The rooftop seemed smaller now, as if the city had retreated and left only the two of them standing in a private void.
Jiwon shifted slightly, adjusting the charm beneath his sleeve. His movement was minor, nothing deliberate. Yet the faint pulse of energy from his blood brushed against Yul's own aura like a whisper across water.
Yul noticed. His eyes flicked down to Jiwon's hand, then back up, the soft glow of his mark flaring just slightly. He took a step closer—not enough to provoke, not enough to be threatening, but close enough that the air between them shimmered.
Kai, at the edge of the rooftop, pressed his hands over his mouth. "Oh no," he muttered. "They're—oh, wow. They're doing it."
Zayn's fists clenched, not out of anger but in a tense readiness. "Not a fight," he hissed under his breath. "Just… whatever this is. I hate it."
Min's gaze softened, almost dreamy. "It's like watching… two comets orbit each other. And the sparks are real."
EO didn't move, didn't blink, just absorbed it, whispering, "They're… alive in a way no human should be."
Juno stepped forward slightly, protective instinct firing. "Yul," he warned quietly. "Don't—"
Yul tilted his head, ignoring him, eyes locked on Jiwon's.
Then it happened.
Jiwon reached to adjust the strap of his jacket—and their fingers brushed. A ghost of a touch, accidental, almost nothing.
But in that instant, the air snapped.
A faint wave of energy pulsed outward. The glow on Jiwon's charm flared, mirrored by the faint flicker along Yul's collarbone mark. It wasn't painful. It wasn't violent. But it was undeniable.
Both men froze, breaths catching.
"I…" Jiwon began, then stopped.
"You felt it," Yul said softly, gold eyes brighter, more alive than before. "That's not just proximity. That's recognition."
Jiwon's jaw tightened, but he didn't pull away. He couldn't. The pull was stronger than instinct, older than memory, almost magnetic in its force. "Dangerous," he muttered. "Every time I feel it, it reminds me—"
Yul stepped the tiniest fraction closer, so their shoulders nearly touched. The energy between them coiled and shifted like a living thing, subtle sparks brushing Jiwon's senses. His pulse spiked, but not in fear. Curiosity. Want. Something he hadn't allowed himself to feel in years.
Dara shifted behind Yul, voice barely a whisper. "I've never seen him like this… like he's… human and something else at the same time."
Rien's pen hovered over his notebook. "They're… reacting to each other. It's like two instruments tuning themselves in real time."
Nox bounced slightly on his toes, muttering, "It's glowing… the air's literally glowing. I think I can see it."
Juno's protective stance stiffened, but even he didn't intervene. He could feel the pull, knew it was beyond force. All he could do was watch.
Jiwon's eyes flicked to Yul's lips for a heartbeat. Then back up to those golden eyes. The pull wasn't just supernatural—it was intimate, almost tender, and terrifying.
Their hands drifted again—this time closer, a mere breath apart. Neither moved to make contact, yet the energy that swirled between them throbbed, palpable.
"You're… not like them," Jiwon said quietly.
Yul's lips curved faintly. "And you're not like anyone either. That's why this works. That's why it's dangerous."
The rooftop was silent, save for the faint hum of the city below. The members of both groups remained statues, witnessing something impossible, beautiful, and perilous.
And for the first time, the pull between hunter and demon wasn't just about survival.
It was about wanting.
And neither man was ready to admit how much.