Min-jun tensed, his rifle at the ready.
"Identify yourself!" he snarled, but his voice broke when his gaze caught the familiar features.
Seo-hyeon.
The same soft oval of his face, the same slightly disheveled hair. The same eyes that once reflected his entire world.
He clenched the bracelet on his wrist so hard that the metal dug into his skin.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice now lower, almost a rasp.
Seo-hyeon shook his head, his eyes glistening with moisture.
"You're just a ghost... I see you too often in the dark."
But when Min-jun took a step closer and slowly extended his hand, he didn't flinch away. Min-jun's fingers barely touched his cheek. Warmth. Alive.
Seo-hyeon let out a sob and, as if breaking, grabbed his hand.
"You're real," he breathed out, and at that very moment, the Stella on his finger flared to life.
Min-jun's bracelet heated up in response. Their gazes met—and the hum of the Echo intensified, as if the world itself were tensing at their touch.