Knock, knock. A soft rapping echoed through the quiet night.
Seol Yu-jin held his breath, straining his ears. His heart pounded so loudly he was certain it would give him away. But even that wasn’t the worst of it—he was too preoccupied with muffling his own ragged breathing, pressing both hands tightly over his mouth.
No way.
He couldn’t believe it. After all these years? Now? So suddenly?
His mind was a whirlwind of confusion. It had been so long since he last heard Winston’s voice that he couldn’t be sure. Besides, it sounded deeper, heavier than he remembered.
Maybe I mistook him for Harold.
Yeah, that must be it. Yu-jin convinced himself. After all, he could still smell that sweet scent, lingering in the air.
As fear made him tremble, the voice below continued.
“Yu-jin, are you asleep? It’s me, Winston.”
What?
His eyes widened in shock. What did he just say?
Winston was back?
This time, he was so stunned he couldn’t move. His hands, which had been covering his mouth, dropped as he frantically scanned his surroundings. The wide-open window caught his eye just as the voice rose again.
“Sorry for showing up out of nowhere. I missed you so much… Did you forget about me?”
The latter words faded, tinged with uncertainty.
Another pause. Then, softer, almost to himself—
“Or… do you not want to see me?”
No, Winston!
The hushed, almost resigned tone sent Yu-jin scrambling off the bed. He dashed toward the window, his mind racing with a flood of thoughts. Harold had no idea about their secret meetings—so he wouldn’t lie about something like this. Besides, if Harold really wanted him, he wouldn’t need to go through all this trouble.
Could it really be Winston?
Breathless with anticipation, Yu-jin leaned out the window and peered down toward the entrance. But what he saw made him freeze.
The man standing under the moonlight looked nothing like the Winston he remembered.
Winston had always been taller than him, but not this tall. He was enormous—so big that Yu-jin felt as if the man could reach up and touch the second-floor window with ease. Even from above, he could see the broad shoulders and sculpted muscles beneath his clothes, the undeniable presence of a man who had long since shed his boyishness.
An overwhelming, imposing presence.
Yu-jin hesitated. Should he answer? Was it really Winston? What if it wasn’t?
The only people who would come looking for him at this hour were either Harold or Winston.
But it had been years since he last saw Winston. So much time had passed since the day he broke his promise to return.
Still frozen with doubt, Yu-jin remained silent.
Then, the man spoke again.
“I’ll come back tomorrow, Yu-jin. Sleep well.”
His voice had quieted even more, as if he thought Yu-jin might have already fallen asleep. After offering his farewell from beyond the door, the man turned away.
Yu-jin watched as he effortlessly leaped down several steps at once. In that moment, the sight overlapped perfectly with a memory from the past—a scene he had watched countless times before.
Before he could stop himself, his voice broke free.
“Winston!”
The urgent cry made Winston startle and whip around. Their gazes locked, and in that instant, both of their eyes widened.
The only light illuminating the world around them was the soft glow of the moon, but even in the dimness, there was no mistaking it. They could see each other clearly.
“Yu-jin.”
A brilliant smile spread across Winston’s face as he strode back toward the mansion in near-jogging steps. Seeing him draw closer, Yu-jin felt his own desperation rise. Without hesitation, he stepped up onto the windowsill.
“Wait, Yu-jin! That’s dangerous!”
He saw Winston’s expression twist in alarm as he broke into a sprint, but Yu-jin didn’t hesitate.
He jumped.
“Whoa!”
A startled exclamation rang out as Winston instinctively flung his arms open. Yu-jin squeezed his eyes shut on instinct—but the disaster he had braced for never came.
Instead, warmth surrounded him.
Realizing he had landed safely in a pair of strong arms, Yu-jin slowly opened his eyes. He immediately met Winston’s gaze, inches away, watching him intently. With a relieved sigh, Winston exhaled.
“If I knew you’d welcome me this enthusiastically, I would’ve come back sooner.”
He laughed as he threw out the teasing remark, but Yu-jin wasn’t in the mood to laugh. Instead, a sharp heat stung his nose. Without warning, he clenched his fists and began hammering them against Winston’s shoulders and chest.
“Ow! Ow, hey—Yu-jin, wait! That’s dangerous—hold on!”
Winston winced dramatically, tilting his head back in exaggerated pain, but he never loosened his grip. Thanks to that, Yu-jin could vent his frustration without restraint.
“You said—tomorrow! You said you’d come back tomorrow! Do you have any idea how long I waited?!”
He panted, glaring up at Winston with a gaze full of resentment. Winston let out a sheepish chuckle.
“I had no choice. I’ll explain—”
“I don’t need an explanation.”
Yu-jin wanted to snap at him, to keep lashing out—but before he could, another feeling surged up, swallowing his anger whole. He lost the battle against it almost instantly.
His voice trembled.
“I missed you.”
The arms around him tightened, pulling him closer.
“I missed you too,” Winston murmured, his voice thick with emotion.
“…”
“…Hic.”
The moment Yu-jin let out a shaky sob, Winston sighed and whispered another soft apology.
And so, Yu-jin clung to Winston’s neck and cried for a long, long time.
***
“Here, drink this.”
Winston handed him a glass of water as he sat on the couch in the living room, his face still swollen from crying.
“…Thanks,” Yu-jin muttered, accepting the glass. He downed the entire thing in one go.
“Feeling any better?”
Yu-jin nodded again in response to Winston’s question.
Taking the empty cup, Winston set it down on the table before settling beside Yu-jin. Then, without hesitation, he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Yu-jin’s cheek.
“Don’t ever do something that reckless again. You could’ve gotten seriously hurt.”
“…If you came more often, I wouldn’t have had to go that far.”
Yu-jin muttered a small, sulky protest. He had been too overwhelmed to even think about running down the stairs properly. More than anything, he had been terrified that Winston might turn around and leave before he could reach him.
And yet, instead of acknowledging those feelings, Winston had only scolded him. It made Yu-jin pout, feeling unfairly admonished.
Noticing the slight pout on Yu-jin’s lips, Winston reached up and playfully tapped them with his fingertip, chuckling.
“Alright, alright. I’ll come more often. Happy now?”
“…Every day.”
“Got it. Every day.”
With that, Winston made another promise, then gently pulled Yu-jin into his arms. As Yu-jin instinctively rested his head against Winston’s chest, Winston leaned back against the couch and let out a deep sigh.
“God, it’s been so long.”
His voice was thick with emotion, as if he had been holding those words in for ages.
After a moment of hesitation, Yu-jin carefully asked, “Hey… I’ve been wondering. Why do you smell like Harold? Your eye color, too…”
Winston didn’t seem fazed by the question.
“Just like you guessed—it manifested. I inherited the same traits as my father.”
There was a strange bitterness in his tone.
Is that… a bad thing?
Yu-jin blinked in confusion, staring up at him. Sensing the unspoken question in his eyes, Winston continued.
“That’s the reason I couldn’t come back all this time. The manifestation made me lose consciousness, and when I finally woke up… I was in England.”
“England?”
Yu-jin gasped, startled. Winston gave a small nod.
“My mother made the decision on her own. I wasn’t allowed to return home. It wasn’t until I got into university that I was finally able to make it back here.”
He didn’t bother explaining just how hard he had fought to return. How he had missed every holiday, how he hadn’t been able to step foot in his own home for years.
Because compared to what Yu-jin had been through—waiting, all alone—his own struggles felt like nothing.
Condensing everything into a brief explanation, Winston smiled.
“But it’s fine now, Yu-jin. I can visit whenever I want. I’m finally back for good.”
“That’s… a relief.”
Yu-jin let out a long breath, then smiled—bright and genuine.
His cheeks were still puffy from crying, his lips stretched into a forced grin, but seeing that expression filled Winston with an ache so deep, he couldn’t hold himself back.
Leaning in, he captured Yu-jin’s lips in a kiss.
The touch was soft at first, but as he brushed his tongue over the sensitive skin, Yu-jin tensed with a small jolt of surprise.
Winston didn’t rush. He pulled Yu-jin onto his lap, one arm wrapped around his waist, the other hand tracing slow circles along his thigh. He continued to tease and savor Yu-jin’s lips, deepening the kiss, swallowing every soft, unsteady breath.
Yu-jin shivered, his lashes fluttering as quiet, trembling sighs escaped between them.
By the time their lips finally parted, Yu-jin was panting lightly, his breath coming in shallow gasps.
His flushed cheeks, his dazed expression—everything about him was so utterly irresistible that Winston instinctively leaned in again, ready to steal another kiss.
But just before their lips touched, Yu-jin whispered—
“Where did you learn to kiss like that…? Did you date someone while we were apart…?”
