The last hour of Eunhwa's shift crawled by in a haze of panic, dread, and something he didn't want to name. Every time he tried to focus — scanning items, sweeping the floor, checking expiration dates — his mind betrayed him.
He'll be waiting.
He told himself the man was bluffing.
People said strange things at night.
Drunk customers often talked big, made promises they didn't intend to keep.
But this wasn't a drunk man.
This was someone who spoke every word with sharp clarity, as if his tongue didn't know how to lie.
It was terrifying how certain he sounded.
By 2:55 a.m., Eunhwa's hands were trembling too much to even pretend he wasn't scared. He kept checking the front windows, hoping — praying — he wouldn't see him.
But the street was quiet. Empty.
Wind stirred the trash on the sidewalk. Neon lights flickered. A stray cat snuck under a parked car.
No tall silhouette.
No white hair.
No man with cigarette smoke wrapped around his body.
Maybe he really left.
Maybe it was coincidence.
Maybe—
The door chimed behind him.
Eunhwa jumped so violently he nearly fell, but it was only his manager arriving for the morning shift.
"You look like you saw a ghost," the man muttered, hanging his coat on a hook.
Eunhwa swallowed.
"A l-late customer came earlier. He was… odd."
His manager paused, squinted at him strangely.
"Which one?"
Eunhwa hesitated.
He didn't know how to describe the man without sounding insane.
"Tall," he whispered, "white hair… tattoo on his hand—"
The manager's face went white.
"He came back?" he breathed.
Eunhwa froze.
"…you know him?"
A shaky laugh, nothing funny in it.
"Everyone knows him. Even if they pretend they don't."
Eunhwa's stomach twisted painfully.
"Who… is he?"
The manager didn't answer right away. He grabbed Eunhwa's arm firmly.
"If he talks to you again," he whispered harshly, "be polite. Don't look him in the eyes for too long. Don't run. Don't argue. Don't reject anything he asks."
Eunhwa felt his skin go cold.
"W-why?"
"Because you're soft," the man said bluntly. "And men like him… enjoy breaking soft things."
Eunhwa's breath faltered.
He had no idea how to respond.
Before he could ask more, the manager shoved a box of inventory papers into his hands.
"Just—go home quickly. Taxi if you can. Don't walk alone."
His voice was too urgent. Too frightened.
Eunhwa nodded weakly and gathered his things.
He moved slowly, as if buying time would somehow stop the inevitable.
At exactly 3:00 a.m., he stepped outside—
And the world seemed to stop.
---
The Streetlight
There, under the pale glow of a flickering streetlight, stood the man from earlier.
Enaga.
He hadn't introduced himself, but the name carried itself.
A presence like his didn't need to be spoken — it demanded to be known.
He didn't move.
Not even a shift of his weight.
He simply stood there, one hand in his pocket, the other holding a cigarette between his fingers. Smoke curled slowly into the air, illuminated by the light like a ghost dancing around him.
His long white hair fell over his shoulder in a loose wave.
His suit looked too expensive for this part of town.
His gaze — even from a distance — locked onto Eunhwa as if the rest of the world didn't exist.
Eunhwa's legs refused to carry him farther.
He felt like a deer frozen in headlights.
The man took a slow drag of his cigarette, exhaled smoothly, then finally spoke.
"Good. You came."
The words wrapped around Eunhwa like smoke — soft at first, then tightening.
"I—I didn't come for you," Eunhwa blurted out, regretting it instantly. "I'm just… going home."
A slow smirk lifted the man's lips.
"Is that so?"
Eunhwa felt stupid.
Everything he said sounded childish in front of someone like this.
The man dropped the cigarette, crushed it neatly under polished leather shoes, and began walking toward him.
Eunhwa couldn't move.
The closer he came, the smaller Eunhwa felt.
This man didn't walk like normal people.
He walked like someone who had been told all his life that the world belonged to him and him alone.
When he finally stopped in front of Eunhwa — only an arm's length away — Eunhwa felt his breath catch.
The man was even taller up close.
Even more beautiful in a frightening way.
Sharp jaw.
Storm-gray eyes.
Lips curved naturally into something sinful.
He tilted his head slightly, examining Eunhwa like he was a specimen placed under perfect lighting.
"You're shaking," he observed quietly.
"I-I'm cold," Eunhwa lied.
"Mm. No. You aren't."
The man reached out before Eunhwa could step back, brushing his knuckles down Eunhwa's cheek.
Eunhwa flinched so hard his breath stuttered.
The man's eyes darkened in interest.
"You're scared of me."
His tone wasn't cruel. And it wasn't mocking.
It was… fascinated.
"I—please—don't—" Eunhwa began, voice thin.
The man leaned in slightly, his breath brushing Eunhwa's ear.
"Don't what?"
Eunhwa trembled, unable to answer.
"Don't touch you?" the man murmured. "Don't come close? Don't speak to you?"
He paused.
"You don't want that. If you did, you'd have run already."
Eunhwa shook his head frantically.
"N-no, it's not— I'm just—"
"Just what?"
The question was too cruelly gentle.
Eunhwa squeezed his eyes shut.
The man's presence was overwhelming.
His scent — cold rain, smoke, and something darker — wrapped around him like a blanket he couldn't push off.
He felt too exposed.
Too seen.
"Look at me," the man commanded softly.
Eunhwa opened his eyes automatically.
The man smiled — small, slow, satisfied.
"Good boy."
Heat burned through Eunhwa's cheeks.
"W-why are you doing this?" he whispered.
The man didn't hesitate.
"Because you interest me."
Eunhwa didn't understand.
"I—I'm just a student. I work night shifts. I'm nothing special—"
The man leaned closer, so close Eunhwa had to tilt his head back to keep distance.
"People don't decide what's special," he said quietly.
"I do."
Eunhwa swallowed hard.
"And I decided you are."
Silence settled between them, thick and loaded.
Then the man straightened slightly, eyes never leaving Eunhwa's face.
"Walk with me."
It wasn't a request.
"I—I need to go home—"
"I know," he cut in. "I'll take you."
"I can go alone."
"No," the man said simply.
Eunhwa bristled. "You can't just decide—"
The man placed a finger on Eunhwa's lips, silencing him instantly.
"I told you," he murmured, eyes dark and unblinking,
"don't argue with me in the middle of the night."
Eunhwa's heart slammed painfully in his chest.
The man lowered his voice.
"Let me take you home, Eunhwa.
Or I will stand here until morning.
And you know I will."
Eunhwa knew it was true.
This man wasn't joking.
He wasn't pretending.
He wasn't trying to impress him.
He was simply telling the truth.
Reluctantly, voice barely audible, Eunhwa whispered—
"…okay."
The man smiled.
Not warm.
Not kind.
But undeniably satisfied.
"Good," he said softly. "Let's go."
And Eunhwa followed him into the night, terrified and unable to stop himself.
Because for the first time in his life—
Fear wasn't the only thing pulling him toward danger.
---