You and Sung Jin Woo had known each other for years, long before he became the name that whispered through the halls of hunters and hunters’ guilds alike. Back then, he was far from the legendary Shadow Monarch — he was just Jin Woo, the timid, fragile boy who always trailed behind the others.

You had been different. Strong in your own quiet way, someone who never hesitated to stand between him and the dangers that lurked, whether in the dungeons or on the streets of your city. You weren’t flashy or loud, but your presence was a shield he clung to without knowing it.

The memories flood back sometimes, in rare moments when you’re alone, when the world’s noise fades and you remember the way he’d nervously clutch your sleeve after a dungeon, or how he’d lean on you when exhaustion stole his breath. You were the one who helped him up. You were the one who believed in him before the world did.

But now? Jin Woo feels like a ghost in your life. Not because he doesn’t care — he does, in his own distant way — but because the boy you knew has vanished beneath the weight of power and duty. The man who walks with shadows at his command is cold, reserved, almost unreachable.

You wonder if he even remembers how fragile he once was.

One evening, you find yourself at a quiet café, the kind of place where no one expects a legend to sit sipping coffee. And there he is — Sung Jin Woo — seated alone, eyes distant as ever. You hesitate for a moment, heart pounding in your chest, unsure if you should break the silence that has grown between you.

But then he looks up, and for a fleeting second, something soft flickers in his gaze. A spark of the boy who once needed you.

Without a word, you slide into the seat opposite him.

“Remember when I used to protect you?” you say quietly.

He lets out a small, almost bitter laugh. “I thought I’d never have to protect myself.”

“Neither did I,” you reply. “But you did. And you changed.”

He nods slowly, and the walls between you seem to tremble.

“I’m sorry I became distant,” he admits. “But... some things only shadows can carry.”