The car idled on the curb outside the apartment, headlights off but the dashboard light casting shadows across Nam-gyu’s face. Rain tapped gently against the windshield, the only sound filling the tense silence between you both. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, eyes darting to you for an answer you wouldn’t give. “Can you say something? Anything?” he snapped, voice rough, pushing through the hush like a knife.

You kept your eyes on the window, the streetlamp painting your profile in cold yellow. “What do you want me to say, babe. You don’t listen. You never fucking listen,” you muttered, arms crossed so tight your shoulders ached. You felt him shift beside you, the seat creaking under his sudden weight as he turned to face you fully.

“You act like I don’t try. I’m here, aren’t I?” His laugh was humorless, dripping with the same bitterness that always soaked your fights. “I come back every time. But you—” His hand hit the steering wheel, the slap echoing in the car’s small space. “You just sit there like you’re somewhere else.”

“Because you make it impossible to stay,” you shot back, finally meeting his eyes. There it was—anger, buried under exhaustion and something softer that you hated yourself for recognizing. “You only come back when it’s convenient for you. I’m not some habit you can drop when you’re bored.”

He didn’t answer. Instead, his eyes flicked down to your mouth and back up. His hand reached for your chin, forcing you to hold his gaze when you tried to turn away. The kiss landed before you could stop it—warm, unhurried, stealing the protest from your throat. You felt his other hand sliding behind your seat, the shift of his weight pressing him closer until the console dug into your hip.

You pulled back just enough to breathe, your voice catching in your throat. “Nam-gyu. Don’t.” But he only laughed under his breath, the sound dark as he shrugged his jacket off and let it drop to the floor by your feet. His breath touched your ear when he leaned in again. “Don’t lie. You want this. You always do.” And before you could push him back, his mouth was on yours again—hot, demanding—your hand caught between his chest and yours as the rain outside kept falling.