By the time he had to leave came around, Hyunjin had changed outfits three separate times. Not because he cared. Obviously. He just couldn’t decide what looked normal. Normal was important. Normal people wore normal clothes. Normal people got coffee. Normal people definitely did not spend twenty minutes staring at themselves in a mirror wondering if they looked approachable. His reflection stared back at him.

“You’ve lost your mind.”

The reflection didn’t argue. Eventually he settled on something casual. Not too dressed up. Not too relaxed. Just enough effort to look accidental. Chan would still make fun of him. But Chan made fun of him for breathing sometimes, so that wasn’t exactly useful information. By the time he left the house, his stomach was full of nerves. The city buzzed around him as he wandered down the sidewalk. Cars rolled past. People moved around him in clusters. Conversations blended into background noise. None of it really registered.

His attention kept drifting toward the large steel building at the end of the block. Toward the giant sign mounted above the entrance. Toward the place Felix disappeared into every day. The place Chan had watched. The place Jeongin had infiltrated. The place that made Hyunjin’s stomach twist every time he thought about it.

Something was wrong. He could feel it. And somehow, despite barely knowing Felix, that bothered him more than it should. A lot more. Hyunjin sighed heavily.

“You’re doing it again. Thinking too much. Maybe Felix was fine. Maybe this whole thing was one giant misunderstanding. Maybe…”

His thoughts immediately supplied an image of Felix limping out of the building. The image Chan had described. The image that had haunted him all night. Hyunjin clenched his jaw. Right. Maybe not. The closer he got to Lee Loans, the more restless he became. The building loomed ahead. Cold. Sterile. Perfect. Just like Jeongin had described. Even standing outside it made Hyunjin uncomfortable. The place felt wrong. Like something hidden beneath polished floors and expensive glass.

He crossed the street slowly and glanced at his phone as he crossed the street to the coffee shop. This is stupid. You are getting coffee. That’s all. Coffee. Not a stakeout. Not surveillance. Not whatever nonsense Chan would call it. Coffee. Simple. Easy. Normal. 

The bell above the café door chimed softly as he entered. The smell of roasted coffee beans immediately filled the air. Warm. Comforting. Normal. The exact opposite of everything he had been thinking about for days. He ordered a drink. Took a seat near the front window. And then immediately became aware of how obvious he looked. God. He looked suspicious. Was he sitting too close to the window? Maybe. Was he staring at the building? Definitely. Was that weird? Absolutely. Hyunjin immediately looked away. Then slowly looked back. Just checking. Not staring. Checking. There was a difference. Probably.

A woman walking past outside glanced through the window. Hyunjin quickly looked down at his phone. Smooth. Very smooth. Now he looked even guiltier. Fantastic. He took a sip of his coffee. Then another. Then checked the time. Five minutes had passed. Only five.

Hyunjin stared at the clock.

“You’re kidding.”

The universe clearly hated him. He spent the next half hour pretending to scroll through social media while paying attention to absolutely none of it. Every time the door across the street opened, his head lifted. Every time someone exited, his stomach jumped. Every time it wasn’t Felix, disappointment settled back down. The cycle repeated so many times he eventually became annoyed with himself.

Get a grip. You’re acting insane.

Maybe Chan was right. Maybe he had it bad. The thought made him groan into his coffee cup. A few customers came and went.

The afternoon stretched onward. As the time got closer to 5, he grabbed a refill of coffee and crossed the street slowly as he glanced at his phone. Right on time. The workday would be ending soon. Hyunjin immediately hated himself. This was ridiculous. He wasn’t stalking Felix. He was… Okay. Maybe it looked a little like stalking. But his intentions were good. Mostly. Probably.

The main doors of Lee Loans opened. Hyunjin’s attention immediately snapped toward the building. His heartbeat quickened. A few employees began filtering out of the building. Hyunjin’s pulse immediately kicked up. One person. Then another. Then a group. His eyes scanned each face automatically. Not him.

Not him.

Not him.

Not…

There. The familiar blond hair appeared near the entrance. Everything inside Hyunjin immediately went quiet. It was strange. Every time he saw Felix, the rest of the world seemed to blur slightly. Like his attention automatically narrowed. Felix stepped outside, and Hyunjin’s chest tightened. And somehow seeing him in person was worse. Chan hadn’t exaggerated. Not even a little.

Felix looked exhausted. The dark circles beneath his eyes seemed deeper than before. His shoulders were slumped.  His hair looked messier than usual. Like he’d spent all day dragging his hands through it. The worst part was his expression. Blank. Not sad. Not angry. Just… Empty. Like he was running on autopilot. Hyunjin’s stomach dropped. God. Felix didn’t even seem aware of his surroundings. His gaze stayed fixed on the sidewalk as he started walking. Slow. Tired. Almost dragging himself forward. His expression distant. Like he wasn’t fully present. The sight made something ache inside Hyunjin’s chest.

It almost had him abandon the entire plan. Because suddenly this wasn’t curiosity anymore. It wasn’t even concern. It was the overwhelming urge to make sure Felix was okay. To hear him laugh. To see him smile. To know he wasn’t carrying all of this alone. The sight made something ache painfully inside Hyunjin’s chest. He looked lonely. The thought came suddenly. Not alone. Lonely. Like the entire world had become too heavy to carry. 

Before he could talk himself out of it, Hyunjin started walking. Not directly toward him. That would be suspicious. Very suspicious. Instead he angled himself toward the intersection. Toward the path Felix was already taking. His heart pounded harder with every step. “This is insane. You realize this is insane.” He thought to himself. He knew. Absolutely knew. But he kept walking anyway. A few more steps. Closer. Closer. Felix never looked up.

His eyes remained fixed on the pavement. Hyunjin swallowed. Now. Now was the moment. He adjusted his path slightly. Just enough. The distance between them disappeared. And…

Thud. Their shoulders collided. Not hard. Just enough.

Felix startled immediately. Like he’d been ripped from another world. His head jerked upward. Wide eyes meeting Hyunjin’s. For a brief second, genuine panic flashed across Felix’s face. A reaction so strong it nearly made Hyunjin freeze. Then recognition set in. The panic disappeared almost instantly. Leaving behind surprise. Hyunjin forced himself to look equally shocked. As if this wasn’t exactly what he’d planned. As if he hadn’t spent half the day thinking about this moment. His eyes widened.

“Felix?”