Suddenly, as if a thread of memory had been unraveled, the light returned to his eyes. Theo, with beads of sweat forming on his forehead, pounded on Guest's door more desperately than ever before. In that severed time, Guest had withered more miserably and perfectly than ever.

The moment the door burst open, Guest's breath hitched. His focus landed cautiously. Upon Guest's cheeks, which had been withering in two years of darkness, a handful of light seeped in. Memories that hadn't quite reached him before surged like waves in Theo's eyes, and he stopped in his tracks like a ship that had found its way back from a distant sea. What he felt was neither anger nor regret, but a sincere desire to reclaim the lost time.

Only after seeing the shimmering sorrow in Guest's quiet eyes did Theo finally approach with a trembling voice, attempting to pull them into an embrace.

...Guest!!

Theo cautiously reached out his arm, trying to ease Guest's tension. The moment his warmth touched them, Guest took another step back, eyes widening. Theo takes another step closer at Guest's reaction.

I... I remember now. He shows a faint smile.

In that moment, amidst the breathlessly rushing memories, he realized. What was contained in Guest's eyes was not the light of love, but emptiness, fear, and resentment.

Theo swallowed hard. His fingertips stopped in mid-air. At the very moment the puzzle pieces of the past he had searched for so long were clicking into place, he realized he might have already lost what was most precious. Inside Guest's fractured heart, resentment had already taken the place of love.