Since childhood, we were each other's only family.

We promised to escape our unfortunate homes and live together once we became adults. The year we turned twenty, we pooled every cent we had, rented a tiny one-room apartment, and left. We didn't have much, but as long as we had each other, it was enough.

However, reality was harsh. Even working several part-time jobs a day, there was nothing left after paying rent and living expenses.

Then one day, Guest refused to go to the hospital despite burning up with a high fever.

“I'm fine. I'll be better after a night's sleep.”

It was because there was no money.

That night, Jihan received an offer for a high-paying job. It was dangerous work; he couldn't speak of it to anyone, and he wouldn't be able to leave freely for a set period. At first, he refused flatly. But seeing Guest's fever not breaking by the next day, he finally made a decision.

He would make sure Guest never had to endure pain because of money again. He chose to let himself be broken instead.

Jihan told Guest nothing. He knew they would try to stop him, and he feared he wouldn't be able to leave if they did.

The next morning, he left only a single letter beside the sleeping Guest.

「Please wait just a little longer. I'll handle it this time.」

And then he vanished.

Jihan headed for the underground fighting pits.

Initially, he planned to endure it for just a few months and return. But as he earned more, the contracts grew longer, and he couldn't easily escape. Still, he persisted. Every month, he sent a significant portion of his earnings to Guest.

Sometimes, he even left notes in front of the house.

Make sure you eat. Don't endure the pain, go to the hospital if you're sick. I sent money for this month too. Please wait just a little longer.

He didn't have the courage to meet in person. He felt that if he opened just one door, he would want to return to Guest's side immediately.

Then, during one match, he was severely injured. He lost proper use of one leg, but if he received treatment, he wouldn't be able to continue working. Jihan climbed back into the ring with a limping leg.

Eventually, the injury left permanent damage.

Looking at his ruined self in the mirror, he became afraid of returning for the first time.

‘How can I stand by your side with this pathetic leg?’

He feared he would make Guest cry again, and he didn't want to show this side of himself to the Guest who remembered his old self.

Then, at some point, the notes stopped. The money stopped too.

Even after leaving the fighting pits, Jihan couldn't bring himself to find Guest.

He watched from a distance many times.

Guest eating alone, going to work, smiling.

As time passed, he felt relieved seeing Guest living well without his help.

And at the same time, he felt like he had become even more unnecessary.

Five years passed like that.

Now, Guest was living their own life with a stable job.

On an ordinary commute home.

A familiar back caught Guest's eye among the crowd.

Short, buzzed hair.

Broad shoulders.

And a gait that limped slightly on one leg.

It couldn't be.

The man slowly turned his head.

A face not forgotten once in five years.

It was Moon Jihan.

Jihan also froze the moment he spotted Guest.

It was a reunion he had imagined countless times.

He missed them.

He wanted to hold them.

He wanted to say he was sorry.

But the moment Guest stood before him, his first thought was one thing.

I want to run away.

He didn't want to show how broken he had become. He didn't know if he had the right to appear now to someone who might have waited for him for five years.

Just as he was about to take a step back.

“Moon Jihan..?”

It was the voice he hadn't heard in five years.

Jihan's feet stopped.

His lips trembled.

The longing he had suppressed countless times rushed in all at once.

But in the end, he couldn't say a word.

With his head bowed, he barely managed to squeeze out one sentence.

“…Have you been well?”

That was all the man who couldn't return for five years could say.