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Chapter Text

Gihyeok was sitting at the table, waiting for Moon Jo.

He was furious with him.

It had only been a few days since he moved into Eden Gosiwon, but it felt as if months had already passed.

Ever since his arrival, he'd had the disturbing sense of being watched, followed - as if the walls had eyes.

Who would have guessed that, living such an ordinary life, poor life, his feelings were actually rooted in reality?

That day, when Moon jo came back home after answering a call from Bok Soon, he went straight to his room.

And watched.

From the first moment he already knew who he just met.

The person he had just met had the same eyes as him - and something else.

Something deeper.

A resemblance beyond appearance.

A reflection.

Even though he had never learned how to name emotions, he already knew what that feeling was, a warm touch inside his heart - that was something they call love.

From that moment on, Moon Jo had started watching him.

Following him.

Studying him.

He went through his phone, his laptop, even the inside of his books - anything he could find, he devoured.

Information was intimacy.

Obsession was affection.

But back to that moment.

After a few minutes, Moon Jo entered the room, holding a bag of soju and wearing a warm, easy smile on his face.

He looked at Gihyeok and asked;

- Do you wanna talk?

Gihyeok answered yes, and Moon Jo sat across him.

- What do you want from me? - Gihyeok asked.

- Don't get the wrong message, I just overheard your call last night. - Gihyeok took a sip of soju while listening to him.

- It must be depressing, having your friend betray you and lose all your family.

Gihyeok's anger surged. He nearly threw the bottle to the floor and snapped:

- You're crossing the line.

- As you know, the walls barely help. You can hear everything next door, including their breathing. - said Moon Jo, watching Gihyeok's every twice and flicker of emotion.

- What are you? - the other man asked.

Moon Jo leaned over, placing his arms on the table, his gaze steady, intense.

- Your eyes look like mine.

Gihyeok dropped his eyes, unsure what to focus on with the weight behind those words.

Moon Jo continued;

- I know you well. I dissect... reassemble... then I recreate.

He started smiling.

Then laughing - slightly, quietly, unhinged.

Gihyeok's expression shifted.

The flicker of fear reached his eyes, and he looked past Moon Jo's shoulder.

They were there.

All of them.

The twins.

The pervert.

The landlady.

All standing behind him.

Smilling.

At that moment, he knew - not just felt, but knew - that the life he'd been living before was over.

His worst thoughts about this place weren't just suspicions.

They were real.

They were true.

Moon Jo spoke again, gently:

- Don't worry. I'll... make you into a new person.

Gihyeok couldn't respond.

He felt the blood drain from his face.

Memories of his past - the mistakes, the guilt - swirled around in his head.

He couldn't take their smiled.

Not all at once.

He stood up suddenly and left without another word, heading straight to his room.

He locked the door.

Wedged a chair under the handle.

And then... something strange happened.

He felt heavy.

So suddenly.

Exhausted, as if someone had pulled all the energy out of his body.

He collapsed onto the bed without meaning to - as if his limbs no longer listened to him.

Later, Moon Jo, after quietly checking if he was asleep, opened the door just slightly, peeking in.

- Honey, we will start it from tomorrow...

He smiled to himself and took him to the fourth floor.

Chapter Text

Gihyeok woke up in pain.

A dull, radiating ache pulsed through the back of his head. His limbs were stiff, heavy, as if they'd been asleep longer than the rest of him.

He blinked slowly, disoriented.

He couldn't remember falling asleep.

He couldn't remember anything after that conversation with Moon Jo.

Had it even happened?

Or was it another one of those dreams - the kind that feel like drowning with your eyes open.

No.

Not a dream.

Bach then, he would've called it a nightmare.

But this... this was something else.

His eyes adjusted to the dim light, and then he saw them.

Straps.

A chair.

He was tied.

His breath hitched, panic took hold.

He began to pull, jerk, strain, but nothing gave away.

And then - that laugh.

That broken, fractured laugh coming from around the corner.

Fuck... one of the twin

A few seconds later, one of them stepped into the room, giggling behind his hand. But he wasn't alone.

The landlady followed him behind.

She stepped in front of Gihyeok and smiled as if she'd just found a lost puppy.

- Im glad you're finally awake.- She said cheerfully

- You slept for thirteen hours. Even Moon Jo couldn't sit through all that.

She laughed a little, her tone strangely sweet.

- He had to go to work.

So... his name is Moon Jo...

She kept smiling.

- But hey, don't worry. We don't want to hurt you. You're very similar to us. You fit. Remember when Moon Jo gave you that meat I prepared?

Gihyeok nodded slowly.

His eyes scanned the room, saw the walls, the door, the lock.

He understood now.

He understood too well.

- Why did I even ask...? - Bok Soon mused with a grin.

- You both emptied the whole container.

She leaned in, conspiratorial.

- But I won't ruin the surprise. You're his now. ANd he wants to be the one to tell you everything himself.

Gihyeok glared at her.

There was no anger left - just the hollow gaze of a man sinking without fighting back.

- Why me? - he muttered

- Out of everyone... why did it have to be me?

She walked behind him slowly, placed a hand on his shoulder - a gesture meant to soothe, but it chilled him to the bone.

Then she whispered near his ear:

- He says you're special. He sees himself in you.

Then, stepping back into view, she tilted her head.

- Are you hungry?

Hungry?

He didn't know what to say.

But he was starving.

But eating anything from hell, it felt like choosing to fall off a cliff.

He hesitated too long.

She furrowed her brows.

- Why are you looking at me like I just killed your dog?

She laughed lightly and grabbed something from behind the door, a familiar to him container.

- Come on, You'll feel better after you eat. I can't untie your hands, of course. But I'll feed you. I did this all the time at the orphanage. Open up.

She held the chopsticks toward him.

He obeyed.

Without knowing why.

The twin stood nearby, still giggling, hand over his mouth, eyes wide open with sick amusement.

As soon as the meat touched his tongue, everything else disappeared.

It was divine.

The flavor hit all at once - sweet and sour, rick and dark.

It overwhelmed him.

He leaned back as he chewed, letting the warmth spread through his jaw, downhill throat, into his chest.

It tasted like something illegal.

Likę something you're not supposed to have, but once you do, nothing else is ever enough.

It wasn't chicken.

It was close, but sweeter.

Horse? Maybe...

But he'd had horse meat before.

It was never like this.

- Wow - the landlady said, watching his face.

- You really enjoyed that. Maybe even more than we do

And just then - something inside him shifted.

It didn't matter what it was.

What mattered was how it made him feel.

Likę an apple in Eve's hand.

Like a secret that was never meant to be kept.

Maybe he wasn't trapped here.

Maybe, for the first time, he was finally somewhere he could be exactly who he is.

 

***

Moon Jo had just finished with his last client.

The day outside was fading, but inside him, the same quiet pulse remained. He descended the stairs with a suitcase in his right hand, adjusting his hair with his left.

He lived close to where he worked. Everything now in his life was close.

When he entered the building, he didn't stop.

He went straight up.

First floor, second, third, then finally the fourth.

He opened the door to the small room where Gihyeok was still tied to the chair.

It hadn't been long since Bok Soon had given him breakfast.

Gihyeok's eyes snapped toward him.

He glared - but not fully.

There was terror behind the look, but also something else.

He terrifies me. And I keep wanting to look at him. - Said Gihyeok to himself in mind.

Moon Jo smiled as he stepped inside. He pulled up the single chair opposite and sat down slowly, his gaze fixed on the man before him.

- Good afternoon. - He said softly

Gihyeok shifted slightly. The straps didn't budge. His breathing quickened. Moon Jo leaned forward just enough to be closer, not too close. He tilted his head.

- I don't want to hurt you. I want to show you. The part of you no one else dares to look at. How was the breakfast? Bok Soon told me you enjoyed it. Was that true?

Gihyeok's voice broke slightly as he answered.

It wasn't the food that scared him.

It was how he reacted to it.

- What... what did you make me eat?

Moon Jo's lips curled.

- You tell me. But answer the real question: Did you like it?

Gihyeok tensed. A flicker of something sharp crossed his face.

- You're insane... This whole place is sick.

Still, something inside him resisted what he already knew. Something still clung to old definitions of ,,Wrong' and ,,Right".

Moon Jo didn't flinch. His voice remained calm. Patient.

- Maybe. But what if I told you this place is the only one that ever truly saw you? The world outside used you. Ignored you. But here... you're not invisible anymore.

Gihyeok's voice was low now, urgent.

- Untie me.

Moon Jo shook his head slowly

- Not yet you're not ready. Your hands still think like theirs. But I saw the way you chewed. You didn't flinch. Your body know what your mind won't admit.

Gihyeok's gaze dropped. His hands trembled - restrained, but alive with conflict.

The taste was still there.

Sweet. Sour. Rich.

Too rich.

He clenched his teeth. His throat tightened. I should be disgusted, but I'm not.

And that terrified him more than anything.

- That wasn't me...- He whispered it, not to Moon jo, but to himself. Like a fragile line thrown into the dark, hoping someone would pull him back.

Moon jo didn't answer right away. He simply smiled - that same smile, warm and terrifying, as if he already knew how the story would end.

Silence.

Only the sound of their breathing. In Gihyeok's mind: flashes. Blood seeping into the rice. The sickness of skin between his teeth. The warmth. Not nausea. Not horror. Warmth.

Why didn't I spit it out?

Why... did I finish the whole plate?

His body recoiled - not from disgust, but from the realization that he hadn't felt disguised. There had been something else. Something deeper.

Moon Jo leaned closer, his voice gentle, nearly a whisper:

- You swallowed. And you didn't stop.

Something cracked inside Gihyeok. Not violently, but softly. Like thin ice beneath the weight of a single step. And through that crack, something began to seep out. Something old. Something real. Something his.

Fear was no longer the only thing he felt. It mingled now - with something he couldn't name.

Curiosity?

Relief?

Pleasure?

He didn't know, but it wasn't just ,,No" anymore.

Gihyeok looked at Moon Jo. Not with terror. Not with hatred. This time... with silence, hunger, and hesitation. What if... this is who I really am?

Chapter Text

- Darling, you look beautiful when you look at me like that.

Gihyeok immediately broke eye contact.

He wasn't ready.

But for the first time, something in his chest loosened - like tension slowly beginning to unravel.

He stared at the floor then back up, no longer with fear, but relief.

Moon Jo placed a hand gently on his shoulder, watching closely for a reaction.

A shiver ran through Gihyeok's body.

He didn't flinch.

In fact, he liked it.

He slowly looked back up at Moon Jo, his gaze searching, uncertain craving answers he didn't yet know how to ask.

Moon Jo smiled, softly and knowing.

- Wanna grab a beer? I'll show you around.

From the way he spoke, it was clear: Moon Jo had never really wanted Gihyeok to stay tied up. Unlike the others in this Gosiwon, Gihyeok was different.

He was free, or at least, he could be.

Free to feel.

Free to act.

Free to kill.

He just didn't know it yet.

Even Gihyeok himself hadn't seen that part of him - that deep, instinctive truth.

But Moon Jo had.

From the moment he laid eyes on him, he knew.

And now, watching Gihyeok's response - the flicker of hunger in his eyes, that sharp edge of curiosity - it had only confirmed what Moon Jo already understood.

Gihyeoks didn't think, he simply nodded.

Moon Jo acted like it was a surprise, but of course it wasn't.

He knew Gihyeok better than Gihyeok knew himself.

He rose from the chair with elegance, his posture flawless, every step calculated.

Another thing Gihyeoks needs to learn in time is how to move with purpose.

Right now, he was messy.

Rough around the edges.

But that will change.

As Moon Jo passed through the kitchen, he crossed paths with Bok Soon.

She stopped him briefly, her expression unreadable.

- Did he start realizing? - She asked softly, her tone more care than curious.

He hadn't need to ask Gihyeok.

He could feel it, in the tension of his muscles, the way his body spoke when words failed.

Everything Moon Jo knew, he had learned from her.

Bok Soon - the woman who raised him in that orphanage after he killed his biological parents.

She had helped him survive.

Nurture his nature instead of punishing it.

That first kill... it has opened a world inside him he didn't even know existed.

Now, he wanted to open that same door for Gihyeok.

- Slowly but yes. - he replied with a soft, almost tender smile. - He will learn. He just need time.

Bok Soon returned the smile with quiet pride, then turned and disappeared into her office.

Moon Jo remained still for a moment, lowering his head, a thrill buzzing under his skin.

He ginned to himself, then walked over to the fridge, grabbed two cold beers, and went back upstairs.

When he opened the door to the small room where Gihyeok was tied up, he stopped. Gihyeok was no longer tied to the chair.

Instead, he stood by the door - free. Calm. Moon Jo glanced around the room, then back at him.

Gihyeok looked at him, not with guilt or panic, but... with confidence.

Moon Jo smiled with pride.

- There will be a great work of art made from you

Gihyeok smiled faintly, the corners of his mouth twitching as if unsure how to react.

When Moon Jo had left earlier, he had noticed the tape binding his wrist was already loose.

Someone had peeled a small edge up, just enough.

It was on purpose.

But why?

It had been Moon Jo.

A test.

And Gihyeok had passed.

Now, as he stared at the man holding two beers in one hand and something heavier in the other, though invisible.

Gihyeok didn't feel like a prisoner anymore.

He felt... seen.

Moon Jo handed him the can.

Their fingers brushed.

Just barely.

But it was enough to make Gihyeok's throat go dry.

- Here, sweetheart. You earned this. - Moon Jo said with a smile, soft as velvet, then took a long sip from his own can, eyes never leaving Gihyeok's face.

They stepped out of the room and into the hallway of the fourth floor.

They passed the empty rooms one by one, each carrying a faint, metallic smell.

When he moved there, the landlady said there was a fire and no one enters this floor.

That was a pretty lie, here's always somebody.

Either alive or not.

The silence here felt different.

Not like the hush of sleep.

More like the stillness after something ended.

After checking every room and every corner, they came to the room that has a dentist chair in it.

- This is the real Eden Gosiwon. - Said Moon Jo as they walked. - Downstairs is where they pretend to live. But up here.. - he glanced back, lower voice.

- Up here is where they stop.

Gihyeok didn't respond. He didn't need to. He felt it.

But then Moon Jo looks down at the empty can in his hand and sighed lightly.

- Come. Let's get more. We have a stash downstairs in the kitchen.

They turned and descended to the third floor.

The air shifted again - less dense, but colder in a different way.

More... human

The kitchen was at the end of the hall, they quickly grabbed another cans and sit by the table.

They talk for around half an hour, nothing special but the conversation was smooth.

They talked with each other as if they knew each other for a long time, not just a few days in here.

Gihyeok acted like nothing like yesterday ever happened.

A journalist would describe them as close friends.

Maybe it was how easily and naturally Moon Jo manipulated people.

Well, it wasn't entirely natural - Bok Soon had taught him everything.

Literally... everything.

It felt like a warm summer evening at a loving hometown, but nothing last forever.

It hit him - everything from before.

The wood from the chair.

the tightness in his limbs.

The meat.

The laugh.

It all came back like weight.

- I'm tired. - he said quietly. - Can I... sleep here?

Moon Jo didn't answer right away.

He just looked at him. Thoughtfully. Quietly.

Then:

- You can - he said softly. - But I will be watching you.

Just in case your conscience tries to wake up.

There was no malice in it. Only promise.

He rose from the chair and walked to his room, Gihyeok followed him.

He open the door and gestured to the mattress.

- Lie down. You've had a long night.

Gihyeok hesitated, then obeyed.

He lay down, staring at the cracked ceiling, and felt Moon Jo sit beside him, back against the wall, knees slightly touching.

- No posters - Gihyeok murmured. - No weird photos like the guy from 313 unit have. Just this

Moon Jo smiled faintly.

- What would you like to hang?

After asking he took a sip.

- Nothing, they are moldy, greasy, and bald. Like as they should be here.

Silence again.

But it didn't feel awkward.

It felt like... settling.

Gihyeok's body relaxed.

For the first time in days, it wasn't bracing.

Moon Jo looked down at him, eyes unreadable but steady.

- You look beautiful when you're too tired to lie to yourself

Gihyeok didn't answer.

Didn't flinch.

Just closed his eyes.

And felt... strangely.

Like he was exactly where he was supposed to be.

They say strangers are from hell.

Maybe they are.

But if it's hell, he wanted that hell.

Even if he didn't understand why yet.

Even if it terrified him.

He still didn't want to leave.

Chapter Text

Gihyeok's phone rang.

7:00 a.m. time to wake up.

He reached for it lazily, silencing the alarm with one thumb, but didn't get up right away.

Insted, he lay there, staring at the cracked ceiling above him, the faintest smile tugging at his lips that one that hinted at something deeper, darker.

Expectation, maybe.

Hunger.

He didn't quite know what he was smiling at.

But then... he felt it.

That presence.

Someone was watching him.

And then it hit him.

What had he agreed to yesterday?

He tried to name the feeling in his chest, but there was no word for it.

Not yet.

It wasn't relief.

It wasn't fear.

Excitement?

Maybe.

But not quite.

It was something he would never had to describe before - something unnamed, living somewhere in the quite spaces between dread and desire.

He didn't know then, but he would soon learn exactly what that feeling was.

And there he was - Moon Jo.

Sitting silently.

Watching him.

His eyes were unreadable.

Empty, yet full.

Detached, yet burning with something that could only be called... devotion.

Or madness.

Or both.

You could describe their eye contact as intimate.

It was certainly intimidating.

Sexual?

Maybe.

Or something even stranger than that.

Moon Jo broke the silence, a silence so full it felt like it had weight, with a simple, soft line:

- You look cute and innocent when you're sleeping, babe

The words made Gihyeok's stomach twist.

It felt wrong to hear things like that.

Too much.

Too fast.

Too real.

But he didn't push it away.

Not entirely.

Somę part of him was already craving more.

He responded almost immediately, driven by a curiosity that had always lived inside him, one that gnawed at him endlessly.

- Werę you watching me the whole night?

He knew the answer.

He just needed to hear it.

Moon Jo raised his eyebrows for a second, turned his head slowly toward Gihyeok, locking eyes with the same calm intensity as always.

He watched for every flicker of reaction.

Then answered, simply:

- Yes. How do you feel about this answer?

- ,,How do you feel?'' - Gihyeok mimicked him, dragging his knees up to his chest, half teasing, half hiding.

Moon Jo smiled, not cruelly, not kindly.

Just... knowingly, as usual.

Then he stood.

- Well. That can doesn't matter. Whatever You want. - he said, stepping away from the bed.

At the door, he paused, hand on the frame.

- Im gonna get ready for work. You should too. Today you're coming with me. I'm gonna show you something. Wear the black shirt, the one on the lest side of you upper shelf.

Gihyeok said nothing.

He just watched him - watched every step, every movement, every sound he made.

There was no wasted motion.

Everything Moon Jo did was purposeful.

Spoken silence.

That's what this was.

Once alone, Gihyeok let his gaze travel across the room.

Cracked, moldy walls.

Thin old mattress.

Bare dirty light bulb.

And yet...

He thought about would have happened if he hadn't been broke.

Well.

First - he wouldn't be here.

Second - he never would have met them.

Third...

Would he have ever felt like this?

Likę he had finally found the place he was meant to be?

A place he didn't just want to stay in.

A place he wanted to consume.

To absorb.

To become.

Every detail.

Every breath.

Every edge of it.

***

Moon Jo waited for him in the hallway.

Gihyeok was still in the shower.

One off the twins - Deuk Jong - entered suddenly, laughing, blood smeared across his hands like paint.

The moment he caught Moon Jo's stare - cold, unwavering, as if it looked straight through him - the laughter stopped.

Moon Jo calmly smoothed his hair back and said:

- It's really unproductive.

Deuk Jong looked down at his feet, suddenly nervous, his fingers twitching.

After a pause, he stuttered:

- But w-what's the difference. P-productive or not. Important is t-that, that this is f-fun. E-verything that we do isn't for fun? O-or not?

Moon Jo stepped closer, still staring into him like he could split him open with his eyes.

- Inside of this building, you can do everything, but outside you need to be careful. You will never know who is watching.

- Hehe don't f-fuse, everything is fine. - Deuk Jong replied with that one-of-a-kind, broken laugh of his.

Then added:

- And m-more. C-could people who care so much about it stay in a place like this for m-months?

Moon Jo didn't smile.

He just whispered:

- Be careful.

Deuk Jong shuffled away toward his room, and as he passed Gihyeok in the hallway, still drying his hair with a towel, he covered his mouth with his hand and started giggling again.

Moon Jo shook his head slowly from side to side and looked at Gihyeok.

- See the difference between you and them? You don't need to kill cats to feel pleasure.

Gihyeok didn't say anything.

He nodded quietly, and they both left the building.

As they walked, Gihyeok asked:

- So where do you work?

Moon Jo glanced sideways at him, then said:

- Where? A place is only a building. A building without a story is just... existing. It's important to make history in the place you stand in.

But if you're asking what my profession is... I'd say I'm a dentist. Though that title's a little... shallow.

Im an artist. And my j*b lets me create.

Gihyeok looked down at his shoes to avoid stumbling on the uneven oavement, then glanced up, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.

- Why did you become dentist?

Moon Jo stopped walking.

He slowly raised his hand to his throat and pressed two fingers gently against it.

- See this? It's the muscle of the uvula.

He smiled faintly.

- I love looking at it.

Gihyeok blinked.

The moment was strange.

He didn't know what to say, so he said nothing.

***

They climbed a stairwell to the upper floor of a building full of offices in central Seoul.

As they walked, Gihyeok glanced out a dusty window.

People were everywhere.

Each one with their own story.

Just like him.

Crazy isn't it? he thought.

We live next to strangers.

Pass them.

Bump shoulders.

But we never truly imagine what it's like to be them.

We say we understand - we call it empathy - but deep down, we can't feel someone else's history.

We only ever guess.

That idea used to haunt him.

The fact that he never really understood people.

Never felt what they felt.

Maybe that's why my life felt so pathetic before, he thought.

And then it hit him - it still is.

He had found peace and clarity in a place no one would ever choose.

A place others would call hell.

But not him.

That fear he'd felt in the beginning - it had never really been his.

It was borrowed.

Inherited.

Taight by life.

Now... it was gone.

They reached Moon Jo's clinic - modern, clean, almost sterile.

Too expensive for someone living in a crumbling gosiwon.

Too perfect for a man like him.

How has no one ever questioned this?

Gihyeok wondered.

A wealthy dentist living in filth? A serial killer, hidden in plain sight?

But the truth was simple - no one really cares about the lives of strangers.

Moon Jo didn't have any patients today.

So why had he brought him here?

They passed a few white walls and entered a back office.

 

- Is this your office? - Gihyeok asked.

- Yes. It's mine. But it's not what I wanted to show you.

He opened a cabinet, and took some keys from it.

Then went to the doors at the back wall.

Opened them.

There was only a desk and a shelf, in that room.

He knelt beside a cabinet and pulled out a hidden drawer.

Inside was a wooden box.

He placed it on that desk.

Opened it carefully.

Rows of rings.

But not just rings.

Each one was made from human teeth.

Cleaned, polished.

Set like gems set into delicately carved metal.

Perfect.

Disturbing.

Beautiful.

Moon Jo looked at Gihyeok with a strangely gentle gaze.

- See? This is all I ever want for you, Gihyeok.

Gihyeok stared down at the bow.

His breath caught in his throat.

And then, quietly, with something like awe, he whispered:

- It's beautiful.

Chapter Text

As much as Moon Jo knew Gihyeok - his cravings, his silent hungers, the way his body betrayed every flicker of desire - there was one thing he could never quite reach:

Gihyeok's mind.

What did he think of him, truly?

Moon jo could peel apart flesh, dissect nerves, follow impulses like threads... but though was a shadow, intangible, elusive.

And so, after showing Gihyeok his place, that hidden room where he could be completely himself, without mask or restraint, he decided to give him something else.

A sign.

A gesture of trust.

They left the sterile brightness of the office behind and walked into the streets.

They didn't speak much.

The silence stretched between them like a thin wire.

It wasn't empty, though.

It had weight, almost like a classroom. A quiet where one studies, learns, absorbs.

Gihyeok was watching him, studying him, and Moon Jo felt it.

He welcomed it.

After all, how could he not notice?

Every glance Gihyeok stole was like a mirror turned back on him.

That night, Gihyeok thought, he'll finally begin to understand.

To know what he wants.

**

The street ahead was a bit crowded.

Not with the usual commuters, but with a cluster of people pressed tightly together, voices low, sharp with disgust and fear.

- Oh God... oh God... look at this... - one of the women whispered, her hands trembling as she pointed toward the ground.

On the pavement lay what was left of a cat.

Every part cut separately, too deliberate to be an accident.

A sharp that once was an animal, now nothing but remains, arranged almost mockingly, like a piece of grotesque art.

The smell of iron hung faintly in the air.

Another woman gagged.

- I told you. This isn't just some crazy man. Who else could do something like this? No... no one sane would...

The officers who had been called to the scene stood stiffly. One of them pulled the brim of their cap lower, as if trying to hide his own revulsion.

He crouched beside the corpse, but couldn't bring himself to touch it.

Interviews had to be conducted.

Notes written.

That was protocol.

Yet it always came down to the same thing: confronting how easily human beings could unravel after seeing something so raw.

Somę people, rare ones, even found fascination in it, provoking and poking just to watch other break apart, studying their pain like insects pinned to glass.

But most weren't like that.

Most recoiled.

Most grieved.

Most whispered condolences for victims, families, even strangers who stumbled upon sights like this.

The officer cleared her throat and turned to the finder, a woman still shaking, her eyes red from tears.

- So... you went out to feed this cat last night, and you found it... like this?

- Yes. - she whispered.

- First I saw another cat, sitting still, staring at something. It wouldn't move. Then I turned and I... - her voice cracked.

- When was the last time you saw it alive?

- A few days ago. I was feeding it. It was fine then. So... she must've been killed last night...

Another officer, trying to sound detached, muttered:

- Well. Nothing remarkable. Just someone who hates cats.

But the first one shook her head slowly.

Her eyes didn't leave the body.

- No. This... this isn't hate. This is effort. Do you realize how much... time... how much trying it takes to create something like this?

Behind them, three women who had gathered kept whispering, unable to look away.

- Girl... this area is already cursed with things like this... Full of it.

- Yes, yes. This is the fifth one. The fifth time... - another confirmed.

The finder broke down, her voice collapsing into sobs.

- Please... catch whoever did this. Even if they're just strays... they still love people. They still come close, they're gentle... How.. how can anyone do this?

One of the women shook her head sharply.

- Strays or not. Cats not matter that much.

Another, younger one snapped back at her, voice raised:

- Don't say that! They're alive too! Do you think life doesn't matter just because it's small?

- No, but- the older woman started, almost defensively. - Thanks to you ladies feeding them, there are more and more cats every year. This is the result.

The younger woman's voice cracked into a shout:

- WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH THIS?!

The officers, already frayed by the sight and the noise, barked simply:

- Enough. Enough! Keep your voices down.

Silence fell, heavy and bitter. Only the sound of a siren far away cut through it.

Finally, one officer scribbled something down, then said:

- Sińce this keep happening, we''ll increase patrols in this area. That's all we can do for now.

One of the women clutched her chest and muttered:

- Oh God... I can't go outside after dark anymore. I'm terrified.

Another added bitterly, almost to herself:

- But I still won't sell my house. If rumors spread, the price will fall.

The crown murmured, drifted.

The crown eventually began to scatter.

Police packed up their notes, the women walked away still whispering, ant the streets returned to its usual rhythm - though quieter, more brittle.

No one noticed two figures standing just a little further away, watching.

Moon Jo's lips curved faintly.

Not quiete a smile.

Something sharper.

He knew who had done it.

He had spoken to him about it only hours ago.

That man with blood on his hands, laughing, trembling, excusing everything with the word fun

Moon Jo's gaze drifted back toward the gosiwon in his mind, and his words echoed silently, as if addressed again:

It's unproductive. Inside these walls you can do anything. But outside... you must be careful. You never know who is watching.

Nów, looking at the crowd, the trembling women, the disgust in the officer's faces, Moon Jo knew he will have a lot of work to do with the person who found it.

Here, out in the open, there was no control.

No art.

Just chaos.

And chaos left trails.

Beside him, Gihyeok kept his silence.

But his eyes flicked to Moon Jo, as though he, too, wanted to ask something, to confirm what he already suspected.

Moon. Jo didn't answer.

He didn't need to.

Cleaning after that man will be first Gihyeok's lesson in the field.

The faint smile stayed.

Chapter Text

They climbed the stairs slowly.

The door marked with a faded number 4 waited at the top.

The fourth floor was different, the most mysterious one.

It was where the unimaginable things became real.

Moon Jo was irritated by Deuk Jong's recklessness.

He had to clean up after him, so he done it.

As they walked down the corridor toward the right room, where "it" was waiting, Gihyeok felt his chest tighten.

His nerves hummed.

He had always watched people like them on television - monsters, criminals, the kind of men society call the worst of the worst.

But now, walking beside them, he wondered: Wasn't it the other way around?

Art, he thought, could appear in many forms.

But killing cats?

That wasn't art.

That was just primal craving, prehistoric instinct.

When the door opened, the scene revealed itself.

Nam Bok and Deuk Jong stood nearby.

A woman sat slumped in the corner, bloodied, barely alive.

Nam Bok's cruelty was always slow, savoring each moment of suffering.

Deuk Jong, on the other hand, loved fast and messy endings.

Both stepped back as Moon Jo entered, fear flickering across their faces.

The woman lifted her swollen, blood-soaked eyes, hope sparking, when she saw the others leave.

Maybe, just maybe, she thought she could still be saved.

But hope was a lie.

The woman sobbed, a raw, animal sound.

She had never done anything to deserve this.

She had been, in every ordinary way, innocent.

If Deuk Jong had only been cautious, if he had thought for a moment, she would still be alive.

But she'd stumbled into their world, adn survival had not been part of the bargain.

- Please,- she begged, words tumbling between sobs. - Please, I haven't done anything wrong. Why me? What did I do to deserve this?

Moon Jo shook his head and sighed, brushing his hair back with calm precision.

- It's not about what you haven't done. It's about what you have. Yesterday, when you found the cat, you called the police. Today you watched him loving too hard another. Instead of walking away, you went to the station and described him. Do you think we wouldn't notice?

Gihyeok froze, watching.

He had never experienced anything like this, not even close to this.

Movies were nothing compared to the reality in front of him, the smell of iron, the sound of shallow breathing, the pressure of something inevitable filling the room.

It disgusted him.

And fascinated him.

What would happen if I reported it? he wondered.

His life would collapse back into nothingness.

Pathetic.

Empty.

He didn't want that.

His mind wandered.

Morality is just perspective, he thought.

Not reality.

In naturę, there's no such thing as right or wrong.

Lions do not apologize to gazelles.

Wolves are not punished for hunger.

He thought of God.

He was not religious, but he knew people who were.

They believed everything was His will.

If someone died, it was God's decision.

No one cursed Him for it.

But if a human took a life, then suddenly it was a sin.

A crime.

Why is it different?

Moon Jo watched him with that hungry, knowing gaze, as he always do.

If it had been anyone else, Gihyeok would have thought it is strange, too intimate, too heavy.

But here, he couldn't dismiss it.

He wanted more.

He craved it.

- How do you feel when you look at her, Yoo Gihyeok? - Moon Jo asked softly

The question snapped him back.

He swallowed, searching for the words.

- How do I feel? - His voice trembled, then steadied. - I feel like I could end it. Like it's in my hands whether she lives or dies. I feel... powerful.

Moon Jo moved behind him, his hand brushing across Gihyeok's shoulders.

The touch was light, deliberate, and it sent a shiver down his spine.

- Good, - Moon Jo whispered. - Then tell me, what would you do to end her suffering?

Gihyeok did not hesitate.

The face he returned was steady, almost sane in its clarity.

- I would strangle her.

- Perfect. - Moon Jo raised his hand, gesturing toward the woman .

Gihyeok walked closer.

His eyes locked on hers, searching deep.

He didn't know what he was doing, only what he felt.

First, his right hand pressed over her mouth, silencing her cries.

Her head titled back trapped.

She was enjoying her life as long as she could, even in that situation.

Then his left hand found her throat.

The heat under his palms was shocking, almost unbearable, like gripping fire.

Her mouth open, but wasn't able to do any sound.

She wanted to be dead.

She waited for that moment, to not experience it any longer.

Her body shook.

She clung to life, even as it slipped from her.

And Gihyeok... he felt it all.

He tightened his grip.

Her body stained under his hands, he could see the struggle in the set of her jaw, in the flutter of her lashes.

He felt something enormous come loose inside him.

It was not pity.

It was not sorrow.

It was a terrible fulfillment that grew louder with every second he pressed his palms and fingers to the fragile heat of her neck.

Tears spilled from his eyes, not from compassion but from the intensity of the sensation: the suffocating pressure, the slipping of life away, the cold that followed warmth.

He was really shaking, you could see it at his lips.

He was drowning in it

He looked down at her as her eyelids fluttered and closed.

It felt like her soul was sliding away through his fingers.

It felt like rebirth.

Her body slackened.

Silence.

His mouth hung open.

Air screamed in his lungs.

Gihyeok let her fall.

Her body hit the floor with a dull thud.

He stared at his hands, still shaking.

- Tell me everything you're feeling - said Moon Jo, voice steady.

- I... I felt like I grabbed the flame of a thousand degrees. But now... - Gihyeok breathed hard, almost gasping. - ...now I feel relieved. Like I was born again.

He looked down at the woman, then back at his own hands.

A laugh broke out, sharp, ugly, unstoppable.

His eyes widened in wild awe.

He had never felt so alive.

He knew then, he was addicted.

Addicted to this feeling, to this adrenaline.

Moon Jo watched him quietly, with a soft, approving smile.

- Arę you craving more? - he asked.

Gihyeok didn't answer.

His smile was crooked, raw, almost childlike.

His eyes, however, said everything.

Chapter Text

The street was quiet that night.

Pebbles scattered across the pavement crunched beneath the boots of a police officer as she made her way hoem after a long, draining shift.

On her left stretched a tall clay-gray fence, on her right loomed the silhouettes of old buildings, their windows black like hollow eyes.

Then,

a sound.

A faint meow.

She stopped, scanning the fence, scared what she might see, and saw a small shape crouched between tangled debris on top of it.

A kitten.

Trapped.

Its body twisted awkwardly as it tried to pull itself free.

- oh kitty... - she whispered, softening. - what, you can't just jump off? You got stuck there?

She reached up, stretching her arms, but the wall was too high.

Her fingertips barely brushed the rough clay surface.

- How did you even get up there? - she muttered, trying to jump for it, frustration mixing with concern. - Wait a minute... ah, I can't reach you. There are so many homeless cats in this city.

Unseen, Moon Jo was watching.

He had followed her from the station, keeping to the shadows of the buildings.

His eyes never left her, calculating.

He needed to know: was she just another face in uniform, or was she the one digging into the recent killings?

- Hey, come on, don't fidget. I want to help. - she coaxed, still reaching helplessly.

That was when Moon Jo stepped out of the dark.

He approached with slow, deliberate steps, his gaze moving from the woman's hands up to the trapped kitten.

- What's happening here? - he asked, his tone laced with feigned curiosity.

She startled, then turned toward him, relief flashing in her eyes at the sight of someone tall enough to help.

- This kitten's stuck up there. I can't reach it. - she explained, her voice tinged with frustration.

Without hesitation, Moon Jo stepped up to the wall, stretched his long arm, and plucked the animal down with ease.

He set it on the ground gently, but his eyes, sharp and hollow, betrayed no kindness.

- Oh, thank you. - the officer said, bending slightly toward the kitten.

Then, with a nervous laugh: How did such a tiny thing even get stuck up there?

- Take care of him. - Moon Jo replied flatly.

He turned his heel and began to walk away, each step echoing against the quiet street.

- Ah! Wait a minute! - she called.

He paused, glancing back over his shoulder without interest.

- Yes?

- Um... do you live nearby? I... i wanted to ask you something. - She hesitated, embarrassed, then pressed on. - Have you seen a man around here? About 175 centimeters tall, bald-headed, stutters when he speaks?

Ofcourse he had.

But his face betrayed nothing.

-...I don't remember. - he said smoothly. - But what actually happened?

-ah... I'm just looking for someone. - she muttered, glancing away.

- So you're from the police? - Moon Jo tilted his head.

- Yes.

- Then I'd like to know the details. If something is happening in my neighborhood, it concerns me too.

It did concern him, but not because he feared the killer.

It was Deuk Jong's recklessness he didn't want catching up to him.

- In general... recently someone has been killing cats in this area. - her voice lowered. - I keep receiving complaints from residents, so I'm watching for suspicious people.

Moon Jo nodded slowly, listening intently.

Measuring how much she knew.

- Cat corpses - he said at last, his tone almost casual. - Yes. I've seen one recently. And before that... more than once or twice. - His knuckles cracked softly as he flexed his fingers.

- Yeah, - she sighed, shaking her head. - It's... crazy.

- If I see anyone suspicious, I will definitely report it. - Moon Jo said calmly. He turned again, steps echoing as if to end the conversation.

- Oh yes, thank you.

She crouched to pet the kitten, its tiny body trembling against her hand.

Moon Jo lingered for a moment behind her, staring at her exposed neck, at her vulnerability.

Already, he was imagining what he could create from her.

She turned her head suddenly, catching his gaze.

His face remained unreadable.

- Well, - he said smoothly, as if nothing happened. - good service. I hope the criminal is caught soon.

- Yes, - she answered quickly. - and thank you again.

Moon Jo's lips curved faintly as he walked away.

*

Gihyeok stood in the shadow of the staircase, hidden enough to watch without being noticed.

He hadn't meant to follow, but when Moon Jo slipped out into the night, he couldn't help himself.

The officer bent toward the fence, her hands reaching for something on top.

A faint meow filled the silence, weak and helpless.

A kitten.

She was trying to help it, jumping, stretching, whispering soft words like some savior.

Then Moon Jo stepped forward.

His tall figure cut trough the darkness as if he belonged to it.

Calm, confident, untouchable.

He looked at her once, then at the kitten, and with one simple move lifted it down.

No effort, no hesitation.

Gihyeok's chest tightened.

Why is he even helping her?

It's a pleasure to watch her suffer.

Why is he speaking to her at all?

He hated the was she looked at Moon Jo, as if he were some hero appearing in the right moment.

That look should belong to him.

He was the one who wanted to be seen, to be acknowledged by Moon Jo, not some stranger with a uniform.

The conversation went on.

Questions about suspects, about cats, about neighborhood.

Gihyeok could barely hear the words, his mind was buzzing too loud.

Why is she smiling at him?

Why does he stand there, letting her smile?

Moon Jo's voice was steady, calm.

Every word was deliberate.

He told her he didn't remember, that he'd seen corpses, that he'd report anyone suspicious.

He spoked to her too long, than Gihyeok could handle it.

Gihyeok really couldn't handle his emotions, they always got the better of him, especially anger and jealousy.

Because of them, he acted first and thought later.

Jealousy burned sharp in his stomach.

He clenched his fists.

It wasn't fair.

She was nobody.

Just an officer who happened to pass by.

Why did she get his words, his time, his gaze?

When Moon Jo finally turned away, his footsteps echoing, Gihyeok exhaled without realizing he'd been holding his breath.

He wanted to step out, to confront him, to ask why her, why now, why not me?

But he stayed in the shadows.

Silent.

Watching.

And when the officer bent down to stroke the kitten, Gihyeok thought only one thing: if she looked at him that way again, she won't stay alive for long.

He turned his gaze away, clasped his head in his hands in a rush of emotion, then slid down the wall behind him and buried his face between his knees.

A quiet laugh escaped under his breath at how foolish and reckless he was.

Chapter Text

Gihyeok walked slowly, hesitating with every step, as if each one was a question.

Did he really want to go back there nów?

Maybe he could takę a longer route.

A few minutes longer.

Maybe an hour.

Maybe... not go back at all.

 

But he did.

He stopped in front of the gosiwon and looked up at it - from the cracked foundation to the stained roof.

The same filthy, suffocating building where, somehow, he had felt a kind of spiritual awakening.

He set his left foot on the first step and began to climb, one foot after another, his movements heavy, uncertain.

Second floor.

Third.

At the landing before the fourth, he stopped.

What was the point of coming back if, after all this time he'd spent wandering around, he still hadn't figuired out what to do about Moon Jo - or what Moon Jo would do about him?

He wasn't even sure if Moon Jo had seen him earlier.

For the officer, he'd been just another passerby.

But for Moon Jo... who was he, really?

Someone special? Nah, then why did he talk to her instead of him?

A toy, maybe.

But then, why did he let him play, when he'd never let anyone else here?

He could could stand there thinking forever and still find no answer.

So he decided to confront him.

And Gihyeok... wouldn't even ask.

Why should he?

They had knew each other for, what, a week?

And yet, that week felt like a lifetime carved out of something dangerous and wrong.

He was still thinking when he reached the last step leading to the fourth floor.

Then he heard it - footsteps.

Measured.

Heavy.

Perfectly balanced even, like a metronome.

Calculated.

When he lifted his gaze, he saw him.

Moon Jo, descending the stairs.

He was looking at him, but not like before.

There was no trace of gentleness left in those eyes.

They were empty.

Soulles.

And not the kind of emptiness that comforted him before.

He didn't stay for those kind of eyes.

Moon Jo walked straight forward toward him, and with every step closer, Gihyeok found himself stepping back, until his shoulders hit the wall.

Moon Jo stepped infront of him.

So close that Gihyeok could feel the warmth of his breath - the rhythm of his inhale and exhale brushing against his lips.

There was no space between them.

It was one of the most intimate moments they'd ever shared.

And yet, Gihyeok had never felt so small.

The way Moon Jo looked down at him - not with affection, but with cold superiority, made something collapse inside him.

He felt pathetic.

Betrayed.

And he couldn't even explain why.

The pressure between them was unbearable.

His whole body tensed.

Without thinking, he bit his lower lip, hard.

The sharp, metallic taste of blood hit his tongue.

Cold and vivid.

It helped him steady himself, even if only for a second.

That taste, the faint trace of iron, his body wanted it.

He was hungry for it.

The illusion of calm in a moment of suffocation.

All the emotions from that day, jealousy, confusion, desire, pain - had built up inside him like a storm sealed in glass.

He felt like a ticking bomb, waiting for the right moment to explode, but one that would soon burn out if it wasn't recharged.

And then Moon Jo spoke, breaking the silence like a blade:

- Why don't you trust me?

The words struck him, sharp, invisible, right through the chest.

What did trust even mean in a place like this?

He didn't know which hurt more, the question itself or the tone in which it was asked.

The voice he had grown used to, soft and warm, was gone.

Now, it was cold.

Measured.

Like disappointment wrapped in ice.

It made him feel the same as he did on his first night here - wrong.

Unfit.

Unwanted.

He looked away, his eyes sliding past Moon Jo's shoulder.

He didn't want to answer.

Maybe he couldn't.

Moon Jo stepped even closer, until Gihyeok was practically pressed against the wall.

His palms rested flat against the cold surface, trapped.

Their faces were only a few millimeters apart.

He could see the faint movement of Moon Jo's lips when he spoke again, lower, quieter:

- If you can't trust me... how can I trust you?

Gihyeok's breath caught.

He felt cornered, crushed under the weight of the question.

Like a human being.

He didn't answer.

And Moon Jo didn't wait.

After a few seconds of silence, he spoke again, calm, final:

- There isn't a place for no trust.

Then he turned.

Walked toward the door leading to the fourth floor.

Opened it.

Closed it behind him.

And just liked that, he was gone.

SIlence spread through the hallway, thick, almost physical.

Gihyeok stayed there, back still pressed to the wall, breathing like he had forgotten hoe.

His lips trembled.

He could still feel the warmth of Moon Jo's breath on his skin, the echo of his voice repeating that word: trust.

He pressed a hans to his chest.

It hurt.

Not from fear, but from something he couldn't name, something that clawed from the inside, demanding to be seen.

His teeth gazed the broken skin on his lip again.

The faint, metallic taste returned, bitter and grounding.

He swallowed it like a secret.

Why did it feel like he was the one who had done something wrong?

Why did it feel like losing him, even for a second, meant losing air?

He slid down the wall until he was sitting on the cold floor.

His hands were shaking, but he smiled anyway, a small, broken curve of his mouth that didnt reach his eyes.

He wanted to hate him.

He wanted to stop needing him.

He wanted to show him, that he can trust him, lay on him.

That he is needed.

But even now, with the sound of his footsteps still echoing in the back of his mind, all he could think about was when he'd talk to him again.