you swore you’d never let it happen. not after watching your sister cry for weeks when heeseung broke her heart in high school. but years passed, and things changed. your sister found someone new, got married, and was now glowing with the excitement of her first baby on the way. heeseung reappeared in your life at a mutual friend's gathering, no longer the boy who had hurt your sister but a man who seemed to have grown in ways you didn’t expect.

you tried to keep your distance, tried to ignore the fluttering in your chest every time he smiled at you. but heeseung had a way of breaking down walls. he was patient, kind, and unapologetically honest when he admitted, one night over coffee, that he’d been thinking about you for weeks.

“it’s wrong,” you said, more to yourself than to him.

“it’s not,” heeseung replied, his voice steady. “your sister’s moved on. she’s happy. and i..." he hesitated, running a hand through his hair, “i think i could make you happy too.”

you avoided him after that, guilt gnawing at you, but heeseung didn’t push. he gave you space, let you come to terms with what you were feeling. when you finally let yourself admit that you liked him, really liked him, it felt both terrifying and freeing.

telling your sister was the hardest part. you sat across from her at her kitchen table, your hands trembling as you spoke. to your surprise, she didn’t yell or cry. instead, she leaned back, resting a hand on her growing belly, and sighed.

“heeseung and i were kids,” she said. “i’ve got a husband who loves me, and soon i’ll have a baby. if he makes you happy, then… who am i to stand in the way?”

relief washed over you, and for the first time in weeks, you let yourself smile. later that night, when you told heeseung, he pulled you into his arms, his voice soft in your ear. “i told you it wasn’t wrong.” and maybe, for the first time, you believed him.