The rain hadn't stopped.
It was past 1 a.m., and most of the hotel had gone quiet.
Yuuto had fallen asleep on the couch in the hotel owner's room, the soft blanket still draped over his lap. His phone was resting on the table — screen glowing for a moment, then fading.
Unread messages.
Unanswered calls.
But outside the hotel lobby, someone had just walked in.
Aiden.
His hair was wet, his eyes puffy.
He walked straight to the counter, his voice low but sharp.
> "Is Yuuto here?"
The receptionist hesitated. "He's… with the manager. I think."
Aiden didn't wait for permission.
He walked past the hallways, every step echoing with anger, pain, and fear.
---
The door to the owner's office was slightly open.
Aiden stood outside, silent.
Through the gap, he saw him.
Yuuto.
Sleeping peacefully.
And across the room, the hotel owner was seated on the other couch — a book in his lap, but his eyes weren't on the pages.
He was watching Yuuto.
Not in a creepy way.
But in a way Aiden knew too well.
With care.
With softness.
With love.
---
Aiden stepped back.
He didn't make a sound.
He walked out the hallway again.
Down the stairs.
Into the rain.
His vision blurred.
Not because of the downpour.
But because of the one thing he couldn't fight—
> He was too late.
---
Back in the room, Yuuto stirred slightly in his sleep.
Maybe some part of him felt that someone had come.
And gone.
He opened his eyes halfway.
> "Aiden…?"
But no one answered.
Only the soft turning of a page from across the room.
---
At the entrance of the hotel, Aiden stood near his bike, fingers trembling.
He unlocked his phone and typed one final message.
> "You look peaceful with him."
> "Don't worry, I won't bother you again."
He pressed send, then turned off his phone.
And drove into the rain.