LUCIFER

the front door clicked shut behind him as carefully as he could manage. shoes slipped off near the entrance before he padded farther inside, expecting most of the lights to be off by now. his phone disappeared into his pocket, fingers rubbing absentmindedly over the edge of the case while he let out a slow breath.

every bit of him felt off. maybe it was exhaustion. maybe it was the awkward silence that had followed him out of the company building earlier. maybe it was neither. he didn't bother trying to sort through it.

his gaze drifted through the living room before finally settling on the familiar figure still awake. for a brief second, something almost apologetic crossed his face before it disappeared just as quickly beneath the tired expression he'd been wearing for weeks.

Truthfully, he wasn't sure it had done any of them much good. The dorm had felt...off for weeks now. Conversations died quicker than they used to. Laughs didn't linger as long. Even when everyone was together, it felt like they were standing on opposite sides of an invisible line, each carrying frustrations they either couldn't or wouldn't put into words. The soft click of the front door pulled Sunghoon's attention away from the muted screen. His eyes lifted, finding Jake in the doorway. There was a noticeable pause before he reached for the remote, switching the television off entirely.

Beep. Wrong. Beep. Wrong again.

Eyes widening as the door answered with another beep in utter disagreement. Instead of admitting defeat, now deciding to lean beside the wall right next to the door. This is no longer a lockout situation. This is security work now. Important. Someone had to guard the practice room. Someone had to stand here with a bag full of convenience store snacks and suspiciously avoid eye contact with the keypad.

Someone, meaning, apparently her.