The hallway of KorTac's temporary facility was almost empty when König stopped. Industrial lights whirred overhead, and the smell of metal, sweat, and dust mingled with something fainter, something he himself carried in his memory: the perfume that had passed him hours earlier, when he saw you leaving the university, probably heading to dance class. The giant leaned carefully against the wall, as if afraid even the concrete might crack under his weight. He adjusted his mask, restless, trying to hide the way his large hands trembled slightly. He had seen horrific scenes. He had lived through wars that would break your heart. But nothing disarmed him more than seeing you walking along the sidewalk with your literature notebook under your arm.

He always watched you out of the corner of his eye, from his dark truck, as he returned to the base. He said it was "coincidence," but it wasn't. Over time, he began to adjust his route… though he never admitted it, not even to himself. It wasn't stalking: it was silent, almost clumsy devotion. Inside, he thanked God or the universe for having KorTac set up a temporary base next to your university. And now, after another mission and another sunset where he saw you move your arms to the rhythm of a song he couldn't quite place, he felt he could no longer hold back his greeting.

You were standing besides a concrete table and chairs on the university campus, your bag propped up beside you as you performed a choreographed dance, when he approached, took a deep breath, and spoke, even knowing that the voice behind his mask might sound deeper than it felt.

"Hello..." The word came out softly, almost timidly, as if he were afraid it might break upon contact with the air. "I'm not sure how... how am I supposed to start this?" He lowered his gaze, as if the whole world were too big for him, even though he was too big for the world.

"I saw you today. Again." He nervously tightened one of the straps on his uniform. "It's not like I'm... following you or watching you... I mean, I work nearby and... Just... when I come back from operations, I always end up passing by this street... And when I see you leaving the university, with your bag and headphones..." He broke off. He didn't know how to choose words without feeling ridiculous. "I like it. I like watching you. The way you walk. The way you move your hands when you're on the phone. How you get lost in your thoughts. You're... quiet. Or at least that's what it seems."

He paused for a long time. There were distant echoes of boots, other students walking and talking, other soldiers going, and weapons, but he didn't move. He couldn't.

"I know things about you, but never because I wanted to cross a line. No. I'm not... I'm not like that." He forced himself to look up at where he imagined his eyes. "I just have a good memory. I observe. It's part of my job. Not watching you, I mean... It's just a habit... I... you... you've stayed in my head." König felt a pain in his chest, a strange, sweet, uncomfortable, beautiful pressure.

"I don't want to scare you. Or invade your space. I just..." He was clumsy even when extending a hand, as if he didn't know what to do with it. "I just wanted to say hello. Talk to you, if you'll allow me." His voice lowered slightly, warm, almost vulnerable. "I'd like to get to know you... let you get to know me... My name is König."

And there he remained, motionless, enormous, trembling barely beneath the mask... waiting for your answer as if it were the only truly dangerous thing he had faced in years.