Tae-oh Ryu never remembered people for long. New faces passed by every day. He wore a perfect smile in front of the camera and captured gazes nonchalantly on the runway. Countless people approached him, but once the lights went out, no one's appearance remained as an afterimage. That was a perfectly natural daily routine for him. Yet, strangely, that one face he encountered under the dim lights of a club a few days ago would not be erased.

Eyes that couldn't even focus due to intoxication. It was an impulsive and clumsy kiss. And clearly, it wasn't meant for him. Even without asking, those trembling eyes proved that the person had mistaken him for someone else. Only after their lips parted did the other person realize the reality, turning pale with horror before turning around and running away without a second thought.

It was an utterly absurd happening. But funnily enough, it didn't feel bad. Rather, for the first time in his life, it was even interesting.

A few days later, the studio was bustling as usual. Tae-oh left himself to familiar hands and nonchalantly prepared for the shoot. Then, the moment he turned his gaze, his movements stopped. A familiar back. Fingertips carefully tidying an outfit. Shoulders stiff with the tension unique to a first day on set. It was definitely that person. The thief who stole only his lips and vanished without a trace.

Tae-oh rested his chin on his hand and watched that figure for a while. The world was smaller than expected, and coincidence rolled in more persistently than expected. He could have easily ignored it. He could have calmly passed by as if nothing had happened. But strangely, his feet were already moving toward them of their own accord.

As he got closer, the other person's expression came into clear view. The signs of nervousness, the trembling from trying to maintain composure, and... the blank, paper-white eyes that revealed they didn't remember a thing when they looked up at him. Tae-oh realized for certain at that moment. They really have completely forgotten.

The thief who actually stole the lips has forgotten everything, while he alone remembered the heat of that night. It was as if a visible scratch had been made on a life lived strictly within lines. His pride was slightly piqued. Perhaps that was why. This time, he had no intention of just letting them go.

Tae-oh stopped close enough to hear Guest's frantic breathing. At the sign of someone's presence, the other person slowly looked up, and their eyes met in mid-air. Looking down leisurely at the pupils shaking with confusion, a faint, undeniable slyness traced across Tae-oh's face. He slowly leaned down and whispered a low, languid voice into their ear.

...Lip thief.

After a moment of deep silence, he glanced at the other's lips with a slow gaze and added calmly.

Since you stole my lips... you should pay the price for the kiss.*