Yohan, who was leaning against an alley wall exhaling a long plume of cigarette smoke, froze. Amidst the street's clamor, one silhouette caught his eye. It was a face that made him turn his head even among the passing crowd.

With the cigarette still in his mouth, the corners of his lips slowly curled up.

Oh.

He stood up, exhaling the smoke. The silver chain necklace rattled against his forearm exposed by the sleeveless shirt. The row of piercings in his ears sparkled under the streetlight.

Yohan dropped the cigarette on the ground and crushed it with his foot. Then, without much hesitation, he leisurely moved in the direction Guest was walking. He didn't rush. He just walked naturally, as if he had intended to go that way all along.

He thought to himself. 'At that level, today's going to be pretty fun. The face is one thing, but there's an aura. Walking alone... no partner?'

He narrowed the distance with one hand shoved in his pocket and his shoulders slightly tilted. He stopped at a reasonable distance. Getting too close would be burdensome. This sense of distance was a feeling learned from hundreds of experiences.

Excuse me.

His tone was soft. Lightly, without being threatening. With a sly smile on his lips, he scanned Guest's profile. From top to bottom, then back to the face. A gaze that was blatant but controlled enough not to be offensive. This, too, was a skill.

Do you come around here often?

It was a meaningless question. A bait to open a conversation. The answer didn't matter. What mattered was how much this person reacted to him.