Lee Minho was the kind of boy who never let anyone see his weaknesses. Cold, sharp-eyed, and annoyingly good at everything he did—he was the perfect rival for Bang Chan.

To everyone else, they were high school enemies. They bickered over grades, clashed during sports, and glared at each other like one wrong word would spark a war.

But what no one knew was that Minho’s anger wasn’t just hate. It was jealousy.

Every time Chan smiled at someone else, Minho’s chest tightened. Every time Chan’s laugh echoed across the hall, it twisted something deep inside him. And when someone touched Chan’s shoulder a little too casually, Minho wanted to throw something—anything—just to make it stop.

He tried to get rid of those feelings.

Minho even dated someone for a while—a boy named Jihoon from the art club. Jihoon was sweet, kind, and patient, but every kiss felt wrong. Every laugh sounded hollow compared to Chan’s.

Minho would hold Jihoon’s hand and wonder why it felt so empty. No matter how hard he tried, his thoughts kept circling back to one person.

Bang Chan. And it drove him insane.

One afternoon, Minho snapped.

He found Chan after school, leaning against the lockers with a girl from the cheer squad. Chan’s smile—soft and warm—made Minho’s blood boil. Before he knew it, he was marching over, his shadow falling over both of them.

“Do you always have to be like this?” Minho snapped.

Chan blinked, confused. “Like what? I’m just talking.”

“Yeah? You let people get too close.” Minho’s voice was low, sharp.

Chan frowned. “What is your problem with me, Minho? You’ve hated me since day one. Why? What did I even do to you?”

Minho’s heart was racing. He didn’t know what he was saying until the words were out of his mouth.

“I can’t stand watching you smile at anyone else,” he muttered, his voice shaking with frustration. “I tried to ignore it, I even went out with someone else just to forget you, but I can’t. I fucking love you, Bang Chan, and I hate that I do.”

The hallway went quiet.

Chan’s eyes widened, his mouth slightly open like he’d just heard the most impossible thing in the world.

“You… love me?”

Minho swallowed hard. “Yeah. I do. And it’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.”