I let out a long sigh, my eyes lingering on the apartment entrance where Seolhyo had disappeared.
"Haaah… her brother really is way too overprotective," I muttered. "Even as an outsider, you can feel how suffocating he is. If anyone were in her shoes, I doubt they could handle it."
Irina folded her arms, shuddering. "If it were me, I'd go crazy. I'd probably just run away. There's no way I could live with someone like that."
Daegyu clicked his tongue. "I don't get it either. Minsu-hyung was wild back in school himself. So what's with the double standards when it comes to his sister?"
He shook his head. "If I were Hyorim, I'd have lost my mind already."
Park Dong leaned back against the wall, expression oddly thoughtful. "…Maybe because he was wild back then, he sees the world differently than we do."
I scoffed quietly, irritation slipping through. "How long is he going to be like this?"
I said under my breath. "If anything, he should be taking better care of Seolhyo, not controlling her life like this. Since there's only two of them he should have taken better care of his little sister."
I exhaled sharply. "She should be allowed to have fun. To do normal teenage stuff. It's not like we stay kids forever. He should only step in if she's actually doing something wrong…"
Irina turned toward me, then burst out laughing. "Wow. Look at you, getting all worked up."
She grinned. "Can't blame you though you are her boyfriend, after all."
Park Dong smirked. "If her brother ever finds out you're dating her, he'll do to you exactly what he did to Seolhyo's first boyfriend. Hahaha."
I shot him a glare. "Shut up, you single losers."
Their laughter echoed softly down the street, but my gaze drifted back to the apartment door, worry settling heavy in my chest.
Inside the apartment building, Seolhyo stood frozen in front of a familiar red door, staring at it as if a devil was behind it.
I don't think I can lie my way out of this…
If, by any chance, he found out she stayed out overnight.
He'll explode. Worse than last time.
And now that she had a boyfriend she didn't even want to imagine it.
She took a shallow breath and slowly pushed the door open.
The lights were on.
"…W-what…?" Her heart lurched violently.
Why why is the light on?!
For a second, her thoughts spiraled into chaos, fear crashing over her in waves.
Then, abruptly, clarity returned.
…Ah. Right.
I left in a rush because I was excited.
She stepped inside cautiously, glancing around.
Everything looked the same.
She peeked into her room first.
"…Looks like it's untouched."
A small sigh slipped past her lips, some of the tension draining from her shoulders.
Her gaze drifted to a seemingly demon room.
Her brother's room.
Her stomach dropped.
The problem is… this room.
Her feet carried her forward despite her nervousness and fear.
When she reached the door, her hand hovered over the handle, trembling uncontrollably.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
Please, please, please… you gorilla bastard…!!
If I open this and you're inside, I swear I'll have a heart attack!
You wouldn't want that, right?
At least for once act like a brother!
Before she could lose her nerve, she shoved the door open in one swift motion, keeping her eyes tightly shut.
She stood there, frozen, bracing herself listening for his voice, the smell of cigarettes, anything.
Nothing.
The silence stretched.
Slowly, carefully, she opened her eyes.
Her eyes went wide seeing no one else was inside.
"…Ah…"
Her knees gave out.
She sank to the floor right there in the doorway, relief crashing over her so hard it left her weak.
"…He's not here."
The words trembled as they left her lips, followed by a shaky breath she didn't realize she'd been holding all this time.
Her phone then ring again.
-
Across town, Seol Minsu sat lazily in a booth at a dimly lit restaurant, cigarette resting between his lips as he leaned back against the seat.
Three girls crowded around the seat with him, laughter and chatter filling the space.
He held his phone near his ear, voice calm.
"Why didn't you answer your phone?"
From the other end came Seolhyo's voice. "Uh… I was showering. Why?"
"I'm not going today," he replied casually, as if it were nothing.
To his left, a girl with long, messy hair leaned close, fingers playing with the cross necklace hanging against his chest. "Let me have this," she said teasingly, tugging at it.
On his right, a pale blonde girl with straight hair laughed as she slapped Heo Seong-pil's shoulder.
He yelped exaggeratedly. "This noona's got a spicy slap."
Beside the messy-haired girl, another woman lifted her hand toward Kim Hoon.
He raised his in response, lining them up side by side.
"Whoa," she said, eyes widening. "Your hands are huge."
Minsu exhaled smoke slowly, eyes half-lidded, listening to the noise around him without really engaging.
We stood across the street still hiding behind the wall, eyes glued to the building where Seolhyo lived, barely daring to breathe.
Then
A window slid open.
Seolhyo leaned out, her hair slightly messy, cheeks flushed, and a huge smile spreading across her face.
She waved both arms wildly, like she couldn't contain it.
For half a beat, we just stared.
And then.
"Were alive!!"
"Thank God seriously!!"
"I was scared shitless, not gonna lie! lolol"
Laughter burst out all at once, relief crashing over us like a wave. We rushed closer to the building, celebrating right there on the side of the road, It's a relief its late at night and there's not much people to see us crazy kids celebrating at the middle of the road.
Seolhyo laughed from above, covering her mouth, eyes bright and shining as she waved again.
In that moment, with the tension finally gone.
Vacation, Mission complete.
-
"You all know this is the last week of break, right?" the teacher said from the front of the room. "Classes go back to normal next week."
A collective groan spread across the classroom.
"What kind of break still has classes?" someone complained.
The teacher scoffed. "You punks had a whole week off. This is self-study time."
With that, he turned and left, the door sliding shut behind him.
Not long after, Jinkyung began walking around the school, handing out printed photos from their trip.
When she stepped into Ono's classroom, she spotted him immediately, sitting at his desk with his arms crossed, looking half-asleep.
"Oh In-ho."
Ono glanced up at her.
…Strong woman
She held out a small stack of photos, covered neatly with another sheet.
A faint blush crept onto her face.
"This is from the stream trip… I got them printed. These ones are yours."
Before he could respond, she spun on her heel.
"I-I'm going now!"
And just like that, she hurried out the door.
Ono stared blankly for a moment, then looked down at the photos in his hands.
He slid the cover aside.
Beside him, Lee Junhyun leaned over, grabbing one photo to inspect it before glancing back at Ono.
"What's with you two?"
He asked. "You get hella close or what? Looks like you had fun."
The photos were vivid, frozen fragments of the trip.
Ono lying back in the sun, eyes closed, expression calm.
Daegyu caught mid-splash, water sparkling around him as he grinned.
Inseop laughing loudly in his photo with Hyewon, the two kissing beneath the bright sky.
"Heh what's with this? HAHAHA!"
Irina with puffed cheeks, chewing, while Park Dong ate just as messily beside her.
"Hehehe… I didn't even know she took this while I was eating."
Park Dong, Jisung looming over his shoulder.
Jisung scowled as he flipped through the stack. "The hell you all had fun without me, huh?"
Park Dong burst out laughing. "Lol, who told you to oversleep?"
Back in our separate classrooms, Seolhyo and I were holding the same photo.
In it, she lay with her head resting on my lap, my hand gently brushing through her hair.
She smiled up at me, one arm raised as if reaching halfway toward mine a quiet moment that felt like it belonged only to us.
Even apart, we were both smiling at it now, the corners of our lips lifting at the same moment.
At the bottom of the stack was the last photo.
Everyone crammed into a single frame, laughter and chaos frozen in time.
It's messy but somehow… It's perfect.