His Obsession Began After Losing Her-Chapter 54: The Lie

Noran's eyes widened in shock, the pain in them unmistakable.

Shuri's own heart shattered at the sight, but she knew she had to stay resolute.

She turned her gaze away, unable to bear the anguish in his eyes any longer.

Shuri knew she had hurt Noran, but she would rather hurt him now than see him in danger or potentially die like how he did in her recurring nightmare.

One of the main reasons she had been brave enough to accept him before was because of her divine ability.

She believed she could protect him from harm and danger, but even with that power, he had almost died then.

Now, without her ability, the risks were even greater.

Ever since she had gone back in time, she had changed many people's fates by making different decisions.

She believed the best decision was to stay away from Noran if she wanted him to be safe.

Being with her would only endanger his life, just as it had in their first life.

The room fell into a heavy silence, the weight of her lie hanging between them.

Then Noran finally broke the silence. "Is it... that guy from before?"

Shuri hesitated, the words catching in her throat.

She knew she had to continue with the lie. "Yes, we..."

But before she could say more, she felt him grabbing her, his hands firm yet gentle.

His lips crashed onto hers, cutting off her words.

The kiss was intense, filled with a mix of desperation and longing.

Shuri's eyes widened in surprise, her body stiffening as she instinctively tried to push him away.

"No... Uhm..." she mumbled against his lips, her voice weak and uncertain.

Despite her efforts to resist, she found herself melting into the kiss, her hands slowly lowering from his chest.

The warmth of his touch, the familiarity of his embrace, all of it felt so right, so comforting.

Her heart ached with the realization of how much she had missed him.

Noran pulled back slightly, his breath hot against her skin, jealousy evident in his voice.

"Have you done this with him?" he murmured, his lips trailing possessively down her neck, each touch laden with a mix of longing and envy.

He effortlessly pulled her to sit on his lap, his kisses sending ecstasy down her spine.

She shivered under his touch, the sensation almost overwhelming.

"Mr. Lee, hahh, s-stop..." she whispered, her voice trembling.

But as soon as he heard her addressing him with that name, something in him snapped.

He hated how she spoke to him like they were strangers.

His lips captured hers again, more fervently this time, his tongue slipping into her mouth.

"Uhm!" Shuri gasped, her body betraying her resolve.

She could have bitten his tongue to stop him, but he knew she wouldn't bear to.

The depth of their kiss told him everything he needed to know—she still loved him deeply.

He didn't understand why she was lying to him.

Did she think she could get away from him by using this lie?

However, he didn't press her for answers because he knew she wouldn't tell him.

She might even push him away further.

Instead, he finally released her, allowing her to catch her breath.

He looked into her eyes, his expression a mix of pain and longing.

"I don't know why you're lying to me, Rin," he said softly, his voice carrying a hint of desperation. "But I won't force you to tell me. So, please don't force me to stay away from you."

He leaned forward, resting his forehead against her shoulder, his breath warm against her skin.

Shuri could feel his heart pounding as if it were her own.

His vulnerability struck a chord deep within her, making her heart ache with a mix of love and sorrow.

Shuri felt her resolve weakening at his plea. Should she just be honest with him?

"I..." she began, her voice trembling with uncertainty.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

Shuri was startled, and Noran immediately released her.

Her heart raced as she glanced between Noran and the door, wondering who could be visiting at such a late hour.

She hurried to the video intercom system, her eyes widening in surprise when she saw who it was. "Mum?"

Panic surged through her as she turned to Noran. "My mum is here, you need to hide!"

Before Noran could respond, Shuri had already pushed him towards the balcony.

"Please stay here," she urged, her voice laced with urgency.

She grabbed a blanket from the sofa and handed it to him, the night wind already blowing in as she opened the balcony door.

"It's cold out there, use this," she added, her voice softening despite the situation.

Noran looked down at the blanket in his hands, a subtle smile forming on his lip.

See, she did care a lot about him.

Shuri took a deep breath to steady herself before opening the door for her mother.

"Riri, what took you so long?" Hana asked casually as she stepped inside.

"Mum, why are you here at this hour? You didn't even inform me that you were coming," Shuri replied, trying to keep her voice calm.

Hana waved a hand dismissively with a smile. "I just finished dinner with my friends and passed by your place, so I wanted to surprise you! I even packed some good food!"

Without waiting for Shuri's response, Hana walked further into the house and immediately noticed the two plates of unfinished food on the table.

"Oh, did you have a guest?" Hana asked, her eyes widening in surprise.

Shuri quickly thought of an excuse. "I was very hungry, so I made an extra portion."

Hana raised an eyebrow.

"You cooked?"

She sounded both surprised and doubtful.

Before Shuri could respond, a small white Pomeranian trotted up to Hana, sniffing and wagging his tail.

"Oh, who is this little guy?" Hana bent down and picked up Snowball, who barked happily in response.

"Yelp! Yelp!" Snowball responded, his tail wagging furiously.

"I'm helping his guardian look after him tonight," Shuri explained, hoping to divert her mother's curiosity.

Hana's smile widened, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Guardian? A man or a woman?"

Shuri stifled the urge to roll her eyes.

Her mother always had a knack for prying.

"Is his guardian's gender really that important?" she replied, taking Snowball from Hana's arms in a bid to change the subject.

Hana then turned her attention to Happy, who sat patiently by her feet, wagging his tail in greeting.

"Of course, it's important," Hana said, scratching Happy behind the ears.

"I want to know if you're secretly keeping a man around here..."

Shuri almost dropped Snowball when she heard Hana's remark.

Yes, she was keeping a man in her house right now, and he was just outside on the balcony.

But her mother couldn't possibly know that, could she?

"I-I'm not keeping any man!" Shuri insisted, her voice wavering.

Hana eyed her suspiciously, a playful glint in her eye.

Her daughter might be good at catching liars, but she was such a bad liar herself.

"Then why aren't you interested in Jin? I can see he's serious about you. Why don't you give him a chance?" Hana's teasing tone made Shuri flinch.

She glanced nervously at the balcony, silently praying that Noran hadn't heard any of this.

Trying to change the subject, Shuri said, "Mum, if you're here to spot-check on me, there's nothing to see. It's late now, and I need to rest."

Hana pouted, her voice tinged with mock hurt. "Oh, are you chasing your poor mum away?"

Usually, Shuri would relent when her mum played the pity card, but tonight was different.

"Yes, Mum. I have work tomorrow, and don't you need to go back and wait for Dad's call?"

She knew Hana often spoke to Linus around this time.

Hana sighed, a hint of resignation in her tone. "Using your dad as an excuse, huh? Alright, I'll go."

Shuri was a bit surprised, having expected her mother to push further.

But relief washed over her as Hana headed towards the door.

She quickly bid Hana goodbye, trying not to show her urgency.

As soon as the door closed behind Hana, Shuri turned, ready to rush to the balcony.

But before she could move, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her from behind, pulling her into a warm embrace.

"I knew you were lying to me," Noran whispered, his breath warm against her ear.

His voice was a mix of relief and gentle reproach, sending a shiver down her spine.

Shuri's heart raced, emotions swirling in a chaotic dance.

She felt his heartbeat against her back, a steady rhythm contrasting with her own erratic pulse.

The warmth of his body against hers was both comforting and overwhelming.

She struggled with the urge to stay in his arms and said, "It's late. You should leave too."

Noran chuckled softly. "Ah, after sending your mum out, now you want to chase me out too?"

Shuri was silent for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts.

As she turned her head to respond, his lips gently met hers.

This kiss was soft and tender, and once again, she couldn't muster the strength to push him away.

Why was she always so weak against this man?

He pulled back slightly, looking into her eyes. "You can't chase me out of your life that easily, Rin."

...

Outside, Hana waited impatiently.

This wasn't the first time she had randomly visited Shuri unannounced, but tonight, Shuri was acting strangely, and Hana knew something was off.

A playful grin tugged at her lips as she thought, "My daughter must be hiding someone at her place. Is it Jin?"

After waiting for about fifteen minutes, Shuri's door finally opened.

Hana's playful grin turned to surprise as she saw a man walk out.

The figure was familiar, but it wasn't Jin.

Stepping out from where she had been hiding, Hana called out, "Riri?"

Shuri froze on the spot when she spotted Hana, her heart pounding.

The look of betrayal on her mother's face was the most intense she had ever seen. "Mum? Why are you here?"

Hana's voice trembled with disbelief and hurt. "Riri, you... how could you?