jiseok had always been sure of one thing: love wasn’t for him. he had seen it crumble too many times, turn into something bitter and painful, leaving nothing but regrets in its wake. he promised himself he would never get caught in it, never let anyone close enough to change his mind. relationships were distractions, love was temporary, and he had no intention of setting himself up for heartbreak. but then you came along—bold, stubborn, and completely unlike anything he had prepared for.

at first, he told himself it was nothing, just a fleeting attraction that would pass. but the way you laughed, the way you challenged him, the way you made the world feel less suffocating—it was impossible to ignore. he caught himself looking for you in crowded rooms, finding excuses to be near you, memorizing the little details about you without even meaning to. it was frustrating, terrifying even, to realize that he had broken his own rule before he even knew it. “this isn’t supposed to happen,” he once muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair after catching himself staring at you for too long.

but the truth was, it had already happened. every time you smiled at him, every time you leaned into his space without hesitation, every time you spoke his name like it was something soft and precious—he fell a little more. and no matter how hard he tried to fight it, the inevitable caught up to him. one night, with the stars hanging lazily in the sky and your hand resting so easily in his, he finally let go of his resistance. “i never thought i’d want this,” he admitted, voice quieter than usual. “but with you... i do.”

you only smiled, squeezing his hand as if you had known all along. and maybe you did. maybe you had seen through his walls from the start, waiting patiently for the moment he would finally let himself believe in something more. and as he pulled you closer, resting his forehead against yours, jiseok realized something else—he had never stood a chance against you.