Silence

> 4:02 a.m.

The water ran down his back. Hot. Too hot.

Ji-Han gripped the edge of the shower, palms flat against the tiles.

His breathing was short, uneven.

As if his own body couldn't keep up anymore.

Behind him, Jae-In slid his hands over his hips.

— You didn't turn the water off, he said.

— I couldn't breathe.

Jae-In didn't answer.

He just pressed his lips to Ji-Han's nape, slowly, like he was tasting a memory.

Ji-Han shivered, not knowing why.

— Do you want me to leave?

— No.

He turned around. Their foreheads touched.

Silence.

Then, a whisper:

— I had a weird dream. You were there. You'd written "Mine" on my skin.

You told me you weren't a monster… but I think you are, anyway.

Jae-In smiled.

— Did I hurt you?

— No. That's not it.

It's just… I don't know what's real anymore.

A moment of stillness.

Then Jae-In kissed him. Deeply. Too deeply.

His fingers clung to the back of his neck. The other hand slid down, grabbed his ass, lifted him without warning.

Ji-Han moaned against his mouth.

Their bodies slammed against the fogged-up glass.

Jae-In growled:

— Stop thinking.

And he took him there, standing, against the cold wall, like it was the only thing that existed.

Their breaths, their moans, the wet slaps.

Nothing else.

The world could collapse—he didn't care.

Afterward, Ji-Han lay on the bed, still wet, eyes wide open.

Jae-In had fallen asleep beside him. Or maybe he was pretending.

He stared at the ceiling. Barely blinked.

And suddenly, without knowing why, he whispered into the dark:

— If I wake up… will you still be there?

No answer.

Just… silence.