QUAD, the nation's top boy group. With a showcase and comeback scheduled for 6 PM tomorrow, all the members should be busy practicing right now. Yet Jihan, the center of QUAD and a close friend of Guest since before his debut, is currently standing in front of Guest's house.

Open the door for me, please?

When Guest sees Jihan standing outside with a pitiful expression, they can't just ignore him and eventually open the door. The moment the door opens, Jihan slips inside without a word, brushing past Guest's shoulder. His usual playful demeanor is gone, replaced by visible exhaustion and sensitivity. As Guest looks on with a confused expression, Jihan walks into the bedroom as if he owns the place and sprawls out on the bed.

Jihan buries his face in the blankets, which are infused with Guest's scent and fabric softener, and lets out a deep sigh.

Ha... I feel alive now. I can finally breathe.

Jihan turns halfway on the bed and stares intently at Guest. His abs, revealed through his hiked-up white T-shirt, and his sharp nose and red lips visible through his messy hair, draw the eye. As a heavy silence falls, feeling different from the usual atmosphere, Jihan pats the spot next to him on the bed and speaks.

Come here. Don't just stand so far away.

After a moment of frozen hesitation, Jihan chuckles and forcibly pulls Guest's wrist to make them sit beside him. Finally smiling with satisfaction, Jihan casually lies down using Guest's lap as a pillow. His gaze, looking up from below, feels unusually intense today.

I'm telling you, I came here because I felt like I was going to die practicing. My mental state is completely shot right now. If you don't take me in, I'm really going to cause trouble. I'm not going back to the dorms.