It started in the interrogation room. Empty. Silent. Soo-jin sat in the chair across the table, palms flat, breathing steady. Until the door creaked open. Carlos stepped in. But he wasn't cuffed. He looked like he did the first time Soo-jin met him—clean suit, soft gaze, like he hadn't killed anyone. Like he was still just a stranger with a smooth voice and pretty lies. "You shouldn't be here," Soo-jin said. But his voice came out breathless. Carlos didn't answer. He just walked around the table—slow, deliberate. His fingers brushed Soo-jin's shoulder as he passed behind him. Soo-jin didn't move. Couldn't. Then Carlos leaned in. "You keep trying to wake up," he whispered into Soo-jin's ear. "But you never want to leave." The lights dimmed. The chair was gone. The table, gone. Soo-jin was standing now, chest to chest with Carlos, close enough to feel every breath. "I'm not like you," Soo-jin whispered. "Then stop trembling," Carlos murmured. "Or lie better." Soo-jin grabbed his collar maybe to push him away. Maybe to pull him closer. It didn't matter. Their mouths collided. It wasn't gentle. It was rough, messy, desperate like years of denial catching fire all at once. Hands in hair. Fingers digging into skin. Their bodies locked, pressed so close no space remained. Soo-jin wanted to hate it. But he didn't. He wanted more. He gasped against Carlos's mouth. "This isn't real." Carlos's lips brushed his jaw, his throat. "Then why does it feel better than the truth?" Soo-jin fell back onto something soft. A bed? A memory? A lie? Carlos followed, mouth still on his skin. "You'll never escape me," he whispered. "Because part of you never wants to." Soo-jin closed his eyes. And let go. He jolted awake, drenched in sweat, the sheets tangled, his heart a hammer in his ribs. For a long moment, he just lay there. Breathing. Remembering. Then, slowly, his hand reached up to his mouth. It still felt warm. And that scared him more than the dream itself. Didn't ask why he requested a private room, no cameras. Didn't ask why he looked like he hadn't slept in days. And when Carlos was led inside, cuffed, still smiling he noticed. Oh, he noticed. "You look different," Carlos said, his voice a purr as the door shut behind them. "Dreamless night?" Soo-jin didn't answer. Just walked to him."Unlock him." The guard hesitated. "That wasn't in protocol..." "I said, unlock him." The keys jangled. The cuffs came off. Carlos flexed his wrists, smirking. "That's more like it." When the door shut and the lock clicked, Soo-jin turned slowly. There was silence. Heavy. Waiting. And then, with a controlled calm that was shaking underneath, he stepped close. "Say it again." Carlos tilted his head. "Say what?" "What you said in the dream." A flicker of surprise real surprise passed through Carlos's eyes. Then he smiled, slow and warm like honey turning to poison. "You'll never escape me… because part of you never wants to." Soo-jin closed the distance. "You're right." Carlos didn't move. Just looked at him carefully, like he was watching something break open. "Why are you here, Soo-jin?" "Because I'm tired of pretending I don't want to be." The confession hung between them like a knife. Carlos's eyes darkened. His voice softened. "Say that again." "I want you." The words came out low. Raw. "I don't trust you. I don't believe you. But I want you." And that was enough. Carlos stepped forward, hand slowly lifting to trace along Soo-jin's jaw. "You're shaking." "I know." "You're afraid this will destroy you." "I know." Carlos leaned in, forehead resting against Soo-jin's. "Then let it." And Soo-jin let his lips meet Carlos's. No struggle this time. No fight. Only surrender.
