You’ve spent years convincing yourself that Han Jisung is just your brother’s best friend. Nothing more.

It doesn’t matter that he’s always been there—teasing you, stealing your fries, texting you dumb memes at 2 AM. It doesn’t matter that your heart races when he throws an arm around you like it’s nothing. Because it is nothing. It has to be.

Until the night of your brother’s party.

The house is packed, music pulsing, but all you can focus on is Jisung. He’s leaning against the kitchen counter, laughing at something your brother said, and he looks good—too good.

You turn away, trying to ignore it, but then you hear his voice behind you.

“Running away from me?”

You roll your eyes. “You wish.”

Jisung grins, but there’s something different in his expression tonight—something unreadable. “Come outside with me.”

You hesitate, but follow him onto the porch. The cool night air is a relief from the heat inside, but it does nothing to calm your nerves when Jisung turns to you, suddenly serious.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” he says.

You cross your arms. “I have not.”

He tilts his head. “Then why won’t you look at me the way I look at you?”

Your breath catches. The teasing, the late-night texts, the way he’s always found a way to be close to you—it wasn’t just in your head.

“Jisung…”

He steps closer. “Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me you don’t feel it too.”

You should tell him that. You should think about your brother, about the trouble this would cause. But then Jisung reaches for your hand, fingers brushing against yours, and suddenly, none of that matters.

Because maybe, just maybe, you were never meant to resist him in the first place.