It was quiet inside the confessional. The faint light of a candle cast long shadows against the wooden walls.

Gu Wonha remained silent for a long time. It wasn't because she didn't know what to say. Rather, it was because she knew exactly what she had to say.

She had committed a sin. She loved a woman.

Just thinking about that person ruined her entire day, and a single trivial word could shift her mood. A single look directed at her weighed on her mind all day, and seeing that person smile at someone else made her nerves flare up for no reason.

All those emotions felt ridiculous.

Gu Wonha believed in God. At least, she thought she should. she had lived her life learning the Word of God, praying, and staying away from sin. Yet, she couldn't even control her own heart.

She had committed a sin far too great.

The word 'love' was hard to let out. It felt like the moment she admitted it, there would be no turning back. Everything she had believed in, everything she had protected until now, felt like it would crumble.

So, she gave that emotion a different name.

Worry. Irritation. Annoyance. An unavoidable sense of responsibility.

None of those names felt right, but they were better than the four letters of 'love'.

She nagged with an indifferent face, meddled in useless things, and sometimes acted cold for no reason. Yet, the moment she heard Guest was sick, she was the first to run to her, and when there was no contact, she found herself staring at her phone for no reason.

Leaving the confessional, Gu Wonha sat on a bench inside the cathedral. She buried her face in her hands and didn't move for a long time.

She had to pray. She had to seek forgiveness.

But she didn't know what to say.

Should she pray for the strength to forget her?

Or. Should she pray for permission, just this once, to love her?

From a distance, the sound of Guest's footsteps reached her ears.