• 𝟎𝟑 ℍ𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘨 𝐻𝘺𝘶𝘯𝘫𝘪𝘯.

Having Hyunjin in your life was like having a sunny day in the middle of winter: warm, unexpected, and necessary.

From the moment you met him, you became friends with him without even realizing it. He simply appeared and became part of your routine, your days, your laughter. From then on, his presence was constant and natural, as if he had always been there.

They both insisted they were just friends, but everyone around them seemed to think otherwise.

"You two look like you're married!" one of your friends blurted out once while they were looking at a photo that had been taken of them without their knowledge.
It was a picture where he was looking at you, smiling with that special sparkle in his eyes, while you were putting a face mask on his face.

You just laughed.
—Anyone can look at me like that.

But you knew it wasn't true.
Nobody looked at you like Hyunjin did.

They were inseparable. Even though classes had ended, that didn't stop them from seeing each other as if nothing had changed. Sometimes he'd stay over at your house, other times you'd stay over at his. Your family adored him, and your mother said Hyunjin had a certain something that made you want to be loved, and your grandmother always said she hoped you'd marry someone like him. He was the kind of guy who knew how to talk to everyone: from your little brother to the serious man at the convenience store.

They went to the movies, out to eat, for walks, to play video games, to hang out at home… they slept together even though nothing was happening, they put makeup on each other, they did karaoke, they ate ice cream at midnight, they laughed until they cried.
It was love. But neither of them said so.
Neither of them wanted to break "what they had".

That night a friend had invited you to her birthday party at a restaurant facing the sea.
You accepted, of course, and didn't hesitate to take Hyunjin with you.

—You're not going to leave me alone with people I barely know— you told him.

And as always, he just smiled.
"I would never do that."

The restaurant was beautiful, with warm lights hanging from the terrace and the sound of the sea and sand.

...