The Line You Shouldn’t Cross

“…Shin Jiho?”

“…Huh?”

Jiho and Jiwan stared at each other in disbelief.

Jiho’s eyes clearly asked, ‘Why do you have an umbrella and aren’t using it?’

Jiwan’s expression, on the other hand—

“What the hell are you doing?”

Jiwan let out a hollow sigh.

Jiho was perfectly fine.

No—more than fine. He was being protected.

‘…Snow White?’

Jiwan was reminded of Snow White from a cartoon he’d once seen.

Because birds were swarming around Jiho.

Various kinds, including pigeons, perched on his head and shoulders, spreading their wings to block the rain from falling on him.

As Jiwan approached, every single bird turned its gaze toward him.

Countless beady eyes glinted in the rain, all fixed on him.

Even Jiwan, an S-rank Hunter, flinched.

‘Did I just… feel fear toward birds?’

It was absurd.

These weren’t monsters.

They were just birds.

To sense killing intent from pigeons that usually preferred waddling on the ground over flying—

He must be losing his mind.

Watching Jiwan stand there, stunned, Jiho briefly considered running.

But the birds surrounding him made that impossible.

Jiwan finally opened the umbrella he’d been holding and placed it over Jiho’s head.

Only then did the birds begin to scatter one by one.

Unlike Jiwan, who was soaked to the bone, Jiho wasn’t wet at all—only a few feathers clung to him.

Fidgeting awkwardly, he avoided Jiwan’s gaze.

“Shin Jiho.”

“…Yes.”

“What exactly are you thinking?”

“….”

“What do you want from me?”

Jiwan was genuinely curious.

If Jiho planned to cling to him like before, he should’ve grabbed his pant leg the moment he came outside.

But Jiho never did that.

Instead, he would panic and run whenever Jiwan appeared.

He wasn’t trying to harm him either.

If revenge were the goal, approaching him would’ve been the first step.

Jiho’s behavior made no sense.

What exactly did he want from him?

Jiho hesitated.

Jiwan didn’t expect an answer and was about to turn away—

Then Jiho spoke.

“I….”

“…….”

“I want to know.”

Know what?

Even without Jiwan asking, Jiho continued.

“When I’m not around… who you meet.”

“…?”

“What you do with that person….”

“…….”

“I want to know everything.”

Jiho’s eyes looked impossibly deep.

Meeting that gaze sent a chill down Jiwan’s spine.

Jiho didn’t look like he was joking.

Instead of fear, something else stirred in Jiwan’s chest.

An inexplicable anticipation.

Startled by himself, he turned and fled without looking back.

If he stayed any longer, he felt like he might say something foolish.

By the time he returned home, drenched, and stepped onto the balcony, Jiho was gone.

The umbrella was gone too.

He must’ve taken it.

Left alone, Jiwan fell into thought.

‘Why? Why would he…?’

Why does he care who I meet?

Why does he care what I do?

That strange anticipation made his chest ache.

Yet a cold voice surfaced in the back of his mind.

‘Why else? Someone recruited Shin Jiho to spy on me.’

The warmth began to fade—

But another thought intervened.

‘But… is he really spying on me?’

There was suspicion, but no proof.

And honestly, Jiho’s behavior was so ridiculous that it was plausible he simply didn’t realize how strange he was acting.

Perhaps a more thorough investigation was necessary.

And if—truly—Shin Jiho had no ulterior motive…

‘…What exactly do I want?’

Jiwan pressed his palm against the balcony window.

His gaze darkened as he looked at the place where Jiho had been sitting below.

“If… you’re truly connected to no one….”

He had given Shin Jiho a chance.

A chance to live outside his boundary.

Once Jiwan claimed something as his, he protected it to the end.

Wasn’t that why he had seized and kept the Domun Group succession seat, even when he once had no interest in it?

Despite the glares and interference from relatives.

‘If you step inside the line on your own.’

He wouldn’t stop him anymore.

But Jiho needed to think carefully.

The moment he crossed that line—

Until one of them died, Jiwan would never let go.

Do Jiwan had run away in shock after hearing my answer, but he didn’t call security or chase me off.

That meant he wasn’t angry.

He didn’t curse at me to disappear, nor did he call the police.

‘It’s safe to proceed with the plan.’

I smiled wickedly.

The day before execution, I said goodbye to Hyung Jeongho.

“Jiho… make sure you live well after moving.”

“Hyung, I’m not emigrating.”

I laughed, teasing him for acting like we’d never meet again.

He smiled awkwardly.

“Still… do you really have to move? It’s not bad here.”

“But if I want to achieve my dream, I have to.”

He looked like a worried parent sending a child off alone, but when I mentioned my dream, he reluctantly nodded.

“…I’d help you move, but it was arranged so suddenly. I have work that day.”

“There’s not much to take anyway. It was fully furnished. I barely have any luggage.”

Aside from some clothes and bedding, there was nothing.

I hadn’t intended to ask for help anyway.

‘When Hyung Jeongho rests, Do Jiwan rests too.’

If Jiwan happened to be free and learned of my plan, he might interfere.

So I reassured Jeongho, hiding my thoughts.

The next day, after he left for work, was my moving day.

If someone followed you around saying they wanted to know everything about you, you’d normally feel disgusted.

But because it was Jiho, Jiwan’s chest churned unbearably.

Still, he couldn’t let himself dwell on it.

His job demanded precision—one mistake could cost lives.

He had to separate personal feelings from work.

Yet once everything ended and he was heading home, the churning returned.

‘Will he be waiting again today?’

It was getting colder.

Jiwan had even seriously considered placing a heated bench outside.

But when he entered the parking lot, he saw no one.

Jiho wasn’t there.

He told himself Jiho would just show up again eventually.

Entering the building, he stepped into the elevator.

When it reached the 47th floor, he stepped out—

And froze.

“…You?”

“Gah!”

It was Jiho.

Had this idiot escalated to trespassing now?

Jiwan’s eyes widened.

Jiho tried to flee, but a D-rank Hunter couldn’t outrun an S-rank.

“Now you’ve moved on to illegal entry?”

Jiwan’s apartment required a keycard at the entrance.

Even the elevator wouldn’t operate without one.

This was clearly trespassing.

Seeing Jiwan’s disdainful look, Jiho bristled.

“I did not!”

“Then what? Do you know someone here?”

Jiwan scoffed, well aware of Jiho’s pitiful social circle.

Pouting, Jiho pulled something from his pocket.

It was unmistakable.

A resident keycard.

“I also live here—”

“…Did you steal it?”

“Yes— …No! Why would you immediately assume I stole it?!”

He had nodded reflexively before processing Jiwan’s words and protesting furiously.

But Jiwan’s suspicion didn’t fade.

After all, keycards were issued only to residents.

There was no legitimate way an outsider like Shin Jiho could obtain one.