In a world where a single touch can create an unbreakable emotional bond, Yuji has survived by avoiding all physical contact.
No touch. No weakness.

Until the night a stranger saves him from an accident… and their bodies brush against each other.

Now, Yuji and Ren are connected: they feel every emotion, every pain, every desire the other experiences.
But this bond comes with terrifying side effects — hallucinations, a visceral need to stay close, and a gradual fusion of their emotions.

Worse still, Ren hides a secret: they are not the only ones connected.
An organization is hunting those who share this bond, considering them anomalies to be eliminated… and Ren has already paid the price.

To survive, they’ll have to learn to trust each other.
To remain themselves, they’ll have to resist the consuming pull between them.

But some bonds can never be broken.

Not far — just to the first corner where the glow of a convenience store sign offered some kind of safety. His chest was still burning, his breathing shallow.


He pressed his back against the cold brick wall and slid down, clutching his knees.


It wasn't just the near-death experience making his head spin.


Yuji squeezed his eyes shut, but it didn't help. The sensations came back anyway — like they were engraved under his skin.


And worse… there was something else. A sharp, magnetic pull, as if his body craved that touch again despite every instinct screaming to stay away.


Ren was leaning casually against a lamppost a few feet away, like he hadn't just thrown himself in front of a car.


Yuji's entire body tensed. "Are you following me?!"


Ren didn't answer right away. His eyes, cool and unreadable, scanned Yuji like he was some kind of puzzle.


Ren pushed off the lamppost and took a step closer. Yuji flinched and instinctively pressed back against the wall.


Ren stopped just out of reach, his hands raised in mock surrender. "Relax. I'm not going to hurt you."


Yuji's pulse roared in his ears. "Then explain what the hell is happening to me."


Ren tilted his head slightly. "You felt it, didn't you? When we touched."


"Everything," Ren said simply. "My fear. My relief. My…" He paused, eyes narrowing as if gauging Yuji's reaction. "You're connected to me now."


Yuji laughed, a harsh, nervous sound. "Connected? You're insane."


"Maybe," Ren said, voice low, calm. "But you're feeling it too. Aren't you?"


Yuji opened his mouth to deny it. To call this stranger delusional.


But then it hit again — a wave of something foreign. Not his own emotion. A mix of quiet worry… and an undercurrent of curiosity.


Ren's lips curved into a faint, knowing smile.


Chapter 2 - The Link