just ask and I write

---

I sit atop the ruined building at night, shadows pooling around me like black water. The city stretches endlessly beneath me, alive, moving — indifferent.

Her face haunts every corner of my mind. Her laugh. Her voice. The cold stare that had cut me deeper than any blade.

And yet… even now, even in my brokenness, I remember something else:

The way she once rested her head on my shoulder, just for a moment, trusting me.

The warmth of her hand in mine, playful and fleeting.

The softest smile she had ever given me, when the world felt heavy and we had no one else.

I whisper her name into the night, a breathless, trembling sound: “Y/N…”

And for a heartbeat, I imagine her here. I imagine her laughing at something small, brushing her hair back with her fingers, looking at me with those eyes that once saw all of me, loved or hated, broken or strong.

“Even now… I’ll always love you,” I murmur, my voice raw, hoarse, but tender. “Even if I can’t touch you, can’t hold you… I’ll carry you in my heart. Always.”

The shadows around me lean closer, quiet, almost reverent, as if they understand. The city hums beneath me, but for a moment, the world feels like it’s holding its breath with me — honoring the memory of what I lost.

I close my eyes. I imagine her smile again. And for a single, fleeting second, the pain feels… bearable.

Then reality presses back in. The cold wind bites. Her absence remains. The Window is closed. And I am alone.

But even in this endless suffering, I hold onto that small sweetness: a memory of her, a whisper of her love, a fragment of warmth that no power, no time, no world can ever take from me.

I rise, shadows coiling protectively around me, and walk forward into the night.

Haunted. Broken. Immortal.

But still, in some quiet, secret part of me… holding onto the memory of her smile.

"wait for me my Solar....."

---

I had rewound time until my body trembled from exhaustion.

I had ripped apart streets, shattered the air, and torn the skies with shadows that screamed in my anguish.

And still… she was gone.

The System flashed before my eyes, cold and unyielding:

[ Target Not Found ]

[ Temporal Window Closed ]

[ Object Cannot Be Retrieved ]

No. No! I refused to accept it.

I ran, I tore, I clawed through the world itself, desperate, screaming her name: “Y/N! Please! I’ll do anything! Come back!”

And then… I saw her.

She was standing at the edge of a street I had broken in one of my frantic rewinds. Alive. Breathing. Her hair catching the sun like fire. My heart slammed against my chest, hope bursting through me.

I ran. Faster than I ever thought possible. Shadows stretched behind me like desperate arms, ripping at reality to reach her.

But the world… was cruel.

The ground beneath her crumbled — a trap I had missed in my panic, in my grief.

She fell.

I screamed, my voice ripping apart the air: “NO! Y/N!”

I lunged, shadows clawing at her, reality itself bending, tearing — but I could not reach her. My hands passed through empty air, through what should have been her body. My heart shattered in midair, and the screams of time itself became my only answer.

She lay there. Cold. Still. Just out of reach.

I fell beside her, trembling, shaking, my shadows collapsing around me, unable to do anything. I gripped at her shoulders, at her hair, at nothing — and reality would not bend. The Window had closed. She could not be saved. Not by me. Not by anything I could do.

Tears burned my cheeks. My chest ached. My throat raw from screaming. “I… I tried! I tried! I can’t… I can’t fix this!”

I saw her face, the smallest memory of her soft smile flashing through my mind. I saw the last time she looked at me with eyes full of cold despair — the words she spoke slicing into me deeper than any blade:

“Then die, because I don’t have a use for you anymore.”

She hadn’t meant to leave me. She hadn’t chosen this.

It was my failure.

My obsession. My mistakes. My arrogance. My pride.

I pressed my forehead to hers, shaking, sobbing, begging the shadows, begging the world, begging time itself. “Please… please let me save you! I’ll do anything! Anything at all!”

But the Window remained closed. The System remained indifferent.

No magic. No shadow. No force in the universe could undo this.

I sat there with her body in my arms, trembling, gasping, broken.

The streets around me were silent except for the wind, which carried her absence like a knife through my chest.

I had all the power in the world.

I could destroy mountains, kill gods, bend the laws of life and death itself…

And yet, I could not save her.

I wept for her. I screamed for her. I tore at the earth in my fury and grief. I cursed myself, cursed fate, cursed time.

She was gone.

And I would never forgive myself.

I am the man who could command armies, conquer death, and wield shadows that swallow worlds…

And yet, the one life I could not protect… belonged to the person I loved most.

The world had given me infinite power, infinite time, infinite chances…

And yet it had taken her anyway.

I sat there, hollow, broken, shadows pooling around me, my body shaking, my soul shattered.

I could not save her.

I could not hold her.

I could not fix the mistakes that had led to this moment.

And in that emptiness, I realized the truth I had always known but refused to face:

Some losses cannot be undone.

Some mistakes cannot be fixed.

And some people… are gone, no matter how hard you fight.

I would live. I would survive.

But I would carry this wound, this grief, this failure… for the rest of eternity.

And nothing would ever fill the hollow that was Y/N.

---

(Jinwoo’s POV)

Her body hit the ground, and the world went silent.

“Y/N!”

I was at her side in an instant, trembling, my hands shaking as I tried to lift her. She felt so light — too light — and her breath was fading fast. My heart slammed against my chest like it was trying to escape.

“Stay with me!” I shouted, gripping her shoulders, shaking her gently. “Please… open your eyes!”

She barely moved. The faintest exhale left her lips, a whisper too weak to hold life.

“I… I’m too late…” she murmured, almost inaudible. My blood froze. Those words… that simple, quiet sentence, cut through me deeper than any blade.

“No. No, you’re not. I won’t let this happen. You can’t leave me, Y/N! Not like this!” My voice broke, ragged, desperate.

Her lashes fluttered once, then rested. Still. Silent. Cold.

I pressed my forehead to hers, tears stinging my eyes. “I can’t lose you. I can’t—please, don’t leave me. I’ll fix this. I swear I’ll fix this!”

Beru hovered nearby, fear written in his every movement. “Master… she’s—”

“She’s not gone yet!” I snapped, my voice sharper than I realized. I didn’t care about the shadows, the System, or the consequences. Nothing mattered except keeping her alive.

I felt the world begin to tremble, responding to my desperation. Shadows writhed around me, bending the air, stretching reality. My aura burned hotter than ever, a mixture of fear, rage, and unbearable grief.

Then the System appeared, cold and mechanical, flashing in front of my eyes:

[ Warning: Emotional Collapse Detected ]

[ Temporal Rewind Available — High Risk ]

[ Confirm Action? ]

I didn’t hesitate. I could not. My hands clutched her so tightly I thought I might crush her fragile form. “Do it. I don’t care about anything else. Just… bring her back. Please.”

The world fractured.

Time twisted violently, like a storm ripping through the streets. Every memory, every version of her, spun around me: the first time she smiled, the first time she trusted me, every tear she had shed for me, every word she had spoken that I had betrayed.

I screamed her name into the void. “Y/N! Please, come back! I can’t do this without you! I won’t survive this!”

The shadows surged, clawing at reality itself. Light and dark collided, burning through the air. The city became unrecognizable — streets folding in on themselves, buildings twisting into impossible angles. I saw her in every version: sometimes alive, sometimes fading, sometimes just out of reach.

I reached for her in every timeline, but she always slipped away.

One moment she was standing before me, looking confused and alive. I ran toward her, but she vanished before I could touch her. Another loop showed her falling again, just as I had been too late to save her before. The world mocked me with glimpses of what I wanted most.

Each rewind tore at me. My body ached. My mind was cracking. My hands bled, my vision blurred. Every attempt to hold her, to bring her back, ended in the same result: she was gone, slipping further from my grasp, beyond reach, beyond the laws of even my powers.

I sank to my knees, shadows pooling around me like ink in water. I could feel every mistake I had made, every betrayal, every moment I had failed her. Time itself became my punishment — endless glimpses of her alive, and then taken from me again.

The world around me was no longer reality. It was memory, regret, and longing. And through it all, the truth burned like fire in my chest:

I cannot save her.

I cannot fix what I broke.

And no matter how many times I try… she will always slip away.

I screamed her name until my throat burned raw, but the city answered only with silence.

The shadows pressed closer, as if to warn me, but I didn’t care. I would tear the world apart to bring her back.

Even if it killed me.

Even if the System itself refused.

Her last words echoed in my ears:

“Too late. You always are.”

And the tears I had tried to hold back finally fell, burning, silent, endless.

I had become a man who could destroy the world, summon death, break time…

And yet, I could not save her.

---

The night felt endless. The moon watched like a silent witness to our undoing.

Jinwoo stood before me, trembling, breath shallow, eyes glistening with a pain that almost looked human again.

“Please,” he said softly. “Just… tell me what I can do.”

I didn’t move. I didn’t even blink.

Because what could he possibly do? The damage was done.

“You already did enough,” I murmured. “More than enough.”

His jaw tightened, and I saw his aura flicker—dark and unstable, mirroring the storm inside him. “I never wanted to hurt you.”

“Then why did you?”

My voice came out quiet, but every word was a blade.

He said nothing. Only stared at me like the silence could erase everything he did.

“You made me believe in you,” I whispered. “You made me think I was safe.”

His hand trembled as he reached toward me, eyes pleading, desperate. “Y/N—”

“Don’t touch me.”

He froze.

The sound of the wind filled the empty space between us, whispering through the ruins like a ghost.

I took a step back. The distance felt like a wall.

“You said you loved me,” I said. “But you chose her. You chose her over everything we were.”

His voice cracked. “I thought I was protecting you.”

I smiled faintly. It didn’t reach my eyes.

“How does it feel,” I asked, “to be in another woman’s arms… knowing you destroyed the one that truly loved you?”

He didn’t answer. He couldn’t.

I saw his lips part, but no words came out—only the sound of his breath hitching as the truth sank in.

“Then die,” I said softly. “Because I don’t have a use for you anymore.”

The air around us broke.

His power wavered, shadows twisting violently in pain, reacting to emotions he couldn’t contain.

I turned away. The moment I did, my vision blurred.

A sharp wave of fatigue crashed through me — my knees weakened, my chest tightened. My mana flickered, unstable from the emotional drain and battle before.

The last thing I heard was Jinwoo shouting my name.

“Y/N!”

I collapsed, my body hitting the cold ground, vision fading as everything around me dissolved into shadow and silence.

His footsteps thundered toward me, his voice cracking, raw and terrified. “No, no—stay with me, please—!”

My eyes fluttered open for just a second.

And I saw him — on his knees beside me, shaking, his hands hovering helplessly above me like he didn’t know whether to hold me or not.

“Too late,” I whispered weakly. “You always are…”

And then the light left my eyes.

The world around him broke apart.

That was the moment time began to crack — when his grief tore open the boundary of reality itself, pulling him toward what would come next.

anyone actually😊

---

POV: Reader (You)

---

He looks so hopeful.

So ruined.

But still hopeful.

That I might reach out. That my silence might thaw. That the pain I wear like armor might give way.

It doesn’t.

I look at him.

And I smile.

A soft, beautiful smile. The kind I used to give him in the mornings, back when his name tasted like forever.

His eyes flicker—just for a second.

Like he thinks that smile means salvation.

And maybe that’s the cruelest part.

---

I step closer. The snow crunches beneath my boots.

He doesn't move.

Not away.

Not toward me.

Just still. Waiting. Trusting. Foolish.

I tilt my head slightly, voice barely louder than a breath.

> “Then die, Jinwoo.”

He freezes.

> “Because I don’t have a use for you anymore.”

---

There it is.

The way his soul fractures across his face.

Slow. Sharp. Quiet.

His breath leaves him in a shudder. Not from the cold.

From me.

I keep going. Because if I stop now, I’ll fall apart.

> “You already killed the part of me that loved you.”

> “What’s left is just… aftermath.”

His hands curl slightly at his sides.

He says nothing.

Not at first.

And then—

> “If that’s what you need to say to survive,” he says hoarsely, “I’ll take it.”

---

Why does that hurt?

Why does it hurt?

I wrap my arms around myself, the wind biting against my skin, and I glare at him like it’s his fault I’m cold.

Like it wasn’t me who burned everything down just now.

> “I needed you,” I whisper. “And you weren’t there.”

> “Now I don’t need anyone.”

He nods, slow and broken.

> “But I still need you.”

---

The silence cracks again.

But this time, I’m the one who steps back.

I can’t look at him anymore.

Not because I hate him.

But because I might still love him.

And I hate that worse.

---

I turn around and keep walking.

And this time, he doesn’t follow right away.

Because this time, he understands:

I’m not running.

I’m leaving.

Let me know.

Too Late for Regret – Part 8: If You Knew What It Cost Me

POV: Reader (You)

___

He’s still there.

Still trailing behind, like a ghost tied to my shadow.

Always close enough to see me.

Never close enough to touch.

But tonight... I stop walking.

And I don’t know why.

Maybe I’m tired of running.

Maybe I just want to hurt him back.

He stands a few steps away, waiting like he always does.

His breath is uneven. His face unreadable.

I speak first—sharper than the wind.

“How does it feel,” I ask, “to be in another woman’s arms… knowing you’ll never be in mine again?”

The words tear out of me. I don’t even flinch.

But he does.

His jaw clenches. And then, slowly, he speaks.

“It felt… empty,” he says. “Even when I didn’t know why.”

I scoff. “Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not,” he says. “That’s why I’m here.”

He takes one step forward, eyes heavy, voice low.

“Because being with her… being anywhere without you—it never stopped feeling wrong.”

I laugh bitterly.

“You chose her, Jinwoo. You didn’t trip and fall into her arms. You stood at the fork and walked away from me without a word.”

“I know,” he says. “And I hate myself for it.”

His words hang in the air. I hate how honest they sound.

“I was scared,” he finally admits. “Of what I was becoming. Of dragging you into it.”

“Don’t give me that ‘for your own good’ excuse,” I bite.

“It wasn’t an excuse.” His voice cracks. “It was a mistake.”

He steps closer—but still doesn’t reach for me.

“I didn’t leave you for Cha Hae-In. I left because I thought I had to protect you from what I’d become.”

“Then why didn’t you come back?”

His silence is the loudest answer of all.

“You didn’t even try,” I whisper. “I waited. I broke in silence. And you were just… gone.”

“Because I thought you’d be better without me,” he says. “But all I did was take the choice away from you.”

His eyes glisten—but no tears fall.

Not yet.

“And now you think what?” I say. “That following me around like some tragic puppy will make it all okay?”

“No,” he breathes. “I just want you to know the truth before you decide if I deserve to stay.”

“You don’t,” I say flatly. “You don’t deserve any part of me.”

I see it. The flicker of pain behind his calm.

Good.

But still... he doesn’t walk away.

“I know,” he whispers. “But I’m staying anyway. Not because I deserve you—but because you deserved someone who never would’ve made you feel like this.”

“And if I can’t be that person… then I’ll carry the weight of what I did until I die.”

I stare at him.

This broken, haunted version of the man I once loved more than air.

He doesn’t move. Doesn’t beg.

Just stands there.

Letting the silence settle between us like ash after a fire.

And for the first time…

I wonder if maybe he's finally feeling what I felt every day he was gone.

Too Late for Regret – Part 7: If He Means It

POV: Reader (You)

Theme: Reflection, bitterness, conflicted thoughts, and the first crack in the walls you've built.

---

He’s still following me.

I thought he would’ve stopped by now.

Most people do.

They apologize once. Maybe twice. And when forgiveness doesn't come easily, they vanish. Swallowed by guilt or pride.

But not him.

Sung Jinwoo has said nothing since I turned away from him in that cathedral.

He just... follows.

Not close.

Not far.

Just enough that I always feel him at my back.

And I hate that a part of me notices.

---

The fire I built last night is still smoldering.

I sit alone, knees to my chest, staring into the dying coals like they’ll give me answers I haven't found in years.

He’s not sleeping. I can feel it.

He never does when he’s afraid I’ll disappear again.

And that knowledge shouldn’t mean anything.

But it does.

God, it does.

---

I remember the day I found out about him and her.

The curve of Cha Hae-In’s smile.

The guilt in Jinwoo’s eyes when he wouldn’t look at me.

I remember thinking: If he’s happy, then it’s fine.

But it wasn’t fine.

Because he didn’t choose her out of love.

He chose her because it was easier.

Because I didn’t demand. I didn’t cry. I didn’t fight for a place in his life.

And he let me slip away.

Just like everyone else.

---

But now?

Now he follows every step like it’s the last thread holding him together.

And he hasn't tried to touch me.

He hasn't begged.

He hasn’t said the words “forgive me” since that day.

He just watches. Waits.

Like he knows he’s no longer entitled to softness.

It should make this easier.

But it doesn't.

Because if he had chased me with desperation, I would’ve walked faster.

If he had sobbed, screamed, fallen to his knees—I would’ve turned my back harder.

But he’s just… there.

Unmoving.

Unyielding.

Quiet.

---

And that silence is louder than any apology.

Because silence means he's not here to make himself feel better.

He’s here to hurt.

Like I did.

Like I still do.

---

I glance over my shoulder once.

He doesn't react.

He just stands at the edge of the ruined path, hood down, shadows flickering quietly around his feet.

Eyes on me.

Not pleading.

Not demanding.

Just waiting.

And I wonder—

> Does he mean it?

If I push him again, will he leave?

If I scream at him to go, will he vanish?

If I break again—

Will he stay this time?

---

I look back at the fire, jaw clenched.

I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive him.

But I’m starting to wonder if he’s willing to survive my silence to earn it.

And that scares me more than the betrayal ever did.

Too Late for Regret – Part 6: Until You Let Me In

POV: Sung Jinwoo

---

You didn’t tell me to follow.

You didn’t tell me to leave, either.

You just walked—eyes forward, back straight, like the weight of your past was heavier than any monster we’d ever fought.

And I followed.

Not out of desperation.

Not to force something that died.

But because you were the only thing I ever should’ve chosen.

---

Hours passed.

You didn’t speak.

You didn’t stop.

And still, I walked a few paces behind you—never too close. Never demanding. Just there.

Like a shadow that refused to disappear.

I saw you glance back once.

Not out of softness.

Not curiosity.

You just wanted to make sure I was still there.

And when you saw me—you didn’t say a word.

But you didn’t tell me to go either.

That was enough.

---

We made camp that night beneath the cracked shell of a forgotten watchtower. You built a fire without a word. You didn’t ask for help, and I didn’t offer.

Not yet.

You sat down across from the flames, arms tucked over your knees, eyes lost in the crackle of orange light. Like you were somewhere far away. Somewhere before I ever hurt you.

And I wanted to speak.

God, I wanted to speak.

But your silence wasn’t emptiness.

It was armor.

And I’d shattered you once already.

This time, I’d wait.

This time, I’d earn my place.

---

I stayed awake the whole night. Not because I feared monsters.

Because the moment you let me near you again, I wanted to be ready.

I remembered what you said:

> “You didn’t care if you hurt me. You just hoped I’d stay.”

Not this time.

If you tell me to leave—I will.

But until then?

I’ll be here.

Every day. Every scar. Every silence.

Until the fire in your eyes returns.

Even if it never looks at me the same way again.

Fun fact: I made this cause of my bread falling and I regretted it

Too Late for Regret – Part 5:

POV: Sung Jinwoo

---

You turned your back on me.

Your footsteps echoed in the broken cathedral, fading fast.

And for a single second—just one—I froze.

Because the version of you that used to smile at me? Laugh quietly when I was awkward? Patch me up after I’d bled too much?

She was gone.

I killed her.

But I wasn’t going to lose what was left.

Not without a fight.

---

“Y/N—wait,” I said, but you didn’t stop.

You didn’t even flinch.

I moved.

Faster than I’ve moved in months.

A blur of shadow as I caught up, stepping in front of you with one hand raised—not to block you, not to force you, just... to make you see me.

You looked up at me, cold and unmoved. The person I used to know would’ve softened.

But your eyes?

They were steel.

> “Move.”

Two letters. Sharper than any dagger.

> “I can’t,” I said, voice quiet. “Not until you hear me.”

You didn’t answer, just tried to step around me.

I moved again—gentle, but firm. Shadows curling around me like instinct, but I kept them close. I wasn’t here to threaten. I was here to stay.

> “You don’t owe me a thing,” I said. “I know that. I know I chose wrong. That I stayed silent when I should’ve fought for you.”

You didn’t speak.

But I saw your fingers twitch.

Somewhere in you, I hoped—prayed—you were listening.

> “But I remember every second you stood beside me. I remember the way you looked at me when I didn’t believe in myself. And I remember the second I saw that look fade.”

You shifted your gaze slightly.

> “I thought I was protecting you by letting you go. But all I did was destroy the only person who truly loved me for who I was.”

And then, softly—just loud enough for only you to hear—

> “I’m not asking you to forgive me. I’m asking you to let me try.”

Silence.

A gust of wind stirred dust through the ruin. My heart pounded louder than any gate I’d ever faced.

You stared at me—no softness, no warmth. Just exhaustion. Years of pain etched into your eyes.

And then you walked around me.

Didn’t look back.

Didn’t speak.

But you didn’t vanish.

You let me follow.

And I will.

Every step.

Every mile.

Every shard of your broken heart—

Until you decide if I'm worth letting in again.

Too Late for Regret – Part 4:

POV: Reader (You)

Theme: Confrontation. Detachment. No closure—just truth.

---

You knew he’d come eventually.

It was only a matter of time before his shadows found your trail, before his regret turned desperate enough to hunt you down in person.

So when he walked into the abandoned ruins where you’d been resting, you didn’t flinch.

Didn’t rise to meet him.

Didn’t brace yourself.

You just stood there, back turned, feeling the shift in the air as his presence filled the space like thunder waiting to crack.

He hesitated behind you, like your silence might swallow him whole.

“…Y/N.”

You turned.

Slowly. Calmly. Like the sound of your name no longer meant anything.

Because it didn’t.

Not from him.

Not anymore.

His eyes searched your face—guilt in every breath, shadows flickering at his heels like they couldn’t decide whether to pull him away or push him forward.

But your expression was unreadable.

Cold.

Dead.

“I finally found you,” he said, like that counted for something.

And then—still calm, still emotionless—you said it.

“How does it feel to be in another woman’s arms?”

His mouth opened slightly, stunned silent. Like he wasn’t expecting that to be the first wound you threw.

Good.

Let it bleed.

“Did she feel warm?” you asked, tilting your head just slightly, your voice flat. “Did she comfort you? Did she make you forget the person who was right in front of you?”

“I… I made a mistake.”

You smiled, but there was no joy in it.

“No, Jinwoo. You made a choice.”

He looked like he wanted to reach for you—but the space between you had grown into a chasm neither of you could cross anymore.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“You didn’t care if you did,” you said, cutting through the air. “You just hoped I’d stay. Silent. Waiting.”

You stepped forward, just enough for your shadow to brush his boots.

“But I left.”

The weight of it hit him harder than a blade.

“And I didn’t look back. Because people who choose others while I’m still standing beside them—don’t deserve to see my back.”

He took a shaky breath. “I’ve been searching for you ever since.”

“And what would you have done if I was still broken when you found me? Offered guilt instead of love?”

That shut him up.

You let the silence do the rest.

Then, finally, you turned from him again—slow, final.

“You lost me the moment you chose her.”

And this time…

You meant it.

Hope you enjoy this short series 💗

Too Late for Regret – Part 3

POV: Reader (You)

Theme: Hiding, healing, hardening. You became unreachable.

---

You didn't cry when you left.

You thought you might. Thought it would hit in waves. But instead, it was silent.

Clean.

Cold.

Like you’d already mourned everything before your feet even crossed the threshold.

You left the letter on the table, folded once. No dramatic goodbye. No desperate pleas. Just the truth he never asked for.

And then, you vanished.

---

The first few nights, you barely slept.

Every shadow made you wonder if it was him.

Every gust of wind felt like a presence brushing past.

You hated it.

You hated how your heart still jumped at the thought of his voice.

You hated how even after everything, part of you wanted him to come.

But he didn’t.

Not for days.

Not for weeks.

So you stopped waiting.

---

You cut off your number. Deleted your social media. Blocked everyone who knew your name.

You even moved cities.

Then countries.

No one would find you—not unless you wanted them to.

You took contracts under false names, hunted dungeons no one else dared touch. Your hands grew calloused. Your magic grew colder.

You trained until your body ached, until your memories dulled, until he stopped showing up in your dreams.

And when the rumors started—when people whispered of a Monarch tearing through cities like he was chasing ghosts—you didn't flinch.

You just smiled.

A cruel, bitter smile that you’d never worn before.

So he finally noticed I’m gone.

---

You heard the way his name came up.

They said he was quiet.

Restless.

Eyes always searching the crowd.

They said he looked tired, thinner. Like he’d forgotten how to be a person.

Like he was losing.

You wondered if that made you heartless—for feeling nothing when you heard it.

Because you didn’t miss him.

You missed who he could’ve been.

You missed the version of him that chose you.

But that person never existed.

So you let him chase shadows.

You let him unravel.

Because you weren’t the girl he lost.

You were someone else now.

And he?

He was just too late.

Too Late for Regret – Part 2

Pairing: Sung Jinwoo x Reader (Angst, Desperation, Regret)

---

> “If you ever feel a chill in your shadow, Jinwoo… that’s just me finally letting go.”

The letter slipped from his hand.

It hit the floor soundlessly, but the weight of its words echoed louder than any battlefield roar.

His legs gave out, knees hitting the dusty floor of your apartment. The picture frame on the table—cracked, broken. The one of you and him from so long ago. You’d smiled like you didn’t know heartbreak was coming.

He thought he had time. Thought you’d always be there, even if it hurt.

But this?

This was final.

---

“She’s gone?” Jinah whispered when he called. “Wait—what do you mean gone?”

He didn’t answer. Couldn’t.

He’d searched through everything—your apartment, your records, even your old dungeon logs. But your trail ended abruptly. Like you’d cut yourself from the world completely.

And maybe you had.

---

The next day, the search began.

At first, it was just his shadows. Quiet sweeps through the city. Routine.

But routine became obsession.

Jinwoo pulled every favor. Questioned every Guild Master. Called in debts from nations. Sent Beru and Igris through every known portal outside Korea. They didn’t rest.

Neither did he.

Sometimes there were rumors—an anonymous hunter soloing B-Rank dungeons without a license. A figure in black armor walking out of a gate soaked in blood, not speaking a word. Some even said this hunter vanished into the shadows after clearing the field.

Jinwoo chased every one.

Only to find silence waiting on the other side.

---

He sat alone one night, hands bloodied from tearing through yet another false lead. The wind blew cold through the broken windows of an abandoned hideout where you might’ve once passed through.

He stared at the wall and whispered your name.

Nothing answered.

Not even an echo.

And that’s when it hit him:

You hadn’t just run away.

You’d erased yourself.

From the world.

From him.

---

“She left because of me,” he said aloud one night, knuckles white.

Beru knelt beside him, quiet.

“Then we must find her, my king.”

But even his most loyal shadow looked uncertain.

Because some people don’t want to be found.

And worse—some people can’t be saved when they no longer want to be.

---

Still, he searched.

Not because he believed you’d forgive him.

But because he needed to see for himself:

What had become of the girl he shattered.

And whether there was anything left of her to bring home.

----

Pairing: Sung Jinwoo x Reader (Angst, Betrayal, Regret)

Theme: He chose her. You broke.

(part 1)

---

You always knew Jinwoo was drawn to Cha Hae-In. Maybe it was the way she stood by him in battles, or the quiet strength in her eyes that mirrored his own. But even knowing didn’t prepare you for the day he chose her—over you.

You had been there since the beginning.

When he was weak, you supported him. When he was feared, you defended him. When he lost everything, you were his anchor. You loved him in silence, and he—he leaned on you, trusted you, smiled like you were his safe place. Maybe that’s why it hurt so much when he shattered it all with one sentence.

“She makes me feel… alive again. I’m sorry, Y/N.”

He didn’t look you in the eye when he said it.

You nodded. Because what else could you do? Cry? Scream? Beg?

No. You smiled, small and broken, and whispered, “Then I hope she never makes you feel like dying.”

You walked away. From him. From everything. You erased your presence from the Guild, from the world, from his life.

And something inside you died.

---

He didn’t notice at first. You were just "busy," or "resting." But weeks turned to months. And then—your name stopped appearing on comms. Hunters whispered that you’d turned rogue. That you’d faced a dungeon alone and never returned. That you stood on the edge of a gate, staring into the void like it had answers you needed.

And Jinwoo began to feel it. That hollow space where your warmth used to be.

He tried to convince himself it was fine. You’d come back. You always did. You were resilient.

Until he found your apartment—silent, stripped of color, the plants dead, the framed photo of you and him cracked down the middle. A letter tucked beneath it, never sent, never meant to be read. But he read it.

> “You once told me I was your reason to keep going. Funny how you forgot that the moment you found someone shinier to love. I wanted to be angry. I wanted to hate her. But mostly, I hated myself—for believing I was irreplaceable.”

> “If you ever feel a chill in your shadow, Jinwoo... that’s just me finally letting go.”

He stood frozen, letter shaking in his hand. The apartment reeked of despair. Of a presence so heavy it dragged at the soul.

He searched for you. Turned the world upside down. He’d tear open gates just to chase rumors of your name. Shadow Soldiers were deployed like desperate fingers trying to grasp at the smoke you left behind.

But you were gone.

You hadn’t died. You’d simply disappeared—from the world, and from him.

---

He saw Cha Hae-In’s smile and remembered how yours used to reach your eyes. He heard her laughter and thought of the quiet way you used to giggle behind your hand. He watched her fight and ached for the way you fought—for him, not for glory.

He’d chosen her.

But it was you he mourned.

Now, in every silence, he hears your voice. In every shadow, he wonders if it’s you, watching, hurting, waiting for an apology that came too late.

Jinwoo, the Monarch of Shadows, feared nothing.

Except the day you’d never come back.

---

“I made a mistake, Y/N…”

“Please… come back. Even if you hate me now.”

But the void never answers.

And regret is the cruelest shadow of all.

So I have seen the votes and the winner is

"If only you knew"

yayyayayaya🥳

I'll be doing pt2 stay tuned. ✊🏻