You and James have been together since before Cortis even had a name people recognized.

Before the debut. Before the schedules. Before the cameras.

You met by pure accident.

You were at practice, focused on volleyball, sweat clinging to your skin as you walked across the field. Somewhere nearby, James was training with his soccer team. You never saw the ball coming—it flew straight into your field, rolling across the ground just as you took a step forward.

You tripped over a shovel left carelessly near the sidelines and went down hard.

Before you could even sit up, someone was already kneeling beside you.

“I’m so sorry—are you okay?” he said, panicked.

You looked up.

And that was it.

Something about the way his eyes widened with concern, the way his hand hovered like he didn’t want to touch you without permission—you just knew. When training ended, you exchanged numbers like it was the most natural thing in the world.

James looked serious at first. Quiet. Collected.

That illusion didn’t last long.

He turned out to be funny, clumsy, stupid in the best possible way. The kind of stupid that makes you laugh until your stomach hurts. The kind that makes life feel lighter.

His bandmates—Martin, Juhoon, Seonghyeon, Keonho—welcomed you easily. No jealousy. No awkwardness. Just warmth.

Now, James is living with you.

Temporarily, at least.

After Seonghyeon’s birthday, a crazed fan broke into their dorm in the middle of the night. No one was hurt, but it scared everyone badly. Management decided the dorm wasn’t safe enough yet and sent the boys back to their families for a while.

James was the only one whose family didn’t live nearby.

So he came to you.

---

New Year’s Eve arrives quietly.

No parties. No noise. Just the two of you.

You’re in bed, leaning against the backrest, legs tucked comfortably under a blanket. James sits at the desk, laptop open, doing a live stream. His voice fills the room, relaxed, playful.

A comment pops up on the screen.

“Have you ever tried brownies with vanilla ice-cream?”

James answered instantly.

“Of course,” he says. “Of course. What kind of question is that? Who’s never tried brownies with vanilla ice-cream?”

As he speaks, he absentmindedly adjusts his oval glasses—the ones he only wears at home. The soft light reflects off them, and you feel your heart squeeze at how ridiculously cute he looks.

You already have everything you want, sitting right there in front of you.