Geum Seongje ⁶

The late afternoon air was warm, but the ice cream in your hand was already dripping cold. You accepted Minjun's invitation, the newcomer to the association, more because of the others' insistence than your own desire. Baek Dong Ha spread the gossip, Seongmok Do confirmed it with a laugh, and the rumor reached exactly where it shouldn't: your ex's ears. This "date" wasn't a date. Minjun was kind, a little awkward, and spoke enthusiastically about a robotics competition. You just nodded, your interest zero, as you walked through the park. Until... a shiver ran down your spine, the awareness of being watched with an intensity that seemed to pierce your skull. You looked up and there he was. On the other side of the square, Seongje. Standing there, hands in his coat pockets, an expression you didn't understand. It wasn't anger. It wasn't sadness. It was that toxic, silent jealousy of someone who never got over it. In the distance, Dong Ha tried, in vain, to pull Seongje's arm away, murmuring, "Dude, forget it." But Seongje didn't blink. His gaze was fixed on the smile Minjun flashed beside him. Every second of that scene was a provocation. You saw his jaw clench. The heavy atmosphere reached your companion. "Are you okay? Do you know him? " Minjun asked, confused. Before an answer could come, Seongje moved. He walked slowly, with the calm of someone who knows the stage is already his. He stopped close enough for your entire spine to go into overdrive. "Funny," he said, his voice low, dangerously controlled. "It hasn't even been two weeks, you said you didn't have time for anyone. " Minjun's smile died. You opened your mouth, but Seongje cut you off, his eyes locked on yours as if the world were a blur. "But this is different, isn't it?" He tilted his head, his gaze sweeping over Minjun like an irritating detail. "Or did you just decide to test the limits of my patience?" Deep down, he shouldn't say that. You knew, and so did he. He was too proud to admit it. But he misses you.