Night finally arrived.
As though drawing a curtain over a day that neither of them had truly managed to leave behind.
It had been a long day—
heavy with confrontations and words left unsaid.
Seo-hyeon opened the passenger-side door and sat beside Min-su in silence.
He didn't speak.
But when Min-su glanced at him, a single look was enough.
Deep fear.
Invisible exhaustion.
And the slow collapse of a man struggling to hold himself together until the very end.
Seo-hyeon reached out and placed a steady hand on his shoulder.
"There is no third option, Min-su."
Then he added quietly,
"You either keep running...
or we finally face this."
Suddenly, his phone slipped from his hand.
He bent down to retrieve it, but froze halfway through the motion.
A small silver necklace lay near the seat.
A men's pendant bearing the letter W.
He studied it for several seconds before a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Looks like you dropped your necklace."
Min-su's eyes immediately shifted toward it.
Then he answered a little too quickly.
"It's not mine."
A brief silence followed.
"Maybe it belongs to Soo-jin."
Seo-hyeon watched him for a moment but didn't press further.
He set the necklace aside.
"Alright.
Then it'll stay here."
Inside Min-su's house, the silence felt different.
It wasn't the silence of comfort.
It was the heavy stillness that comes before a storm.
Seo-hyeon removed his coat and spoke with forced lightness.
"I haven't had dinner yet. I'm starving."
Then he flashed a broad smile.
"And I've missed your cooking."
Min-su answered flatly,
"Don't you have food at your own house?"
Seo-hyeon merely smiled.
A few moments later, Min-su said dryly,
"Fine.
Since you're practically begging, I'll allow you to taste my cooking."
Seo-hyeon raised an eyebrow dramatically.
"Me? Begging?"
"Will beef and rice be enough?"
Seo-hyeon's smile appeared instantly.
"Perfect."
Then he added quickly,
"Don't get carried away.
I wasn't begging."
Beneath the lighthearted banter, however, he was watching him carefully.
The slowness of his movements.
The way his attention drifted.
And the frightening emptiness lingering behind his eyes.
As Min-su placed dishes on the table, Seo-hyeon suddenly said,
"You're not running from people, Min-su."
His hand paused.
"You're running from yourself."
Silence settled between them.
Seo-hyeon stepped a little closer.
"You're going to be okay."
His voice remained steady.
"I promise."
A flicker of unease crossed Min-su's eyes.
"...Should we begin the session?"
He remained silent for several seconds before finally nodding.
Min-su lay down on the couch.
The curtains were tightly shut, while the rhythmic sound of rain filled the room.
The tension was palpable.
Seo-hyeon sat across from him.
This time, he made no attempt to break the silence.
Gradually, his voice changed.
Calmer.
Slower.
More precise.
"Listen to me carefully, Min-su."
He paused briefly.
"We won't begin until I'm certain you want this."
Min-su swallowed hard.
Then nodded.
"Good."
Seo-hyeon spoke gently.
"If you feel afraid or unsafe, we'll stop immediately. Understood?"
"...Yes."
"Are you comfortable here? We can move somewhere else."
"No... it's fine."
Seo-hyeon inhaled slowly.
"Alright."
Then he began.
"Relax your hands."
"Now breathe."
"Inhale slowly... four seconds."
"Hold it."
"And now exhale... slowly."
They repeated the rhythm once.
Then twice.
Then three times.
Gradually, Min-su's body began to settle.
"Don't force yourself to be calm."
Seo-hyeon's voice became even softer.
"Just allow your body to settle."
He handed him a pair of small headphones.
"Put these on."
Min-su obeyed silently.
"The sounds will help you focus on my voice."
Rain echoed through the headphones.
Soft.
Distant.
Repetitive.
"Listen to the rain."
"Don't try to think about it.
Just let it exist."
Min-su's breathing gradually became steady.
Seo-hyeon observed him for several moments before continuing.
"We're not going straight toward the pain."
A brief pause.
"We'll start somewhere safe."
A faint tremor crossed Min-su's expression.
"The first moment you felt..."
another pause,
"...accepted."
Silence.
Then, slowly, an image appeared.
A warm smile.
Gentle eyes narrowing kindly.
Hands offering him food.
Min-su whispered from somewhere far away.
"I found it..."
"Good."
Seo-hyeon's voice dropped lower.
"Stay there."
"What do you see?"
"Warmth..."
A brief silence.
"And beauty."
"And what do you feel?"
This silence lasted longer.
Then his voice emerged, fragile.
"Safety."
"And acceptance."
A faint smile touched Seo-hyeon's lips.
"Hold onto that feeling."
Then he added softly,
"That's your safe place."
He waited until Min-su's breathing had completely stabilized.
Then he spoke again.
"Now...
we're going to take just one step forward."
Silence.
"There's fog, isn't there?"
Min-su's fingers twitched slightly.
"...Yes."
"Don't try to push through it."
A pause.
"The fog isn't your enemy."
Then he continued steadily.
"It's something your mind created to protect you."
He took a slow breath.
"If you try to force your way through...
you'll drown in it."
Min-su's breathing trembled.
"Move slowly."
"Do you smell anything?"
His expression changed immediately.
Disgust.
Tension.
Discomfort.
"A smell..."
His body stiffened.
"Something foul."
"Describe it."
"Iron..."
A brief silence.
"And rust."
Then he whispered,
"Garbage."
"Good."
Seo-hyeon's tone remained steady.
"You're doing well."
But Min-su's heartbeat began to accelerate.
"Look around you."
"What do you see?"
Several long moments passed.
Then his hesitant voice emerged.
"...A child."
Seo-hyeon's voice softened even further.
"Don't approach."
"Just observe him."
Min-su struggled to breathe.
"Thin..."
"His clothes are torn."
"And his eyes..."
His voice faltered.
"Empty."
"Does he look afraid?"
Silence.
Long silence.
Then Min-su whispered,
"...No."
His breathing shook.
"He looks used to it."
Seo-hyeon closed his eyes briefly.
Then spoke gently.
"That's important."
"Keep going."
Min-su's fingers trembled against the couch.
"He's digging into the dirt with his fingernails."
His voice suddenly froze.
"They're bleeding."
His body tensed further.
"There's blood..."
Then came a terrified whisper.
"So much blood."
"Don't pull away."
Seo-hyeon spoke quickly, but carefully.
"You're only observing."
Min-su inhaled sharply.
"There's a car..."
"And a woman."
"And the sound of her heels..."
He swallowed.
"Striking the pavement."
"Can you see her face?"
"...No."
"That's alright."
Then everything changed.
Min-su's breathing caught.
His entire body went rigid.
"He's here."
Seo-hyeon immediately straightened.
"Who?"
Min-su's voice trembled.
"The bird."
A heavy silence followed.
"Is it close?"
Min-su squeezed his eyes shut.
"...It's everywhere."
"Okay."
Seo-hyeon's response was immediate.
"Don't look at it."
"Just listen."
Then he asked quietly,
"What is it saying?"
Min-su's breathing became uneven.
Shaky.
Broken.
Then he whispered, barely audibly:
"Are you..."
A sharp gasp escaped him.
"...the criminal?"
Another breath.
"Or the victim?"
Silence.
Even Seo-hyeon froze for a moment.
Then he answered in a calm, controlled voice.
"Don't answer."
"Not now."
Min-su's body began convulsing violently.
Seo-hyeon immediately moved closer and placed a steady hand on his shoulder.
"It's over."
"You're here."
"In this room."
"With me."
Min-su struggled for breath.
"Look around you."
Seo-hyeon's voice was firm yet gentle.
"Tell me three things you can see."
Min-su fought to regain control.
"The bed..."
"The light..."
Then his trembling eyes lifted toward him.
"You."
"Good."
Seo-hyeon spoke softly.
"Come back to me."
Gradually, Min-su's breathing steadied.
But something inside him...
was no longer the same.
Because something buried for years—
had finally begun to crack.