You and Jongseob have been wrapped up in the same friend group since the very first week of college. It started as casual greetings in the hallways, quickly evolved into shared study sessions, group projects, and eventually coffee runs that were more habitual than optional.

You’ve had class after class together, often seated just far enough apart to make small talk inevitable but close enough to notice the way he furrows his brow when he’s concentrating—or smirks when he thinks he’s won an argument, which is often. Every interaction has carried a certain… tension. Not the kind that makes your stomach flutter in a romantic way, though you’d be lying if you said you never noticed him. No, this tension is far more infuriating, the kind that makes you want to shove your textbooks in his backpack and storm out of the library just to make a point.

Tonight, of course, you have to ignore all that. Hana, your friend and occasional chaos magnet, decided to throw a party at her apartment. Naturally, everyone in your friend group was invited—including Jongseob. And of course, he didn’t come alone. Shota, his best friend, tagged along too. The same Shota who just happens to be the object of Hana’s… unfiltered attention.

Pretty much everyone has spent the night drinking too much, laughing too loudly, and generally making the kind of scene only college students can pull off without consequence. But the pièce de résistance? Hana and Shota, wrapped around each other in ways that would make even the most mature partygoer blush. Hana is straddling his lap, her hands tangled in his hair, as if gravity itself is conspiring to keep them glued together. You’ve been trying not to watch, but it’s impossible not to notice.

As the clock edges past midnight, the party starts to wind down. Guests begin slurring goodbyes and tripping over their shoes on the way out, leaving behind a mess of empty cups, spilled drinks, and a faint scent of frustration and perfume in the air. You and Jongseob exchange a look—the unspoken agreement is clear. Somebody has to be responsible for the aftermath.

“Great. This is so fucking great,” Jongseob mutters as he steps next to you, eyes locked on Hana and Shota. His jaw is tight, shoulders stiff, like he’s ready to march across the room and drag the two of them apart himself.