[Several days had passed]
The condo had become quieter than ever.
Neither Taekyun nor Haneul mentioned that day again.
Not a single question.
Not a single explanation.
Only routines.
The same routines repeated every day as if nothing had happened.
As if both of them had silently agreed to avoid the wound neither could touch.
[Midnight]
The bedroom remained dimly lit by the small lamp beside the bed.
Haneul lay beneath the blanket with his eyes closed.
Pretending to be asleep.
Just like every night.
Meanwhile, Taekyun sat beside him.
A bottle of lotion rested in his hand.
Carefully, he finished massaging Haneul's swollen feet.
Then his calves.
Then the stretched skin of his belly.
Slowly and patiently.
The way he always did.
The way he had done every night for months.
When he finished, he placed the bottle back onto the nightstand.
For a moment, he remained seated there.
Silent.
Then his gaze drifted toward the mirror.
His reflection stared back at him.
Tired.
Older.
As if years had passed instead of months.
For several seconds he simply looked at himself.
Then quietly stood.
Walked back to bed.
And lay down.
On his side of the mattress
His back facing Haneul.
A distance no wider than a few inches.
Yet somehow feeling impossible to cross.
The room became silent once more.
Only after several minutes did Haneul slowly open his eyes.
He had never been asleep.
Not really.
Lately, this had become their routine.
Taekyun never asked questions anymore.
Never brought up that day.
Never asked him to stay.
Never asked him to explain.
Instead, he continued living exactly the same.
Taking care of him.
Going to the hospital to see Haru.
Managing work.
Checking on the baby.
Everything continued.
As if nothing had changed.
But Haneul could feel it.
Every second.
The exhaustion.
The pain.
The grief.
The silent screams hidden beneath Taekyun's pheromones.
It felt as though the Alpha was slowly consuming himself from the inside.
And Haneul could do nothing but watch.
Every day felt heavier.
Every day brought him closer to the decision he had already made.
The closer it came,
The harder it became to breathe.
Even thinking about leaving was enough to make his chest ache.
Sometimes it felt as though they were both dying.
Slowly.
Piece by piece.
Every day.
Every hour.
Every minute.
Beside him, Taekyun's breathing gradually deepened.
Lately it happened almost immediately.
The moment he lay beside Haneul, exhaustion dragged him into sleep.
As though his body had finally given up fighting.
Haneul turned his head slightly.
Watching him.
Watching the man who had once seemed so untouchable.
So cold.
So strong.
And yet...
Every night now,
Taekyun cried.
At first Haneul had thought it was only a nightmare.
Then it happened again.
And again.
Small broken sounds escaping in his sleep.
Sometimes tears.
Sometimes trembling hands.
Sometimes desperate searching.
Always reaching for something.
Or someone.
By morning he never remembered any of it.
But Haneul did.
Every single night.
And it terrified him.
Because part of him truly believed his mother had started reaching for Taekyun too.
That somehow she had found another way to hurt him.
But the truth was much simpler.
And much sadder.
Every night Taekyun dreamed the same dream.
A dream where Haneul left.
A dream where Haneul disappeared beyond his reach.
A dream where he kept running.....
And still couldn't save him.
Couldn't hold him.
Couldn't keep him.
A dream where he was left behind again.
Suddenly,
A soft sob escaped Taekyun's lips.
Haneul froze.
Then another.
And another.
His heart immediately shattered.
Beside him, Taekyun remained asleep.
His face turned toward the ceiling.
Tears slipped silently down his cheeks.
His fist clenched tightly around the bedsheet.
His lips trembling.
As though he was trying to hold something together even in his dreams.
Haneul couldn't bear it anymore.
Slowly he pushed himself upright.
His own eyes already burning.
Tears gathering.
Carefully, he moved closer.
Then gently lifted Taekyun's head.
Guiding it onto his lap.
For a second, Taekyun stirred.
Then instinctively moved closer.
Almost desperately.
Burying his face against Haneul's lap.
Both arms wrapping around his waist.
Around the baby.
Holding on.
As though afraid everything would disappear if he let go.
Haneul's breath shook.
His fingers slid into Taekyun's hair.
Slowly combing through the dark strands.
The same way Taekyun always comforted him.
No words were exchanged.
None were needed.
Because Haneul finally understood.
Tonight Taekyun wasn't trapped in a nightmare.
He was crying for real.
Even asleep.
Even unconscious.
The grief remained.
Haneul's own tears fell silently.
Landing in Taekyun's hair.
But he didn't wipe them away.
Didn't stop them.
He simply continued stroking his hair.
Holding him.
The way Taekyun had held him countless times before.
A man stronger than anyone Haneul had ever known.
A man who carried everyone else's pain without complaint.
Now lay in his lap.
Broken.
Lost.
Seeking comfort he could never ask for while awake.
And for the first time in a very long time.....
Haneul wished desperately that morning would never come.