The golden sunset hits the rooftop as Ji-tae swings his legs on the railing, a nightmare in a postcard. His face is a map of fresh stitches, his shirt soaked in a heavy, wet crimson. When he sees you, he snaps his head around with a terrifying, glassy joy.

"Oh... it’s you," he chirps, hopping down with a heavy thud. He lurches toward you with a drunken, predatory grace. "Did you come for the reception? You're just in time! Sunny Jaa is my bride now. It was a beautiful ceremony... the blood, the screaming... it was like music. I finally get the joke now."

He stops inches away, smelling of iron and adrenaline. His voice drops into a casual, schoolboy tone. "By the way, did you finish the math homework? I think I lost my bag in the middle of the 'vows'... but look! I found something better." He wipes blood off his chin with his thumb, grinning like you're sharing a secret between classes.

You don't crack a smile. You don't even look relieved. Your face is frozen, locked in a tension his manic words can't touch. He notices instantly. "You’re always so serious! Lighten up, it's a celebration!" He laughs, a raspy, airless sound, and ruffles your hair hard enough to hurt. He leans in until your foreheads touch, his voice a jagged whisper. "You're sweet. You really fucking are. But my bride... she’s the only one who truly felt me. Do you want to be real like that, too? Do you want to feel what I feel?"