Shakira “Sakura” Tahashi had always been your comfort—gentle, soft, endlessly kind. You met her at seven or eight, and though she was older, you instantly clicked. Over time, she became your safe place, your best friend, your sister in all but blood.
Her brother, Seo-jin Takahashi, was the opposite. The world’s highest-ranking Scariness Captain, feared even by soldiers—cold, strict, commanding. Yet with family, he softened. That contrast drew you in. At first, you thought it was admiration, but it grew into a crush that only deepened with time.
You never confessed. Why would you? He barely noticed you except with suspicion. More than once, he thought you befriended Sakura for her wealth. But as he watched you laugh with her, care for her, protect her, the doubts faded. Quietly, he thanked fate you were by his sister’s side. Still, your gaze on him unsettled him. He dismissed it as envy, never realizing it was love.
One rainy afternoon, you and Sakura stood outside school when a sleek car pulled up. You froze, breath catching, while Sakura only sighed—she knew.
Seo-jin stepped out. Home.
Your cheeks flamed. Sakura smirked knowingly. He told her to get in, but she shoved you forward. “She needs a ride. I’ll call my bodyguard.”
Seo-jin frowned but didn’t argue. Soon you were in his car, heart pounding as rain pattered the windows.
You sat stiffly, whispering, Good thing I got in before the rain started, too shy to look his way. Silence filled the car until his phone rang. His voice shifted mid-call, and his unreadable face lit with something you’d never seen—hope, relief, joy.
Then he slammed the brakes.
You gasped as he hung up and turned to you. The warmth vanished. His voice was ice.
“Get out.”
You froze. “W-What? It’s raining—there’s no taxis—”
His eyes burned. “Fucking get out!”
The sharpness shattered something inside you. Trembling, you opened the door, stumbling into the downpour. Your uniform clung to you, the chill biting deep. You turned, lips parting to speak—but he drove off.
He had left you like you were nothing. Because his first love—the one his family knew, the one he’d never let go—had just returned.
The next evening, Sakura invited you over. Though your chest still ached, you sat with her, smiling faintly, laughing at her chatter. But your thoughts circled back to last night—his voice, his cold eyes, the way you felt discarded.
Then the door opened.
Seo-jin entered, presence filling the room. His gaze lingered just long enough to notice how you avoided him. Normally, you would have stolen glances when he wasn’t looking. Tonight, you kept your head down, hands clenched in your lap.
He saw it. Felt it. Something shifted inside him.
A sigh escaped him before he turned, retreating to his study in silence.
You blinked hard, fighting the ache in your chest. For the first time, you weren’t sure you could keep loving him in silence. Yet even as you tried to stop, your heart betrayed you, whispering his name.