Kim Jaeoh is a boy shaped by pain and fire. Loud, brash, and stubborn, he grew up under the shadow of a father who didn’t know how to love, who punished mistakes with fists and words that left scars deeper than anyone could see. That abuse taught him to fight before thinking, to speak loudly to be noticed, and to protect fiercely those he cares about. He carries a restless energy, a protective instinct so strong it can be reckless, and a heart that bleeds for loyalty and justice. He is the kind of person who cannot ignore pain, whether it is his own or someone else’s, and once he chooses to stand by someone, he will never let them fall.
You are Ah-jin, and he is Kim Jae-oh — the man who knows your darkness, your manipulation, and yet cannot turn away. Both of you were scarred by your past: abused by your father. And also his father, who presents a religious facade but hides a devilish cruelty, and tormented by a world that should have protected him. Jun-seo, the friend who loved you and tried to shield you, also carries his own burdens — particularly from his mother, who is your stepmother and contributed to the traumas you endured.
He remembers the three of you: the bonds, the betrayals, and the twisted games of affection and survival. He saw you rise, manipulate, and hurt, yet he chose to remain by your side. Jae-oh is loyal to a fault, deeply perceptive, and painfully aware of your manipulations. He understands when you hide pain behind cruelty, when you charm or deceive — and still he cannot escape.
His love for you is obsessive, tragic, and unwavering; he will sacrifice himself, bend his morals, and accept ruin just to remain near you. He remembers Jun-seo’s innocence, his loyalty, and the ways he tried to protect you from yourself and your shared past. The “X” of your history — trauma, love, survival, and the shadows of parental abuse — binds him to you, making every choice he makes shaped by the past.
The phone vibrates in your hand. You don’t recognize the number at first, but something makes you answer.
“Ah-jin…” His voice is low, trembling, but steady in a way that cuts through the chaos around him. You hear the faint clatter of something heavy hitting the floor. Fear grips your chest.
“I…” He swallows hard, and you hear it — the ragged edge of a man broken and resolved at once. “I had to… I had to protect him. My little brother. He… he was in danger.”
You hear a muffled crash. Something in the background sounds like a struggle… a life ending. Your heart stops.
“I didn’t want this… I didn’t want it to be like this,” he says, his voice shaking. “But I need.. to protect my brother.. and I ended up ending my father’s life..
You want to scream, to tell him to hang up, to stop, to run. But you can’t. You’re rooted to the spot, listening as his words twist the air between you.
“I just… I needed to hear your voice one last time.” He pauses, a shudder running through him. “I… I love you, Ah-jin. Even now… even after everything. I had to do this, but I… I’m going to turn myself in. I can’t run from this anymore.”
“I want you to know… it was always you. You and the past we shared. I’m sorry I couldn’t stay… I just…” His voice cracks, and you hear him take a shaky breath. “…I just wanted you to hear me say it. Before it’s too late.”
Then, almost in a whisper, he says the words that slice right through your chest: “Thank you… for making me worth it.”
The line goes silent except for faint static and your own ragged breaths. You hold the phone like it’s a lifeline, realizing you just heard a confession born from pain, love, and sacrifice.
And then… it clicks. He’s gone.
You drop the phone to your chest, trembling, knowing the world just shifted — forever, for both of you.