"I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance."
— Socrates

Her heart had been bruised and battered. Crushed and torn. Ripped into tiny pieces difficult to mend, but somehow, by the grace of a higher being, Seo Ara made it through the night without shedding more than a single tear.  

Despite the unrelenting heartache hammering on her chest, she kept her composure and remained professional. She hid her emotions and did her job, all because she refused to give her mother the satisfaction of her seeing her cry—of seeing her languish in defeat.

Regardless of how difficult it to was breathe, to walk, to continue—regardless of how difficult it was to hold in the pain, she was determined not to give the wicked witch the twisted victory she desperately craved.

Not now. Not anymore.

The event had ended and all the guests had departed, which meant Ara could finally make her escape. She could finally close the three-week long torture and the heart-wrenching night her mother subjected her to. But most importantly, she could finally tend to the unrelenting pain far away from Da Ye's sight, and shift her attention back to her goals.

But little did she know, the vile creature had saved an extra cherry on top for s and giggles.

|| …………… ||

With eyes glazed over, and one slow step after another, Ara made her way back down to the Lorien Hall. She only needed to dismiss her staff to call it a night, but the banquet server heading her way was about to make her short to do list a bit longer.

"I'm in charge of what?" she asked tiredly, not a hundred percent certain she heard the young woman correctly. Room breakdowns were the banquet team's responsibility and were always supervised by either the manager or captain, not the catering department and its coordinators.

"The room turnover…?" the innocent server repeated hesitantly, reciting the orders her team had been given earlier, "Since most of the items used were rentals, the sales department specifically told us that you'll oversee the room clean up."  

Ara closed her eyes and released an inaudible sigh to contain the whirlwind of emotions brewing inside her. She had used up every single drop of energy she could gather—every ounce of control, every morsel of rationale—just to get through the night. And now, she was beyond exhausted. Depleted, in fact.

She didn't have the strength to reenter the room where the man who gave her happiness, vowed his to another. To reaccept it wasn't her who met him down the aisle, as they once envisioned. She didn't have the strength to replay the innocent cheers and congratulations. To reimagine the smiles plastered on everyone's faces, including his. She didn't have the strength to see the wedding she planned with their story in mind, get torn down piece by piece by unwary strangers—to see the future she once dreamed of, crumble before her eyes.

"Director Seo…?" the server waiting for instructions called once more.

"Just—" Ara began.

"Just separate the rentals from our inventory and have the banquet captain make a list of all the items," an authoritative voice commanded from behind.

The young woman released an accidental squeal as her rounded eyes landed on the approaching Secretary Oh. She wasn't oblivious to the dating rumor that took The Lux by storm some weeks ago, so to watch their silenced romance materialize in front of her was an honor. "Yes, sir," she replied with a restrained grin.

Ara regained her vision at the sound of his familiar voice and met the young secretary's gaze. "Sehun…" she called with familiarity, something she wouldn't have done if it was any other night at work.

"Break down the room as you normally would. I'll go in shortly to supervise," Sehun continued, dismissing the server before looking back at Ara. "Are you…okay?" he asked politely.

"I'm—I'm fine, and thank you," Ara replied with a weak yet thankful smile. She had always been grateful for everything the young assistant had done to help her, but the level of gratitude she felt for him at the moment was on a whole nother level. Tonight, Sehun didn't just lend her a hand—no, tonight, he was a knight in shining armor that prevented her heart from becoming irreparable.

|| …………… ||

With a quiet breath, Ara leaned her head back against the glass panel and looked up at the dark, cloudless night sky.

She had crossed the street, walked some distance, then settled at a nearby bus stop shelter for a change of scenery, but The Lux's illuminated signage remained within her peripheral vision. It acted as a constant reminder of tonight's events—a constant reminder of her selfless yet selfish decision, and the inescapable reality she willfully put herself in.

Ara shut her eyes and released another sigh, this time of frustration. She was angry at herself for being blindsided. For failing to see what the vile creature had been quietly planning all this time. But most of all, she was angry at herself for failing to protect Junmyeon, the person she already hurt once before.

Her mother had not only tainted her workplace, but she also chose to drag innocent man into their mess—all to remind her of the pain. To ensure she was miserable. To break her resolve.

And as Ara finally allowed the mixture of emotions—the sadness, the guilt, the anger—to blend in with frustration and settle into place, the river of tears she had held back for so long finally fell, staining one cheek after the other, unceasing.

But just before she could drape herself further in sadness, a white Maserati pulled up in front of her. The driver put the gear into park, exited the vehicle, and made his way around to the passenger