* * *

I shoved my phone into my pocket and glanced at my reflection in the mirror.

My face looked like hell, tired and strained enough for even a stranger to notice something was wrong.

I splashed cold water on my face and forced a smile.

It wasn’t convincing, but at least I didn’t look as drained as before.

This should be enough.

Even though I’d told him I wouldn’t be home tonight, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the old man might show up anyway.

If we ran into each other, I didn’t want to worry him.

With a passably neutral expression, I stepped outside.

A taxi at this hour… This was going to cost me. Should I take the bus instead?

I mulled it over as I headed toward the main road.

Absentmindedly, I waited at the crosswalk, stepping forward when the light turned green.

Honk!

The blare of a car horn jolted me, and I instinctively took a step back.

A car sped past the spot where I’d just been standing. I checked the signal again—green.

“Are you okay?”

“Is that guy insane?”

The other pedestrians murmured in alarm.

I reassured the person who spoke to me and continued crossing the street.

Bad luck, I thought.

Maybe this was punishment for harboring dark thoughts…

Exhausted, I flagged down a taxi.

I should have just taken one from the start instead of wasting time.

The driver’s slightly aggressive style got me home quickly.

Inside the house, I felt the presence of another person.

“…Baek Gunho.”

It wasn’t the old man.

Thankfully.

I wouldn’t have been able to face him after what I’d tried to do.

Not that Baek Gunho was a welcome sight, either.

“Heewon.”

“What are you doing here?”

“The old man asked me to come over for a bit.”

I’d been about to kick him out, but if the old man had called him, I decided to let it go.

He must’ve had his reasons.

“You don’t look well.”

So much for my ‘neutral expression.’ Baek Gunho saw right through it.

He always noticed my condition faster than the old man did.

Maybe because he’d spent more time watching me—observing me for his own purposes.

“Did something happen?”

Yes.

I just tried to kill someone.

I really did—I had my hands around their neck and would’ve done it if I’d applied a little more pressure.

But I failed, and it made me cough up blood. It hurt.

If I don’t act like the person I was before I came back, my powers will spiral out of control.

What am I supposed to do?

I wanted to tell him everything, like I used to when he was wholly on my side.

But I couldn’t bring myself to say any of it.

I shook my head.

“Nothing happened.”

There’s nothing I can tell you.

With that thought, I slowly began to walk away.

Baek Gunho, looking grave, approached me.

“Don’t lie. Something’s clearly wrong.”

His tone was assertive, as always, making it feel like the distance between us had never existed.

“Look at me.”

He cupped my cheek, and I flinched, trying to pull away.

But he caught my hand and pressed it to his cheek instead.

I froze, my hand on his face.

His sharp gaze bore into me, and before I could react, he released my hand and grabbed my waist instead, pulling me close.

And then his lips met mine.

“Mmph…!”

I gasped softly.

Strangely enough, the act of kissing Baek Gunho was not as frightening as being grabbed by him.

Maybe it was because I had never shared a kiss with him before… or perhaps it was because something about me felt off today.

Either way, it wasn’t so bad.

In fact, it was almost… okay.

Not in the sense of feeling good, but in how the shock of it all managed to momentarily silence the chaos in my head.

That part felt oddly relieving.

I parted my tightly sealed lips and extended my tongue to lick Baek Gunho’s lips.

They were slightly rough, as if chapped, and the texture brushed against my tongue.

Then, all at once, Baek Gunho yanked me closer.

Our lips collided, and his tongue invaded my mouth, tangling with mine as if he intended to consume me whole.

“Ugh…”

Our bodies pressed tightly together.

He moved as though he wanted to devour me, his tongue exploring every inch of my mouth while his arms wrapped around my waist, holding me firmly in place as if to prevent any escape.

My heart raced, my hairs stood on end.

I wasn’t sure if it was from fear or from the desperate, almost overwhelming nature of his kiss.

It was then, amidst my swirling thoughts, that an absurd idea crossed my mind: maybe being swept away like this wouldn’t be so bad.

But Baek Gunho suddenly pulled back.

He looked at me with a fierce intensity that felt unbearable in my current state.

“Seo Heewon, what’s going on with you?”

“……”

“What happened?”

“……What do you mean?”

“Something must’ve happened to make you act like this.”

I shook my head. I still didn’t have anything to say to him.

“Nothing happened.”

“Don’t say ridiculous things.”

“……”

“And stop crying.”

Who was crying?

Instinctively, I wiped at my eyes, but of course, there were no tears.

I looked at Baek Gunho.

For someone who usually said whatever he wanted, his gaze was unusually careful as he studied me.

I opened my mouth on impulse.

“I…”

“Yeah?”

“…I tried to kill someone.”

The words spilled out, and I immediately regretted them.

Unable to meet his gaze, I lowered my head.

“Who did you try to kill?”

“……”

“Do you want me to kill them for you?”

Baek Gunho uttered something outrageous.

I turned to look at him. He was staring back at me with a completely serious expression, not a trace of a smile.

“If there’s someone you want dead, just tell me.”

“……”

“I’ll take care of it.”

His absurd offer, delivered so matter-of-factly, made me feel like crying.

It didn’t matter if he was serious or joking—either way, it was a problem.

If he was serious, then he was insane.

If he was joking, then he was testing me.

“Baek Gunho.”

“Yeah?”

“…Gunho.”

Calling his name in such a strange, awkward way made his eyes widen in surprise. I forced a smile.

“Let’s stop this.”

“Stop what?”

“I’m not going to tell you to stop watching me. That’s your job, after all.”

That’s why I hadn’t bothered removing the trackers he’d placed on me before.

Sure, the one on my fingernail had fallen off when I trimmed it, but the ones hidden in my shoes or watch? I’d left them untouched.

Baek Gunho frowned deeply.

“It’s not surveillance; it’s protection.”

“I know.”

“If you really hate it, I’ll stop.”

“It’s fine.”

“……”

“But stop coming to see me in person. Don’t send me messages, don’t call me.”

“Heewon.”

Suddenly, Baek Gunho pulled a dagger from his inventory.

I flinched, but he simply turned the handle toward me and held it out.

“Just stab me instead.”

“What?”

I couldn’t fathom how our conversation had led to this.

I didn’t even understand the context for his words.

“If you’re going to keep pushing me away, then just stab me.”

“What are you even…”

“Even if it’s just to vent your anger, do something—anything—but don’t push me away.”

He was giving me a knife and telling me to take out my frustrations on him?

What did he even expect me to do with this?

His deranged logic made my head spin.

Still, Baek Gunho placed the dagger in my hand.

Startled, I tried to throw it away, and it clattered noisily to the ground.

He stared at the fallen blade with a blank expression and muttered under his breath.

“Of course, you wouldn’t do something like that. You’re too soft-hearted.”

If he already knew that, why even suggest it?

If only he would tell me he was joking.

But no, Baek Gunho remained deadly serious.

“Right now, I can’t. I’ve got too much on my plate. But once I’m done dealing with the White Mask Cult and the Black Sea Guild, I’ll pay you back for everything I’ve done. Just don’t push me away. Okay?”

“……”

“If you push me away, I really think I might go insane.”

His words were utterly insane to begin with.

* * *