Seo-in opened her mouth to argue—but Felix cut her off before she could:
"Seo-in. Please. If something happens to you too … Luca would never forgive himself."
And neither would he.
A beat of silence followed before Seo-in finally exhaled shakily and whispered, "…Okay."
After ending the call, Felix drove straight to Delmenhorst to meet a friend—a former police investigator. If anyone could help him track Luca's phone, it was Markus.
Felix tightened his grip on the steering wheel, knuckles whitening as he sped down the highway. Every minute that passed felt like a death sentence—every red light an obstacle keeping him from reaching Luca before he slipped further into danger.
When he arrived at the small café near the station, Markus was already there. He didn't waste time on greetings; he simply spun his laptop toward Felix, GPS coordinates already blinking on a map.
"He's still in Berlin," Markus said grimly, tapping the moving dot. "But not for long if he keeps heading toward that bridge."
Felix's stomach plummeted. He didn't need an explanation—he'd seen too many missing persons cases end under bridges like that.
He sprinted back to his car.
Because he needed to hurry, Felix couldn't call Seo-in. The distance from Delmenhorst to Berlin was far; he had to reach Hannover first and catch a high-speed train. And he couldn't afford to lose the live coordinates Markus had provided.
The drive to Hannover was a blur of traffic, dread, and the constant flashing updates of Luca's location. By the time he reached the station, he was barely breathing. He pushed through the crowded platform, slipping onto the next train to Berlin with only seconds to spare.
Another hour passed on the rails—a torturous hour filled with nothing but Luca's blinking location and Felix's growing fear.
When he finally stepped onto Berlin soil, he didn't stop to rest. He moved as fast as his legs could carry him through the city streets. Every crosswalk felt like a prison gate. Every delay made his chest tighten further.
At last, the bridge came into view—and so did the figure standing alone by the rail.
"Luca!" he called, voice hoarse from the run. "Luca, don't do anything stupid, man. We don't have to talk right now, just—just step away from the rail."
Luca turned at the sound, his expression blank at first. Then his eyes narrowed, recognizing the familiar voice.
"You?" he said, checking the time on his phone. "Wow, less than three hours. Nicht schlecht." He let out a small chuckle.
Felix didn't smile. He was shaking from adrenaline, exhaustion, and fear.
"Ja, Ich," he rasped. "Now step the hell away from that rail."
It wasn't a request.
"Who are you yelling at!?" Luca shot back, raising his voice. "I just wanted to see the water…" But Felix heard the fracture in his tone—something wasn't right. "...Did you think I was going to jump?"
Felix clenched his jaw, fear igniting into anger.
"Damn it, Luca, do you think I'm stupid?" he snapped, stepping closer. "Do you think I came all the way here for nothing? You can lie to yourself all you want, but I know what this looks like—and I'm not letting you do something you'll regret!"
The image of finding Luca broken on the ground below flashed through his mind. It made him sick.
"Who would regret it!?" Luca barked back. "Me? Regret it? No … why? Why should I?"
He laughed—sharp, humorless, unstable. "Seo-in will have a more beautiful life with the man she was destined to be with! I love her and it's only right that I'm happy!"
Felix's heart clenched.
This wasn't Luca anymore.
This was despair wearing his face.
He took another step closer.
"Luca. Look at me."
Luca's eyes snapped toward him, manic laughter stuck on his lips—until he noticed the concern on Felix's face. The pity. Something inside him twisted, hard.
"What," Luca scoffed, irritation flaring. "You think I'm crazy? You think I need your help? I'm the one in pain, and you think you can just barge in here and fix everything with your pretty words?"
Felix stayed still—because he could now see it clearly.
Not full psychosis. Not madness.
Just a crack … a moment where reality bent under pressure.
"Luca," he said softly, "listen to yourself."
But Luca blinked as if unsure of his own emotions. Confusion flickered. For a second he looked lost—then the fear snapped back into anger.
"I said I'm fine!" Luca barked, voice trembling. "I just—I came here to think, okay? To breathe. Not to—"
The words collapsed. He laughed abruptly, brittle and wrong. "Jump? Is that what you thought? That I'd actually—"
He stopped again.
His gaze dropped to the water.
His voice shrank to a whisper.
"Maybe it'd just be easier. For everyone."
The shift was so sudden it stole Felix's breath.
"Luca…" he murmured, stepping closer, voice heavy with worry. "This isn't you. This is fear talking. This is your mind taking the worst possible thought and—just for a moment—making it feel real."
Luca shook his head, almost panicked.
"You don't get it!" he snapped. "Seo-in deserves happiness. Real happiness. She already has someone for that! She doesn't need me ruining her life! I saw how she looked at him—don't lie to me."
His voice cracked. "I'm not stupid."
A beat.
Then, quieter … more fragile:
"…Right?"
It was a childlike question. A wounded one.
The kind asked when someone is too overwhelmed to trust their own thoughts.
Felix felt something inside him break.
Luca wasn't choosing this.
He was drowning in emotions so intense they had twisted the truth—just for a moment.
A brief, terrifying delusion.
And it was exactly the moment Felix had to pull him back.