Mo Han clenched his fists.
"No," he admitted.
"But that doesn't mean I have to be like him."
Mo Seongjun regarded him carefully.
Then...
A faint, almost imperceptible sigh escaped him.
"You already are," he said quietly.
And that struck deeper than anything else. Mo Han turned away, his chest tight.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "If I wanted to be like him, I wouldn't care that I hurt her."
His voice strained now.
"I wouldn't care that she stood there alone."
"And yet," his father said calmly, "you left her there."
Silence fell again.
Longer.
Heavier.
Mo Han closed his eyes briefly.
Because this time, he had no argument.
"She looked at me…" he said quietly.
His voice faltered.
"As if I was already gone."
Mo Seongjun didn't respond immediately. But when he did, his voice was softer.
Not kinder. But… more measured.
"Then you need to decide," he said.
Mo Han turned back slowly. His father held his gaze.
Direct.
Unflinching.
"Are you a man who builds an empire…"
A pause.
"Or a man who sacrifices it for something uncertain?"
Mo Han's expression tightened.
"It's not 'something uncertain,'" he said.
"It's her."
"And what does she give you?" his father pressed.
Mo Han didn't hesitate this time.
"Everything."
A beat.
His father nodded slowly, as if acknowledging the sincerity
But not accepting the conclusion.
"And what does the deal give you?" he asked.
Mo Han's voice dropped.
"…Power."
"And without power?" his father continued.
Another pause.
He answered his own question,
"You don't get to protect anything."
Silence.
Mo Han's breath grew heavier.
Because that...
Was the truth he didn't want to face.
"You think choosing her is brave," Mo Seongjun added quietly.
"But if you lose everything…"
His gaze sharpened.
"…you won't even be worthy enough to stand beside her."
The words hung in the room like a sentence. Mo Han sat down slowly, running his hands through his hair.
Torn.
Pulled in opposite directions.
"I can't lose her," he whispered.
His father remained unmoved.
"Then don't," he said.
Mo Han looked up sharply.
Hope flickered...
Just for a second. But it died just as quickly.
"Secure your position first," Mo Seongjun continued.
His voice final.
"Then you can choose."
Mo Han stared at him. Because he understood what that meant. By the time he became strong enough to choose, she might already be gone.
"…And if she doesn't wait?" he asked quietly.
For the first time...
His father didn't have an immediate answer.
Then...
"Then she was never yours to begin with."
Silence.
Mo Han leaned back slowly, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Ji Eun's words echoed in his mind again—
"You made your choice."
His hands clenched.
Tighter.
Because deep down, he wasn't sure anymore. Had he chosen the deal? Or had he simply,
failed to choose her?
As the room fell silent again, Mo Han's phone buzzed.
A message.
From Ji Eun.
Just one line.
"Don't come looking for me unless you've decided."
Mo Han stared at it.
Long.
Hard.
Because for the first time in his life...
Power and love were no longer running parallel. They were colliding.
And no matter what he chose, He was going to lose something.
The question was...
What could he live without?