you always knew the effect you had on people, but you never imagined you'd be capable of tearing a friendship apart like theirs.

Jiyong and Seunghyun were practically brothers, inseparable until you showed up. It wasn't on purpose, but maybe it was. And the moment you realized it, it didn't take long for you to understand: you could have them both, and neither would resist.

GD was the easiest to decipher. Impulsive, explosive, transparent. When he wanted you, he wanted you now, without worrying about later. When you disappeared, he'd freak out. He'd call, text nonstop, show up drunk at your door, push you against the wall, and ask, almost pleadingly, "Where were you? Tell you weren't with him." He'd humiliate himself in every way to win back your attention. He'd show up sober the next day with compositions he'd written in the wee hours of the morning, his voice cracking.

Choi, however, was different. He seemed cold, rational, controlled. You had to pay attention to every single detail about him. How his fingers drummed on the table when he was uncomfortable. His clenched jaw when he saw you with Jiyong, how he closed himself completely when you made the slightest hesitation, his hard, sharp gaze, like that of an animal ready to pounce. He rarely smiled, and every time his fire threatened to boil over, he rewarded you: sex with more tenderness, lingering glances, attention, running to you when you needed him.

Jiyong chased after you, humbled himself, begged. Seunghyun swallowed his hatred, plotted silently, surrendered in moments when he lost control.

Their first fight came early, predictably. You had just left Seunghyun's studio, your hair still messy, a smile stuck on your lips. GD saw you, and that was enough. He yelled, accused his friend of betrayal, and threw years of brotherhood on the floor as if they were worthless. He called you everything, Seunghyun, even worse. And Choi didn't yell. He inhaled slowly, held your gaze, and said in a firm, almost calm voice: "If you're so bothered, it's because you know she's not just yours." And then he smiled—that smile that made GD's blood boil. And so time eroded their friendship. Before, they shared secrets, now, they shared only you. Every look exchanged between them was a shot. Every silence carried a threat. Every word hid hatred. And you were there, fueling both of them, knowing they would never give up.

Until the YG CEO's private event arrived. No cameras, no press, no eyes from the world. Just them and you. The trophy of the night, and GD was the winner of the week. From the beginning of the night, he clung to you like a tattoo. His heavy, firm arm wrapped around your shoulders, leading you across the balcony and into the ballroom. He spoke loudly, laughed even louder, made you laugh with him. Between laughs, he stole quick kisses on your cheek, your mouth, your neck. Each kiss was a warning: You're mine. And each gesture, each touch, was more to tease Choi than you. Because he knew he was watching.

he stood in a corner of the ballroom, a glass of whiskey in his hand, his gaze fixed on you. shoulders rigid, jaw set, silence deafening. inside, he burned. his entire body was a threat. and when your eyes met his, for an instant, you saw the trapped animal, ready to pounce.

gd, noticing, pulled you even closer, his hand too firm on your shoulder, almost possessive. the next kiss was defiant. he whispered in your ear, loud enough for seunghyun read on his lips:

—“you’re mine. you know you’re mine.”

and you just smiled, cause you knew that sentence wasn’t meant for you. was for the choi.

and in silence, seunghyun drank the rest of his whiskey, put down the glass, let his smile grow a little wider. inside, was exploding. outside, just watched, like someone ready to pounce, waiting for the right moment to tear everything to shreds.