​Three weeks had passed.

For Sojin, those days had turned into an endless cycle: the club, alcohol, and his studio. He locked himself in his atelier more often than usual, but the canvases that used to bring him peace now only caused him frustration.

​He tried to depict Aziel—those metallic chains, the skin tone, that wild gaze—but the brush seemed to disobey him. No line could convey the energy he had felt. He tore up sketches, roughly smeared paint onto the canvas, and started over. Aziel had become his involuntary muse, a figure etched into his mind.

​Whenever Sojin went to clubs or met new women, his choices became strange. Every girl he spent the night with had a distant resemblance to Aziel in some way.

​Aziel had already fully integrated into the team. He had established a wonderful relationship with Manager Kang Sera, who often helped him with advice. During work breaks, he always tried to be near Sojin. He would approach him and ask with a gentle smile, “Sojin, are you very tired today? Do you want me to help you clear the tables?” Sojin usually only grumbled and pulled away.

​Seeing Aziel’s efforts, Sera said:

— “Aziel-a, don’t waste your energy. Our Sojin only plays with pretty girls. You are too ‘cute’ and pure for his type. He only needs dangerous games.”

​Aziel froze for a moment.

He stared at Sera blankly, complete confusion appearing on his face. He tried to analyze what he had heard: "dangerous games," "his type"... For Aziel, who was new to this environment and still learning to read people's subtext, Sera’s words sounded like a complex riddle.

​Seeing Aziel’s serious and confused look, Sera suddenly laughed loudly and lightly tapped his shoulder.

— “Alright, alright, Aziel-a, don’t take it so seriously, I was just joking. You don't need to think so long about every word I say,” she said, laughter still on her face.

​But then, seeing that the boy was still a bit tense, she added more gently:

— “Just don't be upset with him. Sojin is cold like that with everyone who isn't his 'ideal.' That’s just his personality.”

​Aziel listened to those last words, and his tension seemed to ease immediately. At the thought of "I’m not his ideal," he felt a slight sting in his heart, but Sera’s sincerity comforted him nonetheless. He smiled slightly—that same gentle and kind smile unique to him—and nodded to show he understood.

​After a long work week, the entire restaurant staff gathered for a traditional team dinner. This was the moment when everyone could finally take off their uniforms, forget the whims of customers, and simply relax over soju and grilled meat.

​Aziel sat at the edge of the table, carefully watching as the others chatted noisily. These gatherings were still new to him, but he tried to smile and be friendly, though his gaze involuntarily kept sliding toward Sojin.

​Suddenly, the restaurant door opened, and a tall, energetic boy walked in. As soon as the employees saw him, real excitement broke out around the table.

— “Oh, Minho-ya! I don’t believe it. Is it really you?” Mina exclaimed.

​Aziel watched in confusion as everyone took turns hugging the newcomer. But what amazed him most was Sojin’s reaction. Sojin, who was always cold, suddenly actually smiled, stood up, and warmly shook Minho’s hand, clapping his shoulder with the other.

— “So you finally settled your business and came back,” Sojin said, and there was a softness in his voice that Aziel had never heard before.

​Minho sat right next to Sojin. They began to joke, pouring drinks for each other, and Sojin even laughed out loud several times at Minho’s words. They touched each other often, playfully pushing, which seemed impossible in Sojin’s case. Aziel felt a lump form in his throat.

​— “Mina,” Aziel asked in a whisper, leaning slightly toward the girl sitting next to him, “who is he?”

Aziel glanced toward Minho, who was laughing loudly at that moment, his hand resting on Sojin’s shoulder.

​— “That’s Minho, our former singer,” Mina explained with a smile. “He and Sojin met right here in the restaurant when they both just started working. Despite Sojin’s difficult personality, Minho was the only one who could become friends with him. Minho had to leave the job for personal reasons, but now he’s back.”

​Mina was a small, lively girl whose presence always filled the room. She had light brown hair that fell in soft waves to her shoulders. Her eyes were also light—a honey shade—and they always sparkled with curiosity and spirit.

​Aziel’s thoughts: “So Sojin can be that warm... yet he doesn't even talk to me. What does Minho have that I lack? Maybe I just really want him to accept me as a close friend too... Yes, maybe that’s why my heart is beating so fast and it’s unpleasant to watch.”

​Minho is the type of person you immediately recognize as an artist. He is slightly shorter than Sojin and has a very bright and beautiful appearance. Light brown, thick, soft hair that is a bit long and falls elegantly over his face. His eyes are his most captivating feature—light greenish-grey, which is rare. He has very handsome, almost perfect features. His smile is wide and infectious, making it easy for him to charm the audience when he performs calm, sophisticated songs on stage.

​Sunbeams ruthlessly invaded the bedroom. Sojin slowly opened his eyes but closed them immediately; it felt as if thousands of hammers were pounding in his head. His mouth was dry, and his body felt heavy.

“Where am I... oh, I’m at my house,” he thought, trying to recall the evening, but his memory cut off after the last glass Mina had poured.

​He felt someone breathing beside him. He slowly turned and froze. Aziel, with that "angelic" look of his, was peacefully sleeping on Sojin’s left. Sojin’s heart skipped a beat. “What happened... we...?” Still in shock, he decided to get up quickly, drink water, and rinse his face to get his brain working. But when he turned to the right to get off the bed, what he saw dealt him a second, even stronger blow.

​On the other side, with half the blanket tucked under him, Minho was sleeping with his mouth open.

— “What...?” Sojin whispered, his eyes wide. This was shock within shock.

​Fifteen minutes later, Sojin came out of the bathroom. Water dripped from his hair onto his shoulders, and his body was covered only by a white towel wrapped around his waist. He held two glasses of cold water in his hands.

— “Hey, get up. Wake up!” he called out, placing the glasses on the table.

​Aziel was the first to open his eyes. Seeing the half-naked Sojin, he was first confused, then turned his gaze away and suddenly noticed Minho. The boy’s face first went pale, then turned red. He jumped up with lightning speed, not knowing where to run.

​Minho, on the contrary, stretched calmly, took the water, and drank it in one breath.

— “Oh, Sojin-a, the water is a miracle,” he said, as if this were a normal morning for him.

​— “Hurry up, rinse off and come to the kitchen,” Sojin said sharply. “I’ve ordered fried chicken; we need to eat breakfast because I have plenty of things to do. I want no one left here soon.”

​Sojin gave the boys some of his clothes. Sojin’s oversized shirt was a bit large on Aziel, making him look even smaller. When they sat down to eat, Aziel couldn't resist:

— “Sojin... how did it happen that the three of us... slept at your house?”

​Minho and Sojin looked at each other and started laughing, remembering the end of the evening.

— “Don’t you remember anything, Aziel-a?” Minho asked, eating a piece of chicken. “Well, when the games ended and everyone was drunk, I hugged Sojin and told him I felt very bad and he had to take me home. Sojin, being a 'good friend,' agreed.”

​— “But you appeared just as we were trying to get into a taxi while hugging,” Sojin continued, smiling slightly. “You came up and started insisting that you needed help too.”

​— “Then the real fight started,” Minho laughed. “I was saying it’s our tradition to sleep at Sojin’s house after drinking and that you were extra. And you were pushing me and pulling Sojin to your side. Poor Sojin got pulled between us until...”

​— “Until I threw up right between you two,” Sojin interrupted, wrinkling his face. “After that, both of you sobered up, took me by the arms, and brought me home. And here, we just collapsed onto the bed from exhaustion.”

​As Sojin told how Aziel and Minho were snatching him from each other, Minho looked at Aziel laughing:

— “Really, Aziel-a, yesterday you were pulling Sojin’s arm and pushing me as if I was trying to steal your most precious possession. I didn’t expect the newcomer to be so bold. How old are you anyway?”

​Aziel, who was eating a piece of chicken at that moment, got a little confused and answered in a low voice:

— “Twenty...”

​Minho stopped eating for a moment and raised his eyebrows.

— “What? Only twenty? Sojin, do you see? This child is only twenty years old, but he’s already fighting a twenty-six-year-old like me for you.”

He laughed again and leaned toward Aziel:

— “Aziel-a, you are still too young to drink with Sojin. At your age, I wouldn't even dare to demand anything from him. So you are only twenty, Sojin is five years older than you, and I am six. You should call us 'Hyung' instead of fighting with us.”

​Aziel curled up further into Sojin’s oversized shirt. He felt that being "twenty years old" made him feel even weaker and more inexperienced next to these two established men.