"Hina, you must know that I..." Kai tried to speak, but the words felt like shards of glass catching in his throat. It was a truth too heavy to exhale.

  Hina, however, reached out and silenced him with a look.

  "Kai-Kun..." she whispered, her voice a soft, velvet thread. She leaned in, her eyes wide and unblinking. Kai looked up and saw a deep blush spreading across her cheeks—not of shame, but of a feverish, growing anticipation.

  "You have the same desperate expression as someone who has done something terrible, Kai-Kun..." she added. Her voice had changed; it was hissing and tempting, like a snake coiling in the grass.

  Kai’s heart hammered against his ribs. It felt as if she weren't just looking at him, but peering directly into the darkest corners of his soul. Involuntarily, Hina kept rubbing her legs together, a restless, rhythmic motion born of a dark excitement she could no longer suppress.

  Kai was paralyzed. This wasn't the Hina he knew. Usually, she was his sanctuary—the one who comforted him with a gentle smile or a soft touch. But this demeanor was alien. Predatory.

  "So... what have you done?" she breathed.

  Kai took a jagged breath, summoning the last of his strength.

  "Hina... I... I killed a man."

  He dropped his gaze to the floor, the weight of the confession finally breaking him. Shame and regret washed over him in cold, suffocating waves. Hina’s body froze. An awkward, deafening silence filled the room. For Kai, the silence felt like a physical weight lifting, even as the anxiety began to gnaw at him from the inside.

  "Are you serious, Kai-Kun? You're not joking, are you?" Hina’s voice was shaky, but not with horror.

  Kai couldn't bring himself to look at her. He simply nodded. "Yes... I’m not joking. I did it to save Yuna. A man attacked me, and... if I hadn't, I wouldn't be here. I'd be dead."

  Hina didn’t respond immediately. Her breathing became fast and shallow, the air whistling through her teeth.

  "I had to do it," Kai choked out, clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white. "And now I have these nightmares... these horrible thoughts that eat me alive. I feel sick every single second, Hina. What should I do?"

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  He looked up at her, a tragic, broken smile flickering on his lips. "Am I a bad person, Hina?"

  Silence returned, heavier than before. Hina’s body began to tremble slightly. Then, a sound broke the quiet.

  "Hahaha..."

  It was a quiet, gentle laugh, but it sent a bolt of pure ice down Kai’s spine. It wasn't the laugh of someone offering comfort.

  "I knew it... I knew it... Hahaha..." she whispered, her tone spiraling into something crazed. "No, Kai-Kun. You’re not a bad person. Actually..."

  She stepped toward him, locking her eyes onto his with terrifying intensity.

  "...Now you’re perfect. I’ve been waiting for this."

  Kai’s eyes widened. He expected rejection, fear, or tears. Instead, he found a woman who looked at him with carnal hunger. It was as if his stained innocence was the very thing she had been praying for.

  "Hina... what are you talking about?" Kai’s voice was a terrified whimper.

  "Kai-Kun, you don't understand, do you?" she said, her voice dropping to a low, intimate purr. "You’ve crossed the line. And now... you’re just like me."

  "Like you? No! I’m nothing like you!" Kai stammered, recoiling.

  Hina ignored his protest, stepping even closer until he could feel the heat radiating from her. "You killed someone, Kai. Not out of hate, but out of survival. That changes a person. You know the rush now, don't you? The thrill of having a life in your hands."

  "No! I hated it!" Kai cried out, his voice cracking. "I just wanted to protect Yuna!"

  "That’s what makes it perfect," she countered, her eyes sparkling with madness. "You did it because you had to. And deep down, you know you’d do it again. You’re not a killer, Kai... you’re someone who understands."

  She reached out, her hand grazing his cheek. Her skin was warm, but the touch felt like a brand. "In my world, it’s kill or be killed. The weak fall, and the strong survive. You were strong enough to choose life. That's why you're special."

  "This is wrong, Hina! All of it!" Kai’s pulse was racing so fast he felt dizzy. "I don't want to be a murderer like you!"

  Hina’s expression darkened for a split second. "You’re already like me, Kai. You just don't see it yet. You killed that man without hesitation, didn't you?"

  The room felt like it was shrinking. The walls were closing in.

  "No, Hina... I don't want this." Kai pulled away from her touch, his mind a storm of static and fear. "I need air."

  Hina didn’t follow. She stood in the center of the room, watching him flee with an unreadable expression.

  "You can't run from who you are, Kai-Kun," she whispered to the empty doorway.

  Kai stumbled into the garden, the cold night air hitting his face like a slap. He collapsed onto a bench, burying his face in his hands. Hina’s words echoed in his skull, louder than his own heartbeat. You’re already like me.

  He thought of the man’s final breath. The blood. The terror. He had killed. And no matter how much he tried to justify it, the act was now a part of him.

  Back in the house, Hina waited. She wasn't worried. She knew he would come back. After all, where else could a monster go, if not back to the one who truly understood him?