“……”It felt like his heart had plummeted. The last time he heard this question, it hadn’t hit him quite this hard. His mind went completely blank, wiped clean, leaving him unsure of what to say.Why didn’t he just brush it off, saying he was caught up in the moment? Why didn’t he make up an excuse like it was nothing?“You knew I was kissing you… So why didn’t you stop me?”Hwan-young asked again, his voice carrying a quiet determination, as if he wouldn’t let this go without an answer. His gaze pinned Mu-ryeong in place, making it impossible for him to look away, let alone breathe properly.“I…”Now that he thought about it, there were a lot of strange things. Not just why Ki Hwan-young had done it, but why he himself had let it happen so easily. Why had he just gone along with it?Mu-ryeong had always been someone who acted on impulse, following his whims. Of course, he exercised some level of caution, but in the end, all his decisions boiled down to a simple reason: because he wanted to.He took on exorcism requests because he wanted to.He helped Hwan-young because he wanted to.He liked Hwan-young’s spiritual energy, and he wanted to absorb more of it.And this time… he had just let it happen because he didn’t not want it. Because the energy flowing into him felt good. Because the sensation of their lips touching was intoxicating.Of course, if someone asked why it felt good, he wouldn’t have an answer.“Just…”Hwan-young waited patiently, silently demanding a proper response. His lips remained firmly shut, as if he wouldn’t say another word until Mu-ryeong gave him an answer. But even after thinking it through for a long time, Mu-ryeong still couldn’t come up with anything clear.“Because… it felt good.”“……”“So I just… let it happen.”In his short eighteen years of life, he had never faced a problem this difficult. Usually, no matter how impossible a situation seemed, there was always some kind of answer.But right now, his heart was pounding wildly. He wasn’t sure if it was from nervousness or embarrassment—maybe both. All he knew for certain was that he had never felt this way before.So, with his eyes lowered slightly, he asked:“Was that… not okay?”“……”Hwan-young, who had remained expressionless until now, suddenly softened. His lips twitched slightly before he bit down on his lower lip, raising a hand to cover his face.Is he mad? Mu-ryeong wondered.But before he could dwell on that thought for long, Hwan-young murmured, almost in a trance—“No… It’s okay.”So he wasn’t mad. If anything, he seemed more dazed than anything else. Still covering part of his face, Hwan-young peeked at Mu-ryeong through his fingers.“Kim Mu-ryeong.”It was nighttime, and his already low voice sounded even deeper. His tone was teasing, almost like he was whispering something wicked.“Then… do you want to do it again?”“……”Mu-ryeong’s breath caught.Not because he was shocked by the question, but because he almost answered yes without a second thought.Before any rational thoughts could form, pure impulse surged through him.Their eyes locked. Neither of them spoke, but they must have been thinking the same thing. The sound of their shallow breathing filled the silence as Hwan-young slowly reached out.“……”“……”Mu-ryeong let his eyes flutter shut.Hwan-young’s thumb brushed over his eyelid, sending a shiver down his spine. Every hair on his body stood on end as the space between them vanished.The moment their lips met, both of them held their breath.The softness of it was so vivid, like an electric current running through his skin. His mind went hazy, like he was dreaming, but the warmth pressing against him was unmistakably ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) real.It feels good.That was the only thought left in his head.Just the simple act of being close like this made his stomach tighten. His palms itched, and he had to clench his fists to stop his fingers from trembling.But then—smackThe sound of their lips parting made Mu-ryeong open his eyes, his face painted with disappointment.That… that wasn’t even a real kiss.And as if Hwan-young had read his mind, this time their lips pressed together again—deeper.It was warm.Soft.Wet.Gentle, yet burning.He had never thought of Ki Hwan-young as warm before. But right now, he felt like he could melt into that heat.Somewhere along the way, their legs tangled under the blanket. Calves brushed, knees bumped, and Mu-ryeong’s toes curled slightly against Hwan-young’s pants. Every time their thighs touched, they flinched in unison.By the time Mu-ryeong came back to his senses, he had somehow ended up pressed against Hwan-young.He wasn’t sure who had moved first.But their chests were practically touching, while the lower half of their bodies hovered awkwardly apart, as if maintaining some unspoken boundary.“……”“……”Even after their lips finally separated, neither of them spoke.They just sat there, panting, faces flushed, staring at each other.And then, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, they leaned in again.For a long time, the two of them were completely absorbed in each other. As if nothing else existed. As if the only thing that mattered was the heat between them.Even though Mu-ryeong kept wanting to get closer, to deepen it further—He still didn’t realize what this feeling was.***By the time morning arrived, both of them emerged from the bedroom looking slightly worse for wear.Ye-jun, who had been preparing breakfast for them, turned to face them with a puzzled expression.At the long island-style kitchen table, Danchu was curled up with his paws neatly tucked beneath him, blinking sleepily.Ye-jun took one look at them and asked,“…What were you two doing all night?”Mu-ryeong, still feeling dazed, replied,“…We just didn’t get much sleep.”This translation is the intellectual property of .No one answered when Ye-jun asked if they had trouble sleeping.Hwan-young simply said he was going to wash up and disappeared into the bathroom. Left behind, Mu-ryeong only squinted his eyes and smiled. Fortunately, Ye-jun didn’t seem too suspicious and quickly lost interest.After breakfast, they freshened up and changed into their school uniforms. Ye-jun, noticing that his pants were covered in Danchu’s fur, handed Mu-ryeong a lint roller with an apologetic look. It took three rounds of tape changes before his uniform was passable again.“Ah, wait a second.”On their way to school, Ye-jun ducked into a flower shop near the apartment. Mu-ryeong wondered why, but when Ye-jun emerged, he was holding a single white chrysanthemum. He noticed Mu-ryeong staring and gave a sheepish smile instead of an explanation.“Oh, right. You solved my request, so I should give you something in return.”“It’s fine. I told you before, I just did it because I wanted to.”“…Did you?”The streets were still relatively empty since they had left a little early. Ye-jun absentmindedly twirled the chrysanthemum in his fingers as he asked various questions—whether he could still see ghosts now, how long it would last, and things like that.“You can probably see them for now… but it won’t last until night.”Hearing this, Hwan-young felt relieved.Ghosts emerged at night, and for an ordinary person, seeing them would be terrifying.And if Ye-jun’s spirit sight lasted too long, softhearted Kim Mu-ryeong would end up worrying about him far too much.“…Is that so?”But Ye-jun’s voice carried a hint of disappointment. His gaze lowered slightly, his expression briefly shadowed with something unreadable.Mu-ryeong must have noticed too because he subtly averted his eyes and stayed quiet.The intersection in front of the school was as busy as ever, with cars coming and going.As they approached the crosswalk, Ye-jun, who had been unusually quiet, hesitated before stepping forward. He moved toward a streetlamp without a word.Mu-ryeong and Hwan-young watched as he bent down and gently placed the chrysanthemum at the base of the pole.“…Hey.”His voice was quiet, his usual composed tone even softer than before. Turning back toward them, he squinted slightly as if bracing himself.“Do you remember that girl who died in an accident here?”At that moment, a single image flashed through Hwan-young’s mind.The framed family photo in Ye-jun’s house. The girl with short hair, noticeably small in stature. His younger sister.The same sister he had spoken about—how his parents had moved to the countryside, leaving him alone in the city.“You guys said you can see ghosts, right?”Ye-jun’s voice remained light.“So I just wanted to ask… Have you ever seen her?”It sounded like a casual question. Simple. Nonchalant.But Hwan-young could tell exactly what he was feeling.“…I was just curious.”There are things you come to understand whether you want to or not.What it’s like to lose someone precious.How unbearable it is to know you’ll never see them again.And how desperate you become when there’s even the faintest chance of a final meeting.“…Have you seen her?”The whispered question lingered in the air.Hwan-young turned to Mu-ryeong, who finally spoke in his usual gentle, measured voice.“They say when people die, they go to heaven.”His slow-blinking eyes were filled with sincerity.And the voice that followed was calm, kind.“Not all spirits linger in this world. The ones that possessed you… they stayed behind because they had unresolved regrets. But the others—the ones at peace—they pass on right away.”“……”“My job is to help wandering souls find their way to the afterlife… That’s the only way they can truly rest.”Mu-ryeong paused briefly, then squinted slightly as he spoke again, his tone casual, lighthearted.“There’s no one like that around here.”“…I see.”For a split second, disappointment flashed in Ye-jun’s eyes.“…I see.”His voice was calm, subdued. He blinked once, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them again. Then, forcing a small, almost convincing smile, he murmured—“Guess that means she’s in a good place.”He was smiling.But it didn’t feel like a smile.It was the kind of expression that looked as if it would crumble at the slightest touch.Neither Mu-ryeong nor Hwan-young pointed it out. They simply let the silence settle between them.Just then, the pedestrian light turned green.Ye-jun exhaled a slow, thin breath, eyes lingering on the chrysanthemum he had placed by the pole.“…That’s enough.”He whispered as if reassuring himself.Then, lifting his head, he smiled—this time, a real one.“Let’s go.”

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