Soo-jin stood on the other side of the glass. Arms crossed. Jaw tight. He hadn't planned to come. But sleep hadn't returned after the dream, and his mind kept circling that kiss so vivid it felt real. Carlos sat across from him, cuffed to the chair. Calm. Watching him like he'd been waiting. "Rough night?" he asked, before Soo-jin could speak. Soo-jin's expression didn't flinch. But something in his chest twisted. "Cut the games." Carlos tilted his head. "You look tired. Tossing and turning?" "I said drop it." Carlos leaned forward, eyes narrowing, voice dropping. "Did you dream about me?" Soo-jin's fingers curled into fists. He didn't answer. Carlos smiled slowly, confidently, cruelly. "You did. I could feel it." Soo-jin slammed his hand against the glass. "This isn't a connection, it's a psychosis." Carlos didn't even flinch. "Call it whatever you want, Soo-jin. But your subconscious is more honest than you are." There was silence. Heavy, thick. "You kissed me back." Carlos's voice was almost gentle now. "I didn't force that. Not even in your head." Soo-jin stepped back, like the words physically hit him. "You're sick." "Maybe," Carlos admitted, tilting his head. "But I'm not the only one infected." Soo-jin sat at the long table, surrounded by stiff-backed officers and gray-faced investigators. The fluorescent lights made everything feel sterile, too clean for the kind of dirt they were about to dig up. His superior, Chief Min, tossed a folder on the table. "We need to talk about your connection to Carlos Gonzalez." Soo-jin's spine straightened. "There is no connection. He's a suspect." "Then explain why he impersonated someone from your case history. Why did he use your name when he turned himself in? Why does he only talk to you?" The room was silent. Soo-jin swallowed. "Because he's obsessed. That's what stalkers do." Min leaned forward, voice low."He knew things, Soo-jin. Personal things. Not just your schedule. Not just your address. Emotional things." A pause. "This is bigger than obsession," Soo-jin said nothing in return. Because what could he say? That he was haunted by dreams? That part of him had started listening when Carlos spoke? That he felt real things when he shouldn't? Chief Min's voice cut through the silence. "We're pulling you from the investigation. Effective immediately." "You can't...!" "This is protocol." Her tone softened. Slightly. "You're compromised." The word stung more than it should have. Compromised. Wasn't that exactly what Carlos had said? That he was already inside? Soo-jin sat alone in the dark, watching droplets crawl down the glass like they were trying to escape. He should've felt relief. No more pressure. No more interrogations. No more Carlos. But instead… He missed him. Not in the way a person should miss someone. Not with warmth. With need. With curiosity. With a hollow ache that was beginning to feel too familiar.
