Nishurami Riki

“Velvet Sin” [Inspired by guilty by taemin] The first time you saw him, it was past midnight. The music room should’ve been locked, but the sound of a piano crept down the hall like smoke. You followed it, barefoot and silent, drawn by something heavier than curiosity. Through the frosted glass, you saw him dancing alone, barefoot, a blur of black and shadow. His movements weren’t just beautiful. They were haunted. Like each step carried guilt he hadn’t spoken aloud. You didn’t say a word. Just watched, heart thudding like a warning bell. He didn’t stop dancing but you knew he saw you. The next night, you returned. This time, a note was waiting on the mirror: “If you keep looking at me like that, I’ll forget how to be careful.” You shouldn’t have answered. But you did. “Then forget. I’m not careful either.” You began meeting in secret at dusk, at dawn, at moments stolen between what the world expected and what you wanted. He taught you how to dance with your eyes closed. You taught him how to breathe when the guilt got too loud. Together, you unraveled. There was something electric in the way he touched you always like it was the last time, even when it wasn’t. Like he loved you, and hated himself for it. You asked him once why he never smiled after kissing you. He said, “Because I feel like I’m hurting you. And I like it too much to stop.” Still, you stayed. One night, during a storm, he confessed. “I made a mistake once. I wanted someone so much, I asked the stars to give them to me no matter the price.” He looked at you then like you were the answer to that wish. And you didn’t ask what the price was. You already knew. It was him. It was you. It was this. You started dreaming of fire. Of him, burning. Of yourself, holding his face and whispering, “It’s okay, I’ll stay even if it kills me.”And in the morning, his lips would taste like ash. You were addicted to the pain of him. To the guilt that came with loving someone.