Jisung

The summer heat in the suburbs of Hadano – a small, quiet settlement in Kanagawa Prefecture – was suffocating. The air stood completely still, thick and heavy. The windows were wide open in hopes of catching even a faint breeze, but it brought absolutely no relief.

The clock read 2:27 am. The laptop monitor in the living room dimly illuminated the desk as Minho's fingers tapped rhythmically across the keys – remote work had long since blurred the lines between day and night. A loud, heavy thud from the bedroom suddenly forced him to look up from the screen.

Pushing himself up from his chair, Minho reached for the nearest bookshelf, grabbing a thick hardcover volume. It was a ridiculous weapon against a potential intruder, but it offered a shred of reassurance. His footsteps down the hallway were cautious and soundless. The bedroom door stood ajar, and as he gently pushed it open, his breath caught.

A man stood by the open window. Turned sideways, his shoulders heaved with heavy, uneven breaths. A dark, wet stain was spreading rapidly across the right side of his gray shirt.

Hearing the door creak, the stranger spun around, and his eyes – a deep, unnatural crimson – locked onto Minho's.

Everything inside Minho froze. A cold wave of fear rooted him to the spot, but before he could even try to make a rational choice, he noticed the violent tremor shaking the intruder's body. The man was tensing every muscle, fighting a desperate battle against his own raw instincts. Realizing the stranger was barely holding himself back from lunging, Minho took a slow, careful step backward.

— It’s incredibly reckless to leave your windows wide open.. the stranger rasped, pressing his hand harder against the bleeding wound.

Minho's fingers tightened around the spine of the book. The stranger's gaze dropped to Minho's neck for a fraction of a second, but the injured man forcefully tore his eyes away, desperately clinging to whatever was left of his self-control.