The time when the sun rises marks the moment when the dark energy that had filled the night gradually fades away. The moonlight slowly weakens, and one by one, bright lights descend, illuminating the surroundings that had been enveloped in darkness.Around this time, the security guard at Haeyeon High School would arrive for his shift and begin his patrol around the school grounds. It wasn’t much—just opening the building entrances—but he would still check around to make sure everything was in order before finally opening the school gate.About ten minutes after that, students would start arriving. They knew that even if they came early, they wouldn’t be able to enter the school just yet. Occasionally, there were students who miscalculated the time and ended up waiting anxiously in front of the gate, hoping the guard would open it sooner."What’s this? Kim Mu-ryeong looks fine today?"Seung-joo, who had come to school early as usual, was surprised when he saw Mu-ryeong sitting at his desk, wide awake. Normally, if Mu-ryeong had arrived this early, he would be half-dead from exhaustion, but today, he was fully awake with clear, bright eyes. He didn’t look like someone who had stayed up all night."Did you sleep at home yesterday?""No, I stayed at school."Mu-ryeong responded casually, scratching his cheek awkwardly. His round eyes shifted around, and he gave a little wink."Ki Hwan-young was with me too.""Really?"Seung-joo’s face was puzzled, but he didn’t react much. He simply nodded, thinking, "Poor guy." Then, when asked if he was going to sleep more, Mu-ryeong hesitated for a moment before shaking his head."I’ll try to sleep a bit later.""Do you have to stay up all night again today?""Well... but today will be the last day."Mu-ryeong’s gaze shifted out the window. The full moon, which had seemed as though it was about to fall, was now completely gone. Instead, the sun blazed brightly, heating up the school grounds."It has to end.""I’ve been on edge since I was a kid."Yesterday, Hwan-young had leaned against Mu-ryeong’s shoulder and started speaking softly. His calm, quiet voice seemed to match the night perfectly. Even the will-o’-the-wisps that had been floating around seemed to land on the desk to listen to his words."I had trouble telling if I was human or not because I saw things that others couldn’t."Mu-ryeong had often experienced the same struggle when he was younger. Even though he could handle spiritual energy with ease, distinguishing between the living and the dead was always difficult. It wasn’t easy to sense someone else's spiritual energy, especially for young spiritualists, and even harder to tell whether it was dark energy or not."I must’ve scared my parents because I kept saying strange things."But Mu-ryeong had grown up among people who could see the same things he could. He had the opportunity to learn how to distinguish between them, and even if he made mistakes, no one looked at him oddly."So, when I was little, I just ignored it all."".....""People and ghosts, all of them."".....""Honestly, it was better to be alone."Unlike Mu-ryeong, Hwan-young had no one around to help him. He was surrounded by ordinary people, and because he had been born with a unique ability, he became an outcast, despite having no control over the circumstances of his birth."Hwan-hee was a good kid, unlike me."Some might say Hwan-hee was unlucky, but perhaps it was Hwan-young who had truly been unfortunate. Born as one of the rare spiritualists who might never meet anyone else like him, and, tragically, having become the older twin brother to someone he couldn’t share his life with. Who could possibly understand how it felt to be alone when they never asked for it?"When I was a kid, I saw him often, but he was always healthy when I saw him. He laughed a lot, played a lot, and since he was so kind, adults loved him."Hwan-young’s stories didn’t seem to have a clear point. At times, it seemed like he was reminiscing, but there was no real sense of longing. His words flowed monotonously, almost as though he wasn’t hoping for anything, just letting his thoughts spill out."My parents’ death... it was my fault."".....""Hwan-hee blamed me a lot at first."Mu-ryeong remembered that when he was ten, his parents’ spirits had come to him. That meant they had passed when he was even younger. Why had he thought it was his fault at such a young age?"Hwan-hee died when it started getting really hot."As soon as he heard those words, Mu-ryeong was reminded of a memory that had already passed. At the end of June, when Hwan-young had come back covered in dark energy, looking as though something terrible had happened. When Mu-ryeong asked what happened, Hwan-young coldly pushed him away, telling him not to touch him."It was a hit-and-run... the culprit died instantly."Could it have been the anniversary? Maybe it was the day when his last sibling had left his side.The scattered puzzle pieces began to fit together. Not everything was clear, but Mu-ryeong could tell that his guesses weren’t entirely wrong."It was my fault too."Mu-ryeong didn’t ask why it was Hwan-young’s fault. He didn’t try to comfort him, and he didn’t tell him to stop thinking that way. He simply leaned his head against Hwan-young’s shoulder, moving his lips slowly as he spoke.This translation is the intellectual property of ."That must have been really scary for you."How terrifying it must have been for Hwan-young to be left alone. Hwan-young’s younger brother had died when he was just twelve, and he had been alone for over five years after that. To some, it might have seemed like a short time, but for someone who had lived only eighteen years, it was a long time."When I was little, I was afraid of being alone."".....""I was scared of being alone, and I was scared of doing things by myself...""....."“Honestly, I prefer being with someone rather than alone.”So, Mu-ryeong said, subtly hinting that he was glad to be with Hwan-young now. Whether Hwan-young understood him properly, though, was unclear.“Isn’t that the case for everyone? When people say they want to be alone, it usually means they just want a moment of peace, not actual solitude.”There was no one in the world who liked being alone. While some could enjoy solitude, they couldn’t embrace the loneliness that came with it. There was a difference between choosing to be alone and being forced into it.“People are most human when they’re with other people.”This was something Mu-ryeong’s late father had always emphasized. The dead stay with the dead, and the living stay with the living. Even if you were close to a spirit, a human belonged among humans.“Of course, that depends on who you’re with…”“…"“I’d like it if you were comfortable being with someone else, not just me.”Hwan-young had always been on edge. He never imagined he could lean on someone or pour out his feelings like this. But now, seeing him relax and enjoy the moment, Mu-ryeong felt a growing desire to make Hwan-young’s environment more comfortable.“…That doesn’t really resonate with me.”Hwan-young responded in his usual monotone. He wasn’t mocking Mu-ryeong, just stating his thoughts. He added that he had never really imagined it that way.“We’re going on a field trip this fall.”Mu-ryeong closed his eyes, speaking softly as he leaned against Hwan-young. Hwan-young’s dark hair brushed against his cheek, and it smelled faintly like shampoo, with a soft, cozy scent lingering in the air.“We’re going to Jeju Island.”It was the once-in-a-lifetime school trip during high school. A 2-night, 3-day experience that would create lasting memories, something most students looked forward to. Mu-ryeong, too, was eagerly anticipating the trip.“I’ve always wanted to sneak into another class’s dorm and mess around.”If Seung-joo had heard that, he would have scoffed, pointing out that Mu-ryeong had always been like that. Mu-ryeong, who had a lot of friends since middle school, always found ways to have fun during school trips.However, for this trip, Mu-ryeong only had one destination in mind.“I’ll bring some drinks and snacks.”“….”Hwan-young was silent, his response feeling more like a suppressed laugh. Mu-ryeong leaned into him, joking, “Seung-joo will probably like it too.”“…Does Seung-joo know about this?”“Wow, you sometimes sound just like him.”Mu-ryeong didn’t deny ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) it and responded with unapologetic cheekiness. Of course, Seung-joo didn’t know. He could tell from the way Hwan-young laughed softly—almost like the air escaping from a balloon—that Hwan-young was slightly embarrassed.“Let’s go on a trip when we graduate too.”Until then, there would be plenty of fun events—sports festivals, school festivals, and many other school activities. Mu-ryeong hoped that all the things he took for granted would one day feel just as natural for Hwan-young, and that they could enjoy this moment without worrying about anyone’s judgment.Though Hwan-young didn’t offer a direct response, Mu-ryeong kept talking about their future plans late into the night. His soft words didn’t seem to bother Hwan-young, and he didn’t seem to mind at all. If Mu-ryeong had mentioned taking Seolgi along, Hwan-young would have probably joked about whether the dog could even ride in a car.It was a dreamlike moment. The moonlight that filled the space was beautiful, and the pure spiritual energy they shared as their shoulders touched felt almost tangible. Perhaps it was the warmth of a human body so close, but Mu-ryeong’s eyes began to flutter closed halfway through their conversation.At some point, Mu-ryeong drifted into a deep sleep. His hazy consciousness vanished completely.When someone woke him up, Mu-ryeong opened his eyes to find himself resting against Hwan-young’s shoulder.“I wonder if Ki Hwan-young is okay…”“Why? What about him?”“I don’t think he got any sleep last night.”“Poor guy. He must be exhausted.”By the time dawn broke, Hwan-young had likely stayed awake the whole night. His face didn’t look tired, but he certainly didn’t appear to have just woken up either.At least thanks to Hwan-young, Mu-ryeong had woken up feeling surprisingly refreshed despite using a fair amount of spiritual energy. Whether it was because he had slept well, or because he’d been close to Hwan-young all night, Mu-ryeong couldn’t say. But given how much Hwan-young’s spiritual energy had filled him, the latter seemed more likely.Mu-ryeong blinked up at the bright, clear blue sky. The weather was perfect for a significant event, with not a cloud in sight.It was a sunny day with no rain. Today, Hwan-young’s request would finally be completed.

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