By Zephyria 
Eun-myeong tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.
…This was all because of that man. Because he was lying there spread-eagled on the floor without even a blanket. It kept nagging at Eun-myeong’s heart, like a pebble stuck in a shoe.
And he had to be that big. Just one person lying down, yet the prison cell felt completely full. No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, he simply couldn’t.
Someone might call it an utterly absurd worry, but…
He was worried that the large man might catch a cold.
Eun-myeong slipped out of bed like a stray cat, clutching a blanket tightly in his hands.
“…….”
He held his breath. Then, he draped the blanket over the man’s body.
He had intended to just give him the blanket and quickly return to his spot—really, just that. But he found himself captivated by the man’s face. Why did the faint shadows of dawn settling on the bridge of the man’s nose look so profound…?
“…….”
For a long time.
Eun-myeong stared at him for a very long time. It was pouring rain outside, but Eun-myeong was so absorbed that he didn’t even notice.
Then, the man frowned sharply and shifted his shoulders. Startled by the back muscles flexing with such violence, Eun-myeong scrambled back to his bed.
Thump, thump….
His heart raced wildly. Feeling the heat in his chest, he sensed the man pushing himself up behind him.
In an instant, the man’s torso, as thick as a tire, came to a halt. The sound of the blanket sliding off and hitting the floor brushed against his ears. He felt a piercing gaze boring into the back of his head.
It felt as if his skull were being drilled through. The silence that followed felt like an eternity.
The man approached and kissed the side of Eun-myeong’s head. He covered Eun-myeong with the blanket. Eun-myeong gripped a handful of the fabric, his hands trembling. Beyond the window, the weather outside was utterly fierce.
“I’ll be going to Seoul soon.”
Going to Seoul again? Eun-myeong’s heart sank. He pressed his tongue hard against the roof of his mouth. He bit down so hard with his front teeth that his jaw trembled.
Of course.
What kind of reckless expectation had I been harboring again? Even after telling himself to push him away, a corner of his heart was begging once more. He felt truly disgusted with himself.
A sharp spike of resentment, like a needle, rose toward the man. Why did he shake him up like this if he was just going to leave? If he did that, wouldn’t Eun-myeong just keep slipping toward him, like sand in an hourglass?
The resentment, growing like a cavity, expanded. Eventually, it felt as if it were staining the inside of Eun-myeong’s mouth pitch black.
The chaotic sound of the wind felt like a gale piercing through his heart. Eun-myeong wished that time would stop, but.
Cruelly, tick-tock, time raced forward.
Finally, at the break of dawn, the man slid out of bed and finished preparing to leave. He washed his face and brushed his teeth, bending deeply over the filthy sink.
Even then, Eun-myeong remained cowardly, hiding under the blanket.
Behind him, the iron door clanged open. Eun-myeong secretly turned his head to watch the departing figure. He intentionally held his breath, just to hear the sound of the man’s footsteps receding.
Eventually, the presence felt far away.
Only then did Eun-myeong spring up from the bed. He clung to the iron bars, watching the man walk away.
“…….”
At the end of the hallway—now at the very edge—the man was visible. Eun-myeong tried to lean his head out as far as possible to hold onto that last fragment of sight for a moment longer, but it was useless.
Eun-myeong opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again.
He didn’t know what he had wanted to say to the departing man.
Did I want to grab onto his legs and cling to him?
Or perhaps.
Since he was going to leave him again anyway, and since it would be a very long journey, did he want to tell him to be careful of the cars, or to take care of himself so he wouldn’t slip on the rainy roads?
He didn’t know.
“…….”
The important thing was that he was left alone again.
When the man was by his side, he had been so anxious to push him away. Now, what was this beggar-like heart that kept pleading for his affection?
And once left alone, would he end up waiting for the man again? Then what on earth had changed from before?
A day like any other without the man. Eun-myeong kept himself busy as if shaking off his emotions. He rummaged through the things the man had brought him a few days ago. He studied his workbooks diligently, tried weaving a cast net for no reason, and spent his time expensively.
Then, he heard the sound of footsteps. Eun-myeong’s ears pricked up. Reflexively, he whipped his head around.
“…Ah.”
He was a complete liar. To react this quickly, and yet he claimed he wasn’t waiting.
Even though there was no one around to see, Eun-myeong felt awkward and made an excuse to himself.
“It’s just that I heard a sound….”
He muttered like a fool, scratching his cheek. He hoped the man wouldn’t see his flushed face.
But then, something was strange. There were multiple sets of footsteps approaching, and above all, he couldn’t smell the man’s scent.
It was a pheromone that was impossible to mistake. It was so thick, erotic, and rough that just smelling it made his knees tingle. How could Eun-myeong forget such a scent?
His heart sank. Thump, thump, a small heart beat inside his wrist.
The footsteps might not even be coming toward him. Why? Why did a sudden feeling of dread wash over him? Without realizing it, Eun-myeong’s hand trembled.
“Ugh.”
A stinging sensation flared, and he looked down at his hand. He had been pricked by a thorn from the cast net. A small, bright red bead of blood formed.
Then, silhouettes appeared beyond the iron bars. As expected, it wasn’t the man. They were two people dressed in uniforms.
“Why, why….”
Eun-myeong looked up at the two men who stepped inside ruthlessly with their shoes on. And the words that followed were completely unexpected.
“You’re being transferred to another facility.”
“Transferred? I haven’t heard anything about that….”
Eun-myeong blinked in confusion. However, they urged him to hurry, saying they didn’t have much time.
Did the man know about this?
“Um, excuse me, doing this so suddenly…. Couldn’t I call a lawyer?”
The lawyer was someone Eun-myeong felt uncomfortable with. If it weren’t for the prison cell, he probably would have had no reason to be entangled with him for the rest of his life.
Simply, Eun-myeong just wanted to use that as a way to contact the man.
“Do you think a prison is some kind of joke? If you live with all these perks, what kind of prison is this? It’s not a kindergarten.”
A sharp kick landed on his knee. It hurt so much that tears welled up. Eun-myeong’s arms were bound, and he was dragged out. Like a dog being led away by a collar, he was dragged.
The two men were very large and had long strides, so Eun-myeong had to practically run, taking small, quick steps to keep up.
The sunlight, felt for the first time in a long while, stung his eyes. The air rushing into his nostrils felt incredibly unfamiliar. Yet, with teary eyes, Eun-myeong kept scanning his surroundings. He didn’t even have the luxury of reflecting on the fact that he was outside for the first time in ages.
‘Why?’
Why was this happening? He felt that something was terribly wrong.
“Load him up, now.”
Eun-myeong was forced into the backseat of the police car. They crammed his body in like a piece of luggage. Then, with a click, they handcuffed him to the handle attached to the upper window.
The other end of the handcuffs was fastened to Eun-myeong’s wrist, pulling painfully and causing a stinging sensation.
Then the car sped along the rainy road. Boom, boom, lightning struck. The rain opened its maw like a monster and swallowed Eun-myeong whole.
Where on earth were they going?
Eun-myeong’s nose twitched with sadness. Because he had no idea what was happening, his fear doubled. It swelled up, filling his stomach tightly.
Was he parting with the man again? If he had known, he would have looked into the man’s eyes one more time. He would have listened to his voice once more, or smelled the scent on his jacket one more time.
Regret surged within him.
Just as he couldn’t hold back the dam breaking inside and his eyes were about to grow damp.
“…….”
From afar, a loud honk echoed. Startled by the massive blast of the horn that seemed to devour his eardrums, Eun-myeong whipped his head around.
A yellow light pierced through the rain-streaked car window. It felt as if his vision were fading. Eun-myeong frowned deeply.
Then, screeeech, the police car slid long and hard across the slippery rainy road.
K-boom! The sound of hitting something made Eun-myeong’s head ring painfully.