It had been an uncommonly long night. And an even heavier morning.
Sunlight spilled generously through the windows, but the 20th-floor penthouse had yet to shake off the shadows of yesterday.
As though grief itself still clung to the walls.
The sofa.
The table.
The kitchen.
Even the way their bodies leaned against the silence—Everything stood as quiet testament to her absence.
Jinwoo, Daniel, and Noah.
The three remained in the living room, but none of them looked toward her seat.
It remained there, untouched—as if sacred, a place no one dared to occupy.
By the time noon arrived on that sluggish Saturday, last night's emptied whiskey bottle and scattered beer cans still sat on the table, too tired even to be cleared away.
It was Jinwoo who spoke first.
"…What if she really doesn't come back?"
The words fell heavy, drifting into the air like a prayer no one dared voice before.
Daniel lowered his gaze, fingers brushing the table's edge in slow strokes.
Noah stared out the window—then quietly closed his eyes.
And after a long silence, Daniel finally said:
"…This is all my fault. I should never have crossed that line. Watching her smile next to you…That should've been enough for me."
Jinwoo looked up.
Noah adjusted in his seat, listening in stillness.
"…I thought I was protecting her. But the truth is, I was just another wall inside her. I couldn't even protect the one person I truly wanted to keep safe."
He wiped at his eyes, just once.
"The one who stayed the longest…was the one furthest from her."
Then Noah spoke.
"She can live without us."
Quiet.
But sharp enough to cut clean through the air.
"…Honestly, Celeste doesn't need us to survive."
Jinwoo's brows drew together.
Daniel's hand froze.
Noah lowered his head, then lifted his eyes to meet theirs.
"Tell me—if she asked us to leave her life right now, would any of us really be able to argue?"
No one replied.
"…We're the ones who need her. Because without her, everything falls apart. Even this twisted, impossible thing we're in."
He drew in a breath, deep and unsteady.
"…If this ends here, I don't think I'll ever forgive myself."
A pause. Then he added, quietly:
"So let's just… be honest. For once. No more pride. No more pretending. What is it that you really want—from her, from this?
And so, for the first time, the air between them shifted.
Stripped bare of pride.
Jinwoo spoke first.
"…There's still so much I wanted to do with her. Watch a movie together. Eat ice cream in the summer, holding hands. All these little things that now…feel like dreams that never even belonged to me."
Daniel lowered his head.
"…For me…just seeing her sitting in her study room each morning—that was enough for the day to begin."
His voice trembled like a forgotten melody.
"Even as a shadow…I just wanted to stay close. Even once."
And just as his words trailed off,
Jinwoo turned to Noah.
"…Remember that what you said before? That last bit—"
"What?"
Noah narrowed his eyes.
"What are you even talking about? I have no idea what you're trying to say."
"The harem thing. Monday through Friday… and weekends off?"
Noah blinked.
Then laughed.
Loud, incredulous.
"You're insane. How drunk were you? Why the hell would you bring that up now?"
"I know it sounds ridiculous. But look at where we are. Like it or not, we might be stuck in this triangle forever. The world already sees me by her side anyway… so maybe it's time we set our own rules."
Jinwoo gestured into the air with a weary finger.
"If we set some ground rules…maybe we'll stop tearing each other apart."
Noah was already shaking his head, half-laughing, half-resigned.
But Daniel spoke before he could protest.
"…Wait. So you'd be the public face. And we… rotate?"
Jinwoo nodded.
"Yeah. Like, she can stay one week at Unit 1902, one at 1901. one at 1501 and then one week off—for her. Alone."
Noah looked like he might scream.
"Are you—seriously turning this absurd idea into a real plan? Is this reality? Or have I finally blacked out and entered a simulation?"
Daniel shrugged, almost impressed.
"…Honestly, it's not the worst plan."
"Oh my god. Am I the only sane one left here?! This is a nightmare."
Jinwoo muttered, almost smugly:
"Then bow out. Daniel and I can rotate."
"Hey!! I never said I was out!"
And in that moment—all three of them laughed.
Laughter, raw and real, broke through a space that had known nothing but silent tears and regret for far too long.
The laughter had barely settled when the sound of hurried footsteps cut through the room.
Howard entered, breath short, face pale, voice laced with urgency.
"Miss Celeste—she's gone.
To Belloni's estate.
Alone."
The words hung in the air, sharp and immediate.
And just like that, the room turned still again.