"Hey Jay, where did you put my cigarettes again?!"

 

"I didn't take it."

 

"I didn't take anything! I still found it in your bag last time, you liar! Give it back!"

 

"Stop smoking. You smoked four yesterday, but I told you only two. No smoking today."

 

"What the hell are you? Who gave you this right?!"

 

"I can create my own rights; I don't need anyone to grant them to me."

 

"...You really want to die, don't you?"

 

"I'm going to sue your mother!"

 

"...Are you three years old?"

 

Jinn frowned, staring intently at Jerome, who sat unblinkingly on the sofa, speechless. They had been reluctantly together for about two weeks now, but these had been incredibly strange weeks. At first, everything seemed normal; they were like good rivals, bickering and pulling each other's hair as usual. He didn't know when, but the other man seemed to be slowly changing. It was as if he no longer wanted to be just an enemy.

 

Sometimes Jinn thought this might just be a new kind of teasing the other person had come up with on the spot, but maybe there was more to it. The other person seemed to "care" more than usual, to the point that sometimes they even ignored the deliberate teasing he sent. They acted like an adult who didn't want to pay attention to a little kid, even though they were the same age, and Jinn was even two months older.

 

This change became more noticeable every day. Every morning, the other person always had a confused and troubled look in their eyes, and I mean every morning. It was almost never the same. Some days it was a thoughtful, questioning gaze, other days it was strangely sparkling, other days they seemed lost in thought, constantly absent-minded. Jinn wanted to tell his family that he thought Jerome might actually have a mental problem. If they went to the doctor again, he should discreetly inform them. He was afraid that if he waited any longer, it would be too late.

 

"It smells awful, that cigarette smoke. Even if you smoke on the balcony, it still drifts into the room. And it clings to your clothes, your hair," Jerome said nonchalantly, looking utterly exasperated at Jinn’s lack of understanding, causing the person watching him to twitch their foot.

 

The young man's hand had returned to normal, but "normal" here meant it was no longer swollen, red, or inflamed, and simply not aching. However, the three broken fingers remained broken, still painful and unable to bend. They were firmly splinted, and he wore gloves to help support them at all times. Only his index and thumb fingers were exposed, allowing him to handle things more easily without needing assistance anymore (unless it was something serious).

 

"Seriously, you asshole! This is my room, and these are my clothes. I don't smoke or live near yours, and I don't wash my clothes with yours. What's the big deal?!" Jinn was getting increasingly confused about who actually owned the room. He was getting a headache!

 

Now, his room felt like half of Jerome's. He hadn't just bought a table and chair like before; he'd added shelves, a small wardrobe, and all sorts of other things filling the whole room. The scattered boxes and bags from the initial move were now neatly organised in the closets and on the shelves he'd purchased. It was spacious and tidy, just the way Jinn liked it, but also confusing and bewildering. Whose room was this? Or was he actually planning to take over his room because he liked the view? He was completely confused.

 

"Because it's bad for you. That's the only thing I don't compete with you on. Haven't you noticed? I want to live a long time. Cigarettes destroy your health. No matter how much you exercise, your health will still be ruined if you keep smoking. You're the only child your mother has. Think about her." Jerome looked at Jinn like an adult looking at a naive child, a mixture of weariness and compassion.

 

"..." Jinn.

 

"I think I really need to call an exorcist, Jay. You've changed. You've changed three million per cent. Even if you're not the good Jerome, Aunt Jenny's son, who's been with me for over ten years, who are you?... You're starting to get scary." Jinn slowly backed away towards the door, amidst the amused and slightly affectionate gaze of the person who was the cause of it all.

 

"I'm just worried that Aunt Jan will be heartbroken if something happens to you, that's all. Besides, you're not really that addicted to cigarettes, are you? Some days I don't even see you smoke."

 

Jerome didn't think there was anything wrong with forbidding it. He meant well, and besides, Jinn seemed to only smoke in his free time, not because he was irritable from withdrawal symptoms. So the young man thought it would be better to get him to quit now.

 

Jerome didn't know why, but every time he saw the other person smoking, he felt displeased, uncomfortable, and angry, even though he had nothing to do with it. It wasn't just Jinn who was confused; he himself didn't understand either.

 

"You're acting so weird. What's wrong with you? Or is this a new, incredibly sneaky way of being annoying that I can't understand?" Jinn was just joking around. In truth, he was only curious; he didn't think the other guy was possessed or anything like that. Because he was still him, it's just... suddenly, Jerome seemed older, years older than him in the blink of an eye, something like that.

 

"Nonsense. What would I do about this? It's just that after going through tough times, I realise how important life is and I want to cherish it. We're not exactly bitter enemies, are we? I just thought maybe we could be friends, or if not friends, then be close friends like everyone else should be, not constantly bickering as we do."

 

Jerome spoke sincerely, but when he saw Jinn’s distorted, almost disbelieving expression, he couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth and glare at him.

 

"See, see, see? What do you want me to give you, you idiot? You're still glaring at me with that evil face, you liar!" Jinn rolled his eyes and spoke with a contemptuous tone.

 

“Wow, after everything you just said, do you believe in yourself now? If you don't believe yourself, what else are you going to make me believe?!”

 

"...I'm telling the truth."

 

"I don't believe it. We've been arguing since we were seven or eight years old. You expect me to figure this out in just two weeks? Huh? Do you think I'm stupid?"

 

Jinn was tired of talking to a liar like him.

Jerome sighed. Well, if he were Jinn, he probably wouldn't believe it either.

 

To be honest, Jerome never expected this day to come for himself either. Ever since he saw the other person's future, it was initially fun to learn secrets he had never known. But after more than half a month, his feelings have begun to change little by little without him realising it.

 

Jerome no longer just saw Jinn’s secrets. He began to see his life, his sorrow, his disappointment, and the pain he had to endure. The more he saw, the more heartbroken he became, the more aching he felt in his chest without realising it. He only knew that even after waking up, those feelings would still linger, as if he were Jinn in his dream, as if he were the one truly facing those things.

 

He doesn't even know why the other person will be like that in the future, because what he sees is after it has already happened. He only sees the result, not the cause. It's a period after everything has passed, not the moment it happened. Judging from what he knows, the bad things that happen to the other person will probably occur not long after now, maybe around the age of twenty-two or twenty-three, no later than that. Jerome doesn't know everything that happened, but he knows that Jinn will be in extreme pain during that time. And where is he?

 

Jerome couldn't believe he had ignored the other person in such a painful moment. No matter how much they competed, fought, or insulted each other, they would always be there for each other when they needed help most. Just like how Jinn risked his life to save him after the car accident. And where was he? Whether in his twenties or thirties, he was always there.

 

Jerome had never once seen himself in Jinn’s future. He saw his mother and father, familiar friends, and countless strangers, but he didn't see himself at all. Could it be that he was dead? No, his parents didn't seem sad at all. Or maybe it was because the other person had a boyfriend, and this boyfriend was the one who stole him away, causing the argument? That didn't seem likely. They'd always fought over each other anyway; suddenly, they'd stop seeing each other because of one person? Or maybe this person truly loved him? That seemed possible, too. He saw the smile and the sweet gaze he'd never seen before, all thanks to that boyfriend. Even though he'd never seen his face, he knew he must be quite attractive.

 

Jinn likes guys with sweet faces. Not necessarily effeminate, just soft and gentle. Fair skin, a high nose. He especially likes guys who are mixed race or have foreign ancestry. But usually, he only gets guys with sweet faces, because it's not always the case that someone who fits all his criteria shows up.

 

Hmm...pretty face? Looks like mixed race? High nose?...

 

"...!!!"

 

"Tch, do you think putting on a cute face will work? Even if you acted cuter and blinked until your eyelashes fluttered, I wouldn't believe you! Sweet face, but a lying heart!" Jinn grumbled before stomping past Jerome, who was staring blankly, towards his own desk. "If he doesn't smoke, he doesn't smoke. I'm only letting him use his mother as an excuse, huh!"

 

Jerome felt like he'd been struck by a hammer called "It's impossible," his mind reeling, followed by another hammer called "There's no way that can happen." He slowly turned to look at the person sitting with their back to him, a shiver running down his spine. The image of the broad back he saw now instantly overlapped with a vision of the future. Instead of designing clothes for a professor, he was writing a journal.

 

A soft, light pink tongue slowly licked his dry lips. The tall figure rose from the sofa, trying to walk as quietly as possible, and stopped behind someone else. He stood in the same spot as in his dreams, the same future he had foreseen, the same point, the same angle, the same eye level, it was shockingly similar...

 

"If you keep acting like a vengeful spirit, I'll call an exorcist. This time it'll be the real thing. Let everyone know you're crazy."

 

"If you keep acting like this, I'll really get up and kiss you. This time you'll be late for your event, and everyone will know you're obsessed with a guy."

 

The scene before him was split into two, just as it had been before. Both showed Jinn looking back with the same expression as before. The only difference was that the person in the present was looking with an expression of utter disbelief, a look that definitively declared he was possessed. The other person, from the future, looked with a sparkling, playful gaze filled with love and affection.

 

Jerome's breathing was rapid, his eyes wide with disbelief at the sight before him. The perspective, the gaze, the feeling, it can't be deceiving in the slightest. Why didn't I notice before? Why didn't I ever question why I was the only one who could see Jinn, the only one who could see his future? Why did I always have to see him through this perspective? There was no other perspective, only this one. A perspective so familiar, so incredibly familiar, yet I never thought about it.

 

The angle he always used to look at the other person was slightly below eye level, not necessarily having to bend down, just lowering his gaze more than usual.

 

Whether now or in my dreams, it's always been like this. It's as if he's the one being watched by the other, the one the other has been talking to ever since the beginning.

 

It was he who looked through the eyes of his future self into the future Jinn. It was all him from the very beginning... not someone else.

 

How could something like this even be possible!