Chapter Text
Soobin and Hwayeon were busy checking into their flight back to Jeju. Well, at least, she was handling their documents. Her husband was busy scrutinising his daughter’s boyfriend who was sitting with her a few metres away at a cafe near the departure lounge.
“Please place your luggage on the conveyor belt.”
Soobin sighed when she saw that Hwayeon didn’t hear the attendant because he was too distracted by the teenage couple.
“Yeobo, we need to check in our luggage.” She glanced over at Eunseo and Sieun. They were sweet together and obviously in love; her daughter was just like her sometimes. Eunseo wasn’t the type to date someone if she wasn’t serious about them.
Hwayeon loaded the luggage onto the conveyor belt which fortunately was within the weight limit and was accepted for check-in. The married couple thanked the attendant after receiving their tickets and started making their way to the cafe.
“I don’t understand why Sieun’s here. This week, it feels like I’ve seen him more than our own daughter.” He grumbled.
“Aigo, Eunseo already told us that he wants to see us off. How many boys do you know that would do that for their girlfriends?” Soobin beamed, looking at her daughter so happy with her boyfriend. “Look at them. Sieun-nie looks at her with so much affection. There’s a chance he loves her more than we love her.”
Her husband whipped his head so fast. “There’s no way!”
“You hypocrite. When you begged my stepfather to let me marry you, you said no one else in the world loved me as much as you do.” His wife chastised him.
“The situation is different. Eunseo will always have a place with us.”
Soobin smiled serenely. “Of course. That will always be true but just because she has a place with Sieun, it doesn’t mean she’s abandoning us. When I look at them, I’m happy that there’s someone else she can rely on when we can’t be there for her.”
Hwayeon knew that. He also saw himself and Soobin in Sieun and Eunseo, no matter how much he didn’t want to. He knew that Sieun would always care for her and even though he didn’t act like it, he was happy that Eunseo had found her soulmate. It just wasn’t easy to see that his little princess was all grown-up.
“Still, Yeon Sieun can’t get too comfortable.” Hwayeon mumbled under his breath for Soobin to hear. “As Eunseo’s father, I have to keep him on his toes.”
His wife shook his head in exasperation. Who would have thought that the lovesick boy that followed her everywhere would end up becoming the most stubborn and overprotective father in the world? Soobin could only pray for Sieun that his future father-in-law’s antics wouldn’t be too much for him.
Sieun noticed Eunseo’s parents walking up to them and immediately alerted his girlfriend who was talking about the time she and her cousins got lost in the neighboring town with only their dog as supervision. The teenagers made space for her parents, clearing their bags away from the chairs of the table they were sitting at.
“Mom, Dad, you didn’t have any problems with the check-in process, right?” Eunseo asked them.
“We were fine. It was easy.”
“That’s great.” Eunseo nudged two disposable coffee cups towards them. “Sieun bought you lattes.”
They accepted the drinks, even Hwayeon who was warming up to him but was still a bit gruff. The four of them talked together, mainly about Eunseo and Sieun’s studies and the latter’s plans for the future.
Not long after, the boarding call for the next flight to Jeju was announced. The Jin family along with Sieun made their way towards the departure hall with him offering to carry their hand luggage. Even though Soobin told him he didn’t have to, he still did it anyway.
“Eomma, Appa, make sure to text when you’re at home later, okay?” Eunseo double-checked their tickets, relaying which gate they’re at and which boarding group they were in.
“Eunseo, we’re not that hopeless.” Soobin smiled at Sieun. “I’ll put my trust in you. Take care of her well.”
“Just so you know,” Hwayeon cut in, “Eunseo wanted to marry me up until she was four years old. She has high standards because of me.”
Soobin smacked his shoulder. “That’s enough! Sieun treats her well.”
Hwayeon ignored her. “To you, she’s your first love but to us, Eunseo is our heaven on earth so you better protect her with everything you have.”
The daughter of the Jin family was suddenly very self-conscious by her dad’s sudden praise. “Dad, stop it-”
“I can’t promise she would never get hurt,” Sieun said, “but I can promise to always be by her side.”
Hwayeon was impressed by Sieun’s composed and unwavering love for his daughter but he couldn’t let him know that. “Why does it feel like you’re forgetting your place?”
Soobin slapped his shoulder again for what must have been the hundredth time that week. “Stop it! Give them a break. We were exactly the same when we were their age.”
“Stop smacking me! I had to wait ten years for you to accept me.” He whined. Hwayeon pointed his finger at Sieun. “You better thank your lucky stars that Eunseo’s soft-hearted like me! If she was 100% like my wife, you'd have been waiting until you’re in your thirties!”
“Stop it!”
“I think this shirt would look great if you wore this button-down over it.” Eunseo held up a faded black button-down shirt in one hand and a dark blue graphic T-shirt. Sieun was having lunch with his mother tomorrow before meeting up with them for their outing. After dropping her parents off at the airport, he has asked for her help in picking out an outfit. “What do you think, Sieun?”
He didn’t really have much of a fashion sense as his girlfriend did so he trusted her judgement more. “It looks nice. I’ll just wear that tomorrow.”
Eunseo smiled. She swiftly put the outfit together on one hanger and hung it in his closet. She noticed that most of his clothes were in neutral colours; mostly blacks, whites and greys with the occasional dark green colour. There were barely any patterns, not even a checkered or plaid shirt. However, Sieun did have a large collection of hoodies, some were zip-ups and some were pullovers.
“You really like hoodies.” She felt the material of a dark green one that was particularly soft. She had never seen him in green before but had a feeling he would look very handsome in it.
“I get cold easily so they’re convenient. Do you want one?”
Eunseo sent him an exasperated look. “Stop it. You don’t need to buy me so much stuff.” She took a seat next to him on his bed. He had changed the sheets since the last time she slept here. Now, they were a deep blue material that felt silky-smooth to her touch. “I’m already yours.”
“You still surprise me with your words.” Somehow, even if they were similar in some ways, in other ways, Sieun could see their differences. Eunseo never hesitated to express her emotions and she always knew what words to say to make his heart skip a beat.
“What can I say? I’m Jin Eunseo.” She leaned in and fixed Sieun’s hair which was a bit out of place from when he wore his cap earlier. “Are you nervous about seeing your mom again?”
“No, it’s just- I learned not to expect much from her. It’s the same thing. She's just going to ask me about my grades and plans for university.” His mom always said that Sieun was like her in high school. Quiet and studious. Somehow, her words didn’t bring comfort to him. He didn’t know if she ever saw anyone else after the divorce but his dad never did. Not even with his former assistant that always flirted with him and always treated Sieun like a five year old when he was twelve back then.
Sieun already told his dad that he started dating Eunseo. Sort of. He just asked where Sieun was going last week, all dressed up, and he just said that he was going on a date with his girlfriend before leaving the apartment. It was simple but got the point across. When he came back from the date, the neighbor congratulated him and said that his dad apparently went to a temple to thank Buddha for granting love to his son.
Sieun didn’t know whether to be offended or humiliated.
However, he wasn’t sure if he should tell his mother about Eunseo. She didn’t forbid him from dating, never said a word about it, but he knew what she was like. His mother had a hunger for an expensive lifestyle; one with fundraisers, champagne bottles and rubbing elbows with the rich. A lifestyle she never would have had if she stayed with them.
Sieun didn’t blame his mother for leaving; his parents were miserable together and fought all the time. He never wanted to be back in that home again but he just wished that he wasn’t her pride. He just wanted to be her son, as imperfect and flawed as he is.
He didn’t want to tell her about Eunseo. His mother would only look down on her just because she’d believe they were of different social standings. Sieun never wanted Eunseo to feel inferior to anyone, much less his own mother.
“She’s just the type of person who only feels sorry for herself.” It was a selfish thing to say about his own mother, the one who endured all kinds of pains to bring him into this world.
“Don’t feel bad.” Eunseo held his cheek comfortingly, lightly grazing the small bandage on it with her fingers. It was nearly healed and you couldn’t tell that someone nearly tried to slice his face off. “Just because mothers gave birth to their children, it doesn’t mean they gave birth to their minds. She doesn’t automatically know everything about you.”
Yeon Sieun was lucky.
He was the luckiest man in the world. How did an anti-social person like him; someone who never bothered to make friends with his peers; belong with someone so loving and caring? Someone who saw right through him even though he never asked her to. He didn’t know what caused their paths to cross each other but he was grateful.
Sieun cupped her jaw, leaned in and their lips met in a gentle kiss. No matter how familiar they were with each other, he could never tire of how her lips felt; soft, plush with a stickiness due to the lip balm she wore constantly. Jin Eunseo was a drug he accepted and gladly became addicted to.
Soon enough, their kisses became more passionate and heated. They pushed and pulled into each other like gravity wasn’t the only one holding them down. Sieun wasn’t used to physical affection; he pulled away when others barely even touched his shoulder but with Eunseo, he craved her. Her lips. Her soft skin. Even the desperate and siren sounds she made whenever they were like this.
Before the closet incident, Sieun always held himself back; told himself his desires would scare her away but when Eunseo confessed to him her sinful dream and actions, the dam that held him back broke and before he knew it, he had his fingers underneath her skirt, touching her.
Eunseo gasped when Sieun stopped kissing her only to bite down on her bottom lip. Not too much to hurt her but enough for her to feel something. He traced her lip with his tongue before kissing her again like she was the oxygen he needed.
“You perv.” She accused him when Sieun’s hand wandered underneath her blouse, his palm feeling the warm skin of her back.
“Stop me then.” He murmured against her lips before trailing them down her neck. He noticed that she always liked it whenever he did that, even though she always scolded him for the hickeys that bloomed on her skin.
“I’m only letting you because you’re good at kissing-oh!” She closed her eyes in bliss when Sieun nipped at her neck more roughly than usual. “And at the other stuff too.”
“What other stuff?” He breathed heavily against her neck before returning to her swollen lips. His hands trailed down to her waist then to her hips before finally cupping her ass so that he could lift her up slightly. Eunseo got the hint and straddled his lap, her plush thighs hugging his muscled ones.
“You’re so cocky when you’re the one like this.” She ground her hips down, feeling him down there. Sieun groaned loudly when she repeated the motion, humping him through their jeans.
Eunseo traced the hem of his sweater, lightly grazing the skin of his abdomen. “Can I?”
Sieun nodded and she carefully stripped his sweater off. Sieun wasn’t crazy built with a six-pack but he had muscles and his abdomen was defined. He definitely wasn’t as skinny as most people, including Eunseo, thought he was.
Eunseo felt her mouth water. “It’s not fair. You don’t even work out yet you have these?” Her hand lingered on his abdomen that tensed beneath her touch.
“You’re one to talk about.” Sieun kissed her every time he slowly unbuttoned her blouse. “What’s unfair is me having to hear every guy in school lust over you.”
He slipped the blouse off, showcasing Eunseo in a simple pink cotton bra. Damn it, if she knew she was going to be half-naked in front of Sieun, she would have worn one of her prettier bras. However, he didn’t seem to mind as he drank in the sight of her, half-naked and on top of him.
“You’re really pretty.” He muttered before pulling her into another kiss. Their hands roamed each other and Sieun’s hand was about to slip under her bra cup when suddenly-
“Sieun-ah, Appa is home!”
The horny teenagers immediately separated at the sound of the apartment’s automatic lock unlocking and footsteps going through the living room.
Eunseo immediately got off him and started searching for her blouse that Sieun had haphazardly thrown on the floor.
“You said your dad was at dinner with his colleagues!” Eunseo said in a panicked whisper, fingers quickly buttoning her blouse.
Sieun was also putting on his sweater. “He was! He’s usually never home this early!”
It was bad enough her parents caught them making out. Eunseo wasn’t going to get caught by Sieun’s dad, half-naked and humping his equally half-naked son. She’d rather perish.
They managed to put themselves together in record time when Sieun’s dad opened the door.
“Sieun-ah! Appa bought you hotteok-“
He froze at the sight of an actual girl in Sieun’s room. He also didn’t miss the fact that his son suspiciously had his pillow on his lap.
“A girl? A-are you lost?”
Sieun hit his forehead with his palm. He knew that it seemed impossible that a girl was in his room but come on.
Yeon Gyujin was not prepared to catch his son with a girl in his room. Hell, he didn’t even worry about it when Sieun told him he was dating someone. Somehow, he just assumed that they went on study dates and that the worst they would do was kissing. After all, when his colleagues complained about their sons watching explicit videos in the late nights, Gyujin often had to remind Sieun to take a break from studying.
Even though Eunseo and Sieun were fully clothed when he found them, Gyujin was a teenage boy once. He wasn’t dumb. It was obvious that if he hadn’t come home, there was a chance that they would have gone way further.
Damn it. The last time he talked with Sieun about sex was in middle school when he gave his son the talk. Somehow, it became more embarrassing for him when Sieun pointed out that Gyujin had labelled some parts of the female anatomy wrong.
The front door unlocked and Sieun walked into the apartment. After Gyujin caught them, Eunseo immediately announced that she was going home and Sieun followed after her to walk her to the bus stop.
“I’m home.” Sieun tried to go to his bedroom immediately but his dad stood up from the couch.
“Stop.” He immediately stopped in his tracks. “Take a seat.”
Sieun obeyed him because, well, what else would you do when your dad nearly caught you half-naked with your girlfriend?
“Your girlfriend.” Gyujin said but he got caught on what else to say. He never thought he would be in this sort of situation either. “How long have you been dating?”
“A week.”
“A week and you’re already-” Gyujin cut himself off. Nope, the first move shouldn’t be to judge them. “That can happen. Love is love. When your mom and I first got together, we couldn’t keep our hands off-”
He stopped talking when he noticed the highly disgusted expression Sieun had on his face. Well, his expression was the same but his eyes told him.
Sieun may be more mature than most teenagers his age but even he didn’t want to think about them doing it. Like other teenagers, he believed he was conceived through asexual reproduction.
“Do you have protection? Do you need me to buy them?”
“I can buy them on my own.”
A moment of silence passed.
“Okay. Let’s eat hotteok before it gets cold.”
Sieun was right.
Lunch with his mother had been the same as it always had been. She asked about his grades, future plans and then proceeded to rush off to a meeting before she even finished her dessert.
I’m dating someone. She’s my first love.
He couldn’t even say those words to her. Couldn’t even say that even though he hadn’t thought about his higher education, Sieun was already sure that he wanted to spend his future with Eunseo.
He rejected his mother’s offer of buying coffee and just said he already had plans with his friends. She offered to give him a ride but he refused that too since he and Eunseo already decided to walk together to the café.
His phone beeped, showing a text message from his girlfriend.
Saturday
Eunseo
I just left home ☺️
I just finished lunch with my mother
I’ll meet you there in 5 min
Eunseo
👍
how did lunch go?
The usual
Eunseo
😟
you wanna talk about it?
Don’t worry about me so much
We can talk about it later
Eunseo
if you say so
see you soon 😘😘😘
See you soon
Five minutes later, Sieun met up with Eunseo at the location they agreed on and started walking together to the café where Suho, Beomseok and Yeongi were already at. He told her all about what happened at lunch and he also confessed that he hadn’t told his mother about their relationship.
“Would your mother really disapprove of me?”
“She shouldn’t but I know her.” Sieun sighed. She was a stubborn person who held on to her ideals, whether they were right or wrong. “I just don’t want her ruining this.”
Eunseo didn’t know how to respond to that. It was like he had already given up on his mother and was just waiting to be disappointed by her. She wanted to ask how he was sure when he wouldn’t give his mother a chance but Eunseo also knew that the relationship Sieun had with his parents was very different from hers.
She also knew that Sieun would tell her when he was ready so she didn’t push him to tell her more.
“About last night,” Eunseo blushed, flustered by what she and Sieun could have ended up doing last night if his dad hadn’t shown up, “how did it go with your dad? Was he pissed?”
“He was just surprised.” At least, that’s what Sieun thought. He didn’t know what possessed his dad to tell him about when he started dating his mother. “He even offered to buy me condoms. That’s how surprised he was.”
“That reminds me. I bought two boxes. Remind me to give you one later.” Eunseo said casually as if she had bought him milk instead of condoms.
“You’re really killing me here.” Sieun groaned.
Eunseo just cackled evilly in response. There was a large part of her that enjoyed pushing his buttons. She was a brat and she knew Sieun liked that.
It was a short walk to the café and they arrived there soon after Suho had blasted their group chat with texts demanding where they were and that they better not be skipping.
“Sieun-ah! Eunseo-yah! Over here!” Yeongi called out to them. She and Suho were already sitting at a table while Beomseok was at the cashier. “Come sit down.”
The couple waved to Beomseok but he didn’t wave back. While Sieun didn’t think anything of it, Eunseo was a bit puzzled by his odd behaviour. Was it because Yeongi had joined and he didn’t know her well? Well, this was their first time meeting and they still had plenty of stuff to do later so maybe he could get to know her more.
Eunseo and Sieun took their seats opposite Suho and Yeongi.
“Why are you so dressed up?” Yeongi asked.
“He looks good, right?” Eunseo grinned. “I picked his outfit out.”
“Not just him. You too.” Yeongi covered her eyes. “I’m blinded! You’re practically shining.”
“What are you talking about?” Eunseo’s clothes were pretty simple today. She wore a fitted cropped black T-shirt and dark grey pants that hugged her thighs and calves just right along with white trainers and a black canvas purse.
Did she purposefully dress in dark colours to match with Sieun? Maybe but they didn’t have to know that.
“It’s all about the face. Beautiful people never have to dress nice.” Suho mused. “Where were you?”
“An appointment.” Sieun answered simply.
“What kind of appointment?”
“He’s so fucking secretive. I bet you were in a hotel room or something.”
“Do you have a death wish?”
“I know where he was.” Yeongi sang playfully.
“Stop tracking me.”
“Track him. Track him to the ends of the earth.” Suho laughed. He looked at Eunseo, waiting for her to defend Sieun but she was distracted by someone else. He followed her gaze to see Beomseok still standing at the cashier with a lost look in his eyes. “Hey Oh Beom. What are you doing, still standing there? Come sit!”
What they didn’t know was that Beomseok felt like an outsider to them. The four of them were charming with their own distinct personalities and qualities and he was just there. Somehow, a girl they barely knew fit in more with them.
To Beomseok, who didn’t even belong with his family, he felt like his friends were pulling away from him.
He didn’t know it then but he started changing at that moment, jealousy eating away at him.
“IS THAT TRUE? YES OKEY DOKEY YO!”
Suho believed he was singing and rapping but really, he was just yelling into the mic while Yeongi, who was as enthusiastic as him, was actually trying to sing.
They were singing all the biggest hits of second-gen K-Pop from Big Bang’s Fantastic Baby to 4Minute’s Crazy to Kara’s Mister. Occasionally, they played songs from their generation including Wanna One’s Energetic to the latest girl group LE SSERAFIM’s Fearless.
Suho tried to convince Sieun and Beomseok to sing but the introverts vehemently refused to. Meanwhile, Eunseo was only convinced to sing with Suho and Yeongi only if it was a song from IU. The three of them sang Nakka with Eunseo covering IU’s parts while Suho and Yeongi sang the parts by AKMU.
Surprisingly, the Jeju girl was actually a good singer; successfully hitting the notes and her voice was pleasant and soothing to their ears. Sieun had no doubt that she was a siren in another life, singing tunes and melodies to trap mere mortal men like him. He wouldn’t mind.
After she finished, Eunseo took her seat in between Sieun and Beomseok, much preferring to see the extrovert duo sing their hearts out. Her boyfriend immediately held her hand, rubbing it with his thumb.
“Why don’t you sing a song?” Eunseo asked him in a low tone. It was hard to have a private conversation with so many distractions from the mirror ball to the loud voices of Suho and Yeongi melding together as they tried and failed to hit a high note.
“I’m not good at singing.” Sieun answered. He’d rather be running laps around the track field than to sing and dance.
“I think you’d do a better job than him.” Eunseo pointed out Suho who so far had failed to hit even a single high note. “Do you think we’re gonna get fined for this? What if someone reports a noise complaint because of him?”
“That’s his problem. You were great earlier.”
Eunseo lightly whacked his arm, flustered by his sudden compliment. She suddenly remembered the times when she was younger and she’d sing and dance to the idols on Music Bank with Junhee. Well, if university didn’t work out, singing was another career to think about although she doubted she’d be any good.
“Do you want a drink?” Beomseok asked them.
“Sure. I’ll go with you.” Sieun got up to follow him but Beomseok refused, saying that he’ll be fine on his own. Eunseo’s eyes trailed after him as he left the room.
“Sieun-ah, don’t you think Beomseok’s not acting like himself?”
“A bit. He’s probably just awkward around Yeongi.” He reasoned. “He doesn’t know her that well, after all.”
Eunseo wasn’t so sure about that. “It’s just… it’s like he’s in another world.”
“Don’t worry. Suho and I will talk to him.”
The couple continued having quiet conversations, content with seeing Suho and Yeongi attempt to sing more songs until their throats gave out. Beomseok’s phone was ringing but none of them picked it up. It continued ringing for three separate times before Yeongi got sick of it.
“Why does this bastard keep calling?” She picked up Beomseok’s phone.
“Yah, we can’t just answer someone else’s phone.” Eunseo reprimanded her.
“It’s probably a wrong number.” Yeongi picked up the call. “Hello? Yes, this is Oh Beomseok’s phone. We’re doing karaoke right now. What room are we in? Let me see… We’re in room 4.”
The door opened and Beomseok walked in. He froze, seeing his phone in Yeongi’s hand and a chill went down Eunseo’s spine at the cold look in his normally soft doe eyes.
Yeongi, however, didn’t notice anything different about him. “Your friends kept calling.”
Beomseok snatched the phone away from her and hurriedly hung up the call. “What are you doing, you crazy bitch!”
Eunseo was shocked by Beomseok’s sudden change in demeanour. She had never heard him raise his voice before. The closest he ever had to was when Suho was in danger and he asked Sieun why he let him go alone. Even back then, it was due to worry about his friend. Now, he raised his voice with fury in his eyes.
“Why the fuck did you answer my phone!”
Suho, being the mediator of their group, immediately tried to calm the situation down. “What the? Beomseok, what’s going on?”
Yeongi wasn’t backing down. “What? Are you going to hit me?”
“Fuck. Seriously?” He muttered. Why was she acting so close with them when just last week, she was a part of the gang that tried to ruin their lives? She was the one who didn’t belong with them. Not him.
So why were his friends staring at him like that?
Sensing how tense the situation was, Suho gently pushed Beomseok, putting some distance between him and Yeongi. “Hey, stop it. What’s this all really about?”
Beomseok breathed in and out, trying to calm himself down but it wasn’t working. It was bad enough that he had run into those bastards but now, Yeongi had given away his location to them.
Sieun stood up, pulling Eunseo behind him in case something happened.
“Beomseok, that’s enough. Okay?”
Beomseok looked at each of them. Eunseo was confused why he was acting like this but she was also concerned for him. Something told her that the friends that called him weren’t really his friends like Yeongi believed.
“Have you gone fucking nuts, asshole? Move.” Yeongi pushed Beomseok aside, no longer in the mood for karaoke.
“Hey!” Suho called out after her. While Beomseok had overreacted, Yeongi also had no business answering his phone. He turned to them. “I’ll go after her. Dude, where are you going?”
The mood was still tense after he left. Tensions were still high.
“Are you okay?” Sieun asked Beomseok.
“Yeah. I-I’m fine.”
Eunseo wasn’t convinced by his obvious lie. “Beomseok-ah, did something happen-”
She was cut off when a group of guys around their age opened the door.
“Oh Beomseok! I told you it was him! Our little Beomseok!”
Beomseok stilled, his mind flashing back to when they had essentially tortured him just for their entertainment. His hands started shaking as he gulped, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Sieun and Eunseo.
“How’ve you been? Do you have any idea how much we missed you?”
“What’s this?” Sieun intercepted them.
One of them replied with a fake smile. “We’re his friends from Mungang. We just missed him so much.”
“Well, we were talking. You’re being rude.” Eunseo didn’t offer a polite smile. She just told them blankly with eyes that basically told them they were being stupid.
“We just wanted to have a word-”
Sieun’s patience was running out. “Then come back later.”
“My bad.” He turned to Beomseok. “We’ll see you later.”
Before they left, Eunseo spoke up, “Excuse me. Why is it that trash like you are bad at bullshitting?”
“Why you-“
“Dude, stop.” His friend stopped him from stepping inside the room. Sieun had pulled his pen out of his pocket and clicked it, ready to strike. The friend pointed to the CCTV camera above them. Eunseo already knew it was there.
“Make one wrong fucking move and I’ll report you to the police.” She said, firm and resolved to do it.
“Come on, man. She’s not worth it.”
“Fuck this.”
They quickly left, afraid of getting caught.
Eunseo finally relaxed. What the hell was going on? Who were those guys?
Things were finally settling down and this shit happened.
What she and Sieun didn’t know was that the poison seed, long settled in Beomseok’s heart, had begun to sprout.
Their friendship would never be the same after that night.