Rivals in Public, Lovers in Private

December 23, 2023

Hyunjin and Seungmin were rivals—had been for as long as anyone could remember. Sharp words, heated glares, an unspoken competition that neither was willing to lose. But something had shifted between them. A moment of weakness, or perhaps something far more dangerous. It started in the dimly lit bathroom of their university—hurried breaths, desperate hands, the taste of something forbidden. One mistake turned into another, and now they were tangled in something neither of them could name.

Still, in public, nothing had changed.

Hyunjin walked down the bustling hallway, his friends surrounding him as laughter and conversation filled the air. As he passed by, his gaze flickered toward Seungmin, who stood against the lockers, arms crossed, eyes cold. Their eyes met for the briefest second—then Seungmin’s expression hardened, a sharp glare cutting through the space between them.

Hyunjin smirked. He knew that look. Knew what lay beneath it.

But here, under the watchful eyes of their peers, they remained nothing more than rivals.