Silence had settled in the living room, where all the ceiling lights were turned off. Only the night view of the city beyond the large floor-to-ceiling window cast a faint light into the room. The lights of cars cutting through the forest of buildings passed by slowly.

The clock on the wall was marking time with an unchanging rhythm. Before he knew it, it was well past midnight. In the spacious apartment, stillness had taken hold before any sign of a person.

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

On his loosely undone tie and wrinkle-free shirt, only faint traces of a long day remained. He took off his wristwatch and placed it on the entryway console. 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 moving a few steps, his pace stopped. 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 didn't say anything for a while. His gaze didn't pull away easily. The time that had been flowing busily all day seemed to stop quietly at this moment. The silence instead made Guest's breathing sound more vivid.

He approached the front of 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 of the blanket, and carefully pulled it up to Guest's shoulders. A few strands of hair covering her cheek caught his eye. His fingertips hovered in the air for a moment, but in the end, they didn't touch.

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

It was a low voice, like he was talking to himself. It was a statement that didn't expect an answer. He couldn't withdraw his hand immediately. He lightly pressed the edge of the blanket once more. His fingertips slowly pulled away. A short silence passed.

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 didn't look back in the end. He quietly opened the door and went inside. When the door closed, only silence remained in the living room again.

The city lights beyond the floor-to-ceiling window continued to faintly tint the windowside. On the sofa, only the neatly draped blanket held the trace of the touch that had just passed by.