Arthur's grip tightened just slightly.
He turned abruptly, taking a sharp left into a narrower passage, the space growing tighter, more enclosed. The air changed again, not colder this time, but heavier.
Like they were crossing into something different.
Arthur slowed down.
Then stopped.
Hae-joon barely had time to process it before Arthur set him down, steadying him for a brief second to make sure he wouldn't fall again.
"Stay here," Arthur said, already moving past him.
"…What?" Hae-joon blinked, still trying to catch his breath. "Stay where?!Arthur, what are you--"
Arthur didn't answer.
He stepped forward, placing himself at the entrance of what looked like a small, half-hidden room carved into the side of the corridor. It didn't look like much, just another abandoned space.
But something about it felt…
different.
Warmer.
The oppressive weight that had been clinging to Hae-joon's chest since they entered the building eased..just slightly.
Arthur opened the door.
And for the first time, since they arrived; Hae-joon felt warmth.
It spread across the doorway like a thin veil, sealing the entrance with something that didn't belong to the world Hae-joon knew.
"Inside," Arthur said.
Hae-joon didn't hesitate this time.
He stepped in.
The moment he crossed the threshold
everything changed.
The cold vanished.
The pressure disappeared.
It felt… quiet.
Not the eerie silence from before.
But something calmer.
Safer.
Hae-joon exhaled shakily, his shoulders dropping for the first time since everything started.
"…What is this place?" he asked, voice softer now.
Arthur stood at the entrance for a second longer, his gaze fixed on the darkness outside as if expecting something to break through.
Nothing did.
Only then did he step in, the faint barrier sealing behind him.
"…A place they can't reach," he said finally.
Hae-joon let out a small, disbelieving laugh, running a hand through his hair.
"Thanks..for helping me back there..and yeah I'm sorry I didn't listen..I-I was just, so-so scared..I-I" Hae-joon couldn't speak..he was so overwhelmed, and Arthur noticed it.
"It's..okay I guess..you rest now." Arthur said patting his shoulder...He never learned to console someone, in the celestial world feelings do not exist let alone consolation.
"…We stay here tonight."
Hae-joon frowned slightly, turning back to him.
"Tonight? You mean,like, we're just… staying here?"
"They're stronger in the dark," Arthur said, his tone calm but firm. "They don't move the same way during the day. It's safer to leave when the sun's up."
Hae-joon stared at him.
"…Right" he muttered.
Silence lingered for a moment.
"…How long do we have to stay here?" Hae-joon asked, quieter now.
"Until morning."
Hae-joon nodded slowly, though his thoughts were anything but calm.
Like everything would just… go back to normal after that.
Arthur turned slightly, as if about to say something more..then stopped.
"…Even after we leave," he said, voice lower now, "you can't move around like nothing happened."
Hae-joon frowned.
"What?"
"There's a chance they won't come at you directly during the day," Arthur continued. "But that doesn't mean they won't be watching."
A pause.
Then;
"They can blend in."
Hae-joon blinked.
"…Blend in?"
Arthur held his gaze.
"…Like people."
That landed.
Hard.
"…You're joking," Hae-joon said, but there was no humor in it.
"I'm not."
Silence stretched again.
Hae-joon let out a breath, shaking his head slightly as he tried to process it all.
"…That's not possible," he muttered. "I have a job. I can't just disappear because of, this."
Arthur's expression didn't change.
"Then I'll come with you."
Hae-joon looked up immediately.
"…What?"
"I stay close," Arthur said. "That way—"
"They won't allow that," Hae-joon cut in quickly. "It's not some open place where you can just walk in. You need ID, clearance...stuff like that."
Hae-joon ran a hand through his hair again, frustration creeping back in.
"I can't just stop everything, Arthur." he added. "I need that job."
Arthur studied him for a moment.
Longer than necessary.
"…Then we'll figure something out," he said finally.
Hae-joon exhaled slowly, leaning back against the wall.
"…Yeah," he muttered. "We better."
Because right now..
nothing about his life felt like his own anymore.