Kisa sobs with Seokga as Hani uses his hand to plunge the dagger into her heart. She sobs still as Seokga defeats Eodum, as he bursts through the Okhwang throne room and begs his brother to save Hani.

It’s when the god is sipping a hot chocolate outside of a Creature Café that the red thread appears for him. Kisa clutches her hands to her mouth as he smiles, a pure, brilliant thing that fades as the illusion disappears, draining away to reveal him. Seokga.

He’s slumped against the railing, holding his head in his hands. Gone is that beautiful smile, the hopeful god with eyes full of dreams. “Kisa,” Seokga whispers. “I didn’t mean to—to show you all of that.” The storm breaks. The fox vanishes. The leaves dissipate into ash on the wind. Seokga’s eyes are tortured and lined with silver as he looks up at Kisa. “I’m so—I’m so sorry.”

All that he’s gone through, for her. She never knew. She never asked, afraid to draw too close to him—like a moth to a flame. But now, it’s as if all her carefully confined emotions spill out from the filing cabinet, toppling to the ground of her mind.

Oh, they’re a mess.

Such a beautiful, daunting mess.

“Stop it, Seokga,” Kisa whispers, voice ragged. “You really, truly, have nothing to apologize for.”

“You were right. I lost control,” Seokga rasps. “Hwanin…”

“He’s with Somi and Hajun.” She’s stepping toward him, then kneeling down and smoothing a sweat-drenched strand of hair away from his face before she realizes what she’s doing. “Seokga…” Kisa swallows back more tears. “Seokga, I wish I were her.”

His eyes widen, and he grabs her hand from his forehead. “Kisa, you’re—”

“I’m not…I can’t dance, and I hate hot chocolate. I’m not—confident like her. I’m not fun like her. But I wish I was. I can’t imagine how it must feel…” Kisa shakes her head, drawing in a shaky breath. “I can’t imagine how it must feel, searching for her and finding me instead.”

“Who told you?” Seokga demands. “Who told you that you’re not—?”

“I’ve never been to a club. I’ve never had a boyfriend—I’ve no idea how to give anybody a, well, erm, what Hani did in the car—” Kisa’s cheeks burn and she clamps her mouth shut, mortified. Seokga is staring at her like she’s a complete imbecile.

“Kisa,” he says slowly, as if struggling to wrap his head around it, “do you mean to say you truly believe that after thirty-three years of endless searching, I could find you wanting in even the slightest way?” Seokga’s green eyes are almost hazy with confusion. “Because of your inexperience?”