Jin slowly opened the door, revealing no one outside—just the moonlit road.
He took a step out, eyes scanning the empty street.
"Hello?" he called out softly.
No answer. Just the wind whistling through the night.
Something stirred the bushes to his left, but when he turned—there was no one there.
Feeling foolish, Jin rubbed at his neck. He'd clearly been imagining things...
Then—a whisper carried by wind.
**"Look up."**
Jin's gaze lifted, following the whispered command. There was nothing there—just the clear night sky.
He was definitely losing it now. He could've sworn…
"Where are you?" Jin called out again, frustration leaking into his voice.
For a moment, silence was the only reply. Then...
Another rustle. This time—closer.
Jin spun around, heartrate quickening. *He wasn't crazy.* Something was out there.
But the figure didn't step forward.
Jin turned slowly, eyes scanning the shadows between trees, rooftops, walls—anywhere a person could hide.
Nothing moved.
No footstep.
No breath.
Only the cold wind brushing his skin.
Then—softly—a voice came again, not from outside… but *inside his head.*
**"I'm watching you."**
Jin froze.
Not through the phone. Not from any speaker. This voice—deep, calm—echoed directly in his mind like it had always been there.
He pressed a hand to his chest—the soul chain beneath his skin pulsed faintly, warm and alive with energy he couldn't explain.
"You said we're bound," Jin whispered into the empty air. "Then why won't you show yourself?"
A pause.
Then: **"Because if you see me now... your heart won't survive it."**
Jin blinked fast—he almost thought he saw a flicker in front of him: dark clothes fluttering at the edge of vision before vanishing completely.
"I don't understand," Jin said softly. "What are you protecting me from? Yourself?"
Another whisper—not just in mind this time—but on *his neck*, so close it made him shiver:
*"From what I am… and what seeing me might make you remember."*
And just like that—he was gone again.*
The world fell silent.*
But deep inside…
Something began to wake up.*
Jin o sat on his bed, staring at his phone for a moment longer.
The whispers, the voice, the feeling of being watched— it was all too much.
His eyelids grew heavy.
Too tired to question anything right now.
Without changing clothes or pulling back the sheets, he simply lay down, curled slightly,
and let sleep pull him under.
The room darkened.
Only moonlight traced quiet patterns across the floor.
—
High above—in the shadows of Jin's rooftop—
Ming Ji stood motionless, watching through the half-open window.
His sharp eyes never left Jin's sleeping form.
He could hear every breath.
Every slow heartbeat echoing across their bond like gentle waves against stone.
A soft smile touched his lips—almost painful in its tenderness… but beneath it smoldered something darker. Deeper. Hungrier.*
*You're finally here,* he thought silently.*
Mine… even if you don't know why yet.*
He reached out—not touching, not daring—but his fingers brushed the air as if tracing Jin's face from afar.
The soul chain pulsed faintly between them—one asleep, one wide awake with longing too long denied.*
"I'll wait," Ming Ji whispered into the night.*
"But not forever."
And with that,* he faded back into shadow,* leaving only silence behind…
For now to say.
Jin stirred in his sleep—just slightly.
A dream began to form, hazy and fragmented.
Snow. White ground. A frozen field under moonlight.
Someone was there—standing in the distance, tall and still.
Cloaked in black, face hidden beneath shadows.
And then—he walked forward.
Each step echoed like a heartbeat.
When he finally stood over Jin… he reached out.
Gloved fingers brushed Jin's cheek.
Cold at first—but then warmth followed, spreading through his veins like fire melting ice.
Jin couldn't move. Couldn't speak.
But he didn't want to pull away.
The figure leaned down until their foreheads touched.
A whisper slipped into the dark:
**"You kissed me that night."**
**"You were the one who called my name."**
**"Don't forget me again."**
Then—
Jin gasped awake.*
Sweat clung to his skin. His chest rose fast.
His lips tingled—as if they'd just been touched by someone's breath.*
Outside—the wind howled once more…
And from somewhere deep beyond sight…
Ming Ji smiled.*
*He felt it.*
*The dream.*
*Their connection… growing stronger.*
One day soon, he wouldn't need shadows anymore.
One day soon, Jin would open his eyes—and *see him.*
Until then…
he would watch.
Protect.
Desire—in silence.
For now… that was enough.
Jin lay on the bed, heart still racing. His mind was flooded with that dream.
He'd had strange dreams before—but none this vivid. And no one had ever appeared so familiar... yet unknown.
As the minutes passed, he slowly calmed down.
His heart steadied.
His breath came easier.
Eventually, he just sat up,
running a hand through his hair.
It was silly to feel this shaken by a dream.
It wasn't real.
He was just… lonely.
*Right?*
He told himself that again.
*Just lonely.*
But the warmth on his skin, the voice in his head, the way his chest ached when he thought of those hidden eyes—
That didn't feel like loneliness.
It felt like *missing someone.*
Someone he'd never met… but somehow already knew.
Jin pulled his knees to his chest and rested his forehead against them. His body was tired, but his mind wouldn't shut down. The silence of the room pressed in too heavily—no sound except for the soft hum of distant city lights outside.
Then—
A faint pulse.
In his chest.
The soul chain flickered once—like a heartbeat syncing out of nowhere.
And somewhere far away, behind layers of shadow and cold night air…
Ming Ji closed his eyes—and smiled.
His fingers curled slightly around a small piece of fabric—a black scarf Jin had left behind during that first rescue, soaked in blood and frost now perfectly preserved between folded hands.
He brought it to his lips gently…
Inhaling deeply—the scent still there after days… warm skin… faint sweat… fear… life…
*"You're dreaming about me,"* he whispered into darkness.*
*"Good."*
*"Keep dreaming."*
His thumb brushed over one edge slowly,* possessively.*
"Soon…"
"You'll stop asking where I am."
"And start asking why you can't live without me."
He opened glowing eyes slowly—in dark pupils flickered silver veins only visible at night…
A full moon passed behind clouds—as if afraid to watch what burned inside him: desire so deep it bordered on worship,* hunger so patient it could wait an eternity... just for Jin's heart to finally say—
**"I remember you now."**