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Chapter 3 – The Wrong Room
Yeon-woo wasn’t used to drinking. One strong glass and the world tilted. His fox instincts screamed that if he blacked out and his ears popped out, it would be over — a total disaster.
So he slipped away from the noisy banquet hall, down a quiet, dim hallway where the private rooms were. Somewhere down there was a restroom.
He staggered along, passing a few closed doors until finally spotting a small sign at the end.
“Restroom… there,” he mumbled, pushing the door open with relief.
But the room wasn’t empty.
Someone was sitting inside — a man — fully dressed, on what looked like a toilet but strangely shaped like a small white sofa.
For one long second, Yeon-woo just stared, his drunken brain too slow to process what he was seeing. Then panic hit.
“O-oh! I’m sorry!” he cried, trying to turn — but his legs gave out, and he fell flat to the floor.
He lay there for a moment, dizzy, staring at the ceiling. When he blinked, he felt someone’s gaze on him. The stranger was silently watching, eyes sharp and cold.
“Why does he look so familiar…” Yeon-woo murmured, rubbing his eyes.
“Get out,” the man said flatly.
That voice — clipped, emotionless — made Yeon-woo flinch. “Ah, yeah, sorry! I thought this was the restroom!” he said quickly, trying to get up. But his legs refused to listen, and he ended up crawling, half-laughing, half-embarrassed.
By the time he managed to stand, he’d already decided the room was a weird kind of restroom. He even found himself mumbling about how hard it must be to wash those curtains.
But then, curiosity struck.
“Wait a second… who was that guy?”
When he turned, the man was still there, head bowed, hands tight on his knees. As Yeon-woo approached, the stranger lifted his gaze — and their eyes met.
“Have we met before?” Yeon-woo asked, leaning closer.
He wasn’t flirting. Not really. Just drunk and confused. But the question, paired with his soft smile, made the air tighten instantly.
The man stiffened, jaw clenching. His ears turned red, his hands pale. It was clear he was struggling — though with what, Yeon-woo didn’t understand.
Then, all at once, recognition flickered in Yeon-woo’s mind. He had seen that face before.
“Oh! You’re… Sun In-hyuk, right? The actor?”
The man’s eyes widened — not in pride, but in something closer to panic. His breathing quickened, and Yeon-woo noticed sweat glistening at his temple.
“Are you okay?” he asked gently, stepping closer. “You look really pale.”
But when he touched the man’s shoulder, In-hyuk’s entire body went rigid. His heart pounded. Heat flooded through him, sharp and disorienting. For years, his body had been frozen — unresponsive, detached. He had accepted that part of himself. Until now.
Yeon-woo thought he was just drunk. “Hey, it’s okay. People overdo it sometimes,” he said kindly. “You’ll feel better in a bit.”
But In-hyuk didn’t answer. His mind was chaos — fear, confusion, and an unexplainable, overwhelming pulse of emotion he couldn’t stop. When Yeon-woo tried to step back, his hand shot out, gripping Yeon-woo’s wrist hard.
“Who are you?” His voice trembled, both angry and desperate.
Yeon-woo blinked in surprise. “I just… came in by mistake. I swear!” he said softly, trying to calm him.
He didn’t realize that every word, every breath, was making things worse. In-hyuk could feel his control slipping, a storm rising inside that had never existed before.
Yeon-woo, thinking the man might be sick, crouched in front of him. “You really don’t look good,” he murmured.
That gentle concern — that nearness — shattered what little restraint In-hyuk had left. He turned away, trembling, unable to look at him.
To Yeon-woo, it just looked like embarrassment. “It’s fine,” he said again, smiling awkwardly. “People make mistakes when they drink. I’ve seen plenty — I used to work cleaning at hotels.”
He had no idea what kind of “mistake” was actually happening.
Because for Sun In-hyuk — a man known for his calm, his self-control, his disinterest in any kind of desire — this was the first time in his life he’d felt anything like this.
And the fact that it was happening now, here, in front of a half-drunk stranger who thought he’d walked into a restroom…
That was terrifying.
