----
Jiwoo woke up a few minutes later.
Not fully.
Not properly.
More like his consciousness floated upward, bumped painfully against his ribs, then decided being awake was a bad idea but continued anyway.
His eyes opened slowly.
The ceiling was still unfamiliar.
White.
Clean.
Too fancy.
His body still hurt.
A lot.
He blinked once.
Then twice.
"Asuka?"
"I am here," Asuka said softly.
That was enough.
Jiwoo relaxed immediately.
Kayden was no longer on his back. At some point, he had rolled onto his side near Jiwoo's pillow, tail twitching faintly like he was still annoyed in his sleep.
Jiwoo smiled faintly at him.
Then his phone buzzed.
Asuka glanced toward it before Jiwoo even tried to move.
"I will get it."
"Thank you."
She picked it up from the side table and held it near his face.
Jiwoo blinked at the screen.
A message.
From Jisuk.
His brows lifted.
"What?"
Kayden's ears twitched.
He opened one eye.
Jiwoo read the message.
Then read it again.
Then looked confused.
"What does it say?" Asuka asked, though she already knew.
Jiwoo frowned.
"Jisuk says… some guys are going to come get us."
Kayden sat up.
His eyes narrowed.
Jiwoo continued, voice becoming more confused by the second.
"And he said I should come see how real awakeners fight."
Silence.
Kayden stared.
Asuka stared in the direction of the phone.
Then Kayden's eye twitched.
"That brat."
Jiwoo looked worried.
"Should we go?"
Kayden opened his mouth.
Probably to say no.
Definitely to say no.
But Asuka had already stood.
"Yes."
Kayden snapped his gaze toward her.
"What?"
Asuka's expression remained calm.
"It will be fine."
"You say that too often."
"It is true often."
"That does not help."
Jiwoo looked between them.
"Asuka?"
She tilted her head toward him.
"Are you curious?"
Jiwoo hesitated.
Then nodded, small and honest.
"A little."
Kayden closed his eyes.
Of course.
Of course Jiwoo was curious.
Of course Asuka would indulge him.
Of course Jisuk Yoo had somehow summoned an injured patient from a treatment room to show off.
This organization was full of idiots.
Unfortunately, Kayden wanted to see too.
Not that he would admit it.
The two Shinhwa members Jisuk had sent arrived shortly after.
They looked slightly uncomfortable about the task.
Which was reasonable.
They had been told to escort a severely injured patient, his calm blindfolded sister, and a fat orange cat named Casein Nitrate to a training room because Jisuk Yoo had decided this was a good idea.
No one involved looked entirely confident in that decision.
Jiwoo was placed in a wheelchair.
Carefully.
Very carefully.
He apologized to the first man for being heavy.
Then to the second for needing help.
Then to the wheelchair when one of the footrests squeaked.
Kayden sat in his lap, expression flat.
"Stop apologizing to furniture," he muttered.
Jiwoo startled slightly, then glanced at the Shinhwa members.
They had not heard.
Asuka walked slightly ahead of them, bandages over her eyes, steps smooth and precise.
To the Shinhwa members, she looked like she was guiding the way despite being unable to see.
To Kayden, she looked like someone who already knew exactly where they were going, what they would find, and how many people would be standing in the room.
Which was probably true.
The training room doors opened.
The first thing Jiwoo saw was Wooin.
On the ground.
Still conscious.
Still braced forward on one knee, one hand against the floor, body covered in shallow cuts and marks from wind pressure.
Jiwoo's eyes widened.
"Wooin!"
Wooin turned his head.
His eyes widened behind his glasses.
Jiwoo.
In a wheelchair.
Bandaged.
Pale.
Unable to walk on his own.
Wooin's expression went utterly still.
Across the room, Jisuk stood with blood on his temple, one hand at his side, wind still curling around him.
He looked over at Jiwoo and clicked his tongue.
"I called you a while ago. How come it took so long?"
Inhyuk's head snapped around.
Jiwoo?
Seongha Park's gaze shifted.
Who is that?
Jiyoung's eyes moved first to Jiwoo.
Then to Asuka.
Then to the cat in Jiwoo's lap.
Kayden stared at the scene with narrowed eyes.
Why did that kid get beat up?
Jiwoo leaned forward as much as his injuries allowed.
"Wooin, what's going on?"
Wooin did not answer.
He only stared.
Jiwoo Seo.
His gaze dropped to the bandages.
The way Jiwoo sat too carefully.
The way his hand trembled slightly on the wheelchair armrest.
He is hurt so badly he cannot even walk on his own?
Something inside Wooin tightened.
Hard.
Sharp.
A memory rose.
Dr. Delein.
Tired.
Dimmer than he had been in the laboratory.
"I was out of my mind," Delein had said, voice quieter than Wooin had ever heard it. "It was too late to control myself."
Wooin had stood there, hands clenched at his sides.
"You know how I lose it from time to time," Delein continued. "I did not realize it. Or perhaps I did not pay attention."
Wooin had said the words then.
Quietly.
"They are my friends."
Delein had gone still.
For once, truly still.
Then his expression had changed.
Not enough to undo anything.
Not enough to fix anything.
But enough to show he had heard.
"I should not have done that to him," Delein had said.
Wooin had not answered.
"He was the first kid I ever saw you call a friend."
The words had hurt more than Wooin expected.
"And the fact that you blocked him from me means you care for him."
Delein had lowered his gaze.
"He did not look like a bad kid."
A pause.
Then, softer—
"Get along."
The memory vanished.
Wooin looked at Jiwoo again.
Then slowly turned back to Jisuk.
His eyes darkened.
"Jisuk Yoo."
Jisuk blinked.
"What's wrong with this bastard all of a sudden?"
Wooin's energy rose.
Invisible pressure flooded outward, thick enough that even the air seemed to bend around him.
Inhyuk stiffened.
Seongha's eyes sharpened.
Wooin attacked.
Telekinetic force slammed toward Jisuk.
Jisuk crossed his arms with wind, but the impact still drove him back and made him grit his teeth.
"Tch. This asshole."
Seongha watched in silence, thoughts moving quickly.
There were only a handful of teenagers in the country known to stand near Jisuk's level.
And yet Wooin was holding his own.
How had Dr. Delein managed to train someone this powerful without anyone knowing?
Jiwoo stared, concern pulling at his face.
"Wooin…"
Jisuk wiped at the blood near his temple and laughed once, sharp and breathless.
"Another annoying fellow."
Wind gathered around him again.
"Where'd you come from? I'm surprised no one knew you existed until now."
Wooin did not speak.
Jisuk's grin widened.
"Alright then. Let's get this over with."
He unleashed a powerful wind attack.
Wooin raised his hand.
Telekinesis slammed forward.
Wind and invisible force collided in the center of the room.
The impact burst outward in a violent current of debris and pressure.
Inhyuk lifted an arm to shield his eyes.
Seongha did the same.
Jiwoo instinctively brought his sleeve up to cover his face, wincing as the movement pulled at his ribs.
Kayden's ears flapped in the wind.
His face went utterly blank.
Asuka stepped forward.
Just slightly.
Enough.
Her Infinity wanted to activate.
Wanted to refuse the wind, refuse the dust, refuse everything that could touch Jiwoo.
She held it back.
Carefully.
The wrong kind of defense would be too obvious.
So instead, she placed herself in front of Jiwoo's wheelchair, letting her body absorb most of the current while subtly redirecting what remained.
Lessening the burden.
Not eliminating it.
Jiwoo noticed anyway.
"Asuka…"
Then another shield formed.
Wind.
Clean, controlled, elegant.
Jiyoung had stepped in front of them as well, one hand slightly raised, creating a clear barrier of air that parted the debris around Jiwoo and Asuka.
Asuka turned her bandaged face toward her.
Jiyoung glanced back.
For one brief second, their gazes met.
Or seemed to.
Jiyoung felt, again, that strange sensation of being seen through the bandages.
Then Asuka inclined her head slightly.
A quiet acknowledgment.
Jiyoung looked back to the fight.
Jiwoo stared at the wind shield.
"Wow…"
Kayden's eyes sharpened.
Oh?
That was impressive.
Simple, but refined.
Jiyoung Yoo's control was clean.
Far cleaner than Jisuk's.
Inhyuk and Seongha both looked toward the center of the room as the debris settled.
The floor had cracked.
The walls bore fresh marks.
The air still trembled with the remnants of both attacks.
It was hard to believe these were teenage awakened ones fighting.
Inhyuk's expression grew serious.
This Wooin kid was very impressive.
Kayden, meanwhile, smirked faintly.
These little youngsters are really going at it.
But the cracks in the room spread just a little farther.
The energy pressure was rising too much.
Inhyuk saw it.
If they continued like this, both would be seriously injured.
He called out sharply.
"Hey, Seongha Park!"
Seongha did not even look surprised.
"I got it."
They moved at the same time.
Inhyuk vanished from his spot and appeared beside Jisuk.
Seongha appeared beside Wooin.
Their two attacks were already forming.
Wind and ice surged.
Inhyuk and Seongha intercepted both, force clashing and dispersing through the room in a controlled burst.
Kayden stared deadpan.
"Tsk."
Asuka looked down at him.
He muttered, "Way to kill the mood. It was just getting exciting."
Jiwoo blinked.
Jisuk rounded on Inhyuk.
"Inhyuk! Why are you interfering?"
Inhyuk stood between him and Wooin, expression firm.
"Jisuk Yoo. That's enough."
"What do you mean, enough?" Jisuk snapped. "I've only just started!"
"That's enough, Jisuk."
Jisuk froze.
Jiyoung's voice was calm.
Deadly calm.
He turned his head.
"Sis!"
Jiyoung looked at him steadily.
"But if you want to keep going…"
Jisuk's expression stiffened.
"You can go against me."
Jisuk looked away immediately.
"Ah… well…"
His voice lost about ninety percent of its force.
"That isn't necessary…"
Seongha turned toward Wooin.
"Same goes for you, Wooin."
Wooin's eyes remained fixed on Jisuk.
"I want to keep fighting."
Seongha blinked.
"What?"
Jisuk heard him and pointed immediately.
"Did you hear that, sis? The kid doesn't want to stop either!"
His grin returned faintly.
"I think I kind of like that fucker."
Inhyuk sighed.
I really can't reason with him.
Then his gaze shifted to Wooin.
"Wooin."
Wooin did not look at him.
"Why do you want to fight Jisuk this badly?"
Wooin said nothing.
His eyes moved.
To Jiwoo.
Everyone noticed.
Jiwoo tilted his head.
"Er?"
Inhyuk followed the gaze.
Then narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Why are you looking at Jiwoo instead of answering?"
Wooin still said nothing.
Inhyuk's expression changed.
"Are you perhaps fighting with Jisuk because of Jiwoo?"
Silence.
Jisuk blinked.
Then his eyes widened slightly.
"You're right. Now that I think about it, the jerk asked me about Jiwoo."
He pointed at Wooin.
"He asked me if I was the reason Jiwoo was in the hospital."
Inhyuk slowly looked back at Wooin.
"Could it be because Jisuk… injured Jiwoo?"
Wooin did not answer.
Jiwoo, however, perked up.
His face brightened.
"Are you serious?!"
Wooin looked away.
Jisuk stared at him.
"Hey, are you for real? Did you attack me because of what I did to Jiwoo?"
Wooin's voice was sharp.
"Why do you care? Are you saying it wasn't your doing?"
Jisuk paused.
"No… not really…"
Wooin's eyes darkened.
"This isn't the first time either."
Jisuk frowned.
"Huh? What do you mean it isn't the first time?"
Wooin's hands clenched.
"You and your friends have been bullying Jiwoo at school for a while now."
Silence.
Jisuk went still.
Then sweat-dropped.
What?!
Inhyuk turned his head slowly toward him.
Jiyoung did too.
Both gazes landed like execution blades.
Jisuk sweated harder.
He scratched the back of his head.
"Wow…"
His voice turned deeply uncomfortable.
"Shit. I'm going crazy."
Inhyuk's expression flattened.
"Jisuk."
"I mean, this is awkward." Jisuk grimaced. "There's some truth to what this jerk is saying."
Inhyuk stepped closer.
"What do you mean? Did you really bully him?"
Jisuk opened his mouth.
Before he could answer, Jiwoo spoke.
"Jisuk didn't do anything to me."
Everyone turned.
Jiwoo looked at Wooin, expression gentle.
"Wooin. Even though I got injured fighting Jisuk, I was the one who wanted to fight him in the first place."
Wooin stared at him.
Shocked.
Jisuk pointed immediately, outrage and relief exploding across his face.
"Did you hear that, you idiot? Hell yeah! Finally, the truth!"
Then he saw Jiyoung still staring at him.
Deadpan.
His hand lowered instantly.
"Uh."
Inhyuk closed his eyes.
"Now that I think about it…"
He turned toward Jiwoo.
"Why are Jiwoo and Asuka here?"
Jiwoo blinked.
"Oh. Jisuk called me."
Inhyuk slowly looked at Jisuk.
"He told me some guys were going to come get me," Jiwoo explained.
Inhyuk's expression darkened.
Jisuk lifted his chin, arrogant again now that he had found safer ground.
"I wanted to show him in person how powerful my awakened ability really is."
Inhyuk stared.
Jisuk continued, "It was pure luck that he managed to hit me. Not because of his ability."
Inhyuk's face went dead.
This reckless kid.
He brought an injured patient here to gloat about his abilities.
Asuka found it amusing, despite everything.
Because Jisuk was not entirely wrong.
It had been luck.
Not luck alone.
Jiwoo's timing, training, will, and force control had mattered.
But that single instant—
touching time through her force control and Kayden's electricity—
had been something even Jiwoo could not reproduce yet.
So yes.
It had been luck.
A miraculous kind.
A dangerous kind.
A very Jiwoo kind.
The fighting ended.
Eventually.
Mostly because Jiyoung was present, and even Jisuk had survival instincts where his sister was concerned.
All three of them were taken to medical rooms.
Jisuk.
Wooin.
Jiwoo.
Jisuk sat on one bed, cross-legged, arms crossed, expression deeply annoyed.
Wooin sat upright on another, hands placed at the center of his cross-legged, expression cold and closed.
Jiwoo lay in his bed again, unable to move much but smiling happily like this was the best possible outcome.
Asuka sat in a chair between Jiwoo's and Wooin's beds, Kayden settled in her lap.
Kayden looked deeply unimpressed by the entire arrangement.
Jisuk clicked his tongue.
"Why am I here? I'm totally fine."
Wooin said, just as flatly, "I also find this unnecessary."
Inhyuk stood near the door, arms crossed.
"Jisuk, stay here for a while. We'll monitor your health while you're here."
Jisuk scowled.
Seongha looked at Wooin.
"Same goes for you, Wooin."
Wooin looked away.
Neither boy seemed happy.
Jiwoo, however, smiled from his bed.
That's great.
Now I won't get bored.
Kayden stared at him.
Asuka stared too.
Jisuk noticed.
"What are you smiling about?"
Jiwoo's smile widened faintly.
"We're all here."
Jisuk blinked.
Wooin went still.
Kayden closed his eyes.
Asuka's expression softened helplessly.
Of course.
Of course that was what Jiwoo thought.
Not that two people had just fought over him.
Not that he had been dragged in a wheelchair across Shinhwa because Jisuk wanted to show off.
Not that the room now contained Shinhwa, Union, and a hidden Kayden Break pretending to be Casein Nitrate.
No.
Jiwoo was happy he would not be lonely.
Jisuk stared at him for three full seconds.
Then looked away.
"Idiot."
Wooin lowered his gaze.
But the tightness in his shoulders eased just a little.
Asuka's hand rested gently over Kayden's back.
Kayden muttered under his breath, low enough only she could hear.
"Troublesome."
Asuka's mouth curved.
"Yes."
Jiwoo smiled at all of them.
Bruised.
Bandaged.
Half-unable to move.
Still somehow radiant.
And in that medical room, under the irritated silence of two injured teenage awakeners and one furious cat, something strangely warm began to settle.
Not friendship yet.
Not fully.
But the beginning of something.
And, as usual, it was Jiwoo Seo's fault.
The medical room stayed peaceful for exactly eight minutes.
That was longer than Kayden expected.
Shorter than Jiwoo hoped.
And about what Asuka predicted.
At first, things were quiet.
Jisuk sat cross-legged on his bed with his arms folded, looking like being monitored for his health was the greatest insult Shinhwa had ever committed against him.
Wooin sat on another bed, posture neat, gaze lowered, hands resting between his legs.
Jiwoo lay in his own bed with bandages wrapped around too many places, smiling like this was a sleepover instead of the aftermath of two separate awakened fights.
Asuka sat at the edge of Jiwoo's bed, one hand near his blanket in case he decided to do something foolish like breathe too excitedly.
Kayden sat on the other side of Jiwoo.
Eating.
Strategically.
The treats Inhyuk had brought were, unfortunately, good.
Kayden hated that.
Jiwoo looked toward the small pile of items Inhyuk had also left behind.
There were a few board games.
Some cards.
A small stack of puzzle books.
Probably for patient boredom.
Jiwoo's eyes brightened.
"Do you guys want to play a game?"
Jisuk looked at him like he had spoken another language.
"What?"
Jiwoo smiled.
"There are cards. We can play to pass the time."
Wooin looked up.
"If Jiwoo wants to play, I will."
Jiwoo's smile brightened immediately.
"Really?"
Wooin nodded.
Jisuk's eye twitched.
The automatic agreement annoyed him for reasons he did not care to examine.
He looked away.
"Tch. Fine."
Jiwoo blinked.
"You'll play too?"
"I said fine, didn't I?"
Jiwoo looked delighted.
Asuka watched the entire exchange with quiet amusement.
Kayden chewed slowly.
This was going to end badly.
Obviously.
It began normally.
Jiwoo sat propped carefully against the wall with pillows supporting his ribs.
Asuka sat at the edge of the bed, cards held neatly in one hand, her bandaged eyes facing forward as though she could see every card perfectly.
Which, of course, she could.
Kayden sat near Jiwoo's side, technically not playing.
He claimed he was observing strategy.
Jiwoo believed him.
No one else did.
Jisuk and Wooin sat across from one another on Jiwoo's bed.
That had been Jiwoo's suggestion because he could not move enough to sit in a circle.
Jisuk complained.
Wooin agreed silently.
Then Jisuk agreed too because he refused to be the only one making Jiwoo look disappointed.
The first round went fine.
Mostly.
The second round was tense.
The third round became war.
"You bastard…"
Jisuk's hand hovered over a face-down card on the blanket.
His teeth were clenched.
"I just dropped that card by mistake. I'll put a new card down. What's wrong with that?"
Wooin's fingers pressed down over the card, holding it in place.
"Mistake?"
His voice was flat.
"If I let it pass, you will use that as an excuse for every bad play you make."
Jisuk's eyebrow twitched.
"That's nonsense! I'm just asking for it this once!"
Wooin did not move his hand.
"Judging by the way you play, it will not just be a one-time thing."
"What?!"
Jiwoo lifted his cards higher until they covered half his face.
"Haha…"
His nervous laugh did absolutely nothing.
Jisuk leaned forward.
Wooin leaned forward too.
The air between them grew heavy.
Wind curled faintly around Jisuk's shoulders.
Invisible pressure pressed down around Wooin's hand.
The card beneath his fingers began to tremble.
Kayden looked at them.
Then at the card.
Then back at them.
His face said this was deeply stupid.
Asuka, however, was watching with a softness that did not fully belong to the room.
For a moment, the medical bed beneath her became a classroom floor.
The smell of antiseptic became old wood and dust.
Jisuk's sharp voice became Nobara's indignant shout.
Wooin's flat refusal became Megumi's deadpan commentary.
Jiwoo's nervous laughter became Yuji's bright, panicked attempts to keep peace while somehow making things worse.
Haruka had sat to the side then too.
Watching.
Pretending she was above it.
Not above it at all.
Nobara and Yuji had fought over some ridiculous rule.
Megumi had offered absolutely nothing helpful.
Which, naturally, meant Nobara had turned on him next.
Satoru had wandered in later, stolen snacks, and declared himself the winner of a game he had not played.
Haruka had thrown a card at his face.
He had let it stop against Infinity just to be annoying.
The memory was warm.
And bitter.
A sweetness that ached because the people inside it were gone, or far away, or buried under a life Asuka no longer lived.
Her fingers stilled around her cards.
Then she breathed out softly.
No.
She was Asuka Seo now.
Not Haruka.
Not there.
Here.
With Jiwoo smiling behind his cards.
With Kayden pretending to be a cat and failing at dignity.
With Jisuk and Wooin leaking awakened energy over a card game like absolute idiots.
Her mouth curved faintly.
Some things, apparently, followed her across lives.
The pressure in the room rose.
Jisuk's wind flickered stronger.
Wooin's telekinesis pressed harder.
Jiwoo's eyes widened.
"Um…"
Kayden continued munching.
The door opened.
Inhyuk entered with Seongha behind him.
He stopped.
The room froze.
Jisuk's hand hovered over the card.
Wooin's fingers pinned it down.
Jiwoo still held his cards up like a shield.
Asuka sat serenely at the edge of the bed.
Kayden chewed.
Inhyuk stared.
His expression darkened with every passing second.
He had been in the middle of speaking with Jiyoung and Seongha when someone called to report that Wooin and Jisuk were causing trouble again.
He had expected arguing.
Possibly an insult.
Maybe a shove.
He had not expected this.
"Are you telling me…"
Everyone looked at him.
Inhyuk crossed his arms.
"That you're fighting over a game of cards?"
Jisuk stiffened.
"I-Inhyuk?"
Inhyuk's eyes narrowed.
"Jisuk. You are bringing out your power for something this trivial?"
Jisuk immediately pointed at Wooin.
"This bastard is pissing me off!"
Inhyuk's expression became dangerously calm.
"Yeah?"
Jisuk froze.
"So since you are pissing me off," Inhyuk asked, "should I flex my muscles too?"
Jisuk looked away instantly.
"…"
Seongha turned to Wooin.
"Wooin."
Wooin did not look up.
"You keep complicating things for yourself."
Wooin remained silent.
Jiwoo immediately lowered his cards.
"I'm sorry."
Everyone looked at him.
Jiwoo smiled awkwardly.
"I begged them to play when they didn't want to."
Inhyuk's face softened immediately.
"How is this your fault, Jiwoo?"
Jisuk's eye twitched at the difference in tone.
Inhyuk continued, "You only wanted to play a game of cards. The ones to blame are those who got angry over a petty game."
Jisuk muttered, "It wasn't petty."
Wooin said, "He tried to cheat."
"I dropped it!"
"Conveniently."
"Say that again."
"I can repeat it slowly."
Wind stirred.
Telekinesis pressed.
Inhyuk inhaled.
Jisuk and Wooin both went still.
Kayden watched while munching another treat.
Hmm.
Why did he keep interrupting?
If he let them fight it out, they would learn eventually.
These amateurs.
Asuka tilted her head slightly, amused.
Kayden's teaching philosophy continued to be deeply concerning.
Then Inhyuk's gaze lowered.
To Kayden.
Everything changed.
His stern expression melted.
He bent down slightly, voice shifting into something dangerously close to a cat voice.
"Thank goodness Casein Nitrate isn't too bothered by all of this."
Kayden froze.
Treat halfway in his mouth.
Jiwoo blinked.
"Yeah…"
Asuka's shoulders shook once.
Jisuk stared at Inhyuk.
Then at Kayden.
Then said, "Inhyuk, that cat seems to eat way too much."
Silence.
The temperature changed.
Inhyuk slowly turned his head.
"What?"
Jisuk frowned.
"Do cats usually eat a lot?"
Inhyuk's aura darkened.
"Jisuk Yoo."
Jisuk blinked.
"What?"
"Say that again."
Jisuk looked genuinely confused.
"Huh? What?"
Inhyuk crossed the room in two strides and grabbed Jisuk by the collar.
Jisuk's eyes widened.
Inhyuk leaned in, glaring.
"I dare you to say it again."
Jisuk sweat-dropped.
"What did I say…?"
Inhyuk's grip tightened.
Jisuk, still deeply unaware of the danger, repeated, "That the cat eats way too much?"
Inhyuk's glare intensified.
"Yeah, you jerk."
Jisuk stiffened.
"Are cats not allowed to have big appetites?"
Jisuk stared at him.
"I never said they weren't allowed…"
His voice became smaller.
"It just seems weird."
Inhyuk's expression sharpened.
"He would not eat more than you. And so what if he does?"
Jisuk looked increasingly frightened.
"You eat a ton as well. Jisuk Yoo. Watch what you say."
Jisuk sweat-dropped harder under the force of Inhyuk's cat-protective aura.
"…Okay."
Inhyuk released his shirt.
The room remained silent.
Seongha stared.
Wooin stared.
Jiwoo stared.
Jisuk sat frozen, collar rumpled, expression saying he had just discovered a new and terrifying side of Inhyuk Gu.
Kayden stared too.
Because somehow, in all of that, he had been defended.
Passionately.
As a cat.
Against accusations of overeating.
His soul was tired.
Asuka, on the other hand, was having the time of her life.
She covered her mouth with her cards.
Not well enough.
Kayden glared at her.
She did not stop smiling.
Then Inhyuk reached into his inner coat.
Everyone tensed for one ridiculous second.
Then he pulled out more cat treats.
His entire demeanor shifted.
Dark protective aura gone.
Replaced by bright, bubbly devotion.
"Here, here."
He knelt slightly and held it out with both hands like an offering to a sacred creature.
"I brought you this too. Try it out."
Kayden stared.
Inhyuk smiled.
Graciously.
Expectantly.
Lovingly.
Casein Nitrate, apparently, had become a religious experience.
Jisuk whispered, "What the hell…"
Wooin said nothing, but his eyes clearly agreed.
Seongha looked like he had gained several new questions about Shinhwa.
Jiwoo smiled nervously.
"That's… very nice of you, Mr. Inhyuk."
Asuka lowered her head.
Her shoulders trembled.
Kayden's face went blank.
Absolutely blank.
Because if he refused, Inhyuk would continue hovering.
If he accepted, his dignity would suffer another fatal blow.
A true strategic dilemma.
Kayden looked at the treat.
Then at Inhyuk's glowing face.
Then at Asuka.
She looked innocent.
Too innocent.
Kayden's eyes narrowed.
Do not enjoy this.
Asuka's smile said she absolutely was.
Finally, Kayden leaned forward and took the treat from Inhyuk's hand.
Slowly.
With the air of a king accepting tribute from a mildly unsettling subject.
Inhyuk's face lit up.
"He took it."
Kayden chewed.
Grimly.
Inhyuk looked near tears.
"He took it…"
Jisuk stared at him.
"Inhyuk, are you okay?"
Inhyuk ignored him completely.
Kayden swallowed.
It was good.
Damn it.
Asuka's smile grew.
Kayden turned away.
Jiwoo, unable to help himself, looked delighted.
"I think he likes it."
Kayden's head snapped toward him.
Jiwoo immediately hid behind his cards again.
Inhyuk pressed a hand to his chest.
"I'm so glad."
Jisuk muttered, "This is insane."
Wooin, still holding the disputed card under his fingers, said quietly, "Are we continuing?"
Jisuk's head whipped toward him.
"You still haven't let go of that card?"
"It is evidence."
"Evidence of what?!"
"Your poor sportsmanship."
Jisuk's wind stirred.
Wooin's telekinesis stirred.
Inhyuk turned his head slowly.
Both boys froze.
Kayden chewed the last bit of treat and thought, for the first time in perhaps his entire life, that maybe Inhyuk's interruptions had some limited use.
Asuka placed one card down neatly.
"I believe it is my turn."
Everyone looked at the card.
Jiwoo blinked.
Then smiled.
"Oh. Asuka wins."
Silence.
Jisuk stared at the pile.
Wooin stared too.
Inhyuk blinked.
Seongha's brows lifted faintly.
Asuka folded her remaining cards.
"Thank you for the game."
Jisuk's mouth opened.
Closed.
Opened again.
"You were playing?"
"Yes."
Wooin adjusted his glasses.
"You did not say anything."
"I did not need to."
Jiwoo's smile brightened.
"Asuka is really good at games."
Kayden snorted as if saying, She cheats with observation.
Asuka glance back, I do not cheat.
You see everything, Kayden huff.
That is observation, Asuka shrugged.
Kayden meow, That is cheating.
Asuka tilted her head.
"Then everyone with eyes cheats."
Jiwoo made a small sound and immediately clutched his ribs.
"Ow…"
Asuka's hand went to his shoulder at once.
"Do not laugh."
"I'm trying."
Jisuk slowly looked from Asuka to the cards.
Then to Wooin.
Then to Inhyuk, who was still kneeling near Kayden with another treat ready.
Then to Jiwoo, who looked happy despite being bandaged like a mummy.
He dragged a hand down his face.
"What kind of room is this?"
Wooin looked at the card under his fingers.
Then finally released it.
"A strange one."
Kayden settled back beside Jiwoo with the exhausted dignity of a man who had been renamed, fed, defended, and humiliated by people far beneath his rank.
Asuka watched them all.
The bickering.
The awkward silence.
The strange warmth.
The way Wooin stayed even though he could have withdrawn.
The way Jisuk complained but did not leave.
The way Jiwoo looked at them like this was already something precious.
Her mouth softened.
Maybe it was.
Maybe this was how it began.
Not with grand promises.
Not with declarations.
But with cards.
Bruised pride.
Cat treats.
And three boys too stubborn to admit they were already becoming friends.
Kayden opened one eye.
Stop looking fond.
Asuka looked down at him.
I am fond.
Kayden huff, Do it less visibly.
No, Asuka immediately denied.
Jiwoo smiled.
Jisuk groaned.
Wooin quietly picked up his next card.
Inhyuk held out another treat.
And Casein Nitrate, famed destroyer of dignity, accepted it only because refusing would be tactically inefficient.
----