43: Chapter 43 Do you want to hear the truth, or a lie?

In the temporary parking spot below the T-ara dormitory, the late-night residential area was so quiet that only the occasional bark of a dog from afar and the faint sound of traffic from the distant main road remained.

The streetlights cast dim, yellow halos into the early autumn night, their edges blurry, attracting a few tireless moths that persistently battered the glass lampshades, creating a faint "fluttering" sound.

Park So-yeon stood at the boundary between light and shadow. The night wind brushed against her still-burning cheeks and messy hair, yet it was completely unable to cool the surging emotions deep in her heart—a mixture of embarrassment, panic, bitterness, and a trace of inexplicable reluctance.

She watched from a few steps away as Song Tianhao steadily supported Ham Eunjung, whose footsteps were unsteady as she leaned half-against him, walking step by step toward the entrance of the dormitory.

Ham Eunjung seemed to have sobered up slightly—at least she could take steps on her own—but most of her body weight still relied on Song Tianhao's arm. She kept her head lowered, her long hair obscuring her profile, making her expression impossible to read.

Song Tianhao turned slightly, carefully shielding her to avoid her bumping into the low bushes along the roadside. He kept his head lowered, seemingly whispering something to Ham Eunjung, likely things like "Watch the step."

The streetlight outlined the bridge of his straight nose and the focused lines of his profile, while also illuminating a trace of lipstick on his shirt collar. The mark was very faint, as if accidentally brushed on, located just above his collarbone.

Park So-yeon had excellent eyesight; she was almost certain that it had been accidentally brushed on just moments ago when a drunk Ham Eunjung had leaned against his shoulder.

This discovery drove the tiny thorn in Park So-yeon's heart deeper, causing a sharp, stinging pain.

The two approached and came to a stop under the motion-sensor light of the Villa's entrance.

Ham Eunjung managed to steady herself and looked up. Her eyes were still somewhat hazy, but she seemed to recognize Park So-yeon, pulling a drunken smile for her as she mumbled, "Unnie, aren't... aren't you cold?"

Park So-yeon did not answer; she simply looked at her, darted a quick glance at the mark on Song Tianhao's collar, and then swiftly looked away.

Her fingers were unconsciously digging into the leather strap of her small bag. The soft leather had already been frayed by her forceful digging, and a slight stinging sensation radiated from her fingertips.

Just as Song Tianhao was about to raise his hand to enter the security code, Park So-yeon suddenly spoke, her voice sounding jarringly clear in the quiet night: "President."

Song Tianhao paused and turned to look at her. Ham Eunjung also gazed over, dazed.

Park So-yeon took a deep breath; the night wind filled her lungs with coolness, helping her sober up slightly. She looked at Song Tianhao, trying hard to make her voice sound calm, even carrying a trace of deliberate, post-facto annoyance and indifference: "Could I... have a word with you alone? Just one sentence. It'll be quick."

Her gaze swept over Ham Eunjung as she added, "Regarding... work matters." The excuse was so clumsy that even she didn't believe it.

The body of Ham Eunjung, leaning against Song Tianhao's arm, shifted slightly. She lifted her heavy eyelids, glanced at Park So-yeon's tense profile, and then at Song Tianhao's calm, unruffled eyes, seemingly understanding something.

Alcohol had dulled her reactions, but a certain instinct made her choose to step back. She gently pulled away, attempting to stand upright, though her body still swayed.

"Then... I'll go up first." Ham Eunjung's voice was very low, carrying the hoarseness of intoxication. She forced another smile at Park So-yeon, a smile that looked somewhat fragile. "Unnie, take your time."

Then, she leaned against the wall and staggered toward the entrance, unlocked it with her fingerprint, and pushed open the heavy Villa door. Light from inside spilled out, illuminating her slender, lonely figure. She didn't look back, walking slowly inside until her silhouette disappeared around the corner of the elevator lobby.

With a soft "beep," the door slowly closed behind her, cutting off the inside from the outside.

Now, in the space downstairs, only Song Tianhao and Park So-yeon remained.

The air seemed to instantly become even more stagnant; even the sound of moths battering the lampshade seemed exceptionally clear. The dim yellow streetlight spilled from overhead, casting blurry light and shadows between them that were constantly disturbed by the beating of moth wings.

Park So-yeon dug her fingers into her bag strap even harder, her nails nearly embedding themselves into the leather.

She looked at Song Tianhao, at the glaring lipstick mark on his collar, and at his calm demeanor as he waited for her to speak. The courage that had surged within her in the car, fueled by alcohol and emotion, had largely dissipated in the face of the cold wind and reality, leaving behind only endless embarrassment and an urge to run away.

She took another deep breath, as if heading to the execution ground, and summoned all her strength to say the words she had rehearsed countless times in her mind. She spoke quickly, with a tone of deliberate indifference: "Just now in the car... I had too much to drink, I was drunk. Everything I said... it was all nonsense, drunken rambling, and shouldn't be taken seriously. President, please... don't take it to heart."

After speaking, she immediately lowered her eyes, not daring to look at Song Tianhao's reaction. Her heart hammered like a drum as she waited for him to take the out she had provided and say, "Mm, I understand. Go back and get some good rest."

Then, all the awkwardness could be brushed aside, and she could continue being the "hedgehog" Unnie, burying those untimely heartbeats and bitterness deep within the recesses of her heart once more.

However, what she received was not the out she had hoped for. Instead, it was a calm, yet invisibly pressurized, follow-up question.

Song Tianhao took a small step forward, and the distance between them suddenly closed. It was so close that Park So-yeon could clearly smell the faint scent on him, as well as the lingering smell of alcohol on herself.

His tall figure blocked part of the streetlight, casting a shadow that brought an invisible sense of oppression.

Song Tianhao lowered his head slightly, looking at Park So-yeon's downcast profile, her eyelashes trembling violently. His voice was steady, yet every word was clear, striking the quiet air like an ice pick: "Which part was nonsense?"

He paused, seemingly giving her time to think, or perhaps to emphasize his point. "The part about Eunjung liking me?"

"Or..." His voice dropped a little, carrying an unavoidable, straightforward tone: "The part you didn't finish: 'I also like...'?"

"Boom!" Park So-yeon felt as if something had exploded in her brain. Her cheeks instantly burned red again, and even her ears and neck were flushed with a mix of shame and anger.

He actually... he actually asked it so directly?! Couldn't he tell she was trying to find a way out? How could he... how could he be so unrelenting?!

Park So-yeon subconsciously took half a step back, her heels hitting the cold wall behind her. There was nowhere left to retreat. Her spine pressed against the rough wall, bringing a touch of coldness, yet it did nothing to calm the raging storm in her heart.

She jerked her head up, meeting Song Tianhao's eyes, which appeared exceptionally deep and calm in the dim light, yet seemed capable of seeing through everything.

There was no teasing, no mockery—only a seriousness that bordered on scrutiny. Song Tianhao was waiting for her answer.

Park So-yeon's lips trembled, her heart pounding wildly in her chest, as if it might burst out. A massive sense of shame and the panic of being forced to the edge of a cliff washed over her, but beneath this panic, there was an underlying, reckless impulse—one that even she found frightening.

She looked at Song Tianhao, at his well-defined face so close to her own, and at the unsightly lipstick mark on his collar. She recalled the song "Fly Me to the Moon" he had played in the car, and remembered him saying, "I also know your folder is named 'P'..."

Countless chaotic thoughts and emotions intertwined and collided, leaving her barely able to breathe.

"Then, President..." She heard her own voice trembling, carrying a sense of desperation and near-defiance. "Do you want to hear the truth... or a lie?"

She tilted her face up, struggling to maintain her last shred of crumbling pride and sharpness, as if that could protect her heart, which now had nowhere to hide and was in a state of chaotic panic.

Just as the tension between them reached its breaking point, ready to snap at any moment, the Villa door was suddenly opened from the inside. "Click."

A small head poked out; it was Park Ji-yeon. She was likely worried about Eunjung going up alone, or perhaps she had heard the faint sound of voices downstairs and came down out of curiosity.

"Unnie? President? Are you still... Ah!"

Park Ji-yeon's words trailed off mid-sentence, coming to an abrupt halt. She saw the two of them under the streetlamp, standing extremely close with a clearly strange atmosphere. She saw Soyeon, back against the wall, face flushed, eyes teary, looking thoroughly disheveled, and she also saw Song Tianhao, head slightly bowed, exuding an intense sense of pressure...

The little maknae's eyes widened instantly, as if she had seen something she shouldn't have. Her face turned bright red in a "whoosh," and she let out an involuntary gasp before quickly pulling her head back, leaving only a stuttering, guilty-sounding excuse floating in the night breeze:

"I, I didn't see anything! I came down to take out the trash! The trash... I forgot to bring the trash!"

"Bang!" The Villa door was slammed shut, making a loud noise.

This sudden interruption was like a drop of cold water in a pot of boiling oil, instantly causing the taut atmosphere to experience a strange stagnation and... a hint of absurd relaxation.

Soyeon was so embarrassed by the sudden intruder and Park Ji-yeon's "I didn't see anything" that she almost wanted to disappear on the spot, wishing she could dig a hole and crawl into it. Song Tianhao also frowned imperceptibly at being interrupted, but quickly regained his composure.

He glanced at the closed Villa door, then withdrew his gaze, letting it fall back onto Soyeon's face. This time, he didn't continue to press closer, nor did he pursue the question about "truth or lies."

He simply reached out his hand.

Soyeon instinctively flinched, thinking he was going to touch her.

However, his hand passed over her shoulder and landed on the top of her head.

His fingers were slender, and his movements were very light. He plucked something from her hair, which had become slightly disheveled due to her earlier agitation.

Then, he placed that object into the palm of Soyeon's hand, which was slightly open and had cold fingertips due to her nervousness.

Soyeon lowered her head and looked at her palm.

It was a ginkgo leaf. Its edges had begun to turn yellow, but the center of the leaf was still green. The veins were clearly visible under the streetlamp, resembling fine palm lines. It had likely been blown down by the wind while they were standing under the tree earlier.

"The weather has turned cold." Song Tianhao's voice returned to its usual steady tone, even carrying a hint of gentleness, as if the pressing interrogation from moments ago had never happened. "Go back and rest early. Don't catch a cold."

He looked at the fallen leaf in her palm and added one more thing, his voice low, yet it clearly reached her ears:

"Truth or lies..."

"Wait until you are truly sober and have thought it through, then tell me."

"For now, your task is to go back and get a good night's sleep."

After he finished speaking, he stopped looking at her, turned around, and prepared to leave.

Just as he took the first step after turning, he seemed to remember something, stopped, turned his head, and said to her:

"By the way, your phone in your pocket seems to have been vibrating. It might be family looking for you for something urgent, remember to check it."

With that, he didn't linger, striding away with his long legs toward the parking spot. His back cast a long, silent shadow under the streetlamp.

Soyeon stood there dazedly, her back against the cold wall, clutching the ginkgo leaf that still held the warmth of his fingertips. The edges of the leaf were somewhat sharp, stinging her palm, but this pain strangely helped clear her chaotic mind a little.

She watched him open the car door, get in, and start the engine. The black SUV slid silently out of the parking spot, its headlights cutting through the night, and soon disappeared around the corner of the road, leaving only the faint lingering sound of tires rolling over the pavement.

Not until the car had completely disappeared did Soyeon seem to have all her strength drained away, slowly sliding down the wall to sit on the ground, not caring if it was clean or not. She buried her face in her knees, still clutching the leaf tightly in her hand.

Vibration.

The phone was indeed vibrating, transmitting clearly to her leg through the thin fabric of her pants. Once, then again, persistent and unceasing.

Mechanically and with slow movements, she pulled the phone out of her pocket. The screen was lit, showing several missed calls and several unread text messages, all from her sister.

The latest text message, which had just arrived, was brief in content, yet it struck like a thunderbolt, shattering all her chaotic emotions of shyness, heart-fluttering, bitterness, and unwillingness:

[Unnie, Mom suddenly fainted and was taken to the hospital. The doctor says it's a recurrence of her old illness and she needs surgery immediately... We don't have enough money. Dad's phone won't go through. What do I do? I'm scared...]

Soyeon stared at those words, her eyes widening instantly, pupils constricting. It was as if all her blood had frozen in an instant, a chill rushing from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. Mom... surgery... not enough money...

She gripped her phone tightly, her knuckles trembling with the force.

The ginkgo leaf in her palm was gripped tightly by her unconsciously; the edges of the leaf dug deeply into her soft palm, bringing a sharp, stinging pain, yet it was not even a ten-thousandth of the sudden, icy fear and helplessness that gripped her heart.

"Beep!" The Villa door opened again. The sensor light turned on.

Eunjung stood at the elevator entrance. She had already washed her face, her hair still wet and draped over her shoulders. Her face, devoid of makeup, bore the paleness and fatigue from the alcohol, but her eyes were much clearer.

She had changed into simple loungewear. Watching Soyeon, who was sitting on the ground, pale-faced, and trembling all over while holding her phone, a flash of complexity crossed her eyes.

"Unnie, aren't you coming in?" Eunjung's voice was very soft, carrying a hint of hoarseness in the silent night. "It's cold outside."

Soyeon seemed to be jolted awake, snapping her head up to look at Eunjung. Their gazes met under the dim yellow light. In Soyeon's eyes was unspent panic, fear, and helplessness, while in Eunjung's eyes, there was clear worry, and... a hint of a deeper, indescribable emotion.

Soyeon took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She braced herself against the wall and stood up, stumbling slightly. She stuffed her phone and the ginkgo leaf, which had been crushed and slightly damaged, back into her pocket, then walked quickly through the Villa door with her head down.

The elevator door was open, and the two of them walked in, one after the other. In the cramped space, there were only the two of them and the faint humming of the elevator running. The mirror-like walls reflected two silent figures: one pale and panicked, the other with wet hair, bare-faced, and complex-eyed.

The elevator began to ascend, the numbers slowly changing.

In the oppressive silence, Eunjung suddenly spoke, her voice very light, almost masked by the sound of the elevator, yet it clearly drilled into Soyeon's ears:

"Unnie..."

She paused, looking at Soyeon's lowered profile in the mirror.

"I'm sorry."

Soyeon's body stiffened imperceptibly. She didn't look up, continuing to watch the changing floor numbers, her voice tight, carrying a hint of sharpness she herself hadn't realized:

"Sorry for what?"

Eunjung didn't answer immediately. She just quietly watched Soyeon's reflection in the mirror, watching her tightly pressed lips and slightly trembling shoulders. The complex emotions in her eyes surged, eventually turning into a painful calm.

The elevator "dinged," stopping at their floor.

The door opened.

Eunjung walked out first, without looking back.

Soyeon stood in the elevator, watching Eunjung's back disappear around the corner of the hallway. She looked down again at her phone screen, which was faintly glowing in her pocket. That text message about her mother's critical illness and the urgent need for surgery fees was like a heavy shackle, instantly crushing all the budding, inappropriate girlish thoughts that had just emerged.

She gripped the phone and the crushed fallen leaf in her pocket tightly, her nails digging deeply into her palms. Then, she took heavy steps and walked out of the elevator.