As I dug through my pockets for my phone, Eden stopped me with a low “Whoa, whoa,” like he was trying to calm a wild animal.
“Relax.”
“Don’t talk. What if the cut opens again? Fuck. Hospital—we’re going to the hospital right now. Should I call an ambulance? No, wait, I didn’t drink, so we can take my car.”
“If someone goes to the hospital over something this minor, it’s basically an insult to America’s healthcare system, the devoted slave of capitalism—”
“I said don’t talk. Your lips are pretty. Everything about you is pretty, but your lips too. Fuck. Who did this? What kind of bastard did this to you?”
“You told me not to talk.”
He had a point.
“You can say this, though.”
“It was some nobody. I hit him back harder, so don’t worry.”
That was obviously a lie. A guy who probably had never even been near violence in his life claiming he hit someone? No way. Some trashy asshole must’ve picked a fight with him and hit him one-sidedly.
Seriously, why did you go ahead instead of sticking behind me like before? Don’t wander around alone getting hurt—just stay quietly by my side.
“What if it scars?”
“I don’t care.”
“I care!”
My voice rose on its own. Just imagining a mark on Eden’s lips made my stomach twist painfully.
The only people allowed to injure those full lips—the only people who could—were clumsy kissers.
In the past, I had been one of them.
Swallowing hard, I touched Eden’s jaw. His soft skin fit perfectly against my palm. It felt like even the slightest pressure would leave fingerprints behind, making me instinctively gentler.
Eden, avoid me. Push my hand away. Otherwise this is going to become a problem.
Because I still have all those moments when we touched.
I only buried those memories. They never disappeared.
I lifted my head slightly to match Eden’s height, just barely taller than me. Even amid the darkness and scattered neon light, his emerald eyes shone clearly before me.
You can push me away.
Cowardly, I gave him one final warning with only the shape of my lips, without making a sound. I barely moved them at all. The breath slipping through the small gap between my lips drifted over him like a delinquent brushing too close.
I saw his eyes tremble.
No… was it me reflected inside them who was trembling?
At that moment, I wanted to face nothing at all, so I slowly lowered my eyelids. Voluntarily burying myself in darkness, I carefully slid my thumb up along Eden’s jaw.
Just as I was about to touch his lips—
“Somerset.”
Jimmy Myers’ voice snapped my reason back into place. The timing was so damn—actually, no. It was good.
Like I’d been struck in the back of the head, I abruptly came to my senses and stepped back, pulling my hand away. Keeping the lingering warmth and texture that seemed imprinted into my fingerprints, I stared at Eden’s lips.
What the hell was I trying to do to someone who was hurt?
No—even if he wasn’t hurt, I shouldn’t have done it.
The impulse that had bewitched me scattered like dandelion seeds in the wind.
I had absolutely no intention of grabbing hold of it.
I couldn’t.
“I should go. Find someone else to play with.”
Shaking Jimmy off, I moved with Eden toward a quieter corner.
I quickly removed the arm I’d unconsciously draped over his shoulders while leading him away. Somehow, I felt hot, and my mouth was dry.
“So, uh, about what just happened…”
As I stumbled over my words, not knowing what to say, Eden asked:
“Does it really matter that much?”
When speaking to Jimmy Myers, he’d raised his voice to cut through the noise, but aside from that, he spoke quietly as usual. It was as if he already knew every sound coming from his mouth would reach my ears perfectly.
I rubbed the back of my neck while turning over the question that had dug abnormally deep into my ears. My palm was damp with sweat.
Fuck.
“What are you talking about? I don’t know what you mean.”
I stiffly answered like a malfunctioning robot, and Eden let out a low hum.
“Why don’t you know? You said it yourself. If my lips scar…”
“Ah. Ah! That.”
In my defense, it wasn’t that my memory was failing—it was normal for your mind to go blank after something shocking happened.
Not that what happened between Eden and me just now was that shocking.
Anyone at this party could dream of something like that. Most people here probably came hoping for even more.
While trying to rationalize myself, I busily kept talking.
“Well, you do have a pretty exceptional exterior. Humans should value their strengths. And you’re human. Even if you’re a stalker, a human’s still human.”
Please don’t ask me what I’m even saying. Because I don’t know either.
“As a fellow human being, I’m just showing goodwill to my own species. And as you know, I’m someone who understands and utilizes my strengths well. I excel in that area.”
Somerset Quinn. Please shut the fuck up.
“So, that’s all it is. Just that.”
I ruffled my innocent hair in frustration. I had no idea how to salvage this situation. Eden’s expressionless face only confused me more.
Did you understand what I said?
Because I don’t understand what I said.
At the point where I couldn’t even grasp the flow of the conversation anymore, I decided to change locations to shift the mood.
“Isn’t this place too loud? We should get out of here.”
Acting before thinking, I grabbed Eden’s wrist. If he’d resisted even slightly, I would’ve let go, but he didn’t. My hot palm overlapped the cold metal of his watch as I pushed through the crowded crowd.
Outside, it was still bright.
After getting my keys from the valet, I headed toward where my car was parked.
“Where’s your car?”
“I lent it out.”
“To that coworker again? Perfect timing, then. I’ll drive you. I’d feel bad sending an injured person off alone. Then again, neither of us is really alone even when we’re alone. And you were going to follow me anyway.”
I didn’t stop talking while walking, while unlocking the car, or even while opening the passenger door for him.
“Come on, get in. You can put your own seatbelt on, right? Unless your hands got hurt beating up the guy like you claimed. If they hurt, I can buckle it for you.”
“I’ll pass.”
“I wasn’t planning to force you. Get in already. Why are you just standing there?”
Eden stood still, staring at me.
“Somerset.”
“You know, hurting your lips really made you talkative.”
The one who’d been talking enough to represent the nation in a nonstop chatter competition was me. Eden lightly ignored my hypocritical complaint.
“I think letting go of this should come first.”
He raised the arm I was still holding.
Instead of my hand cooling down, his wristwatch was warming up.
“Oh.”
I finally let go and moved toward the driver’s side. I completely forgot the courtesy of waiting for him to get in before closing the door.
As I walked around the car, I aggressively scrubbed my face with both hands.
I was so pathetic my face burned.
Thinking about how ridiculous I looked—a fully grown man acting like some awkward little kid—made me sigh. The man who exuded wild charisma in front of cameras was nowhere to be found here. All those compliments about being attractive and marketable suddenly felt laughable.
Maybe the real psycho wasn’t Eden.
Maybe it was me.
My steps faltered briefly before continuing.
I just needed to pull myself together now.
Everyone makes mistakes.
And I’d never exactly been a quiet person to begin with. If I controlled myself a little, I’d look cool again.
After running a hand through my hair and checking my clothes, I got into the driver’s seat.
Put your seatbelt on. Hold the steering wheel casually. Keep your eyes on the road while making your gaze look relaxed.
I adjusted my posture like I was trying to satisfy a demanding editor. Maintaining a composed silence, I started driving. My shoulders were stiff enough that I nearly fumbled a turn of the wheel, but the tension in my back muscles barely saved me.
The silence inside the car got on my nerves, so I resumed the jazz music I’d been listening to alone earlier. Coincidentally, the saxophone melody building toward its climax barely registered in my ears.
Because the faintest movements from Eden drowned it all out.
He leaned slightly toward me and checked the rearview mirror. I had no idea why, considering I was the one driving.
“That van—has it been following us for a while?”
“What?”
“The dark gray van.”
Only after his question did I pay attention to the car behind us. It looked like a perfectly ordinary van and wasn’t even particularly close to us.
“I’m not sure.”
“I’ll count to three. Move into the left lane.”
“What the hell are you suddenly—”
“Three.”
“What are you doing?”
“Two. One.”
It was a ridiculous demand, but he pressured me so quickly I followed without thinking. Eden even placed a hand on the steering wheel, making it impossible to refuse.
Since I’d already changed lanes, I turned left at the next intersection. Again, I’d reacted instinctively to his commanding tone.
I had no clue what was happening, but it didn’t feel like a joke. Eden looked unusually serious as he turned his head to check whether the van was still following us.
I glanced at him.
“Are we done now? Is it over?”
“Speed up.”
“First you chased me earlier, now this—are you obsessed with car chases or something? This time we’re the ones running?”
Eden’s long fingers tapped lightly against the steering wheel. Unable to resist the urging gesture, I pressed harder on the accelerator. Thankfully, no cars blocked the road ahead, so we sped forward smoothly.
“Take a right up ahead. Go into the alley.”
“Fine, fine, but why exactly am I participating in this weird shit?”
Without getting any answers, I continued following his directions. Only after we entered an avenue lined with skyscrapers like rows of trees did Eden’s strange behavior finally stop.
Removing his hand from the wheel, he leaned back into the passenger seat and contacted someone.
“Who was it? What’s going on? Answer me. Even you should realize this isn’t the kind of situation where you can stay silent.”
“Well.”
“I don’t want to fight with an injured person. So talk. If there’s something about those messages you want to hide, then explain it to me. What the hell is going on? I was driving too, so this involves me now.”
“It was nothing. I was mistaken.”
I got angry at the way Eden vaguely brushed it off. Harsh words rampaged around inside my mouth, and I had to forcibly keep them from spilling out.
Because whenever I lashed out at him, the one who ended up hurt was me.
I didn’t know why, but the sleepless nights I’d spent proved it.
“Fine. I lose. I’ll just make my own guesses, so sit there and listen.”
Snorting, I started thinking out loud.
“You thought it was my stalker? Because you’re a stalker, you think everyone else is too? If that’s the case, you shouldn’t be following me around. You should get therapy.”
“I’ll keep your advice in mind.”
“You know your calm reactions only make me more curious? Just wait—I’m going to figure it out somehow… Ah!”
A plausible deduction suddenly flashed through my mind, making me slam on the brakes.
The tires screeched violently against the pavement as I pulled over to the side of the road. My insides flared hot, but I still had the presence of mind to throw an arm out toward Eden in case the sudden stop jolted him.
“Sorry. It was sudden.”
Aside from his glasses slipping slightly down his nose, he barely staggered. The way he adjusted the black frames was slow and unhurried.
Completely opposite from me, who was all frantic motion and rapid speech.
“Was I right? Was the guy who hurt your lip chasing you?”
Despite my urgent interrogation, Eden responded lazily.
“And if that’s true… what are you going to do about it?”
