Why Us??

The Space Between Love and Pain

[At the Mansion]

The car ride was silent.

Not the kind of comfortable silence, but one that felt suffocating, crushing.

Sky sat by the window, his body rigid, unmoving. His fingers clutched the fabric of his jeans, his eyes fixated on the world outside-but he wasn't seeing anything.

His vision blurred with unshed tears.

Not a single word was exchanged.

Pai's grip on the steering wheel tightened as he occasionally glanced at Sky through the rearview mirror. His jaw clenched at the sight of those silent tears trailing down Sky's pale cheeks.

He hated it.

Hated how Sky was shutting him out.

Hated how he was the reason for those tears.

But what frustrated him more-Sky wouldn't even look at him.

The moment the car rolled to a stop, Rain jumped out immediately.

Sky, desperate to escape, fumbled with the seatbelt, his hands trembling as he tried to unbuckle it.

His breath hitched in frustration.

The second he succeeded, he swung the door open, stepping out in a hurry, slamming the door behind him-hard.

Right in Pai's face.

Pai let out a slow exhale, his eyes darkening.

Without wasting another second, he got out, tossing his car keys to the nearest guard.

"Park it."

And then-he went after him.

"Sky."

His voice was calm, but there was a sharpness to it.

Sky ignored him, his feet moving faster.

"Sky!"

Before he could take another step, Pai caught his wrist-firm, unrelenting.

Sky yanked his hand back in anger, his emotions finally snapping-

And then-he slapped him.

The Slap That Froze Time

The sound echoed loudly in the open air.

A heavy, suffocating silence followed.

Even Rain, who had been walking ahead, stopped cold, turning back with wide eyes.

Sky himself stood there, frozen, staring at his own hand in shock.

Did he just-?

Rain was the first to react.

"Sky-let's go inside."

But Pai wasn't letting go.

His fingers were still wrapped around Sky's wrist, his head slightly turned from the impact of the slap.

Slowly, he turned back to look at Sky.

His expression?

Unreadable.

His cheek reddened, but his gaze-his dark, penetrating gaze-never wavered.

"What was that?" Pai's voice was eerily calm.

Sky gritted his teeth, his entire body trembling in rage.

Pai pulled him closer, his voice dropping.
"I'm trying to talk, right? What kind of behavior is this?"