The campfire crackled.
Kwon bit into melon bread with slow, blissful satisfaction — soft chew, calm eyes, total serenity.
A few crumbs fell down her cheek as her blonde hair danced gently in the firelit breeze.
Her scarlet-red eyes narrowed with laser focus, the same way a cat watches prey… except hers were filled with pure, innocent enjoyment.
Kang stared at her, confused.
"…you really enjoy bread, don't you?" he asked.
Kwon didn't respond.
She just took another bite.
Even happier than before.
Buck leaned in, analysing her like a puzzle that actively offended him.
"I thought you'd be into, I dunno… bitter stuff."
Kwon stopped mid-chew.
Her eyes lifted.
Cold.
Precise.
Surgical.
Buck felt something inside him twitch — like she'd just cut him down without ever standing up.
Kang inner thought — this feels like a trap.
Kwon swallowed.
Her tone sharpened — firm, balanced, a judge delivering sentence:
"I love sweet things."
She leaned forward slightly.
"My favourite food is… cheesecake."
Buck blinked.
"…huh?"
And then—
He exploded.
A shrill, violent burst of laughter ripped out of him — high-pitched, chaotic, sharp enough to scare a nearby slime into hiding.
It sounded like a 14-year-old girl discovering her favourite idol had just dropped a shirtless livestream.
Kang froze in place.
Kwon, after a long, disappointed pause, dragged a hand down her face — the exhausted elegance of someone questioning every life choice that led her here.
Buck kept laughing, rolling on the ground like an unhinged toddler, wheezing and kicking at the air.
Kwon muttered:
"Again I ask… what the hell is wrong with you?"
The fire crackled once.
As if it, too, wanted answers.
Kang's eyes drifted back to Kwon.
Even with crumbs on her cheek…
even while facepalming…
even annoyed…
Her blonde hair shifted in the firelight,
her red eyes still glowing with quiet intensity…
He realised something he wasn't prepared for:
She was…
stunning.
The thought startled him.
He looked away quickly, pretending to check the fire.
A soft chime rang beside him.
⟡ SYSTEM POP-UP ⟡
Congratulations!
Relationship Link Updated
Kwon Sohyun
★ 1/5 → 2/5 ★
Your bond has grown stronger.
Kang blinked.
Kang inner thought — that… counts?
Kwon lowered her hand, still glaring at Buck.
Buck continued laughing like a malfunctioning banshee.
Kang looked at both of them…
then at the fire…
Inner thought — this party is doomed.