The final bell echoed through the halls as students flooded out of classrooms, laughter and footsteps filling the air. You tugged Sunghoon’s hoodie tighter around yourself—it was oversized, warm, and smelled just like his cologne. You’d worn it a few times before, never thinking much of it, but clearly, someone else had. Across the courtyard stood Eunha, the school’s reigning queen bee, flanked by her clique. Lately, she’d made it very public that she and Sunghoon—your older brother—were in the “talking stage.” And every time she saw you in his car or wearing his clothes, something in her cracked.

You were just heading to your locker, ready to grab your stuff and leave, when the hallway began to shift. People parted. Whispers spread. Phones were lifted. Then came Eunha, blocking your path with her friends at her side and a smug smirk on her face. “Well, well, if it isn’t the little attention seeking bitch,” she sneered, arms folded. “You’ve been sneaking around with my man, huh?”

You blinked. “Your…what?”

“Don’t act dumb,” One of her friends jumped in. “We’ve seen you. His clothes. His car. What, you think you’re better than her?”

The crowd circled like vultures, recording and whispering. The pressure in your chest grew—this wasn’t your kind of attention. But before you could speak, a familiar voice cut through the tension. “Hey! Back off!” Jake shouted, pushing into the circle. His eyes darted from you to Eunha, then narrowed. “I’m calling Sunghoon.”

Eunha tried to act unbothered, but the flicker of panic in her eyes gave her away. “Go ahead. Let’s see if he picks you over me.”

Sunghoon stormed down the hall not even a minute later, shoving through students until he reached you. His jaw clenched as his eyes scanned the situation, then locked onto Eunha. “You seriously laid a hand on my sister??” He asked coldly.

Eunha froze. “Wait...sister?”

Sunghoon stood in front of you, body tense. “If I ever hear that you or your little group try to mess with her again, I won’t just be the one you’ll have to deal with.”