WINTER SECRETS.

Chapter 4: Shatter night

The gunshot tore through the silence of the house, deafening in its intensity. Carrie flinched, her breath catching in her throat as her heart slammed against her ribs. She braced herself for the searing pain of a bullet—but it never came. Instead, there was a sharp crash. Her wide eyes darted to the side, landing on the shattered remnants of a vase littering the floor, the bullet lodged in the wall behind it.

Her gaze snapped back to the man in front of her. Jae-wook stood, still as a statue, his gun raised, its dark barrel glinting under the kitchen light. His icy stare bore into hers, unyielding and unnervingly calm.

“That was a warning,” he said, his voice smooth but deadly. “I don’t miss twice.”

Carrie’s throat tightened, but she forced herself to swallow. Her fear flared into anger, sharp and bitter. “And here I thought you were the composed type,” she bit out, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “This is a little unhinged, don’t you think?”

Jae-wook’s lips quirked into a cold, humorless smirk. “You know nothing about me, Ms. Evans.” He took a step closer, his towering presence making her skin prickle. “But I know your type—reckless, nosy, always in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“My type?” Carrie scoffed, letting the bat she had been clutching fall to the floor with a sharp clatter. Folding her arms across her chest, she glared at him, her defiance cutting through the lingering fear. “You’ve got me all wrong, Mr. Whatever-Your-Name-Is. I’m just a regular woman who happens to have the misfortune of running into lunatics like you.”

The smirk on his face faltered, replaced by a steely seriousness. He leaned in close, the cold metal of the gun brushing against her cheek. She stiffened but refused to back down.

“Tell me why you’re here,” he demanded, his voice a low growl. “Or the next shot won’t miss.”

Carrie blinked at him in disbelief before her frustration boiled over. “I live here, genius!” she snapped, jabbing a finger at his chest. “Do you think I broke into my own house just to have this delightful conversation with you?”

Jae-wook’s sharp gaze searched her face, his jaw tightening. The room was so silent she could hear the faint hum of the refrigerator. After a long, tense moment, he lowered the gun, though his expression remained as cold and calculating as ever.

“Leo never mentioned anyone staying here,” he said finally, his voice still laced with suspicion.

“Well, maybe he didn’t think it was important to tell his unhinged best friend,” Carrie shot back, her hands finding her hips as she glared up at him.

As if on cue, the front door creaked open. Laughter and the sound of paper bags rustling filled the hallway. Leo and Ava walked in, their cheerful chatter dying the moment they stepped into the room. Their eyes widened at the sight of Carrie standing defiantly, Jae-wook holding a gun, and the shattered vase on the floor.

“What the hell is going on here?!” Leo demanded, dropping the takeout bags in his hands.Ava’s eyes darted between Carrie, Jae-wook, and the wreckage on the floor. “Did you two try to kill each other already?” she asked, incredulous. “I told you to wait until we got home!”

Carrie threw her hands up, exasperated. “Are you serious right now, Ava?”

Jae-wook, entirely unfazed by the chaos he had caused, turned to Leo with a piercing look. “You didn’t tell me she was staying here.”

“I didn’t think I had to!” Leo snapped, his usually easygoing tone now sharp. “What’s wrong with you? And why do you have a gun out?”

“She’s suspicious,” Jae-wook replied flatly, slipping the gun back into his jacket with practiced ease. “You know how I handle risks.”

“Suspicious?” Leo sputtered, gesturing wildly toward Carrie. “She’s my friend, Jae!”

“Your friend almost knocked me out with a cricket bat,” Jae-wook said, his tone cool but tinged with faint amusement.

“And you almost shot me!” Carrie shouted, stepping forward. “What is wrong with you?”

“Both of you, stop!” Ava interjected, stepping between them like an overworked referee. “We’re not doing this right now. Jae, Carrie is not a spy, assassin, or whatever nonsense you’ve cooked up in that paranoid brain of yours. And Carrie,” she added, turning to her friend, “maybe don’t threaten people with bats.”

“He started it!” Carrie retorted, pointing accusingly at Jae-wook, who only arched a brow in response.

Leo sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Alright, everybody calm down. Jae, Carrie is not a threat. Carrie, Jae is just... cautious.”

“Cautious is putting it lightly,” Carrie muttered, crossing her arms. “He’s a menace.”

Jae-wook’s eyes narrowed, but he said nothing, his piercing gaze unnerving her even as she refused to back down.

Leo clapped his hands together, forcing a strained smile. “Okay, great talk! Now let’s eat and pretend this never happened.”

Carrie glared at Jae-wook, who returned the favor with equal intensity. Ava looped an arm around Carrie’s shoulders, steering her toward the kitchen with a mischievous grin.

“At least you didn’t stab him,” Ava whispered.

“Don’t tempt me,” Carrie grumbled, shooting one last glare at Jae-wook, who had already turned away, his attention now on his phone as though nothing had happened.

---

Later That Night

Carrie slumped onto the couch with a groan, her head tipping back as exhaustion overtook her. Ava plopped down beside her, grinning ear to ear.

“I can’t believe you two almost had each other’s necks,” Ava teased, nudging her shoulder.

Carrie shot her a withering glare. “I’m moving out tomorrow.”

“You can’t!” Ava exclaimed, clutching Carrie’s arm dramatically.

“What do you mean, I can’t?” Carrie shot back.

“Are you really going to leave me here with those two?” Ava whined, motioning vaguely toward the hallway where Leo and Jae-wook had disappeared. “I was so excited when you said you were coming! What about girl time?”

Carrie sighed, her resolve faltering slightly. “I just want to avoid the drama.”

“Now that sounds amazing,” Jae-wook’s voice drawled from the doorway, his expression smug as he walked past with a cup of tea in hand.

Carrie scowled. “His attitude irritates me.”

“He grows on you,” Leo said, appearing suddenly and grinning like nothing had happened earlier. “Underneath all that brooding, he’s actually a sweet guy.”

Carrie arched a brow. “Sweet to you, maybe.”

“Exactly,” Ava chimed in. “Jae-wook can be the most frustrating person on the planet, but you don’t even have to deal with him. He’s either out working or locked in his library. Problem solved!”

Carrie opened her mouth to argue, but Leo cut in, grabbing her hands. “Come on, Carrie. Just give it a chance. For me?”

She groaned. “Fine. I’ll stay. But the second the drama gets out of hand, I’m gone.”

“Deal,” Leo said with a grin.