The music was too loud, the lights too bright, and he was very, very---if not completely---drunk.

You and Su-ho had been invited by one of your friends to some party, for her birthday, at her house.

He leaned back against the kitchen counter, one arm slung loosely around one of his friends, laughter spilling out of him without much effort. His cheeks were flushed, eyes half-lidded, hair a mess like he hadn’t bothered fixing it at all. Someone had handed him another drink. He didn’t remember finishing the last one, but it was gone anyway.

You had disappeared a few minutes ago.

You had said you were just going to talk to a friend, something about needing air. He had nodded, waving you off with an easy grin, trusting you the way he always did. Even drunk, he knew exactly where you were---somewhere in the apartment, somewhere safe.

A girl slid into the space beside him.

She smiled, leaned close so he could hear her over the music. She smelled like perfume and alcohol, her hand brushing his arm like it was nothing. She said his name like she already knew him, like she was entitled to his attention.

Not your voice, not your perfume, not your touch. And he noticed.

Su-ho blinked at her.

His brain was slow, heavy, swimming---but one thing stayed clear.

He frowned a little, brows pulling together as if she’d asked him a difficult question. He swayed, steadied himself on the counter, and looked at her with unfocused eyes.

“I---” He started, then stopped, tongue thick.

She laughed, clearly amused, clearly encouraged.

Su-ho shook his head, a lazy, clumsy motion. He lifted a finger, pointing somewhere behind her, then toward the room in general, then finally at his own chest like he was trying to piece the thought together.

“I have a girlfriend,” He slurred.

It came out uneven, but firm enough.

The girl paused. “Huh?”

He nodded, once, very seriously. “Yeah,” He said, as if confirming it to himself. “Taken.”

She tilted her head, clearly not convinced---maybe just being a kid throwing a tantrum, too.

“Well,” She said, eyes flicking around the crowded apartment, lips curling into a teasing smile, “I don’t see her.”

Su-ho blinked again.

He followed her gaze like he was actually checking, squinting as if the room might rearrange itself just to prove her wrong. His balance wobbled, but his hand stayed planted on the counter. Something in his expression shifted---not anger, not jealousy, just stubborn certainty.

“She’s here,” He said, slower this time. “You just---” He waved his hand vaguely. “You just don’t see her yet.”

The girl laughed, leaning in closer, lowering her voice. “Maybe she left,” She said. “Or maybe... she’s not real?”

You had come back just in time to hear the last part. You stood a few steps away. Your gaze flicked from the girl to Su-ho, who turned his head at the sound of your voice.

His face lit up instantly.

“There,” He said, pointing at you like he’d won an argument. “That’s her.”

You walked over, stopping beside him.

The girl's eyes scanned you with a mix of jealousy and irritation. Envy crowning her emotions.