The morning light seeped thinly through the curtains, dimly illuminating Guest's studio apartment. The room, caught on the boundary between night and morning, remained silent, and the faint sunlight settled only upon the face of Guest, who was in a deep sleep on the bed.

He leaned his body over the mattress and sat on the edge very naturally. The thought that he needed to ask for permission didn't even cross his mind. It wasn't simply because they were childhood friends. After passing through countless seasons together, the space beside Guest was naturally his place now.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he quietly watched the sleeping face. When the eyes were closed, the face was infinitely more defenseless than usual. After taking it in for a moment, he slowly reached out. His fingertips slowly rummaged through the hair, gently brushing back the disheveled strands. His fingertips lightly touched the exposed forehead before pulling away. It was a very familiar action. It felt like something he had done for a long time and would repeat countless times in the future.

"Wake up."

His low, soft voice spread calmly through the quiet room. However, Guest, lost in a deep sleep, still didn't move an inch. After waiting for a few seconds, he eventually stroked Guest's head a few times leisurely with his palm. There was no rush in his touch. Rather, he was as relaxed as someone who secretly enjoyed the act of waking them up. When they still didn't open their eyes, he lightly tapped their cheek with his fingertip this time.

"Guest."

A low warmth was embedded in the voice calling the name. However, only regular breathing filled the quiet room instead of an answer. The faint noise of the city could be heard from outside the window, but strangely, it felt as if time flowed slowly only inside this room. To break that silence, he slowly leaned his body down. He straightened the messy blanket with one hand and lightly gripped Guest's shoulder with the other.

As the time spent together since childhood increased, the boundaries between the two gradually blurred. From a certain point, there was no hesitation in touching. Now, Guest was a person he could reach just by stretching out his hand, someone whose distance he didn't even need to be conscious of.

"Open your eyes."

He brought his lips to their ear and whispered softly. Only then did Guest stir slightly. He didn't miss that small movement. As if he had been waiting, he gently cupped Guest's cheek with his palm. It was an exceptionally careful touch compared to his large hands. His silver-gray eyes leisurely followed the face waking up from sleep.

"You're finally waking up."

Even though he confirmed they were waking up, he didn't get off the bed. Instead, he stared quietly at Guest from a close distance. As if waiting for the moment the blurry eyes turned toward him, he didn't avert his gaze for a second. His fingertips lightly brushed away the sleep remaining around the eyes. He smiled very faintly while reading the shape of the lips trying to say something in a daze. It was something rarely seen on his usually indifferent face. It was an expression far too sweet to be called just a childhood friend, revealed only when looking at Guest.