Jin blinked awake—disoriented.
The sun had barely risen. Pale light filtered through the curtains.
He sat up slowly, rubbing his face. His dream from last night still lingered like smoke in his mind—the snow, the voice, Ming Ji's hidden face… and now that strange warmth in his chest wouldn't go away.
His stomach growled softly.
"Fine," he muttered to himself. "One snack. Then back to sleep."
He got up quietly—barefoot—and made his way down the dim hallway toward the kitchen.
—
*Elsewhere.*
In a high-rise apartment cloaked in shadows even at dawn—
Ming Ji sat on a black leather sofa, legs stretched out and phone glowing in one hand.
The screen showed breaking news:
> **"Unconfirmed attack: Man found severely injured inside home last night... witnesses claim a 'shadow beast' attacked him without warning..."**
Footage played—a shattered window.
Blood on walls.
And faint claw marks burned into floorboards… matching no known creature.
Ming Ji's jaw tightened slightly as he watched it play over and over again—not with fear… but *something.*
Another breach.
Another ripple from the Void World seeping into this one.
His thumb paused mid-scroll when suddenly—
A soft pulse vibrated against his ribs from within.* The soul chain flared briefly,* warm... familiar...
*Jin was awake.*
A small smirk tugged at Ming Ji's lips—one side only—as if amused by something secret.* He didn't look away from the screen,* but whispered under breath:
"Snack time?"
"You're so human sometimes..."
Then he leaned back deeper into shadow,* eyes flickering silver for just an instant*
as another text came through—this time not public news—but encrypted elite report:
> **Subject: Void Rift Detected — Proximity Alert: 87% match to Target Zone**
> **Location: Near Jin Young's Residence**
Ming Ji closed his eyes slowly—and smiled,
not with joy…but with purpose.
This world wasn't safe anyway.
But *he would be there before anything touched Jin.*
Jin stood in the kitchen, munching on a rice cracker.
He paused mid-chew when he felt it again—the same warmth in his chest, faint but steady. Like something deep inside was humming softly.
He frowned slightly and placed a hand over his heart.
"Again?" he whispered to himself. "What *is* this?"
Outside—beyond the window—the morning sky looked normal.
Calm.
Peaceful.
But Jin didn't feel peaceful at all. Something was coming… he could sense it, like pressure building before a storm.
—
Back in the dark apartment,
Ming Ji stood up slowly—his phone now discarded on the couch.
He walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window and looked out across the city skyline, hands tucked into his coat pockets.
The soul chain pulsed once more under his skin—clearer this time.
Jin wasn't just awake…
*he was uneasy.*
And that meant Ming Ji had already stayed away too long.* He turned from the glass,* eyes flashing fully silver now,* no longer hiding what he truly was.*
A soft whisper slipped from his lips—not to anyone who could hear,* but to fate itself:*
"I'm coming."
In one smooth motion,* he stepped forward into shadow—and vanished without sound or light.*
Somewhere deep within hidden paths between worlds,* something roared in warning…
But it wouldn't matter.*
By then—
**Ming Ji would already be standing behind him,**
one hand reaching out... not for protection...but possession.*
̶ Jin stood frozen, rice cracker slipping from his fingers.
A cold draft swirled through the kitchen—though all windows were closed.
Then—*a shift in the air.*
Not sound. Not movement. Just *presence.*
And before he could turn—
A voice came from right behind him, low and familiar, like it had crawled out of his dreams:
***"You're snacking alone again."***
Jin's breath caught. His body went still—not in fear… but recognition.
That voice.
That warmth at his back.
The way time itself seemed to freeze…
Slowly… trembling slightly… he turned around.
But no one was there.
Only empty space where that presence had been just a second ago.
Then—from his phone on the counter—a single message popped up.
Unknown sender.
No name.
Just words glowing in pale light:
> **"I tasted your heartbeat just now."**
> **"Sweet when you're scared."**
Jin stared at it—pulse racing—not knowing whether to be afraid…
or relieved that *he finally knew who it was.*Jin's hand tightened unconsciously on his phone—the words bright against shadow.
*I tasted your heartbeat just now.*
How? The only heartbeat he could hear was his own…
…and *that warmth. That voice.*
Still so familiar.
And *now,* even without ever seeing its owner… Jin knew it perfectly.
He whispered softly into the empty room:
"Ming Ji…?"Jin's heart *pounded* as he waited.
A few seconds—
Then—
His phone vibrated softly. He looked down again.
> **"Turn around."**
Jin's breath caught, but somehow—without question—he listened.
Slowly,
he turned around.Just empty air.
Empty kitchen.
Everything normal.
*Then—*
Two gloved fingers touched his cheek, gently tilting to face front again.
Jin's breath came in a sharp exhale.
"You're real…" he breathed.
He couldn't see him.
But Ming Ji was *right behind him.*
A thumb brushed softly along Jin's jaw.
"Did you think I wasn't?" came that low, familiar voice—whispering right against his ear.Jin's heart slammed his chest.
He could feel Ming Ji's body close behind his.
Heat seemed to linger in the air where his touch had been.
He couldn't even whisper.
Silence hung between them like a physical thing.
Finally, he managed a few words, barely a breath:
"You… can still read my heartbeat…?"A low chuckle vibrated against Jin's back—deep, quiet, almost amused.
"Your heartbeat?"
Ming Ji's voice was a whisper beside his ear.
"I can feel *everything*."
One hand slid slowly to Jin's chest—*not touching*, but close enough to feel the heat radiating from skin.
"You're warm," he murmured. "Afraid… but not running."
Jin swallowed hard.
"No…" he admitted softly. "I don't want to run."
There was a pause—as if Ming Ji didn't expect that answer.
Then:
"Good."
His voice dropped lower,* darker,* like velvet wrapped in storm.*
**"Because I'm done watching from the shadows."**Jin's breath hitched.
He could feel it—the shift in the air. The weight of something long restrained finally beginning to break free.
Ming Ji stepped closer—just an inch—but now their bodies nearly touched, back to front.
A hand rose slowly, not to grab, not to force… but to hover just above Jin's pounding heart.
"I've watched you sleep," Ming Ji whispered. "Listened when you dreamed of me."
His voice dipped lower—like fire smoldering in dark.* "**Felt every time you called my name inside your mind…**"
Jin shivered.* He hadn't even known he'd been doing it.*
"And now…" Ming Ji leaned down until his lips brushed the shell of Jin's ear,* warm and dangerous,* "*you're going to let me in.*"
Not a question.
A promise.
Then—
Jin turned around suddenly—hands trembling—not pulling away, but *reaching.*
"Show me," he said softly.* "Please."
For the first time…
he wanted more than shadows.
More than whispers.
He wanted *him.*
And somewhere deep between worlds…
The soul chain flared bright red— not breaking…
but finally waking up both ends at once.Before Jin could say anything more—
Ming Ji moved, and suddenly—with one quick push—
Jin's shoulders hit the wall.
His heart skipped—
But he wasn't scared.*
He didn't move to get away.
He stayed there.
Face-to-unseen-face.
Heart against heart.
Silence.
Ming Ji's breath was warm against Jin's cheek.
"You still want this?" he murmured, voice rougher now. "Even though you can't see me?"Jin's chest rose and fell fast.
His voice came out slightly breathless.* "Yes," he replied without hesitating. "I do."
He'd spent months watching this man in shadows. Hearing that voice in quiet moments. Feeling the soul chain pulling them close in dreams.
And in those dark hours… Jin had learned something about himself too.
"I want *you*," he said softly. "It doesn't matter if I can't see you."Ming Ji's eyes glided slowly over Jin's face—
Seeing the soft brown eyes,
The straight dark lashes,
The curve of his nose…
The full lips right before his—
Every feature he'd memorized through the shadows he'd lived in alone.
Ming Ji's fingers threaded gently along Jin's jaw—slow, as if drawing every line by touch.
"Beautiful… everything that I thought you were," he murmured.
"And more."And then—
Ming Ji stepped into the light.
A single beam from the kitchen window cut through the dim, falling across his face like fate parting a veil.
Jin's breath stopped.
He was *more* than handsome—he was breathtaking. Sharp jawline dusted with faint shadow, high cheekbones carved like stone, lips soft but serious… and those eyes—silver-gray, glowing faintly like moonlight caught in glass. Long black hair framed his face, falling just past his shoulders in quiet elegance.
Every detail screamed power… grace… something not quite human.
But it wasn't just his looks that stunned Jin.
It was the *recognition.*
Like he'd seen this face before—not in dreams…
But *long ago.*
"In another life," Ming Ji whispered, reading Jin's thoughts again,* "you said I looked like storm clouds and sin."
A small smirk tugged at one corner of his mouth.* "You weren't wrong."
Jin couldn't speak.
All he could do was reach up—trembling—and let his fingertips brush Ming Ji's cheek.
Warm.
Real.
*Himself.*
"You're…" Jin finally breathed,* "…mine?"
Ming Ji leaned into the touch slightly,* voice dropping to velvet:*
"No."
"*You're mine.*"
And before Jin could respond—
he kissed him.*
Soft at first—a test—
then deepening as if reclaiming what had always belonged to him.
The soul chain blazed between them,
no longer silent,
no longer hidden—
finally awake.
Finally whole.
Outside—the world kept turning.
But inside…
two broken pieces of one soul
had found each other again.*Jin forgot how to breathe.
Ming Ji deepened the kiss—possessive, like his mind had already made a decision long ago—
and Jin's thoughts dissolved.
His hands curled into Ming Ji's hair. His heart hammered louder than ever.
One of Ming Ji's hands slid to his waist, pulling him closer, closer—until they were completely flush together.
Heat seared between them.
And that *voice—*
"*Mine,*" he murmured against Jin's lips.* "Say you're mine."A hot shiver ran through Jin every time Ming Ji spoke those words, whispered as if carved into his pulse.
"I'm yours," he whispered back, soft but firm.*
Ming Ji's free hand traced his jaw, fingers just grazing the line of his throat—feeling the beat of a heart that was now *his.*
No more dreams. No more shadows.
Nothing separated them now.
Ming Ji's thumb brushed Jin's lower lip softly.
"*Only* mine."
Jin could only nod— helpless against the heat burning inside him.Ming Ji took a step forward, pushing Jin back against the wall.
His fingers dug into his waist, hard enough to bruise.
He kissed him harder, deeper— hungry and brutal like a storm taking what it needed.
His body pinned Jin against the wall, leaving no space between them.
Heat radiated from him like wildfire.
And every time Ming Ji's mouth left Jin's,
he whispered against his lips:
*"Mine.* ***Always*** *mine…"*Jin's head spun.
Ming Ji's body pressed between his legs, holding him there with a strength that left no room for even air.
His hands were everywhere—in Jin's hair, on his neck, at his waist. He was a storm of fire, heat burning against Jin's skin.
Each *mine* was a claim.
Each kiss a mark—
A reminder of who he belonged to.
Jin gasped softly as Ming Ji moved his mouth to his neck, biting and sucking his pulse.Jin's breath came out faster, heat coiling low in his stomach.
Ming Ji left a trail of possessive, burning kisses down his neck and shoulders, all the way to the curve between.
He sucked and bit at the soft skin there, as if marking every inch.
"*Mine,*" he murmured again,* "you're mine."
Jin pressed his head back against the wall, eyes closed, fingers tangled in Ming Ji's hair.
He *burned.*̶M̶i̶n̶g Ji's hands slid under Jin's shirt—hot palms pressing against bare skin.
Every touch sent shocks through Jin's body, like fire waking up nerve by nerve.
He gasped as Ming Ji lifted him slightly—just enough to press their bodies together, tighter, hotter—
"Say it again," Ming Ji growled against his neck. "Tell me who you belong to."
Jin trembled.
"You…" he breathed. "I'm yours… only yours…"
A low, dark sound rumbled in Ming Ji's chest—not quite a moan, not quite a growl.
*Possession.*
And then his mouth was back on Jin's—deep and consuming—as if sealing a vow written in heat and breath.