The familiar pain eventually seeped into his dreams. He felt as if he had been at peace, able to see and feel nothing, until just a moment ago. Seo Dong-eun curled tightly as the pain grew sharper. He rubbed his forehead haphazardly, which was drenched in thick, cold sweat. But the deeply ingrained pain only intensified.

It hurt. It was chillingly cold, and sensation seemed to vanish from the knees down. He instinctively clenched his teeth. Biting his lip to stifle a groan was an old habit. Crying out in pain was a luxury reserved for those who had someone to acknowledge it. It did not suit someone who had to spend most of his life enduring pain in solitude.

Only by indulging in such idle thoughts could he offset the pain. Seo Dong-eun curled up again, waiting for the pain to subside. An hour, or perhaps two. Any longer than that would be problematic. He had to go to work…….

“……Seo!”

“……Gasp!”

In the space where only silence had existed, a sudden presence pierced his ears. Seo Dong-eun snapped his eyes open. His throat tightened with his ragged breathing. The pain he had felt on the boundary between dream and reality remained, but as his suppressed breath burst out in shallow gasps, he felt his mind snap awake.

“Seo Dong-eun?”

How long had he been like that? Every time he blinked, his empty eyes drifted through the air. Then, suddenly, his gaze followed the voice calling his name. There stood Kwon Woo-kyung.

“……Yes.”

He managed to give something resembling an answer, but his voice was hoarse and came out as a garbled mess. Seo Dong-eun touched his throat a few times and tried to push himself up. Immediately, Kwon Woo-kyung grabbed him.

The moment his hand touched his shoulder, his body flinched. Pain was prone to paralyze the mind in an instant, and the ache would quickly radiate down to his fingertips. Seo Dong-eun shrugged his shoulder and pulled away from his hand. Then, he paused. It was because the look on Kwon Woo-kyung's face as he watched him was deeply unsettling.

“Mr. Kwon Woo-kyung?”

Until Seo Dong-eun called his name, Kwon Woo-kyung merely stared with a heavy gaze at both his misplaced hand and Seo Dong-eun. He still wore that peculiar expression.

“Are you in pain?”

Kwon Woo-kyung asked after slowly withdrawing his hand. He seemed to have heard him groaning in his sleep. Seo Dong-eun hesitated for a very short moment and then nodded. Since the man had already seen it, there was no point in hiding it, nor was there any reason to.

“You seemed to be in a lot of pain.”

“Yes? Ah, it's just... sometimes……. It's a chronic illness. I suppose I woke you up. Is it still night?”

Although the curtains were drawn, the bedroom was shrouded in darkness. Seo Dong-eun instinctively glanced toward the window and widened his eyes. This was Kwon Woo-kyung's accommodation, his hotel room. He had come here with him yesterday. With Kwon Woo-kyung, who had insisted on waiting for him in front of his house. After that, Kwon Woo-kyung had been determined to extract a promise that was too forced and coercive to be called an agreement.

As that thought crossed his mind, he remembered falling asleep while the man had stepped out for a moment. Had he been carried from the sofa to the bedroom?

He had stayed in this room several times already, but this was the first time he had truly done nothing but sleep peacefully. Even when he came here for their relationship, Seo Dong-eun had been unable to sleep in the bedroom, which was heavily saturated with Kwon Woo-kyung's scent. It was just too difficult to suppress his body’s urge to respond to the pheromones.

But this time, he seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep without waking once. If his knees hadn't hurt, he probably could have kept sleeping. Come to think of it, it seemed the man had woken him up…….

“It's past noon. It's just dark because it's raining.”

As Seo Dong-eun tried to gather his thoughts, he was startled again by Kwon Woo-kyung's words as Kwon stood up. Kwon Woo-kyung took a long stride toward the window and drew back the curtains. He was right. The world, covered in low-hanging dark clouds, was quite dim, but the day had already broken, and the pitch-black night that had obscured the city seemed to have passed. The world outside was no different from usual.

Heavy rain was relentlessly drumming against the window, which was so vast it spanned an entire wall of the bedroom. It was the kind of rain that hastened winter's arrival and made Seo Dong-eun's pain flare.

“I see. It's raining.”

Muttering weakly, Seo Dong-eun sat up and leaned against the headboard. The pain was at least more bearable than it had been while drifting in and out of consciousness. Even so, he clearly remembered his own foolishness in worrying about work. Seo Dong-eun let out a small laugh.

“I see you've well enough to laugh. After groaning like someone about to die.”

Kwon Woo-kyung spoke nonchalantly, lightly perched on the edge of the bed. With his arms crossed and his chin tilted, he looked as if he were expecting some kind of explanation.

Seo Dong-eun averted his gaze, hoping to appear natural. He nervously touched his lips and cleared his throat, but Kwon Woo-kyung showed no sign of backing down.

“Is it your knee that hurts?”

“Yes.”

“Did you get injured?”

“……Yes. It'll subside in a bit. I'm sorry for making you worry. But since I took up the bed, if you couldn't sleep well…….”

“Hmm, you keep changing the subject. You don't need to worry about me. Although I did wake up because you were whimpering like a rain-soaked puppy. Until then, I had been sleeping very well, holding you. More importantly, what exactly is wrong with your leg? Is it always like this?”

“…….”

Seo Dong-eun opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. He couldn't figure out how to respond to a man who spoke so casually and crudely about their having shared a bed. Still, he knew the latter part of his remark was sincere. Right now, he was genuinely curious about why Seo Dong-eun's legs hurt. Why was he curious about that? They had been intimate every single day without fail, but this was the first time he had shown curiosity about his body. Hadn't he shown signs of pain while they were doing it? He looked back, but the memories were fragmented and sparse, offering no help.

“Mr. Seo Dong-eun.”

Kwon Woo-kyung’s brow furrowed slightly as he pressed for an answer. With a sigh, Seo Dong-eun shifted his weight and sat up slightly. He felt awkward trying to explain the ache in his knees that flared up just from the friction of the blanket.

“Usually... it’s just occasional. It gets worse when it rains, like today, or if I overexert myself. But it doesn't interfere with my daily life at all.”

“How did that happen?”

“I was in a car accident when I was young.”

“A car accident?”

“Yes... It was a hit-and-run. All I know is that I missed the window for proper treatment.”

“…….”

To be precise, he had been abandoned. The hit-and-run driver had taken the victim to a hospital, but instead of the nearest one, they chose one quite far away. Then they left the victim there and fled. As a result, the discovery was delayed, and emergency treatment was postponed. Since there was no need to explain such details to Kwon Woo-kyung, Seo Dong-eun didn't elaborate. An unidentified victim of a hit-and-run. That was his identity before he became Seo Dong-eun. An emergency patient with no guardian and no known relatives. He considered it a blessing that he had at least survived. He was grateful he hadn't become completely disabled. Would things have been different if he had received further rehabilitation afterward? There was no way to know. He was probably destined to end up like this anyway. Thinking that way was easier for everyone.

“A hit-and-run.”

Kwon Woo-kyung muttered the word and simply stared at Seo Dong-eun. It wasn't a typical reaction. Usually, although Seo Dong-eun was not the type to bring this up first, most people offered words of comfort upon hearing that he had a leg impairment from a hit-and-run. Some cursed the perpetrator, while others urged him to start treatment right away. Occasionally, overbearing people introduced strange herbs as folk remedies; the reactions varied.

Among those countless people, none had a gaze like this man's. A chill mingled with the gaze, which seemed to sink deep into him. His expressionless face looked as dry and devoid of emotion as a painting.

“What... can I do for you?”

It felt as if the flow of time had pooled only around him. Even down to the way his long eyelashes fluttered with the slow blink of his eyelids. Everything that composed him right now created a strange, surreal quality. Perhaps that was why the words that escaped his slowly parting lips carried such a peculiar meaning. It felt as if those black pupils were piercing through the carefully constructed facade...

“...Pardon?”

Confusion clouded Seo Dong-eun's eyes as he asked blankly. What did he mean by "do for him"? The words sounded vague. They could be interpreted in two ways, either as directed toward his legs or toward the person who had made him this way. He searched Kwon Woo-kyung’s face for an answer, but the man’s eyes were dark and unfathomable, revealing nothing.

He didn't seem angry. Even if he hadn't seen him in a long time, it was impossible he wouldn't recognize that emotion. Yet he couldn't read anything on his face right now. That bothered him. Without realizing it, Seo Dong-eun began stroking his own arm, glancing at Kwon Woo-kyung.

“Are you cold?”

The man was perceptive enough to notice even that small gesture. Seo Dong-eun watched Kwon Woo-kyung for a moment longer as the man wrapped the blanket around him and added another cover, then stopped. The strangely cold expression had returned to normal, but a lingering sense of unease remained.

“I can bring you some painkillers. Do you think you can take them?”

Those thoughts scattered the moment the man spoke. Kwon Woo-kyung leaned his upper body forward, bracing himself against the mattress as he approached. It was a very intimate gesture. As if there were truly nothing to be wary of, he leaned in closer to examine Seo Dong-eun's complexion.

Only after confirming a soft "yes" from Seo Dong-eun did Kwon Woo-kyung straighten up. His silhouette as he grabbed his phone and left the room was no different from usual. So why did the back of his neck keep prickling?

Buried deep in the blanket Kwon Woo-kyung had wrapped around him, Seo Dong-eun tried to shake off the stray thoughts. Not much effort was required. The blanket and bedding were so thoroughly saturated with Kwon Woo-kyung's scent that only traces of him could be felt. He only had to close his eyes and lie still. Then, against a black backdrop, the man he knew would quickly appear.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Seeing Kwon Woo-kyung open the door and enter, Seo Dong-eun peeked out and glanced behind him. He watched Kwon Woo-kyung walk toward him after closing the door with a loud thud, even as he tilted his head slightly.

Kwon Woo-kyung's eyebrow quirked up at the sight of him trying to peer over his shoulder, even though he was standing right there. There was a clear note of grumbling in the way he set the tray down by the bedside.

“I'm the one playing nurse here, so why do you keep looking behind me? Is there a man more handsome than me back there?”

“Huh?”

Seo Dong-eun took the cup handed to him absentmindedly, his face twisting into a grimace as the meaning finally sank in. He wondered how someone could be so shameless, but then he realized that since it was Kwon Woo-kyung, it looked less like shamelessness and more like justified confidence, which was another problem altogether.

“I'm asking because you can't take your eyes off the spot, even though it's obvious there's no one else here.”

He tried to respond but ended up just drinking the water. The lukewarm water gently moistened his dry mouth. Even so, Kwon Woo-kyung kept his displeased gaze fixed on him, forcing Seo Dong-eun to set the cup down after taking only a quick sip.

“I thought I heard a noise outside. I looked because I thought the manager had arrived.”

“Why? Did you miss that face?”

“What? What on earth are you...”

He was so dumbfounded he didn't even have the energy to argue. Looking down at Seo Dong-eun, who couldn't even manage a scoff and had been cut off, Kwon Woo-kyung let a smirk curl at the corner of his mouth. Then, gesturing toward the items on the tray, he continued.

“I heard that taking medicine on an empty stomach can upset it. Eat the porridge first, then take this.”

“…….”

His eyes wavered for a moment as he followed the gaze. What Kwon Woo-kyung was offering was medicine. Three pills, by no means small, lay side by side in a small porcelain dish. One yellow capsule and two white tablets. Medicine prepared specifically for him. He knew better than anyone that it was different from back then. The red pill given to the eighteen-year-old boy ten years ago was gone. The person standing here now was Seo Dong-eun. Yet the mere combination of Kwon Woo-kyung and medicine made bitter saliva pool in his mouth, and his heart pounded erratically. A surge of nausea made even breathing feel like a struggle.

“...Dong-eun.”

The voice calling his name became a physical presence, touching his shoulder. Feeling the gentle hand stroking his back, Seo Dong-eun slowly lifted his head. Ironically, it was Kwon Woo-kyung who woke him from the trance that had kept his eyes fixed on the medicine. But it didn't make him smile. He simply picked up the spoon as instructed.

“...I'm sorry, this is all because of me. If you're busy, it's okay to leave first. I'll clean up before I go.”

“Says who?”

“Pardon?”

“I finally got a day off; why would I leave?”

“Ah, then I'll just...”

“Learn to tell when I'm joking. Finish eating. That manager went through a lot of trouble to bring this while it was still hot.”

“...Yes. I should tell the manager thank you...”

Seo Dong-eun stopped mid-sentence the moment he met Kwon Woo-kyung’s eyes, which were narrowed as if in disbelief. He quickly began eating the porridge.

Kwon Woo-kyung stayed by his side until Seo Dong-eun finished the bowl. He made sure he swallowed all three painkillers. His gaze remained fixed on every single movement, as if he couldn't afford to miss a thing.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

You didn't have to give me a ride, he thought, the words rising to the tip of his tongue, but Seo Dong-eun held back. Kwon Woo-kyung was the one who had insisted on having him in the passenger seat, even though he had said he could go back alone, and he had even threatened that if he kept saying such things, he'd consider him ungrateful.

The alley the luxury sedan entered was a narrow residential street, making the car feel completely out of place. Even though the driver was as calm as ever, Seo Dong-eun was the one fidgeting, worried the car might get scratched. The alley was cramped, and speed was limited by illegally parked cars. Moreover, since it wasn't a one-way street, they had to reverse at times when another car entered from the opposite direction.

Above all, the driver was Kwon Woo-kyung. Seo Dong-eun was anxious that someone might recognize him. He had been so tense during the short trip that he let out a sigh of relief when the car finally pulled up in front of his house.

“Are you always this timid?”

“No, I’m not.”

The way he chuckled made it clear he was teasing. Seo Dong-eun stubbornly stared straight ahead as he unbuckled his seatbelt.

“Thank you for the ride.”

“If you're grateful, buy me a meal.”

The answer came back instantly, as if he had been waiting for it. Seo Dong-eun widened his eyes and turned his head. Naturally, their eyes met. Kwon Woo-kyung still wore a trace of a smile as he leaned his upper body loosely against the steering wheel. Perhaps that was why he looked exceptionally gentle. While he was distracted by that thought and failed to answer, Kwon Woo-kyung shrugged and continued.

“Since I'm someone you’re grateful to, surely I can get one meal out of you.”

It seemed he took the delayed response as a refusal. That's probably why he kept bringing up last night. In the case of Assistant Manager Yoo, he was the one who had been treated. Seo Dong-eun hesitated to mention it but decided against it. There was no particular reason to refuse.

“Yes, if you have time.”

At the agreeable response, Kwon Woo-kyung smiled more deeply and nodded. His heart raced at the mundane scene. Not only was he sitting side-by-side with Kwon Woo-kyung—the man who had once been a source of fear—but they were now even making vague plans for the future. To Seo Dong-eun, this felt more surreal than sharing a bed with him. That was why he couldn't tear his eyes away.

“What is your roommate like?”

“...?”

“Does your roommate know you're seeing me?”

“Huh? Ah, no. They don't. No one does. Besides, there's no one to tell, and I had no intention of doing so anyway. You really don't have to worry about that. That won’t change in the future either.”

As he spoke, someone he had completely forgotten came to mind. Wi Du-hong, Seo Dong-eun's accomplice and the only person who knew the full story. If a situation ever arose in which he had to reveal his meeting with Kwon Woo-kyung, it would likely involve Wi Du-hong. But where had Wi Du-hong even gone? The memory of someone he had long forgotten stirred an inexplicable sense of unease.

“That must be disappointing. You'd probably want to brag.”

However, he had no time to dwell on such sentiments. After all, not even twenty-four hours had passed since the incident. Hadn't Kwon Woo-kyung been so angry because he feared being dragged into a scandal? Or was this his way of telling him to keep his mouth shut? Seo Dong-eun parted his lips, struggling to make sense of the conversation, but ultimately just closed them again.

“Is your roommate a friend?”

“Yes. Well...”

“I guess you aren't that close, judging by your lack of enthusiasm.”

“No. We're close. We've lived together for quite a while.”

“Is there a need to live together? It doesn’t look like the place is very big.”

Kwon Woo-kyung's gaze swept across the place with a slight frown, a look that betrayed his displeasure. Was his sense of reality still stuck in his eighteen-year-old self? Then again, there was no reason for him to change. Kwon Woo-kyung was, from the start, a young master of a conglomerate family, born with everything.

“Because we can split the rent and living expenses. It's hard to find a roommate with a similar lifestyle who doesn't get in the way.”

“…….”

Kwon Woo-kyung slowly turned his head to stare at Seo Dong-eun. A hint of interest flickered in his eyes, as if he had encountered something new.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It’s unexpected. You're quite realistic.”

How would he know what "reality" was, or whether he even understood it? His reality was at the very top—the peak Seo Dong-eun had glimpsed for a brief moment. But there was no need to let such inner thoughts show.

“It's a shame for today, but I'll see you tomorrow.”

Another promise for tomorrow was made. He was sure the meaning of "a shame" differed between the man's words and his own thoughts, but for now it didn't matter. Seo Dong-eun bowed politely as he stepped out of the car.

“It's raining, so get plenty of sleep. Enough to make up for the sleep you'll miss tomorrow night.”

His face flushed crimson at the words, whose meaning was blatantly obvious. After watching Seo Dong-eun bite his lip, unable to show his reaction, until he was satisfied, Kwon Woo-kyung drove away.

While rubbing his burning face, Seo Dong-eun watched until Kwon Woo-kyung's car turned the corner of the alley. He captured every moment, not letting a single one slip by. To Seo Dong-eun, that was what "a shame" felt like.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

The place Seo Dong-eun and Ra Ju-o rented was a multi-unit building in a complex of similar residential houses. Because it was an old building, it offered no advantages beyond the cheap rent. The seven-story building had no elevator, so Seo Dong-eun, who rented on the fifth floor, had to climb the steep stairs every day. Fortunately, because Kwon Woo-kyung had dropped him off under the awning of the common entrance, he was able to avoid the rain for the moment.

“Hey! Seo Dong-eun!”

It was just as he was adjusting his grip on a rather heavy shopping bag and bracing himself to climb to the fifth floor. A familiar presence approached.

His body reacted instinctively with delight. As he turned his head without hesitation, he saw Ra Ju-o running toward him, waving his arm vigorously. In his haste, he folded his umbrella before even entering the building.

“Hey! The rain!”

Despite Seo Dong-eun's disgusted glare, Ra Ju-o ignored him and shook the rainwater from his hair. Then, with sparkling eyes, he thrust his face toward Seo Dong-eun.

“What's with you? You're creeping me out.”

“Hey, hey. What’s with the sleek sedan? Huh? Whose is it?”

“...?!”

Seo Dong-eun hadn't left his spot until Kwon Woo-kyung had completely cleared the alley. He had stayed put, anxious that someone might recognize him. Fortunately, no one had been around until the car disappeared. And yet, Ra Ju-o had seen him? Seo Dong-eun froze at his roommate's sudden question about Kwon Woo-kyung's car.

“Wow, there can’t be more than a few of those cars in Korea. I never thought I’d see one in person.”

Ra Ju-o couldn't contain his excitement, staring longingly toward the end of the alley, where not even a shadow of the luxury car remained. At the same time, he kept nudging Seo Dong-eun's arm, clearly demanding an answer.

“It's just…someone I knew from my previous job.”

“Really? Who? Who drives a car like that?”

“Huh? No, what? It was probably just a car. You must have seen it wrong. How could an ordinary office worker afford such an expensive car?”

“Eh, no way. I saw it clearly. The emblem was definitely different.”

Despite the nonchalant response, Ra Ju-o continued to tilt his head, his curiosity unsatisfied. Then, his gaze landed on Seo Dong-eun's hand.

“What's that?”

Seo Dong-eun followed his gaze down to his own hand. The weight of the shopping bag felt new all over again.

“What is it? Fruit?”

Before he could stop him, Ra Ju-o rummaged through the shopping bag. Inside, along with a thermal container of porridge, were packaged sliced fruits and salads. Except for the porridge, these were things Kwon Woo-kyung had bought when he left the hotel alone last night. Everything he hadn't been able to eat because he fell asleep had been placed in Seo Dong-eun's hands by Kwon Woo-kyung himself.

He recalled the words Kwon Woo-kyung had muttered and the actions that followed after he mentioned having meat for dinner. He started to wonder how many times he had eaten with the man, but quickly cut the thought short. Snapping out of the chain of thought heading in a strange direction, Seo Dong-eun hurriedly reached out.

“Someone gave this to me. Told me to eat it.”

Mumbling and pretending it was nothing, he snatched the takeout containers from Ra Ju-o and put them back into the shopping bag.

“All of this?”

Yeah. At the unremarkable answer, Ra Ju-o seemed to lose interest quickly. He stretched out his long body, looking like an unemployed slacker who found everything tedious.

“You look so frail and sickly that there are actually people who just give you things. Glad you're getting fed something. Good for you. You like fruit, right? Eat plenty. I’m exhausted from partying all night, so I need to get some sleep.”

Come to think of it, a strong smell of alcohol wafted from Ra Ju-o. Seo Dong-eun knew that once Ra Ju-o started drinking, he wouldn't stop until he dropped. Seo Dong-eun quickly stepped away from him and pinched his nose.

“Ugh, you reek of alcohol. Go on up. Oh, I’ve got some porridge, do you want some?”

“Porridge? Sounds good. Who’s being so generous? Packing everything up like this. Lucky you, Seo Dong-eun.”

Yawning as he spoke, Ra Ju-o eventually turned around, unable to hold out any longer. As he did so, he ruffled the hair on the shorter Seo Dong-eun’s head, then turned back to snatch the shopping bag from his hand and run off. Smoothing down the hair Ra Ju-o had messed up, Seo Dong-eun hurried to follow behind him. It was an afternoon marked by the drip, drip sound of rainwater dripping from the awning. The rain was gradually letting up.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Every movement followed naturally. A hand moved instinctively, touching Seo Dong-eun's head before pulling away. Throughout it all, Seo Dong-eun simply accepted the touch, like a well-trained puppy.

“…….”

At the entrance of the alley, the luxury sedan that had departed earlier was still idling. Inside, Kwon Woo-kyung remained silent. He watched Seo Dong-eun shake the shopping bag he had handed over, watching the way his eyes curved into a smile. He stared and stared, as if engraving the sight into his eyes.

They said they had lived together for five years.

“They're more like newlyweds.”

Choi Hyun-seo. The words that followed carried a heavy weight. Too heavy to be spoken easily. Muttering words meant for no one to hear, Kwon Woo-kyung straightened up from where he had been leaning deep into the car seat. Even then, Seo Dong-eun's face, chatting away with his roommate Ra Ju-o, filled his vision. The moment the expressionless white face broke into a smile, the silent air warped, as if a piece of glass art that should not have been touched had shattered. Those shards drove straight into Kwon Woo-kyung's chest. And as always, they squeezed his heart. That man, the one now called Seo Dong-eun.

Kwon Woo-kyung did not take his eyes off him until Seo Dong-eun became a tiny dot and disappeared. He watched everything until he went up to his home, that worn-out rented room. The way he dragged his uncomfortable leg seemed to be a habit ingrained in his body, something he wasn't even aware of, but the expression on Kwon Woo-kyung's face as he watched grew colder and colder. Finally, Seo Dong-eun vanished completely. Only then did Kwon Woo-kyung pick up his phone. The call connected before a few seconds had even passed, and a heavy, low voice followed, as if the person on the other end had been waiting.

-Yes.

“Park Jeong-tae, bring that bastard back.”

-I will prepare immediately. Is there anything else you need?

“Check Seo Dong-eun's tracks again. Find out whether there were any traffic accidents near the Hwapyeong villa ten years ago, and cross-reference them with Seo Dong-eun's medical records. Whether it was a simple accident or something else, dig up everything and flag anything suspicious. I need to catch the bastard who committed the hit-and-run.”

Even though he never raised his voice, there was a murderous intent that could snap the opponent's windpipe in an instant. Kwon Woo-kyung simply said what he had to say and hung up. His elegant face remained serene. Kwon Woo-kyung knew how to hide his claws, as if the stiffened muscles and bulging veins had nothing to do with him. This was only the beginning.