Chapter 196: Belongs To Someone Else…

Deniz and I walk through the VIP hallway, our hands joined, fingers intertwined in the easy, familiar way they’ve learned over these months.

The corridor stretches before us, quiet and empty, the pale walls reflecting the soft glow of the ceiling lights. Our footsteps echo softly against the polished floor, a soft rhythm that echoes the beat of my heart.

My eyes are down, fixed on the shifting pattern of the tiles, my thoughts still circling the same strange moment.

Moon said thank you.

I didn’t expect that. I didn’t think he had it in him—not the words themselves, but the willingness to say them. To admit that what someone did for him mattered. To lower his walls just enough to let gratitude slip through.

Deniz stops in front of the elevators. I don’t realize until I bump into his shoulder, my body brushing against his warmth, the impact soft, familiar. I blink, startled, and look up.

He’s already looking at me. His hand slips free from mine and slides around my waist, pulling me closer, closing the small space between us. A soft smile plays on his lips—gentle, knowing, the kind that sees more than I want to show.

“What happened?” he asks, voice low.

I hold his gaze for a moment, something flickers in my chest—something I can’t quite name. Then I look away.

“Nothing.”

His hand reaches up, his fingers tracing my cheek, featherlight, barely there. I feel the warmth of him against my skin, the tenderness in the touch, and something in my chest loosens—a knot I didn’t know I was holding.

My voice comes out weaker than I intended. “I’m sorry.”

His brow furrows. “Why are you sorry?”

I look down—at the floor, at our feet, anywhere but his eyes.

“Because you asked me to stay with you today… and I left. I came here.” I pause, the words heavy on my tongue. “And Moon didn’t even answer your greeting.”

His fingers are still on my cheek, steady and patient, not rushing to fill the silence.

“Zyren.” His voice is soft, unbothered, carrying no trace of hurt. “Mr. Moon is like that. Everyone knows he’s cold. He doesn’t get along with people easily.”

A pause.

“It’s not about you.”

He says it like it’s simple. Like the sting I felt on his behalf is something I can let go of.

“And he’s your family.”

I blink, surprised—by his understanding, by the way he sees things I hadn’t.

“Mr. Kaz told me something,” Deniz continues, his thumb brushing my cheekbone in slow, soothing strokes.

“When you were in the hospital. When you were unconscious.” He pauses, choosing his words carefully. “Mr. Moon didn’t leave your side. He stayed there the whole night. The whole day.”

Another pause.

“He didn’t eat. He didn’t rest.”

The words hit my chest like stones dropped into still water, sending ripples through everything I thought I knew.

He didn’t eat. He didn’t rest.

Deniz squeezes my cheek gently, pulling me back to the present. “You should stay here with him. It’s okay.” His smile softens, warm and genuine.

“We can spend time together another day.”

A pause.

“We have our whole lives.”

I smile back—small, but real, reaching my eyes despite the weight settling in my chest.

He releases my waist and steps back, and I feel the absence of his warmth immediately.

“I should go now.” He glances toward the elevator. “Dad is probably waiting for me.”

I nod. “Tell Dad I’ll come visit him soon.”

He nods and presses the elevator button. The doors slide open with a soft chime, and he steps inside. Then he turns, his expression shifting like he just remembered something.

“Oh. I forgot something.”

I tilt my head, curious. “What?”

He steps back out, closing the distance between us in one quick stride. His hand cups my face, warm and sure, and he kisses me—soft at first, then deeper, his lips warm, familiar against mine, tasting faintly of tea and something else—something that’s just him.

My eyes widen for a moment, startled by the suddenness, but then I relax into him, kissing him back, letting the world fade until there’s nothing but this—his mouth on mine, his hand on my face, the quiet hum of the empty hallway around us.

He pulls back slowly, a teasing smile on his lips, his eyes soft.

“I forgot that,” he murmurs.

He kisses my cheek once more, quick and affectionate—the kind of kiss that says I’ll be back without words.

“Bye-bye.”

Then he steps back into the elevator. The doors close, and he’s gone.

I stand there for a long moment, my fingers tracing my lips, the warmth of his kiss lingering like sunlight through winter clouds.

Sometimes I can’t control myself. Sometimes I just want to stay with him—wrapped in his arms, far from hospitals and secrets, from the complicated weight of caring for people who don’t know how to be cared for.

I turn and walk back toward Moon’s room. My hand finds the door handle, cool metal against my palm.

Time to see Mr. Moon. The one who’s been acting like a sulking puppy.

I take a deep breath—and push the door open.

Moon is sitting on the bed, the fan letter from Deniz’s dad in his hands. He looks up as I enter, his blue eyes meeting mine, and he closes the letter slowly, deliberately, setting it aside on the bedside table.

I step forward, the door clicking shut behind me. “What’s written in it?”

He leans back against the cushions, watching me with that unreadable expression he wears like armor.

“Why do you want to know?”

I settle onto the small couch near his bed, getting comfortable, letting the silence stretch.

“Just curious. I’ve never seen a fan letter before.” I pause, tucking one leg beneath me. “I wonder what they say.”

He shrugs, his voice flat, dismissive. “Just greetings. Wishes for a speedy recovery.”

I lean back, mirroring his posture, letting my guard down just enough.

“Don’t you feel lucky? Having so many fans?” I watch his face. “All that love?”

He looks down at his hands, resting loose in his lap. His expression shifts—something flickers across his features, there and gone before I can name it. When he speaks, his voice is quieter.

“No.” A pause. “I feel like the unluckiest person in the world.”

My smile fades.

He looks up at me, his blue eyes holding mine, and in them I see something I don’t know how to name. Something raw. Something old.

“Because the only love I want…”

He stops. His jaw tightens.

“It belongs to someone else.”

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