(Dohyun's POV)
Hyok's words wouldn't stop echoing in my head.
"Stay away from him. If I see you near that boy again, I'll destroy him first — then you." I didn't want to see that smile disappear.
I told myself it didn't matter. I told myself I didn't care. I've been living like this for years — obey, survive, keep my head down. And yet… when it came to Tae Jihwa, I couldn't make myself believe it.
He's irritating. Loud. He pushes into my life like sunlight through a crack in the wall I've built. But he also… smiles. Even when he's in pain, he smiles like the whole world is still worth it. I envy that. No — I crave it. I want to learn how to smile like him. No, brighter than him. I want to be strong enough to stand next to him, not in his shadow.
That's why I should've walked past. Pretended not to see him. Pretended not to care.
But then I saw him curled up in the middle of the road like something broken and thrown away. His shoulders shook with sobs, his hair stuck to his wet cheeks. It was late. Too late. The kind of night when no one should be out here alone.
I froze in the shadows, Master's voice screaming in my skull. Leave him. If you care about him, leave him. Don't get him killed.
But my body didn't listen.
I walked toward him, crouched down, and my voice came out softer than I intended.
"Hey, shining star… why are you all upset?"
He moved his head up, startled. His face was a mess of tears. "D-Dohyun? What… what are you doing here?"
"I was running an errand," I muttered, forcing my voice steady. "Then I saw you. And… I don't like it when you cry. It bothers me."
The truth slipped out before I could stop it.
When he reached up and touched my cheek — so gently, like I wasn't something dangerous — my chest ached. No one had ever looked at me like I deserved kindness. "Thanks, Dohyun. You… make me feel better. Even when you don't try to."
I swallowed hard and turned my face away, scared he'd see too much. "Why are you crying?"
"Just… personal stuff," he whispered, forcing a laugh that wasn't real. "Like always."
I stared at him too long. "…I thought you smiled because you had an easy life."
"Everyone has pain," he murmured. "You just probably act mean and cold to hide it."
Those words hit harder than they should have. Because if anyone's been hiding, it's me. I wanted to tell him everything — about the Master, about the threat, about how much I hated myself for letting someone control me. About how I'm a lab experiment and how he abused me and wants me to carry his child. But I couldn't. If I told him, I'd drag him down with me. He'd probably not accept me for who I am.
"I'm sorry," I whispered instead. It sounded useless, but it was all I had.
He tilted his head, giving me a small, shaky smile. "Do you still want to learn how to smile? I think it'd really suit you."
I clenched my fists. I wanted to. I wanted it more than anything. Not just to prove I could — but because maybe, if I learned to smile like him, I wouldn't feel so empty. Maybe I'd be worthy of standing by his side.
"Y-yeah," I said, my voice catching. "I do."
What I didn't say was: I want to smile brighter than you. So you'll look at me the way I look at you. But if I stay close… you'll get hurt. And it'll be my fault.
I promised myself I'd walk away after tonight. I promised myself I'd obey Master. But when Jihwa leaned into me like I was someone safe, I knew it was a promise I could never keep.
Jihwa wiped his face with the back of his sleeve, but the tears wouldn't stop coming. His knees were scraped, his hands trembling. Without thinking, I crouched lower and slid an arm under his shoulders.
"Come on," I muttered, keeping my voice even. "You can't sit in the middle of the road all night."
He leaned into me without hesitation, warm and fragile. I hated how much I liked it. I hated how I wanted to protect him, even from things he didn't know existed.
We walked slowly down the empty street, my arm still holding him steady. Every step, Master's voice rang louder in my head: If you care about him, stay away. Or I'll ruin him.
Jihwa glanced at me, his eyes still red. "You're being really… nice tonight and open. What's gotten into you?"
I looked away quickly. "Don't get used to it."
"Too late," he said with a weak laugh. Even when he was crying, he still managed to joke. Still managed to shine. That laugh — cracked and tired as it was — felt brighter than anything I'd ever seen.
And I thought: I want to smile like that. No — brighter than that. So he'll see me. So he'll know I'm not just some shadow trailing behind orders.
We reached his gate. He let go of me reluctantly, rubbing his eyes. "Thanks, Dohyun. Really. I don't know what I'd do without you."
My chest tightened. You might have to find out, I thought bitterly. Because soon, I'll have to disappear for your own sake.
I forced a small smirk — the closest thing I had to a smile. "Just don't cry in the middle of the street next time. It's annoying."
He grinned faintly, shaking his head. "You're terrible at pretending you don't care."
If only he knew.
As we reached the corner, Jihwa slowed down, sniffling. His eyes were still red, but there was a hint of stubbornness in them.
"You know what I need right now?" he muttered. "Ice cream."
"In this weather?" I raised an eyebrow. "You're insane."
"I'm serious," he said, forcing a laugh. "Come with me. There's a shop that is still open late."
I hesitated. Master would kill me if he knew I wasn't heading straight home. But the thought of leaving Jihwa alone, still shaking from whatever broke him tonight… I couldn't do it. "Fine. But don't blame me if you get sick."
We walked to a small shop glowing faintly on the corner. Jihwa pressed his face to the freezer like a little kid, his sadness melting for a moment. Jihwa acted childish…why do I like this side of him?
"What flavor?" he asked.
I shoved my hands in my pockets. "…Doesn't matter."
"You're no fun," he said, selecting two cups. "Chocolate for you. You look like a chocolate type."
"I didn't say I wanted any," I muttered.
"Too bad," he said, flashing me that weak but stubborn smile. "I'm paying."
I frowned. "You don't have to—"
"You don't have money, do you?" he cut in, not unkindly.
I looked away, jaw tightening. "…No."
"Then shut up and take the chocolate," he said, pushing the cup into my hand.
Outside, we sat on the bench under the streetlight, quietly eating. The night air was cold, and the ice cream made it even colder, but Jihwa didn't seem to care.
"This is nice," he said softly, staring at the sky. "Just… sitting here. No noise, no fake smiles, no pretending everything's fine."
I glanced at him. His hair was still messy from crying, his cheeks blotchy — and yet, somehow, he still looked… bright. Brighter than anything I'd ever seen.
"I don't think your smile is fake," I said before I could stop myself.
He looked at me, surprised. "…Really?"
"Yeah," I muttered, shoving another spoonful of chocolate into my mouth to avoid saying more. "But I'm gonna learn to smile brighter than you."
He blinked, then actually laughed — a real one this time, soft and tired but real. "That's… a weird thing to compete over."
"Get used to it," I said, forcing a smirk I didn't feel. "I always win."
But inside, I wasn't thinking about winning. I was thinking about how I wanted him to keep smiling like this forever — and how I might have to walk away to make sure he could.
And for the first time in years, I wished I wasn't chained to anyone. I wished I could just be… me.
The night was cold, but the cup in my hand felt warm. Or maybe that was just him — sitting too close, fingers brushing mine again like he wasn't sure if it was on purpose.
Jihwa set his empty cup down beside him and looked at me, his voice quieter now. "You know… you're not as scary as you look."
I frowned slightly. "I wasn't trying to be scary."
"That's what makes it funny." He leaned closer, studying my face like he was looking for something I didn't have. "You've got this serious look all the time, but… you're not cold. Just… unreadable."
"I don't know what that means," I said flatly.
"It means you're hard to figure out," he murmured, still holding my gaze. "But not in a bad way."
Something in his voice made the air feel heavier. My throat felt tight, though I didn't know why.
Before I could move, he reached up — slow, careful — and brushed his thumb against the corner of my mouth. "See? You've got ice cream there," he said with a small smile.
I froze. His touch was soft. Warmer than I expected. My heart skipped in a way I didn't understand.
"You're not very good at eating, are you?" he teased gently.
"…I guess not." My voice came out lower than I meant.
His hand lingered a second longer than it should have before he pulled it back. The space between us felt too small now, too sharp. I didn't move. Neither did he.
"Dohyun," he whispered, searching my face. "Why do you always look like you're holding something back?"
I didn't have an answer. My whole life was holding things back — pain, fear, guilt, hate, myself. But when he looked at me like that, I wanted to let something slip. Just for him.
I didn't think so. I just reached out and caught his wrist gently, stopping him from moving away. His eyes widened — not scared, just surprised.
We stayed like that for a long moment — the hum of the streetlight above us, the faint night wind, his breath close enough to feel.
"I don't… know why I'm doing this," I admitted in a low voice, so quiet it was almost a secret to myself.
Jihwa's lips parted, but he didn't pull back. "…Then don't stop."
My chest twisted painfully. I didn't lean in — not really. Just close enough that I could see the way his lashes trembled, close enough that if either of us breathed wrong, there'd be no space left.
What was I doing? This was something. Something that scared me more than anything Master could do. But why do I enjoy this?
I let go first, forcing myself to stand, shoving my hands in my pockets to hide how unsteady they felt. "…It's late. Go home."
Jihwa looked up at me, eyes bright even in the dark. "…Okay. But next time, I'm buying two chocolates."
I didn't answer. I just turned away, but I could feel his smile burning against my back all the way down the street.