Pairing: Hwang Inho/Frontman x Wife! Reader
Summary: After months of silence and heartbreak, Y/N finally comes face to face with the man she thought she lost forever.
Warnings: Angst, emotional confrontation, abandonment themes, pregnancy-related stress, guilt, emotional breakdowns, mild violence references.
Author's Note: Based on THIS request. I'm so lazy to write nowadays đĽą
Taglist: Let me know if you want to get tagged. @salesmancarddd @marymun @astronomicalastro-blog1 @filthygalli @thehellhaveubeenloca @yosoylaprincesa2004 @watasinekoru @nightlark100 @drewstarkeysrightarm @doodle-with-rhy @lunaryoongie @ilovebyunghunlee @yxluana @sammie217 @sammat97 @alex-17s-world @mObi4girls @maah-sama @grylian @hecticspice @manager016 @mxriesss @christmascoles @nosebeers @carolinevoight @princesscherryblossom15 @frozen-waffle @eviesmoon @startled-cats @retiredpieceofshits @ft-winnow @weakh3rokdrama @bluechaoslizzy @frontwomann @cutecat2005 @starlightlunax @alex110370000 @wanna-plan-world-domination @akiyhara @natalie3657 @hornylittlesimp @lazybum0 @reneejkn @solarpotato @masked-protocol @lindsay00000 @v13fsg @missinkho
Long enough for the seasons to shift outside the apartment windows, long enough for the dust to settle on places Inho used to touch without thinkingâhis side of the bed, the hook by the door where his jacket once hung, the mug he always reached for first in the morning.
Long enough for hope to thin into something quieter. Heavier.
That alone felt like a miracle.
The doctors had stopped using words like critical and unstable. The sharp panic that once lived in every heartbeat had softened into careful monitoring, gentle smiles, reassurances that no longer sounded forced.
Her pregnancyâonce fragile, once hanging by a threadâwas no longer in danger.
Someone had paid for everything.
The bills disappeared overnight. Procedures approved without delay. Medication she knew they couldnât afford suddenly available, no questions asked.
The hospital never gave her a nameâonly that the payments were made anonymously, consistent and precise.
She didnât need them to tell her.
Before he disappeared, Inho had sat at the edge of her hospital bed, hands wrapped tightly around hers as if letting go would undo everything.
His eyes had been dark with something she didnât recognize thenâfear, yes, but also resolve sharp enough to hurt.
âIâll do anything.â heâd said quietly. âAnything to make sure youâre okay. To make sure you both are.â
Sheâd tried to argue. Tried to tell him theyâd figure it out together like they always did. But he only kissed her forehead, lingering longer than usual, as if memorizing her.
That was the last time she saw him.
At first, she waited with certainty.
He was working. Hustling. Doing exactly what he promised. Every day she told herself heâll call tonight, heâll come through the door tomorrow. She kept her phone close even when she slept, just in case.
Weeks turned into months.
Junho never stopped looking.
Every spare hour he had, he spent chasing shadowsâhospitals, emergency rooms, accident reports, unidentified patients.
He pulled favors, dug through records he wasnât supposed to see, followed tips that led nowhere. More than once, he came back with his shoulders slumped, jaw tight with frustration he tried not to show her.
âThere has to be something.â he muttered one night, papers spread across the table like a losing hand. âHe wouldnât just vanish. Hyung isnât like that.â
She wanted to believe him.
But belief was getting harder.
There were no records. No bodies. No witnesses. No sightings. It was as if Inho had stepped off the face of the earth the moment he walked out of that hospital room.
Some nights, Y/N lay awake with one hand resting protectively over her stomach, staring at the ceiling and replaying his last words over and over again. Wondering where he was sleeping. If he was eating. If he was hurt.
The apartment felt too quiet without him. Too empty. Even with Junho checking in constantly, even with life slowly, painfully moving forward, there was a hollow space where Inho should have been.
By the time the doctors officially cleared her, when the danger had truly passed, the truth was unavoidable.
Inho had been gone for months.
And despite everything Junho had searchedâevery hospital, every report, every possible lead.
There was still no trace of him at all.
The mask was heavier than it looked.
In-ho stood above the arena, framed by cold metal and harsher silence, the deep black of the Frontmanâs coat swallowing whatever humanity still clung to him.
Below, the game unfolded with mechanical precisionârules announced, players herded, fear blooming exactly on schedule.
He watched without flinching.
That was the part that scared him the most.
The screens flickered as bodies ran, stumbled, fell. Guards moved when ordered. The system worked because it was ruthless, because it didnât hesitate.
Because he didnât hesitate.
His hand tightened slowly at his side when one of the cameras caught a young lady clutching his stomach, breathing hard, eyes wide with terror.
For just a second, the image overlapped with another memory entirely: a hospital room washed in pale light, Y/N lying still with wires against her skin, his own fear choking him silent.
The words echoed like a curse now.
Inho turned away from the screens, stepping back into the shadows of the control room. The guards didnât look at him. They never did. To them, he was untouchableâan authority carved out of silence and violence.
But alone, behind the mask, his thoughts betrayed him.
He thought of her constantly.
Of the way her fingers used to curl into his sleeve when she slept. Of how she laughed softly when he pressed his face into her neck after long shifts. Of the life growing inside herâa life he had promised to protect, no matter the cost.
That promise was what brought him here.
He had won once. Learned what survival really meant. Learned how easy it was to lose yourself when desperation sharpened into something ugly and efficient. When the offer cameâmoney, power, anonymityâhe told himself it was temporary.
Just until the bills were paid.
Just until he could breathe again.
But blood had a way of sticking.
Some nights, he stood exactly like thisâwatching death play out in orderly roundsâand imagined turning his back on it all. Walking out. Going home. Knocking on the door like he hadnât shattered the man he used to be.
He imagined Y/N opening it.
Her eyes searching his face. Not with reliefâbut with horror.
Because how could he explain this?
How could he tell her that while she lay in a hospital bed fighting to live, he had signed his soul away piece by piece? That while her body healed, his hands had built a system that fed on suffering?
There were momentsâlate at night, when the facility fell into its artificial sleepâwhen he stood before the exit, mask in his hands, heart pounding like it used to before raids, before fights. Moments when he almost turned back.
But then he pictured her face crumpling if she knew the truth.
You sent the money, she would realize.
You paid for my life with this.
And the unborn childâtheir childâgrowing into a world that would one day know what their father was.
The thought hollowed him out.
âItâs too late.â he murmured once into the empty room, voice distorted even without the mask. âIâm not the man she loved anymore.â
The screens continued to glow infront of him, indifferent.
Inho slipped the mask back on, sealing away the cracks before anyone could see them. The Frontman returnedâcold, controlled, efficient.
But somewhere beyond the walls of the games, beyond the blood and the rules and the cameras, a woman waited with a life he would never stop loving.
And that was the cruelest punishment of all.
Jun-ho found the clue by accident.
It was past midnight at the station, the kind of hour where the fluorescent lights hummed too loudly and paperwork felt heavier than it should.
Heâd stayed late againâhabit now, born from months of searching for a brother who had vanished into thin air.
He opened his desk drawer to grab a file.
Tucked beneath old reports and a forgotten notebook was a small cardâclean, pristine, completely out of place. Junho frowned, lifting it slowly like it might burn him.
A circle. A triangle. A square.
Heâd never seen it before. Not clearlyânot like thisâbut he knew it wasnât normal. Turning it over, his fingers trembled as he read the number printed on the back.
Something cold settled in his gut.
âInhoâŚâ he whispered.
The memories clicked together all at onceâInhoâs sudden disappearance, the money that came from nowhere, the way every trail went dead no matter how hard Junho pushed.
This wasnât an accident. This wasnât bad luck.
This was something deliberate.
Junho didnât tell anyone.
He followed the trail quietly, obsessivelyâburner phones, falsified identities, a shadow network that moved like smoke. Every step deeper confirmed what his instincts already screamed.
When he finally reached the island, when he saw the guards in pink and the games unfolding like some grotesque ritual, denial died a violent death.
Standing above it all. Cloaked in black. Masked. Still.
Junhoâs legs nearly gave out.
He wouldâve known that posture anywhere. The way he stood, shoulders squared, hands still, commanding the space without saying a word.
The man who taught him how to ride a bike.
Who shielded him from their fatherâs anger.
Who laughed softly when Junho couldnât sleep after nightmares.
Now watching people die like it meant nothing.
Junho didnât scream. Didnât rush forward. Shock rooted him in place, thick and suffocating.
He escaped by instinct aloneâhiding, running, surviving on pure adrenaline and disbelief.
When he finally made it back, when solid ground replaced the islandâs cruelty, the truth weighed heavier than any bullet ever could.
And he still hadnât told y/n.
When he did, it shattered everything.
Y/n listened in silence as Junho spoke, his voice rough, hands clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. He told her about the card. The island. The games.
âInho is alive,â he said hoarsely. âBut heâs not⌠heâs not who we thought anymore.â
Y/n shook her head immediately. Hard. Like she could physically push the words away.
âNo,â she said, breath uneven. âNo. Youâre wrong.â
Jun-ho stepped closer. âY/Nââ
âThe Inho I know would never do something like that!â you snapped, eyes burning. âHe wouldnât watch people die. He wouldnât become a monster.â
Her hand went instinctively to her stomach.
âHe did everything for us.â she whispered. âFor me. For our child.â
Junho swallowed. âThatâs exactly why I think he did it.â
She stared at the floor for a long moment, chest rising and falling too fast. When she looked back up, her expression had changedânot softer, not calmer.
âTake me there.â she said.
Jun-ho stiffened. âWhat?â
âI want to see him.â you said, voice steady despite the tremor beneath it. âWith my own eyes.â
âThat place is dangerous,â Jun-ho said immediately. âPeople donât come back from there.â
She met his gaze, unflinching.
âHe owes me answers more than anyone else.â you said quietly. âIâm his wife. Iâm carrying his child. If heâs really become this⌠this thing you sawâthen I deserve the truth from his own mouth.â
Junho ran a hand through his hair, frustration and fear etched deep into his face. âY/N, I canât protect you there.â
âIâm not asking you to.â you replied. âIâm asking you to take me.â
Finally, Junho exhaled, defeated. âOnce we go⌠thereâs no guarantee we come back the same.â
She nodded. âI already havenât.â
And somewhere, behind a black mask and countless screens, Inho stood unaware that the two people he loved most were already on their way to himâarmed not with weapons, but with truth he could no longer outrun.
The room was silent in a way that felt engineeredâthick, controlled, oppressive.
Black walls. Polished floors. Screens dormant for now. The Frontmanâs private chamber.
Y/n stood just behind Junho in a room, one hand unconsciously braced against her lower back, the other resting over her stomach.
The air smelled sterile, metallic, nothing like home.
Every second stretched. Then the door opened.
Boots echoedâmeasured, unhurried.
Inho stepped inside. All in black. Mask on. Authority clinging to him like a second skin.
He stopped the moment he saw Junho.
For a split second, the Frontman vanished. âInhoââ Jun-ho breathed.
Inhoâs shoulders stiffened. Slowly, deliberately, he lifted a hand and removed the mask.
Junhoâs chest tightened painfully.
Older. Sharper. Colder somehowâbut unmistakably his brother.
âWhat are you doing here?â Inho asked, voice low, controlledâbut there was something cracked beneath it.
Junho laughed once, hollow. âWhat are you doing here?â
Inhoâs jaw clenched. âYou shouldnât be here.â His eyes darted briefly to the door. âYou need to leave. Now. Before anyone sees you.â
Junho shook his head. âIâm not leaving.â
âInho.â Junho pressed, voice breaking despite himself, âlook at this place. Look at what youâve become.â
Inhoâs gaze hardened. âYou donât understand.â
âNoâ Jun-ho snapped. âI donât think you do.â
And thenâ A soft sound behind Junho.
Inhoâs eyes shifted past his brother.
Y/n stepped out of the bedroom.
Paler than before. Thinner. But standing.
Her belly was unmistakable nowâround, prominent, proof of everything he had sacrificed himself for.
For a moment, Inho forgot how to breathe.
His lips parted soundlessly. His eyes burned, glassy, overwhelmed with something dangerously close to relief.
âY/NâŚâ he whispered.
The sound of her name on his tongue shattered whatever fragile restraint she had left.
âDonât.â you choked out. âDonât say my name.â
Tears spilled freely now, but she didnât back away. She stood her ground, shaking but unbroken.
âInho,â she said, voice trembling with fury and heartbreak âWhy did you leave me?â
âWhat is this place?â she demanded, gesturing weakly around her. âWhat are you doing here?â
Inho took a step toward her before stopping himself, like he was afraid she might disappear if he moved too fast.
âI did this for you.â he said hoarsely. âFor you and the baby. I needed money. I neededââ
âYou could have come back!â she cut in sharply. âI waited. Every day. Weeks. Months.â
His head bowed slightly. âI thought⌠after everything I did⌠it was too late. I thought you wouldnât accept me anymore.â
For a long moment, she just looked at himâthe man she loved, standing in black, surrounded by death and secrets.
âYouâre right.â she said, voice eerily calm now. âIt is too late.â
Inhoâs eyes snapped up.
âBecause the man I loved would have come home,â she continued, tears still falling. âHe would have faced me. Faced us.â
Her gaze hardened, cutting deeper than any blade.
âBut the man standing in front of me?â she whispered.
âHeâs not my husband.â
The words landed like a gunshot. âHeâs a monster.â
And for the first time since he put on the mask, Hwang Inho felt something inside him truly break.
Inho took another step forward, panic flashing openly across his face now.
âNo.â he said, shaking his head hard, voice cracking for the first time. âNoâyouâre wrong. Iâm still me. Iâm still your Inho.â
He reached out instinctively. She recoiled.
âDonât come closer.â she said, stepping back, her hand tightening over her stomach as if to protect herself from him.
The distance between them felt wider than the room itself.
âThereâs nothing left to listen to.â she continued, tears streaming freely now. Her voice trembled but didnât waver.
âYou made your choices. You disappeared. You let me believe you were dead.â
She turned toward Junho. âLetâs go.â
Junho hesitated, torn, but nodded slightlyâready to move with her.
Inho grabbed her wrist. Not hard. Not forceful.
âPlease.â he said hoarsely. âDonât walk away. Not like this.â
Y/n froze, breath catching.
âYou owe me one chance.â he whispered. âOne conversation. I need you to hear the truthâfrom me.â
Her chest rose and fell rapidly. For a moment, she looked ready to pull away again.
But then she swallowed. She did want answers.
Slowly, she turned back to face him, eyes red, jaw tight. âThis is your last chance,â she said quietly. âAfter this⌠thereâs no pretending.â
Jun-ho stepped closer to her side. âY/N,â he said gently, âlisten to him once. Then we decide.â
Y/n closed her eyes briefly, steadying herself.
ââŚFine,â she whispered.
In-ho exhaled shakily, relief flickering through his devastation.
âIâll explain everything,â he promised. âJustâlet me talk to you alone.â
Junho frowned. âHyungââ
âJunho. â In-ho said firmly, eyes never leaving ber. âShe's my wife.â
Y/n nodded once, stiff. âWe talk. Thatâs all.â
Inho released her wrist immediately, like the contact burned him.
âThis way,â he said quietly.
He led her to his private bedroom down the hallway. The door closed behind her with a soft click.
Y/n stood near the entrance, arms crossed protectively over herself, putting distance between her and the bed.
Inho stayed near the door, not daring to come closer.
For the first time since he vanished, it was just the two of them.
And the truthâheavy, ugly, unavoidableâhung between them, waiting to be spoken.
Inho closed the door behind him quietly.
The sound echoed far louder than it should have.
He turned back to herâand for a second, he just stood there, taking her in. Her face. The way her hand instinctively rested over her belly. Proof that everything he had lost was standing right in front of him.
His hand lifted, hovering in the air, fingers trembling as they reached toward the curve of her stomach.
Y/n stepped back immediately.
His hand froze mid-air. The hurt in his eyes was raw, unguarded.
âY/NâŚâ he whispered. âPlease. Justâjust once. Let me touch you.â
Y/n didnât look away, but she didnât move either.
His voice broke when he tried again. âI want to feel my child.â
She laughedâbut there was no humor in it. Only rage and months of swallowed pain.
âNow?â she snapped. âNow you care about the baby?â
âWhere were you!?â she shouted, âWhen I was lying in a hospital bed, Inho? When the doctors told me I might lose thisâlose usâbecause my body was failing?â
Her chest heaved as she went on, words pouring out like poison she'd been holding inside for months.
âWhere were you when I was alone? When I was signing papers by myself, shaking, wondering if Iâd wake up the next morning? I almost diedâand you were gone.â
Inho suddenly closed the distance between them.
Before she could step back again, his hands wrapped around her armsânot rough, but firm, grounding. Trapping her there.
âNothing,â he said fiercely, eyes blazing, ânothing would have happened to you or the baby.â
She struggled, trying to pull free. âDonâtâdonât touch meââ
âI would never let anything happen to you,â he said, voice low and desperate. âNever.â
Her breathing was uneven. âYou werenât there to stop it.â
His grip loosened just enough for her to stop fighting, but he didnât let go.
âI came here as a player,â he confessed, words tumbling out now. âI was drowning, Y/N. Debt, threatsâI thought if I won, if I just survived, I could fix everything.â
âI won,â he continued. âI sent every cent. Every single won. I watched the account until it went through.â
Her lips parted slightly, shock flickeringâbut anger quickly swallowed it whole.
âAnd then what?â she demanded. âYou decided we didnât matter enough to come back?â
His voice dropped to a whisper. âI thought it was too late.â
He swallowed hard. âI thought youâd never forgive me for what Iâd done. For what Iâd become.â
His eyes searched yours, frantic, broken. âI missed you every day. Every night. Every hour. Every minute. Every second.â
Her heart clenched traitorously.
âI wanted to come back,â he admitted. âSo many times. But I was afraid.â
âAfraid of what?â she cried.
That did it. Y/n shoved him with all the strength you had.
âYes!â she yelled, tears finally spilling. âI hate you!â
He staggered back a step, stunnedâbut she followed, voice shaking with fury and grief.
âI hate you for becoming this monster. I hate you for making me believe you were dead. I hate you for leaving me alone with thisââ her hand slammed against her belly ââwith your child growing inside me while I cried myself to sleep every night!â
The room felt like it was collapsing.
Inho stepped forward and crashed his lips against hers.
The kiss was fierce. Desperate. Messy. It was fear and longing and pain all colliding at once.
Y/n froze for half a secondâ then she kissed him back.
Her hands fisted into his coat as if she was afraid heâd disappear again. His grip tightened at her waist, careful but starving, as if touching her was the only thing keeping him alive.
When she finally pulled back, her lips were trembling.
âI missed you.â she whispered, voice breaking.
âI missed you too.â he breathed immediately, forehead dropping against hers. âGod, I missed you so much.â
She stayed like thatâforeheads pressed together, breaths mingling, tears slipping silently between them.
Not forgiven. Not healed.
But finallyâno longer ghosts to each other.
Y/n suddenly stepped backâand then pushed him away. The space between them felt colder than before.
âThis doesnât change anything,â she said, voice sharp, final. âNone of this changes what youâve become.â
Inho stared at her like he hadnât heard her right. âWhatâŚ?â His brows knit together, disbelief flooding his face. âY/Nâno. Please. Give me a chance. Let me fix this. I can fix everything.â
She let out a hollow laugh, the sound brittle and empty. âFix everything?â she wiped her tears angrily. âHow, Inho? Tell me how.â
He hesitated for half a secondâthen said the words that shattered whatever fragile hope was left.
âStay.â he said. âStay here with me.â
The room went dead silent.
ââŚWhat?â y/n whispered.
âStay,â he repeated, more urgently now. âI can protect you here. The baby too. We can be togetherââ
She couldnât believe what she was hearing.
Y/n struck his chest with her fist, once, then again, tears streaming freely now. âHow dare you?â she cried. âHow can you ask me to stay in this hell? Do you hear yourself?â
âThis placeâthis is blood, Inho! People die here!â
âItâs the only way.â he insisted, gripping your wrists gently but desperately. âItâs all I have now.â
Her voice dropped, trembling with disbelief. âIf you really want to fix everything⌠then leave.â
âLeave.â she repeated, firmer now. âCome with me. With Jun.ho. Right now. Go back home.â
His eyes flickeredâfear, conflict, something dark and chained.
Then slowly, painfully, he shook his head. âI canât.â
The words landed like a gunshot.
âWhy not?â she demanded. âWhy canât you?â
His jaw tightened. âBecause this is all I have now.â
Her breath hitched. âSo thisââ she gestured around the room, the island, the horror beyond the walls ââthis is more important than me? Than our child?â
âNo.â he said immediately, almost violently. âNo. Never.â
âThen come with us.â she begged, voice cracking.
âI canât do that.â he whispered.
Something inside her broke completely.
âThen donât ever show me your face again.â she said coldly. âYou died the day you chose this place over us.â
She turned sharply and walked toward the door.
âJunho,â y/n said without looking back. âLetâs go.â
The door openedâand Inho followed her out.
âNo one is leaving.â he said suddenly, voice hard, slipping back into the Frontmanâs authority.
Y/n spun around, eyes blazing. âYou donât get to cage me here.â
The argument erupted againâvoices raised, pain spilling everywhere. Junho tried to intervene, tried to reason with his brother, but nothing worked.
Inho pleaded. Y/n refused.
Finallyâslowlyâhis shoulders slumped.
He exhaled shakily, then stepped aside and reached for a section of the wall. A hidden door slid open with a low mechanical sound, revealing a dark passage leading outward.
âThere are boats,â he said quietly, not meeting her eyes. âAt the shore. Take one. Leave.â
Junho stared at him, conflicted, but nodded.
Y/n turned back to Inho one last time.
He looked at her with red-rimmed eyes, like a man already grieving something heâd lost forever.
âYouâre dead to me.â you said, voice steady despite the tears. âJust like you chose to be.â
Then she walked away. She didnât look back.
The door closed behind her.
And Inho was left standing alone in the silenceâFrontman mask discarded at his feet, heart shattered beyond repair.
The boat cut through the dark water, the engine humming steadilyâbut nothing could drown out the sound of her sobs.
Y/n sat curled in on herself, arms wrapped protectively around her belly, shoulders shaking as tears slipped freely down her face. The island was already fading behind her, swallowed by fog and distance, but the ache in her chest only grew heavier.
Junho glanced at her again and again, helpless.
âY/NâŚâ he said softly, finally unable to hold it in. âWhy did you do that?â
âWhy did you say those things to him?â His voice cracked. âYou know he canât live without you. Without the baby. You didnât mean any of that.â
Her lips trembled. Y/n stared out at the water, eyes glassy.
âI didnât want to say it,â she whispered.
Junho frowned. âThen whyââ
âBecause it was the only thing I had left,â she broke in, her voice shaking violently now.
âHeâs so stubborn, Junho. You know him. If I begged⌠if I softened⌠he wouldâve tried to keep me there. Or worseâhe wouldâve stayed.â
Sh swallowed hard, tears blurring her vision.
âHe would never have left that place easily,â she said quietly. âNot then. Not like that.â
âSo I had to break him,â y/n continued, pressing a trembling hand to her mouth. âI had to make him believe there was nothing left to hold onto there. I had to make him let us go.â
Junho looked at her in shock. âYou thinkâŚ?â
Y/n nodded faintly, tears spilling again. âHeâll come back. I know he will. Inho doesnât survive without something to protect, without someone to love. And that placeââ y/n shook her head ââit will eat him alive.â
Y/n closed her eyes, a sob tearing out of her.
âI just hope I didnât destroy him before he finds his way back.â
Meanwhile, on the islandâ Inho sat slumped on the leather couch in his private chamber, the room dim except for the low amber glow of a lamp. An ashtray overflowed beside him. Empty glasses littered the table.
He poured another drink with shaking hands.
Smoke curled from the cigarette between his fingers, but he barely felt it burn. His eyes were hollow, red, unfocusedâstaring at nothing.
Her words replayed over and over in his head.
He squeezed his eyes shut, jaw trembling.
âFuckâŚâ he whispered hoarsely.
The glass in his hand cracked slightly under the pressure of his grip. He didnât notice until the whiskey spilled over his knuckles.
âSheâs right.â he muttered bitterly, a broken laugh escaping him. âI chose this.â
His shoulders began to shake.
Silent tears slid down his face, one after another, disappearing into his collar. He dragged a hand over his eyes, furious with himself, with the mask, with the island, with every choice heâd made.
âI shouldâve gone with you.â he breathed. âI shouldâve left everything.â
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, head dropping into his hands.
âI let you walk away,â he whispered, voice breaking completely now. âI let my family leave.â
The cigarette burned down to the filter between his fingers, scorching his skin. He didnât flinch.
For the first time since becoming the Frontman, Inho felt truly powerless.
Not feared. Not in control.
Just a man aloneâhaunted by the woman he loved, the child he hadnât held yet, and the life heâd sacrificed with his own hands.
A week later, the house was quiet in the way that only waiting could make it.
Jun-ho sat in the living room with his eomma, the TV playing some old drama neither of them was really watching. She was folding laundry slowly, methodically, as if keeping her hands busy kept her heart from worrying too much.
Down the hall, Y/n stood in the bedroom, fingers trembling slightly as they brushed over the framed wedding photo on the nightstand.
Inho in his uniform, smiling softly. Y/n in white, glowing, safe.
She swallowed, eyes burning.
âCome back,â she whispered to no one. âPlease.â
Junho stiffened. His eomma looked up.
âAre you expecting someone?â
Junho shook his head and stood anyway. âIâll check.â
The moment he opened the door, his breath left him completely.
No mask. No black coat. No cold authority.
Just Inhoâstanding there in simple clothes, hair slightly messy, eyes tired, red-rimmed⌠real.
âHyungâŚâ Junho choked out.
Inho barely had time to react before Junho pulled him into a tight hug.
âYouâre back,â Jun-ho said into his shoulder, voice breaking. âYouâre really back.â
Inhoâs hand came up slowly, patting his brotherâs back, his own throat tight. âYeah⌠Iâm home.â
She dropped the laundry and rushed forward, tears spilling instantly as she wrapped both arms around him. âMy son⌠my son,â she cried, clutching him like sheâd never let go again. âI thought I lost you.â
âIâm sorry, eomma,â Inho whispered, holding her carefully. âIâm so sorry.â
Y/n stepped out of the bedroom.
He eyes lifted instinctively toward the living room. And froze.
For a heartbeat, she thought her mind was betraying her.
He stood thereâalive, breathing, real.
âIn⌠ho?â her voice was barely a sound.
The moment his eyes found her, something in him shattered.
She were thinner, softer, her belly round and unmistakable now. Alive. Here. Waiting.
Tears filled his eyes instantly.
He took a step toward her, then another, hands shaking at his sides. âY/NâŚâ His voice broke completely. âPlease⌠forgive me.â
Her eyes welled up as she shook her head faintly. âHow are youâhow are you here?â
âI left,â he said, raw and honest. âI left everything. I burned it all. The island⌠the games⌠all of it.â
His breath hitched. âI came back to you. To our baby. To my family.â
Y/n didnât think. She didnât hesitate. She walked straight into his arms.
He caught her instantly, holding her like she might disappear again, face buried in her shoulder as he whispered over and over.
âIâm sorry. Iâm so sorry. Iâm here. Iâm not leaving again.â
She clutched him just as tightly, tears soaking into his shirt. âI forgive you,â she whispered. âJust⌠donât disappear again.â
He pulled back just enough to look at her, cupping her face with trembling hands. He pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, then slowly lowered himself, kneeling in front of her.
He kissed her belly with reverence.
âIâm sorry,â he whispered softly. âPlease forgive your appa for being late.â
Her hand slid into his hair as she laughed through tears.
When he stood again, his thumb brushed her cheek. âDo we⌠do we know if itâs a boy or a girl?â
Y/n blinked, then huffed softly. âI was a little busy searching for my missing husband. Didnât really have time for that.â
His lips curved into the smallest, teasing smile. âSo youâre saying I disappeared and delayed the gender reveal?â
Y/n sniffed. âYouâre on very thin ice.â
He laughedâreally laughedâfor the first time in months. âFor the record, burning an entire island takes time.â
Junho groaned. âHyung.â
Her laughter joined his, light and shaky but real.
Inho pulled her back into his arms, resting his forehead against hers. âI took a week,â he murmured softly. âBut I came back.â
You smiled, eyes shining. âThatâs all that matters.â
Surrounded by family, laughter, and the quiet promise of a future rebuiltâ Inho finally understood what winning truly meant.