( read desc!! )

At sixteen, you told exactly two people.

Sunoo gasped so hard he almost inhaled his juice.

“LEE HEESEUNG?”

Yunjin slapped the table.

“YOUR BROTHER’S HOT BEST FRIEND?”

“Shut up!” you hissed.

Sunoo leaned in dramatically.

“This is forbidden romance.”

“This is death,” you corrected. “Jay will literally kill me.”

Yunjin grinned.

“So… since when?”

You stared at your lap and whispered—

“Since forever.”

It stayed a secret because Jay was insane. Protective didn’t even begin to cover it. He had rules, actual rules.

“No dating my friends.”

“You are not allowed to flirt with my friends.”

“My friends are off-limits.”

And to his friends?

“If any of you even look at my sister weird, I’ll kill you.”

Heeseung had laughed. “Dude, she’s Mini Park.”

You had laughed too.

But something in your chest hurt. Because to you—he was never just Heeseung.

And to him—you were probably still the shy little girl with a sketchbook, just Jay's little baby sister.

And now, eleven years later? Heeseung still comes over. Still walks into the kitchen like he owns the place. Still grins at you. Still says— “Mini Park.” Still ruffles your hair like it doesn’t make your stomach turn inside out.

And worse—He’s even prettier now. Broad shoulders, lazy smile, deep voice. That stupid laugh. The kind that makes your heart do embarrassing things.

You hate him for it. You hate yourself for it more.

Tonight, Jay invited everyone over for dinner. Which means you made the mistake of coming downstairs.

Sunoo and Yunjin are sitting at the counter with you, both of them aware—painfully aware—of your condition.

Yunjin spots him first. “Oh no.”

You freeze. “What?”

Sunoo’s eyes widen. “Oh, that’s bad.”

“What’s bad?”

And then—Heeseung walks in, laughing at something Jay said. One hand in his pocket and beside him—A girl. Pretty, tall, beautiful in that effortless kind of way. She’s holding his arm. And Heeseung is smiling down at her like she belongs there.

Your stomach drops so hard it feels like falling off a cliff. You can’t breathe because no one told you. No one said anything. And Heeseung—Your Heeseung—has a girlfriend.

“Mini Park!”

His voice hits you like a slap. You look up automatically.

He’s grinning, still grinning, still normal. As if your world didn’t just crack in half.

He walks over, dragging her with him. And before you can escape—ruffles your hair, same as always.

“There she is.”

You force a smile so fake it hurts. “Hey.”

He gestures to the girl. “This is Sooha.”

Sooha smiles sweetly.

“Oh my god, you’re Yuki! He talks about you all the time.”

Your heart stops. What?

Heeseung chuckles. “She’s basically my little sister.”

Little sister.

Dinner is torture. Heeseung keeps laughing, Jay keeps teasing everyone. Sooha fits in perfectly and you keep pretending your appetite disappeared for a normal reason.

Sunoo kicks your ankle under the table every time he catches you zoning out. Yunjin keeps texting you from across the room.

You almost laugh.

Almost.

Then Heeseung reaches over to wipe sauce from Sooha's lip and you excuse yourself before anyone sees your face.

The backyard is cold, dark, quiet, perfect.

You grip the porch railing until your knuckles hurt. Stupid.

What did you expect? That he’d wake up one day and realize? That your childhood crush meant something cosmic? That all the teasing and smiles and hair ruffles were somehow—special?

Tears burn behind your eyes but you blinked them back angrily. Not here, not now.

The sliding door opens behind you.

“Mini Park?”

No, not him, not now.

You wipe your face fast and turn.

Heeseung steps outside, concern written all over his face. And somehow—that hurts worse.

“You okay?”