Damaki
"Pops, I'm here," Ukraine called as soon as he stepped into the house.
"In the study!" Song's voice came faintly from deeper inside.
Ukraine dropped his bag on the couch and headed straight there.
The first thing he noticed when he entered was the plaster on his father's cheek.
It sat awkwardly against his skin, covering the place he had cut himself during Vida's punishment. For a man as obsessed with appearances as Song, it looked almost offensive. Ukraine had grown up watching his father guard his body like it was sacred. The only scar he had ever seen on him was the one on his neck, and that one had been there since birth.
So naturally, he stared.
"What happened to your face, man?"
Song looked irritated immediately.
"This is nothing."
"You're hurt."
"You call this hurt?" Song scoffed. "You should see my pride."
Ukraine laughed under his breath and took a seat.
"Did a bee sting you?"
Song gave him a flat look.
"Actually, I slapped myself hard enough to cut my face."
Ukraine's brows lifted.
"Grandma?"
"You always guess right," Song muttered, "but you never believe me. Your grandmother is very different from the angel you think she is."
Ukraine leaned back, unconvinced.
"Dad, what kind of mother lets her son do that to himself? Grandma's an angel. Just admit it—you got stung by a bee."
Song's patience snapped at once.
"You know what? I hope she stays angelic to you until the day she dies. I hope you never see one inch of what she's really like. I hope you stay close to her forever just the way you are now."
That made Ukraine pause.
"Fine," he said. "Let's say I believe you. What did you do to deserve it?"
Song's eyes narrowed.
"I should ask you that. You snitched on me, son. So I took the punishment for both of us."
Ukraine actually clapped.
"Wow. And the father-of-the-year award goes to Song Pallar."
He smiled mockingly.
"You know damn well I had no choice. You met Kro thirty years ago and fell in love with her, but that fairytale is over, Dad. You need to accept that the two of you are never happening."
Something dark flashed across Song's face.
"You little rascal," he said. "Are you even man enough?"
Ukraine stared.
"I'm sorry, what?"
Song leaned forward.
"Have you ever, in your life, seen a woman like her? Think before you answer. Have you ever even spent three full minutes truly looking at her?"
Ukraine opened his mouth.
"Dad, lo—"
"Do you actually believe she's what your grandmother says she is?"
That question again.
It followed him everywhere now.
Ukraine's gaze dropped.
It was beginning to feel like a curse in its own right.
"Do you know how many times I've asked myself that?" he said quietly. He exhaled hard. "Tell me your plan, Dad. Maybe if I know it, I'll know what to do too."
Song gave a humorless laugh.
"Why would I tell you? So you can run and report it?"
"We only have a month. Actually less than that now. If you won't decide where you stand, I can't help you." Ukraine looked up. "I'm learning more about Kro. And honestly? I'm not convinced she's what Grandma says she is either. That's why I need to see for myself."
Song's face changed.
"And what if you find out she's innocent?" he asked. "What then?"
Ukraine didn't answer.
Song did it for him.
"You'll end up exactly where I am now."
He stood and paced once, agitated.
"You all look at her like she's a monster. Like immortality alone makes her evil."
"She's immortal," Ukraine said.
"And what has that fact done to you?" Song fired back. "Tell me. Did she hurt you? Did she kill anyone you love?"
Ukraine hesitated.
"Dad, Grandma—"
"To hell with your grandmother."
The words came out harsher than anything Song had said all evening.
"Do what you think is right. Not what earns you praise. If you decide that selling Kro to headquarters so they can skin her, open her up, and pull her apart organ by organ is the right thing to do, then go ahead. I won't stop you."
Silence followed.
Ukraine felt like his mind had become an arena, two voices battling viciously for the final word.
And the worst part was—
Both sides were making sense.
...
Morning
Krosmetics Headquarters
Kro's phone would not stop ringing.
The number was unknown.
She hated answering unknown numbers. Usually she ignored them until the caller gave up, but this person did not seem capable of giving up. The phone vibrated again and again, each ring dragging more of her attention away from work.
Her new PA wasn't in the office at the moment.
So, with clear annoyance, Kro finally picked it up herself.
"Who is—"
"It's me. Akeshi. Minister Akeshi."
Kro pulled the phone away slightly and looked at the screen.
The number was unfamiliar. Personal. Not his office line.
But the voice was his.
She returned the phone to her ear.
"What do you want?"
His reply came quickly, strangely careful.
"Can we meet? I'll send you the address. I promise I won't say anything offensive."
Kro considered that for half a second.
"Send it. I'll be there soon."
Then she hung up.
She needed this dealt with quickly.
More importantly, she needed Akeshi to forget whatever his man had told him. Avoiding him would only make the problem fester.
The only issue was that her PA still wasn't back, and she didn't want to meet him alone.
By the time she reached the elevator, she was already wondering whether asking the driver to sit in on the meeting would look too ridiculous to be formal.
The elevator stopped on the fifth floor.
The doors slid open.
Ukraine stood there, clearly in the middle of memorizing a list.
"Iced Americano for Ms. Sue, passion tea for Kara, white chocolate mocha for Misaki, cardamom tea f—"
He stopped the moment he saw her.
And then, to Kro's growing amusement, he stepped inside with far more confidence than the old Ukraine ever would have had. He pressed the door close button and stood in front of her, trying so hard to look composed that he achieved the exact opposite.
Kro watched him quietly for a moment.
Then she decided to save him.
"Good morning, Ukraine."
He stiffened.
"Good morning, Ms. Kro. Ho— how are you?"
"I'm good. How are you?"
"Just good."
"I see."
The silence after that stretched.
Ukraine bit his lower lip and visibly searched for something to say before the quiet killed him where he stood.
"It's breakfast time," he blurted. "Are you going to eat something?"
"No," Kro said. "I'm going to meet Akeshi."
Ukraine turned around so fast it was almost comical. "What?"
The worry came into his face immediately.
"Why are you going to meet him?"
"He wants to see me. I have a feeling he's going to apologize. But…" She paused. "I still feel strange going alone."
Ukraine did not hesitate.
"I can— I can go with you. If you want. Of course."
Kro did the math fast.
Akeshi already knew Ukraine from the office.
Ukraine also knew enough about the mess to be useful.
And she trusted him more than she wanted to admit.
"Aren't you going somewhere?" she asked.
"I can ask Misaki to handle it. What do you say? May I escort you?"
Kro smiled.
"Let's go."
For a moment, Ukraine forgot how to breathe.
It felt ridiculous how much relief that one sentence gave him. But this was serious, and he forced himself to stay professional as he followed her out.
Their argument from the previous evening vanished as though it had never happened.
...
Café
Misaki took the orders from the team and headed to the café.
The line was shorter than usual, which was the only blessing in her morning. She had the list of six drinks in one hand and her card ready in the other.
Then she spotted her.
The new PA.
She was leaving the counter with two sealed coffee cups in hand.
Misaki recognized her immediately, and before she could second-guess herself, she reached out and caught the woman lightly by the wrist.
The girl was startled.
Misaki switched to charm instantly.
"Hi, I'm Misaki. We work in the same building. Krosmetics."
The woman relaxed.
"Oh! Hi. I'm Karina. Nice to meet you."
"Same. Look, I'm here picking up six drinks. Do you mind waiting for me? I could really use an extra pair of hands."
Karina smiled.
"Sure. We're still on break, right?"
"Yes, girl. Plenty of time."
"Then I'll wait outside."
"Thank you."
As Karina walked off, Misaki watched her go and muttered under her breath, "Wow. She smells good."
A few minutes later, Misaki emerged with the tray of drinks. Karina rushed forward to help open the door before Misaki had to resort to using her butt like she had been considering.
"Thanks," Misaki said. "I was seconds away from a very humiliating entrance."
Karina laughed.
"I noticed. Give me two cups. That way we carry four each."
They found a system quickly and started back toward the company.
Misaki, being Misaki, filled the walk with chatter almost immediately.
"So I saw you yesterday for the first time. You know what I noticed first?"
Karina smiled.
"What?"
"Your green suit. Gorgeous."
"Aw, thank you."
"You're welcome. So tell me, how was the interview? Hard?"
Karina looked almost proud.
"Actually, I didn't interview. I was recommended."
That made Misaki glance sideways.
"Really?"
"Yes. I don't mean to brag, but I'm in demand. I worked as a minister's PA for a year once, and it really boosted my CV."
Misaki kept her face friendly.
"Oh wow. Must have been the Minister of Employment then, with credentials like that."
Karina laughed.
"Nope. I worked for the Minister of Archeology."
The words hit Misaki like a slap.
She coughed so suddenly she nearly dropped the cups.
Her father's PAs were not anonymous to her. She knew them. Had met them. Seen them around the house. And this woman—
never.
From that single sentence, suspicion snapped into perfect focus.
"Are you okay?" Karina asked. "Did I startle you?"
Misaki smiled brightly despite the internal alarm screaming in her head.
"I'm fine. Don't mind me."
She said it lightly.
But from that moment on, she knew one thing for certain.
Karina was lying.
...
Restaurant
This time, Minister Akeshi came alone.
No assistant.
No bodyguards hovering inside the room.
Just him at the table.
The moment the VIP room door opened and Kro stepped in with Ukraine behind her, something in his face softened with both fear and relief. He looked like a man who had spent hours building up courage and was now terrified it still might not be enough.
Kro and Ukraine sat down.
Kro looked around once and asked immediately, "Where's that man who always comes with you?"
"I thought it would be better if I came alone," Akeshi said. "That way I could show you I'm sincere."
Kro scoffed. "I can't believe you're apologetic."
"Because I was wrong."
There were tears in his eyes before long, real enough that even Kro paused.
"What if those men had killed me?" she asked. "Would you still feel this sincere?"
Akeshi lowered his head.
"I have an anger problem. I can't cont—"
"Yes, I know," Kro cut in. "Misaki told me."
That startled him.
"So I'm sure this isn't the first time you've done something like this," she continued. "Did you apologize to the others too? Or only when your men failed?"
His face tightened.
"My men never fail."
"And that terrified you when they did."
He nodded slowly, "Yes."
Then something in him changed.
He looked older.
Smaller.
"My daughter is disappointed in me," he said. "Ever since she got the job at your company, she's become… different. More mature."
His eyes filled.
"When she got the acceptance message from you, she told me she was cutting the leash. Do you know what she meant?"
Kro answered without hesitation, "She's been more of a pet to you than a daughter."
The words landed.
Akeshi's face crumpled.
"I want to be the father she never had. I want to change." He swallowed. "And I want to start by apologizing to you."
He looked directly at Kro.
"I am sincerely sorry. Please forgive me. Don't fire Misaki. She's only guilty of having an evil father. None of this is her fault."
Those words reached Kro differently than he knew.
They pulled at something old in her.
Something bitter.
Something that immediately made her think of him—the one person she had waited centuries to hear such words from and never did.
Why was a man like Akeshi able to say it, and he never had been?
The thought slipped from her before she could stop it.
"How easy was that?"
Akeshi blinked.
"The apology?"
Kro quickly shook her head.
She had spoken aloud again.
No good could come from letting the past rise any further inside her.
So she ended it.
"I forgive you," she said. "I hope you mean everything you said. I'll be expecting good feedback from Misaki."
The relief that flooded Akeshi was almost painful to watch.
"You'll get it," he said quickly. "I swear to God, you'll get it."
"Good."
Kro stood.
Then, without thinking too much about it, she stretched her hand out toward Ukraine.
He looked at it like a man suddenly offered gold from heaven.
Still, this time he didn't hesitate.
He took it.
And she let him.
"Let's go," she said.
Ukraine rose immediately.
As they turned to leave, Kro added, "We'll be going now, Minister. Thank you for doing the right thing. I hope we become friends."
Akeshi nodded, emotional and stunned.
"Yes. Me too."
They left the room together.
And their hands stayed linked.
...
By the Lake
The walk back to the car was short.
Too short.
They moved in silence along the lake shore, the water still and clear beside them, the breeze gentle enough to tug at Kro's hair without ruining it.
Neither of them spoke.
But both of them were full of words.
Ukraine's father's voice returned to him at the worst possible moment.
Have you ever in your life met a woman like her?
Have you ever spared three minutes to truly look at her?
Ukraine glanced down.
Her hand in his was soft. Warm. Perfectly kept. Feminine in a way that made his chest tighten all over again. He found himself wondering, absurdly, how many men had ever been lucky enough to hold that hand.
The thought alone made him swallow.
Then his gaze lifted.
The edges of Kro's black wavy hair moved beautifully with the breeze, and the whole image of her seemed impossibly composed—as if the lake, the light, and the silence had all arranged themselves just to frame her.
He looked away at once.
Too late.
His brain had already betrayed him.
Cupid, it seemed, had decided this was an excellent time to play chess with his sanity.
Kro finally turned.
She stopped so suddenly that Ukraine nearly walked into her.
They stood close.
Too close.
She looked directly at him, and though she knew what she was about to say might sound embarrassingly exposed, she chose honesty anyway.
"One of us needs to be honest," she said quietly. "So I will be."
Ukraine blinked.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't take this the wrong way."
His pulse went wild.
"Did I do something wr—"
"I miss you."
The words detonated inside him.
***