I didn't tell anyone i was going.
No schedule today, no practices, no meetings, no shoots.
For the first time in weeks, I wasn't needed as Cassandra and that silence felt like a gift i didn't want to waste.
So i slipped out of the dorm quietly, wearing a hoodie that wasn't mine, and sunglasses that didn't belong to the weather.
The streets were still buzzing with the after-lunch crowd, and the weight of being recognized tugged at my shoulders like muscle memory.
But i didn't care.
Because i was headed somewhere safe.
I pressed the door on his apartment, my fingers already remembering the rhythm. It beeped softly and swung open.
"Ken?"
No answer.
But the smell hit me, his smell. That mix of laundry softener and something warmer, like wood and sunlight.
I stepped in, kicked off my sneakers, and dropped my bag on the floor.
The living room was quiet, lit only by the soft glow of the TV playing some random show. I spotted his phone on the couch, charging. A glass of water on the coffee table. A hoodie draped over a chair.
And from inside the bedroom, music.
Low, muffled, like someone was humming along with it.
I followed the sound.
There he was.
Ken.
Fresh out of the shower, damp hair falling messily over his forehead, shirtless with only a towel slung low on his hips. He was dancing in front of the mirror, alone, completely unaware of me standing there like an idiot with my heart skipping.
"Nice moves," I said, crossing my arms.
He froze. Spun around. And then grinned that stupid, beautiful grin that ruined me every time.
"Cass?" he laughed, "What—how—why didn't you text me?"
"No schedule today," I said simply, dropping my hoodie onto his bed. "Figured i'd crash here."
"You didn't even warn me! What if i wasn't alone?"
I blinked. "Were you?"
He laughed again, pulled on a shirt lazily. "Obviously not."
We spent the rest of the day doing… nothing.
And it was perfect.
He made me ramyeon while i sat on the counter, feet swinging, telling him about the dream i had last night, something about getting chased by a giant mango.
He almost spilled the broth from laughing too hard.
We played video games. He won once, then i won three times after that and didn't shut up about it.
We watched reruns of old variety shows we'd both been on, mocking our younger selves.
I laughed so hard, I fell off the couch, and he pulled me back up, held me a little too long before letting go.
At some point, I dozed off on his lap. He was running his fingers through my hair, absentmindedly humming. I could feel the way his chest rose and fell slowly beneath me.
That was the moment i wished time would stop.
"You hungry?" he whispered, brushing hair from my cheek.
"Mm. Starving."
We didn't even bother dressing up.
He ordered food. I picked the K-drama we'd watch while waiting. It was about some undercover idol who falls for her manager painfully ironic.
Halfway through, I turned to him. He was staring at me, not the screen.
"What?" I asked.
"Nothing."
"Liar."
He tilted his head. "You're just… really here. On my couch. With me."
"I've been here before."
"Yeah," he nodded. "But today feels different."
I didn't ask why.
Because i felt it, too.
Maybe it was the silence between us. Not heavy, not awkward just full. Like we didn't have to fill it with anything.
Dinner arrived.
We ate sitting on the floor, legs tangled, mouths full, not caring about the mess. He wiped sauce from my cheek. I stole fries from his plate. He poked my ribs. I bit his shoulder.
And we laughed.
So much.
Laughed until my stomach ached and my eyes watered.
"Cass," he said suddenly, in the middle of a giggle fit. "What would you do if we had one whole week with no hiding?"
I looked at him.
Dead serious.
"I'd take you to the beach," I said. "Where no one knows us."
"Would we hold hands?"
"Of course."
"Would we kiss in public?"
"I'd sit on your lap."
"Whoa," he smirked.
"I'd feed you ice cream."
"What flavor?"
"Strawberry."
He leaned closer. "Would we say 'I love you' loud enough for the waves to hear?"
I paused.
"I think we just did."
It was past midnight when i realized i should probably leave.
"Ken," I whispered, slipping on my shoes near the door. "I should go."
He walked over, sleepy-eyed, hair messy.
"Stay a little more?"
"I can't."
His fingers brushed mine. "Why does the world only let me love you when it's dark?"
My heart ached.
"I'll see you tomorrow."
"Promise?"
"Always."
The city was quiet as i walked back.
Alone again. Hidden again.
But i wasn't sad.
Not tonight.
Because even if the world only allowed us these little hours, they were ours.