Han left the room without thinking.
There was only one place he ever went when things became too loud inside his head.
Seungmin.
Being near him felt safe in a way Han could never properly explain. Like the pressure in his chest loosened whenever Seungmin was around. Like he could finally breathe again.
The problem was—
Choi Seungmin had a habit of disappearing. And he disappeared again. Han hadn't seen him in almost two weeks.
Still, his feet carried him toward the business faculty anyway, driven by the quiet hope that maybe, somehow, Seungmin would be there today.
Halfway up the stairs, he slowed.
Should he really go?
Most of the time, Seungmin came back on his own.
Han exhaled softly and continued upward.
By the time he reached the third floor, the hallway was nearly empty. His eyes searched the doors until they landed on Lecture Hall 3.
There.
He approached slowly.
The narrow glass panel beside the door was too dark to see through clearly. Han leaned closer, shielding the glare with one hand, but the room inside remained blurry.
Maybe he wasn't there.
Han pressed his ear against the door.
Nothing.
With a sigh, he breathed against the glass, wiping the fog away with his sleeve before peeking again.
Still nothing.
Feeling stupid now, he waved a hand in front of the glass one last time.
No movement.
Han let out a quiet breath and slid down against the wall beside the door, sitting on the cold floor for a moment before forcing himself back up.
Maybe he shouldn't have come.
Seungmin rarely attended university unless he absolutely had to. Today, it was because of a quiz. The lecture hall remained silent except for the scratching of pens against paper.
Then A boy appeared on the door peeked inside carefully.
The entire class turned toward him for a second before returning to their quizzes.
Except Seungmin.
He stared at the doorway without blinking, as if something mesmerizing had suddenly appeared in front of him.
The professor looked annoyed. "Does anyone know who that is?"
One of the students answered casually, "That's Choi Seungmin's fiancé."
A few students glanced toward Seungmin with interest.
The professor adjusted his glasses before looking at him. "Have you finished your quiz? You can leave if you want to meet him."
Seungmin looked down at his paper. It wasn't complete. But it was enough to pass. Without hesitation, he stood, handed in the quiz, and walked out.
The second Han saw him, he stood up instinctively. Relief hit him so suddenly it almost hurt.
Seungmin's eyes widened slightly the moment they landed on Han.
"You came."
His voice softened immediately.
Then his expression shifted into a small frown.
"You're freezing."
Before Han could answer, Seungmin unzipped his hoodie and pulled it off. He gently draped it over Han's shoulders before guiding his arms through the sleeves himself.
The warmth settled around Han instantly. Seungmin zipped the hoodie up carefully, his fingers brushing Han's chin for a brief second. Then he smiled. Han smiled back automatically.
But the expression faded almost as quickly as it appeared.
"I miss Woohyun," he said quietly.
For the first time, Seungmin's smile faltered.
Han's words dragged an unpleasant memory to the surface.
________________________________________
Seungmin rarely showed emotion, even during disasters.
But that night, he looked genuinely shaken.
He rang Seokmin's apartment bell repeatedly until the door finally opened.
Seokmin barely had time to react before Seungmin pushed past him and dropped heavily onto the sofa.
"What happened?" He asked, closing the door behind him. Without answering, Seungmin threw a file onto the table.He picked it up.
Medical reports.
Han's name was written across the front.
As Seokmin skimmed through the pages, his brows slowly lifted.
"He's recovering," he said. "Isn't that a good thing?"
Seungmin leaned forward, voice low.
"How is that a good thing?"
Seokmin looked at him carefully.
"The doctor said he's starting to retain memories again," Seungmin continued. "There's a chance he could remember everything in the past."
Silence settled between them. Then Seokmin sighed.
"And why exactly is that bad for us?"
Seungmin laughed bitterly.
"You know how I treated him."
Seokmin leaned back against the couch.
"That sounds like your problem."
"I did it for his safety."
Disgust flashed across Seokmin's face immediately.
"Stop calling it protection," he snapped. "You don't get to justify controlling someone as protection."
Seungmin's jaw tightened.
"We are so close to fixing everything," he muttered. "If Han remembers the past, he'll ruin everything."
Seokmin studied him quietly before speaking again.
"Then test him. Maybe he doesn't really remember anything."
Seungmin looked up.
"Ask him about something important. Something impossible to forget."
He paused.
"And if he remembers…"
A cold smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"…then maybe you should stay away from him for a while."
His eyes darkened slightly.
"Or control him better than you already do."
________________________________________