. .

| Minji |

Oddly comfortable. 

For the first time she appreciated his "slightly-above-average height" as she had dubbed it. 

Linking her arm around his and resting her head against his shoulder was nicer than she anticipated. 

Though she was uncertain if his emotions mirrored hers, standing by him as the sky went from dazzling oranges to deep reds evoked an unexpected feeling of warmth in her chest. 

"This is nice, isn't it?" She decided to gauge his enjoyment of the situation. 

"Mmm, although the person beside me, makes it much better." Came a cheesy line that she wasn't expecting to hear from Lee Dohyun. 

Minji scoffed, as she poked him on the side with her index finger.

"Be honest, are you sure you haven't been here before with another girl? Don't lie, I'll really punish you if you lie." She released her hold of his arm, and peered towards him suspiciously. 

He only chuckled as he reached over and gently caressed her face, his puppy-like eyes practically dripping with affection. 

His expression contorted into one of softness and comity, like a child receiving a gift he didn't know he wanted. He wasn't concerned with others staring at them, he wasn't even concerned with her response to his display of affection. 

He simply stared at her with sincerity and adoration. The expression on his face sent her into a daze, unable to look away from him. 

"I think I've brought Hyelin-ie here before once. How about you?" He questioned. "With your smooth confession skills you must have quite a few experiences bringing boys here." 

"Ya!" She pursed her lips at his teasing. 

A cunning idea popped into her head, and she nodded adamantly. "I've been here before with two really really good-looking people. Does that make you jealous?" 

"Ah, really? Two?" He seemed quite taken aback by her unexpected answer. 

"One is usually quiet and but sometimes pretty funny just like sunbae-nim, the other is really is really bright but often a little mischievous." She revealed slowly her descriptions of her two close friends. 

"Ah, they sound like pretty fun people. Do they also happen to pursue a similar career path as you?" He smirked, keying-in that she was referring to her trainee friends. 

"Maybe." She answered coyly. 

"Do they also happen to be about 166 centimeters tall?" Dohyun hovered his palm over the top of her head. 

"Hey, first of all I'm 167.5 centimeters from my last weigh-in. Also my friends are way shorter than me." She defended herself. "Besides it's not like sunbae is even that tall." 

"Wow, I never was before, but you're suddenly starting to make me insecure about my height." He playfully grabbed her shoulders squeezing them gently. 

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Oppa is tall enough for me." She didn't even realize it until the words left , as she noticed a look of satisfaction plastered over his face. 

"Say it again." He ushered her, with what appeared to be desperation. 

"Wow look! Isn't it so pretty?" Minji attempted to change the subject, refocusing her attention on the pink and orange colored sky. 

"I think I'm going to take a picture of it." Minji began pacing closer back to the ledge, burning in embarrassment at the cringey language that had to naturally come out. 

Was this what liking someone did to a person? 

She held her phone up, and snapped a series of photos. 

Out of the blue, he reached his long arms around her and pulled her back into him. Embracing her tightly from behind, he cozied his chin against her shoulder.

"Wow, you're pretty good at photography." He whispered, peering towards her phone. 

Instead of struggling against his hold, she felt oddly attuned to it, an oddly masculine aroma enveloped her olfactory sense. 

As much as she didn't want to admit it, perhaps this was what she had been missing in her life. The feeling of someone holding her tightly, with zero intentions of letting go. 

Two people just soaking in the other's presence. 

She slowly lowered her phone, and slipped it back into the pocket of her cardigan. 

"Hey Dohyun sunbae." Feeling a strange sense of joy, an unfortunate thought occurred. 

"Mhm?" 

"What... what are we then?" Minji sputtered out, as they came at the crossroads of the infamous question. 

DTR: define the relationship. 

After expressing such feelings, wasn't it obvious they were dating? 

"Well... what do you want us to be? I'm fine with whatever you decide." Dohyun answered in a surprisingly calm voice. 

She couldn't lie his indecisive response did annoy her. 

Now was the time to be bold, to declare them as a couple. 

Why couldn't he say it? Didn't he want that as much as she did?

Then again... with his new career looming it was possible he saw it as objectively as she usually would. Minji could remember back when she was in gymnastics, it would completely engulf every moment of her non-academic hours. 

"Well, I know sunbae is going to be busy with preparing to join the team. As well as you also have to find time to study for the upcoming CSAT. Then, there's also your family situation." Minji began to lay out the facts. 

"And I'll still be busy with student council responsibilities, my trainee schedule and extracurriculars." She continued listing her own 

"Then maybe for now..." Her voice trailed off. 

It was disappointing to say aloud. But one of the few things she could pride herself on was her empirical decisions. 

"...we should stay friends, but not like before. Friends with feelings for each other."

Objectively, it didn't make sense for them to be anything more than friends at this stage in their lives. 

"Then let's do that. Friends who like each other." He spoke the words aloud for her, the only feasible conclusion based on the facts. 

As they stood in silence, watching the last of the sun's rays disappear behind the horizon, Minji couldn't help but feel a sense of longing. She didn't turn to look, but she could just sense neither of them were satisfied by this decision.

. .

Thankfully, the rest of the night hadn't been spoiled from their stupid agreement. 

The two had found a nearby Tonkatsu restaurant to eat dinner, and gone to grab dessert at a nearby bakery after. 

Over their conversations Minji had learned a little about his experience of trying out for the team and the living conditions he'd undertake to become a full-time professional gamer. 

He told her briefly about the impressions he'd taken of his four new teammates after practicing with them over the past two days.  

She also learned about the gaming house he would be living in, a place he described as "a glorified dormitory." A four bedroom apartment that housed the coach, the assistant coach, and the 5 players. 

Seven people squeezed into an already small apartment that was only further truncated because the living room was basically converted into a mini PC-bang. 

It certainly didn't sound ideal, yet seeing the sparkle in his eyes as he talked about moving-in, she could see he didn't mind it for a chance to finally pursue his passion. 

Of course after learning about him, she shared about how things were going on at SM, and finally opened up about her world and friends.

He listened attentively, and chuckled as he learned more about her, showing genuine interest in her slightly odd but enjoyable friend group in Haerin, Hanni, and Jihan.

Before she knew it, hours had gone by and hand-in-hand they returned back to her apartment.

Darkness had completely set over Seoul, yet its streets were alive with a vibrant energy that pulsed through the bustling crowds of corporate slaves being tugged from one bar to another. 

 The streets were illuminated by a sea of neon lights that cast a surreal glow over the scene.

The air was thick with the scent of street food vendors, their grills and pots filling the night air with the tempting aroma of grilled pork belly and tteokbokki. 

The sound of busses and chatter filled the streets, a chaotic symphony of voices and honking that blended together rather eloquently.

Even with all that she found herself wistfully gazing at the stars with each step wishing that the hours could turn back and offer her a few more minutes of time together. 

But, she knew her mother would find it suspicious if she stayed out any longer. Her mother would be home by now, and her absence could only be explained by a date with her trainee friends. And they would have to be in their dorm by 11.

They arrived across the street from her complex. 

"Then, goodnight Song Minji." He smiled, as he stood across from her, his hand still clutching hers. 

His affectionate smirk and handsome face now glowing in the moonlight. No matter how hard she tried to deny it, Lee Dohyun was objectively good looking.

"Mmm. Goodnight, get back safe." She cracked a grin, not wanting to be caught gawking like some lovesick idiot. 

That's when she felt it, he tried to remove his hand first to leave. 

Minji felt a wave of insecurity at that moment. Had his attraction to her already lessened the moment she had confessed? 

Was she no longer on the metaphorical high-ground of the relationship?

She almost squeezed his hand tighter to keep him there, but she didn't want to lose all grounding. He had been the one to agree to her request to stay only friends, which meant perhaps he had already grown tired of her neediness.

Wait was she needy? 

As she felt his hand slip away from her, she noticed him studying her closely. His eyes fixated on her expression as if he was a scientist taking notes. 

"Minji, leave the overthinking to me." He whispered as he quickly drew her into an embrace.

His arms wrapped themselves around her as he pulled her in close to his chest. 

"I like you way more than you like me, and I'm perfectly fine with that." Dohyun somehow perfectly read her thoughts, leaving no room for doubt. 

"So take your time, I'll wait for you."

Minji realized then, why he hadn't called them a couple. He was just being courteous of her. 

"Thanks for waiting for me." She murmured. 

Dohyun leaned back slightly, his eyes piercing into hers. "Always, Minji. Always." 

His voice was lace