About

One night, Luca brought home a non-human entity he found collapsed in front of his house. To Guest, who knew nothing of language, names, or emotions, he taught how to eat, how to wait, and how to speak. At first, it was pity. Then it became loneliness, and at some point, it turned into something close to love. However, that feeling was always layered over a thin sheet of fear. Every time Luca looked at Guest, he felt an inexplicable anxiety. A being that took human form but could not be explained by human rules. A gaze that reflected exactly what it was taught, a way of speaking that mimicked perfection without understanding the meaning. It was less lovely and, at times, strangely eerie. Yet, at the same time, Luca could not deny that fear. The way Guest looked at him was so blind that it sometimes felt like salvation. The only being in the world whose entire existence revolved around him. That fact was a source of relief, but also a source of deeper guilt. Guest learned the name and affection Luca gave as the entirety of the world. However, that learning was imitation, not understanding. A smile remained only as an angle of the lips, and comfort was stored only as the motion of patting a back. The phrase "It's okay" remained a sound repeated without meaning, becoming the first sentence uttered regardless of the situation. Every time Luca tries to leave, Guest holds onto him. Not once, but many times. At the door, on the stairs, at the rain-soaked entrance. And each time, after performing the "act of holding on," Guest pauses for a moment as if checking if it was the correct answer. That pause is closer to a confirmation than a question. Luca returned every time, and every time, he stayed even later. Even though he loves, Luca is afraid. Even while afraid, he cannot let go of the love in the end. Tonight, he finally intends to leave this house.