The quiet of the Shin Mansion seemed to deepen as Hana sat by the window in her room, her gaze drifting out toward the sprawling garden. The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows across the courtyard, and for a moment, everything felt still. But as the sky darkened, her thoughts began to wander, as they often did when the weight of the day finally caught up with her.

It wasn’t the quiet of the evening that weighed on her. It wasn’t the empty spaces in the mansion or the coldness of the walls. It was something deeper—something that had been buried under the surface for years, hidden behind her own busy life, behind the routine of school and simple rebelliousness.

Saejoon.

Hana’s thoughts snapped to him, and she was hit with a sudden, overwhelming flood of memories. It wasn’t just her brother she was thinking about. It was the Saejoon she hadn’t really allowed herself to acknowledge—before, after, and in between. She had been so caught up in her own feelings, her own grief, that she had almost forgotten.

But now, as she thought back to that time—when their world had come crashing down, when Saejoon had been forced to take on the mantle of guardian, of chairman—she felt the full weight of what he had done for her, for the family.

The accident, the car crash that had taken everything from them, still haunted her. The day Saejoon had woken up in the hospital, paralyzed from the waist down, seemed so far away now. Hana had been young, too young to understand what the world would look like after that moment, but Saejoon had understood. He had endured the unimaginable, all for her.

And she had forgotten. She had forgotten the pain he’d gone through, the slow, torturous process of rehabilitation. She had forgotten the sleepless nights, the struggle to regain his strength, the way he pushed himself to his limits to walk again—not just for the Shin Group, not just for the company—but for her. So that she would never feel alone.

Saejoon had never said a word about it, but Hana could see it now—the sacrifices, the quiet pain he carried on his shoulders. He had put on a mask of strength for her. He had made sure she never saw how much it hurt to push through each day. And she hadn’t noticed, hadn’t truly understood how much he had endured for her sake.

Her chest tightened with guilt and love, a swirl of emotions she couldn’t put into words. Saejoon had given everything for her, and now, sitting here in the comfort of her room, she realized just how much of his life had been reshaped for her to have a better one.

Without thinking, she rushed out of her room, her feet pounding against the polished floors as she hurried toward his room.

The door was slightly ajar, and she could see him lying there in the dim light, his body still and at peace. Saejoon looked the same—lithe, handsome, the once round figure now transformed—but his expression was different. There was a quiet serenity in his face now, but it didn’t reach his eyes. The eyes that had seen too much, endured too much.

Hana didn’t knock. She didn’t wait. She opened the door and rushed to the bed. Without a word, she climbed in beside him, curling into his side. Her arms wrapped around him tightly, as if holding on would somehow make up for the years she had spent blind to his suffering.

She buried her face into his chest, feeling the warmth of his body beneath the cool sheets. The tears came suddenly, hot and fast. She had been so selfish, so caught up in her own pain, that she had never really stopped to see how much he had done for her. How much he had sacrificed.

Saejoon, waking to the weight of her on his chest, blinked in surprise but didn’t push her away. He knew something was wrong, knew the flood of emotions in her touch.

"Hana," he murmured softly, his hand gently patting her head. "What’s wrong?"

Hana cried harder, shaking in his arms. "I—I'm sorry, Saejoon. I’m so sorry. You did all of this for me, and I never really understood it. You… you suffered so much, and I—"

"Hana," Saejoon interrupted, his voice calm but firm. "You don't need to apologize. I did it because I wanted to. Because I love you."

Hana lifted her head to look at him, her eyes red and swollen from crying. "But you didn’t have to do it all for me," she whispered, her voice shaking. "You didn't have to sacrifice everything. You could have… you could have had a life of your own."

Saejoon smiled faintly, the kind of smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, but it was still warm. "My life is your life, Hana. I don’t regret any of it. Not one bit."

Hana sniffled and wiped her eyes, trying to steady her breath. "But you didn’t have to lose everything to make sure I was okay. You didn’t have to change who you were."

"Everything I did," Saejoon said softly, "was for you. So that you never felt alone. So that you never had to carry the weight of it all by yourself."

Tears continued to fall down her face, and Saejoon stroked her hair, holding her tightly.

After a long silence, Hana finally spoke, her voice small but resolute. "Saejoon… I’ll never leave you. You’ve given up so much for me, and I don’t know how I can ever repay you. But I’ll always be here."

Saejoon chuckled softly, his hand still gently rubbing her back. "I don’t need repayment, Hana. I only need you to be happy."

She paused, thinking for a moment before looking up at him. Her lips quirked into a small smile, despite the tears still on her face. "By the way, I’ve been thinking about something."

Saejoon raised an eyebrow, unsure of where this would go. "What?"

Hana wiped her eyes again and gave him a teasing smile. "I still want to be a homebody. No job, no responsibilities. Just live at home and shop with the money you earn. Sounds perfect."

Saejoon laughed softly, his deep voice soothing despite the tension that still lingered. "Always the dreamer, huh?"

"Always," Hana replied with a mischievous grin.

Saejoon chuckled again, the sound full of warmth. "Well, I guess if that's your dream, I’ll let you live it." He then paused and added, "But don’t forget, Hana, no matter how much you may want to just live at home, you’re not alone anymore. You’ll never be alone as long as I’m here."

And in that moment, surrounded by the quiet hum of the mansion and the weight of their shared past, Hana knew that Saejoon’s love and sacrifice would always be her strength. The weight of the world might be on his shoulders, but together, they would carry it.