Mina had dragged Ji-Hyun into bad decisions before, but tonight she was aiming for legendary status.
One second Ji-Hyun was curled up in bed scrolling, the next she was being yanked into a taxi with Mina shouting, "LIFE IS SHORT, WE'RE GOING TO A PARTY!"
"Why do I feel like you're hiding something?" Ji-Hyun muttered.
Mina smirked.
"I'm offended you think I'd hide something."
Which was exactly why Ji-Hyun knew she was hiding something.
The rooftop party blasted music through the cold night air. Fairy lights hung over dancing crowds, and neon lights reflected off every shiny surface. Ji-Hyun tugged her coat closer.
Then Mina said it.
So casually it felt illegal.
"Oh, by the way… I invited Seon-woo."
Ji-Hyun's brain: ?????
"YOU WHAT?!"
But she didn't even have time to properly panic, because she spotted him.
Leaning against the bar, dressed all in black, sleeves rolled up, hair slightly messy — Seon-woo looked annoyingly good. And he was looking right at her.
Her feet froze. Her lungs too.
He walked toward them slowly, hands in pockets, eyes fixed on her like she was the only thing keeping him focused in a room full of noise.
"You're late," he said.
"I didn't know you were coming!" she shot back.
He gave a tiny head-tilt toward Mina.
"She invited me."
"Mina."
But Mina had already run off, laughing like a gremlin.
Seon-woo looked at Ji-Hyun again. "…Should I leave?"
Ji-Hyun blurted, "NO!"
Red flag. Desperation detected.
She cleared her throat. "I mean… you're already here. So… stay."
His eyes softened. "Okay."
And with that, they stuck together like magnets dragged reluctantly across metal. He followed her through the crowd, always half a step behind, hand lightly reaching out whenever someone bumped into her. He wasn't clingy — just there. Solid. Steady.
Too steady.
After twenty minutes, Mina reappeared looking like she had been possessed by the spirit of mischief.
"COUPLES GAME TIME!"
Ji-Hyun almost passed away on the spot.
"Mina. No. Don't—"
Too late.
They were shoved into a circle of strangers cheering for their entertainment.
Someone yelled, "NEW COUPLE! LET THEM GO!"
Ji-Hyun grabbed Seon-woo's shirt, wide-eyed. "We don't have to do this."
He leaned down slightly. "If you want to leave, say the word."
His voice was soft. Warm. Protecting. That didn't help her heart at ALL.
But the crowd started chanting.
"KISS! KISS! KISS!"
Ji-Hyun's stomach flipped. She felt all eyes on her. Her breathing quickened, hands trembling.
Seon-woo instantly stepped closer, shielding her from everyone.
"Hey," he whispered, "look at me."
She lifted her eyes.
He held her gaze like it was an anchor.
"We don't have to kiss," he said carefully. "We can say no. I'll handle it."
Ji-Hyun swallowed. "But then they'll think we're lying."
His jaw flexed. "Let them think whatever they want."
The chanting grew louder.
Ji-Hyun squeezed her eyes shut. The pressure. The noise. The lights. The attention. It was too much.
Seon-woo exhaled sharply and raised both hands up.
"That's enough," he called out. His voice cut through the noise, deeper and sharper than expected. "She's uncomfortable."
The chanting died instantly.
A few people groaned in disappointment.
Some backed away.
Mina, watching from outside the circle: "OH MY GOD WHY ARE YOU BOTH RUINING MY ENTERTAINMENT—"
Seon-woo glared at her. Mina shut up.
He gently grabbed Ji-Hyun's wrist. "Come on."
He guided her out of the circle and away from the noise until they reached the back corner of the rooftop — a quiet area separated by strings of warm lights.
The city stretched below them, glittering.
Ji-Hyun leaned on the railing, trying to catch her breath.
"Sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to be… dramatic."
"You weren't," he said immediately. "Anyone would've freaked out."
"Not you."
He huffed a quiet laugh. "I'm freaking out right now. Just not… loudly."
She turned her head.
He was closer than she realized.
The city lights painted soft shadows on his face, highlighting every line, every angle. His hair fluttered in the cold breeze. His eyes — dark but warm — were fixed on her like he was trying to figure out what she was thinking.
Ji-Hyun's chest tightened.
"Thank you," she murmured. "For stopping it."
"You don't owe them anything," he said. "Especially not a kiss."
His voice wavered at "kiss," like it made him uncomfortable. Or nervous.
Ji-Hyun shivered — partly from the cold, partly from him.
Seon-woo noticed instantly. "You're cold."
He stepped closer, slipping his jacket off. "Here."
Before she could protest, he draped it around her shoulders. The warmth hit her first. Then his scent — clean, a little smoky, too addictive.
She almost forgot how to inhale.
"…Seon-woo?"
He looked up at her, and something shifted.
Something undeniable.
He took a step closer.
Then another.
Her heart thudded wildly.
"You know," he said quietly, "it wasn't the kiss they were forcing that bothered me."
"What bothered you?" she whispered.
He swallowed, eyes flicking to her lips for a fraction of a second. "The fact that it wasn't on our terms."
Ji-Hyun froze.
His voice dropped, softer than she'd ever heard it. "If I ever kiss you, I want it to be because you want it. Not because a hundred strangers are chanting."
Silence.
Heavy, electric silence.
Ji-Hyun's breath trembled. "And… what if I did?"
His eyes darkened. "…Do you?"
Her fingers tightened around the railing. Slowly, she nodded.
Seon-woo inhaled sharply.
He stepped closer until the railing pressed against her back and his body warmed her front. He lifted a hand, hesitated — then touched her cheek.
Gently. Cautiously. Like he was scared she'd disappear.
"Ji-Hyun…"
Her name wrapped in a whisper.
She tilted her head toward his touch.
That was all he needed.
He leaned in.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Giving her every chance to pull away.
She didn't.
And when his lips finally met hers — the world stopped.
Warm.
Soft.
Real.
No crowd. No noise. No pretending.
Just them.
He kissed her slowly at first, testing, learning, breathing her in. Her hands rose to his chest on instinct, clutching his shirt. He deepened the kiss just slightly, as if he couldn't help himself, thumb brushing her jaw.
Ji-Hyun felt everything.
Her heart exploding.
Her thoughts dissolving.
Her knees weakening.
Seon-woo kissed her like she was something fragile and something he desperately wanted at the same time.
When they finally broke apart, their breaths mingled in the cold air, warm and shaky.
His forehead rested against hers.
No one cheering.
No one watching.
Just silence and the sound of their racing hearts.
"Ji-Hyun," he whispered, voice trembling, "that wasn't fake."
She could only whisper back, "I know."
He closed his eyes briefly, like he was fighting something inside him.
When he opened them again, they were full of something new.
Something dangerous.
Something real.