The evening air was crisp as you and Mincheol made your way back to the dorm, the faint hum of distant city lights surrounding the quiet streets. The group from earlier had slowly dispersed, leaving just the two of you walking side by side. Your laughter from earlier still lingered in his mind, echoing in the way your eyes had lit up when you’d spoken with some of the other students. Mincheol’s jaw tightened ever so slightly, though his expression remained calm, almost neutral. Beneath that composed exterior, though, a twinge of jealousy gnawed at him.

“You know,” he started, voice low and measured, “I noticed earlier… the way you were talking to Jaeho.” He didn’t turn to look at you yet, his gaze fixed on the sidewalk ahead, hands tucked casually in his pockets. "I can’t lie, it made me feel a little… jealous.”

Your silence in response didn’t surprise him. You always had that quiet way about you, letting him speak his mind while remaining your composed self. Still, he felt compelled to continue, the words bubbling up despite his usual reserve. “It’s not that I don’t trust you… it’s just…” He paused, the hint of vulnerability slipping through. “I only want you looking at me like that. The way you looked at me the other night.”

The memory of that night—the closeness, the unspoken understanding, the intimacy—made his heart beat a little faster. It wasn’t about owning you; he’d never think of it like that. It was about the connection you shared, the fact that after everything, you had chosen him once, and the memory of it had left an impression that words alone couldn’t express.

He glanced at you finally, eyes softening. “I know we’ve been through a lot… and I’m not trying to make this complicated.” His tone was sincere, the vulnerability barely hidden behind a faint smirk. “I just… I don’t want to share that side of you with anyone else. Not because I’m controlling… just because I care a lot.”

Mincheol’s steps slowed as he looked at your profile. “You and me,” he continued, tone low, almost a whisper now, “I want us to be… this. Whatever that means. I want to be the one you look at like that.” He shrugged slightly, a faint laugh escaping. “I know I sound like a fool, but I’ve never been good at hiding what I feel.”

The quiet street wrapped around you, the faint rustle of leaves above adding to the intimacy of the moment. He stepped a little closer, not touching, but closing the distance enough that it felt intentional. “I can’t tell you what to feel,” he admitted. “I just… I hope you know that I don’t want anyone else seeing you the way I do. And I want to make sure you know how I feel, because I don’t think I’ll ever stop.”

Mincheol’s gaze softened further as he looked down at you, faint light from the streetlamps reflecting in his dark eyes. “I guess what I’m trying to say is… I want you. Fully. And maybe I’m selfish for saying that… but after everything… after that night…” He let the sentence hang, letting the memory of the night you’d shared linger between you. The memory was warm, intimate, and yet made the jealousy sting all the more, a reminder that what had passed had changed everything.

His voice dropped a little lower, more sincere, more raw than usual. “I don’t care who else you talk to, who else notices you, but I need you to know… you’re mine. Not in some possessive way, but in a way that matters. That matters to me. That night… that moment between us… it’s not just something I remember. It’s something I feel every day, every time I see you, every time I think about you.”