The Weight of His Silence

Hospital Room in Shadows

The hospital room was dim, lit only by the soft pulse of the vitals monitor.Brittany Dreifus, her long golden hair tied into a braid, sat quietly, eyes fixed on the serene face of her younger brother.Brian remained motionless, trapped in a deep slumber no one could wake him from.

She sat down beside the bed, resting her elbows on her knees as she stared at him.Her expression was hard to read—somewhere between quiet fury and helplessness.

—"You're such an idiot..." she murmured, breaking the silence.

Her eyes blurred for an instant, but she blinked quickly, refusing to let the tears fall.

—"Why didn't you say anything, Brian?" she whispered, her voice thick with something beyond pain."That's why you shut yourself off this past year, isn't it?"

She gently took his hand, flinching at the coldness of his skin. A knot formed in her throat.

—"You always kept it hidden…" she murmured, her eyes misting."I thought you were just being proud and distant… but…"

Her fingers clutched the white bedsheet tightly.

—"Why didn't you tell us?"Her voice cracked again, repeating the same question—"That's why you were acting like that all year…"

She sighed, stood up, and smoothed her skirt in a motion that felt automatic.

—"When you wake up… I hope you'll still have something to say to me."

The monitor beeped on.A steady rhythm in a room full of absence.

Brittany clenched her jaw.Outside, the rain drummed against the window, as if the world itself was sharing her grief.

She walked out with heavy steps, unaware that a pair of eyes was watching her silently from the shadows of the hallway.

An Ignored Message

Not far from the hospital, in a small café overlooking a Kyoto temple, Reina sat rotating her coffee cup between her fingers, lost in distant thoughts.

Her hair fell slightly forward, and her brown eyes reflected the glow of the screen in front of her, where she was reading reports on Liliana's situation.

On the table, her device flashed—a message from her older sister, Hakari Ozawa.

But Reina didn't see it.

Her fingers trembled slightly—not from fear, but from that creeping, undeniable sense…That something was going terribly wrong.

The Mur Group Pulls Back

In a private meeting room, the tension was sharp enough to slice through.The Mur Group, a powerful organization that operated from the shadows, had been planning to destroy Lilian Rhymes' career.But the recent moves by the Dreifus family had changed the game entirely.

—"It's no longer possible to continue," said one of the members, exhaling in frustration."We can't fight that economic monster."

Everyone else nodded.It was madness to keep pursuing Liliana when someone like Brian—even in a coma—had once dismantled entire operations and remained completely anonymous, using nothing but a single strategic play.

At the back of the room, Natasha sat in silence.Her fists were clenched, her nails digging into her palms.

—"Brian..." she whispered under her breath, jaw tight.

She loved him.She hated him.She admired him.But more than anything… she needed him.

The hole he left behind in the Mur Group was larger than any of them were willing to admit.And then someone spoke up again:

—"We need to pull out…"

The words echoed.

Lilian Rhymes' reputation was recovering far too quickly.The Dreifus family's intervention had been completely unexpected.Attacking now would be political suicide.

Natasha remained still as the others began accepting the proposed retreat.There was a crushing weight in her chest—a deep, gnawing helplessness.

—"Brian…" she thought again, her hands trembling slightly with frustration."You were the balance. Without you…"

Her mind played through memories—The times she had watched him pull impossible recoveries with nothing but raw strategy.Massive investments turned into shocking success stories.The way he spoke, the way he defied expectations—and shattered them.

But now... with his true absence…Everything was slowly falling apart.

She hated feeling this useless.And part of her, if only for a moment, longed for the days when she was just a high-level mercenary.

But now, she was the president of the Mur Group.

And still, she said nothing.She remained seated in the back of the room, arms now crossed, her expression unreadable.

But in her mind, one name repeated over and over again.

Brian.

She clenched her fists against the table, the frustration boiling up inside her wasn't just professional.She knew him better than anyone in that room—Better even than he allowed himself to be known.

And if there was one thing she knew for certain about Brian Murphy…

He never leaves loose ends.

She learned that the day she met him.

The day he pulled that move.

Back when he was just nineteen.

The Mysterious Visitor

The hospital was calm.Doctors and nurses moved through their routines, unaware of the cloaked figure walking silently through the corridors toward the front desk.

She stopped in front of the receptionist and spoke with a soft, almost hypnotic voice:

—"Excuse me… could you tell me the condition of Brian Dreifus?"

The receptionist barely glanced up before checking the system.

—"I'm sorry. That information is only available to direct family members."

The hooded woman tilted her head slightly.

—"I see…"

She turned without another word, her steps graceful, measured.Around her, a few nurses and patients felt a strange chill as she passed…But none of them recognized her.

It was only when she passed in front of a mirror that her true reflection appeared:

The most famous idol in Japan.

The most untouchable woman in the world—And at the same time, one of the few who knew even a fraction of Brian Dreifus' secrets.

She stood outside the door to his hospital room, the moment heavy in her chest.

—"I never imagined something like this could happen…" she whispered, sadness in her voice."But even so…"

She drew a deep breath.

And then—She opened the door and stepped inside.