The moon hung low over the sea, its silver reflection dancing on gentle waves. A soft wind whispered across the shore, carrying the scent of salt and something more delicate—like an unspoken promise.
Jiwoon sat alone beneath a canopy of stars, feet buried in cool sand. Behind him, the gentle crackle of a small campfire gave warmth to the night.
A quiet shuffle.
He turned.
Vera approached first, wrapped in a light shawl, her long silver hair fluttering with the breeze. She didn't speak—just sat beside him, close enough for their shoulders to brush. The silence between them wasn't empty. It was full. Comfortable.
Moments later, Kaelya joined them.
She didn't ask for space. She simply sat on Jiwoon's other side, crossing her arms as if to mask the soft blush that crept across her cheeks.
Three of them.
No words.
Just the sea.
Just the warmth.
Just something quietly beginning to shift.
Small Moments
Kaelya broke the silence first.
"I never liked the sea," she murmured. "Too open. No control."
Jiwoon glanced at her, expression unreadable.
"Then why are you here?"
She didn't answer at first. Then, softly,
"Because… you're here."
Vera smiled slightly, her eyes never leaving the horizon.
"I used to come here in my dreams… before I ever met you," she whispered. "I thought it was just a place. But now I wonder if… I was waiting."
Jiwoon looked between them.
Then he said the rarest thing of all.
"…Thank you."
Deeper Ties
Kaelya turned to him.
"For what?"
"For staying," he replied. "For not fearing what I might become."
Vera reached out. Not dramatically. Not hesitantly. Just naturally.
She took Jiwoon's hand.
Kaelya followed—reluctantly, then resolutely—resting her hand atop his other.
They sat that way.
Three souls in quiet contact.
Not as commander, scholar, or sinner.
But simply as… people.
Final Glimpse
Later that night, after both women had fallen asleep beside him—one resting on his shoulder, the other with her hand still wrapped around his—
Jiwoon looked up at the stars.
For once…
they didn't feel so far away.