone who had once meant something but no longer did. But words were never enough, were they? Actions spoke louder, and right now, all his actions had done was push Yuna further away.

Rey, on the other hand, was a different story. He had always been the reliable one, always there when Yuna needed someone. It was almost ironic—Hyun had all the memories of their past, of the love they had shared in another lifetime, yet here in this one, Rey was the one beside her.

The past was his, but the present belonged to Rey.

The thought alone was enough to send a bitter taste crawling up his throat.

"Hyung," Minseok called, breaking Hyun from his thoughts. "You've been staring at your coffee for the past ten minutes. What's going on?"

Hyun blinked, dragging himself back to the present. The coffee in his hands had gone cold, much like everything else between him and Yuna.

Hyun exhaled, rubbing his temples. "It's complicated."

"Everything with you is complicated," Minseok scoffed. "But let me guess—Yuna?"

Hyun only nodded.

Minseok leaned back in his chair, clicking his tongue. "You know, if you keep this up, she's going to slip right through your fingers. Maybe she already has."

The words stung, but they weren't untrue.

Meanwhile, Yuna found herself sitting across from Rey at a small cafe near campus, stirring her tea absentmindedly. The comfort Rey offered was undeniable, but so was the nagging feeling in her chest that something was missing.

It was as if she was living a life slightly out of sync—like a song being played in the wrong key.

"I feel like I'm running in circles," she admitted, voice soft. "Like no matter what I do, I end up back at the same point, feeling the same things."

Rey studied her for a moment before speaking. "Maybe that's because you haven't let yourself move forward."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You're still holding onto something, Yuna. And until you let go, you'll never really be free."

His words settled deep into her bones, and for the first time in a long while, she wondered—was she holding onto Hyun, or was she holding onto a version of herself that no longer existed?

The past was a tricky thing, tangled in half-remembered dreams and emotions she couldn't name. But the future… the future was still unwritten.