[Mital's home]
1 AM.
Geone often went out, rarely staying out at night. Today, it seemed he wouldn't come back at all-he'd spend the night at Minase or Suga's place. It was already very late.
Mrs. Mital had called earlier at dinner.
"Geone isn't coming home tonight. He'll stay at Minase's."
The house felt unusually quiet without him.
Charlie sat in Geone's room, pencil moving steadily across the page.
The sketch before him was strange and surreal-a woman's body with a man's head...
And beside it, another woman's head... perched...atop a man's torso...
He leaned closer, studying the lines, tracing every curve and angle with careful precision.
Despite his focus, an odd unease prickled at him. The image felt almost alive.
Trinng...Trinng...
The sudden ring of the doorbell made Charlie snap his sketchbook shut. In an instant, he pushed it aside, pencil unfinished.
"Geone?" Confused, Leaping from his chair. He dashed across the dining room toward the outside door and yanked it open.
Geone fell straight into him. Charlie barely managed to catch him-his weight heavy, body swaying like he might collapse.
"Geone... did you drink? Geone!" Charlie's voice tensed.
Geone lifted his head slightly, eyes half-closed, unfocused.
"Charliee..." he breathed-soft, raw, heartbreakingly vulnerable.
His legs trembled beneath him. Charlie wrapped an arm around his waist, guiding him to the bed.
"Why did you drink this much?" Charlie murmured, struggling to keep him upright.
"It's a good thing Aunty took her sleeping pills..."
He sat Geone down on the bed and turned for a moment to get water.
Before taking even two steps-
Geone's hands shot forward, clutching Charlie's wrists with unexpected strength, dragging him back.
His forehead pressed against Charlie's chest, breath hot and uneven. Charlie froze-those eyes staring up at him, dazed but burning with something unbearable.
Then-
With one swift pull, Geone dragged Charlie onto the bed with him.
He pinned Charlie's hands above his head with one hand, grip hard and demanding.
His other hand pressed against Charlie's neck-just enough pressure to steal breath.
He leaned down... breath trembling against Charlie's skin .
Lips brushing the side of his neck before teeth sank in-a desperate, hungry mark of emotion he could no longer hide.
Charlie, in pain, used one hand to push against Geone's shoulder, creating space.
Geone lifted slightly, driven by desire and anger, biting again .
Time collapsed.
Charlie's breathing faltered, lips pressed to swallow the pain.
Eyes fluttered shut, chest rising uneven beneath Geone's weight.
Then-suddenly-
Charlie pushed Geone back, straddling him.
"You'redrunk," he said, voice shaking.
Geone blinked-helpless, breath ragged, pupils blown wide.
Charlie cupped his cheek, palm trembling.
"You're going to regret this," he whispered.
Geone's fingers curled into Charlie's shirt, pulling him closer.
"I won't," he breathed.
Geone leaned in until their foreheads touched-until nothing was left between them.
No excuses.
No distance.
No turning back.
He closed the final inch. Their lips crashed together-hungry, terrified, utterly real.
It was almost three in the morning.
[Withman's home]
Withman family is sleeping .Hira woke suddenly. A dull ache lingered in her foot. As she sat up, she noticed it-
a strange smell in the room.
She reached for room spray and sprayed around. Her eyes felt heavy, sleep clinging. She opened the window slightly.
Under the streetlight, everything outside looked blurred, hazy.For a moment, she thought she saw someone..standing in front of Mital's house.
Hira rubbed her eyes and looked again, but the fog was too thick-nothing came into focus.
She shut the window. Cold bit her; icy air crept in. She pulled on her sweater.
Yet the smell lingered.
Hira stepped out and walked toward the dining area. Toha's room door was open.
She went to the doorway .
Toha was smoking. Guitar resting in his hands . He sat with his back to the door, smoke curling around him.
No melody-just broken, uneven sounds that filled the room. Hira stood at a distance, silent.
Then, suddenly, she slammed Toha's door shut.
Startled, he shouted,
"Hiraaa!!!!"
She didn't answer.
Returning to her room, she lay down, headphones in.
𝘍𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦...
She turned up the volume, staring at the ceiling.
Toha's broken guitar no longer seemed to fill the house-
the sound..existed only in her head.
Outside, night mist had settled again. Geone slept-deeply, silently, as if nothing could reach him.
Charlie stood under the freezing shower... Water struck like needles, each drop raising every hair.
Cold crawled through him until it felt like it seeped into his soul.
He trembled, unable to tell if the cold hurt or grounded him. Perhaps both. Perhaps that was why he didn't stop.
Fingers traced the marks Geone left.
He slammed his fist against the tiled wall, knuckles stinging.
"Why was..He so Druunnk...!!"
When he returned, Geone was still asleep. Charlie pulled on a T-shirt, sat on the floor beside the bed. The room felt warmer-warmer because of Geone.
Slowly, Charlie pushed Geone's hair from his eyes and touched his cheek.
Heat beneath his fingertips-soft, warm, alive.
But the moment Charlie's cold hand touched him, Geone shifted unconsciously, turning from the chill.
Continues.....