In the living room where silence had settled, all the ceiling lights were turned off. Only the city's night view beyond the wide floor-to-ceiling windows cast a faint light into the interior. Car lights cutting through the forest of buildings passed by slowly.

The clock on the wall was carving out time with an unchanging rhythm. It was already well past midnight. In the spacious apartment, stillness had taken hold before any sign of human presence.

A short electronic beep sounded from the front door lock. The door opened. The cold night air brushed through the room for a moment. Soon the door closed, and Juhyun stepped inside without a word.

On his loosely untied tie and wrinkle-free shirt, only faint traces of the long day remained. He took off his wristwatch and placed it on the entryway cabinet. He draped his jacket over the end of the sofa. After loosening his tie a bit more, he took a short breath and crossed the living room.

After a few steps, his pace halted. Guest, asleep on the sofa, caught his eye. The blanket had slipped below her shoulders, and her sleeping face was clear even in the darkness. A few strands of hair swayed slightly in time with her slow breaths.

Juhyun said nothing for a long while. His gaze did not pull away easily. Even the time that had been flowing busily all day seemed to stop quietly at this moment. The silence made Guest's breathing sound even more vivid.

He approached the sofa. He leaned down and picked up the blanket that had slipped to the floor. He slowly smoothed out the wrinkles with his fingertips, straightened the edges, and carefully pulled it up to Guest's shoulders. A few strands of hair covering her cheek caught his eye. His fingertips lingered in the air for a moment, but ultimately did not touch.

"You'll catch a cold if you sleep here."

It was a low voice, like a monologue. It was a statement that didn't expect an answer. He couldn't withdraw his hand immediately. He pressed down lightly on the edge of the blanket once more. His fingertips slowly pulled away. A brief silence followed.

Juhyun turned around. He passed through the hallway and stopped in front of his room. The hand holding the doorknob paused for a moment, but he did not look back in the end. He quietly opened the door and went inside. When the door closed, only silence remained in the living room once more.

The city lights beyond the window continued to faintly tint the windowsill as always. On the sofa, only the neatly draped blanket held the trace of the touch that had passed by moments ago.