He.. he'd actually said it. They'd never.. they'd always avoided... his heart stuttered in his chest. The words he'd known but been terrified to hear for so long. Jin-a had said them, and now there was no pretending. There was no coming back from this. It wasn't until he sucked in a deep breath of air that he realized he'd been holding his breath.

Ahn-Bo didn't know what to say. He'd had his own private reasons for avoiding this. The idea that he could leave if he ever really wanted to. That if he kept a distance, he could never have his heart obliterated again like when he'd been freshly turned. Committing to a future with another person when he had no idea what that might look like was terrifying. And yet here he was, having spoken aloud the commitment he'd unintentionally chosen over a decade ago.

Unless they could come up with a solution to escape Yeon for good, they were both about to suffer even more. It had been easier to pretend. Painful, but easier. Ahn-Bo wouldn't be able to hide this for long, nor did he want to. The crushing realization hit him: they wouldn't be allowed to be themselves underneath Yeon's control. Nothing would be allowed to change there. Even though everything had changed here, between them. The werewolf's smile was bittersweet. "I know."