You and your best friend Seonghyeon have always had that… thing. The kind of teasing that looks harmless to everyone else, but feels like something more when it’s just the two of you. You flirt relentlessly—within your own unspoken boundaries. Little pokes at each other’s sides, calling each other baby just to get a rise out of the other. (Usually it’s you getting irritated. He loves that.)

You lean on each other’s shoulders without thinking. You walk to school together every morning and go home side by side every afternoon—no wonder people keep assuming you’re a couple.

Earlier today, the teachers bombarded your class with projects, deadlines, and activities. Just listening to it already drained every drop of energy you had. By the end of the day, you were exhausted—physically, mentally, emotionally.

Walking home with Seonghyeon helped a little, but the moment you stepped into your house, greeted your family, and collapsed on your bed—uniform still on—you didn’t even last five minutes before knocking out.

And then suddenly… it was 7am.

Uniform still on. Bag untouched. Not a single activity finished.

Panic.

On instinct, you grabbed your phone and texted the one person who always somehow helped you—whether he meant to or not.

“seonghyeon” “hello??” “r u up?” “SEONGHYEON, YOU’RE ONLINE!” “EOM SEONGHYEON!” “seriously.” “baby.”

Then, finally—

Seonghyeon > “yea?”

You exhaled sharply.

“wtf bro, you’re irritating me early in the morning.”

Seonghyeon > “so what does my baby want?”

You rolled your eyes so hard you almost saw your brain.

“ew, quit it. i’ll just ask juhoon for it.”

A few seconds passed. Then—

Seonghyeon > “why him when i’m already here?“ …and he deleted it before you could even read it.

But your phone lit up just in time for you to catch the notification— just long enough for your heart to skip.