𝗠𝗦. 𝗕𝗔𝗗 𝗧𝗘𝗠𝗣𝗘𝗥

𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴

the way she said it—gentle, almost shy—made sunghoon's heart stumble in his chest. it wasn't a grand declaration, but it carried a weight he wasn't prepared for. her words hung in the air, sinking into the quiet space between them, soft and warm, like she was promising more than just her presence at a party. it was as if she was telling him, i'll be there for you.

sunghoon swallowed hard, his pulse quickening as he tried to read her expression. was it just the movie? or was there something more in the way she whispered it? the warmth of her body against his was grounding, and for a moment, he wasn't sure if the heat he felt creeping up his neck was from embarrassment or something else entirely.

"good" he said, his voice barely above a whisper, like he was afraid speaking too loud might shatter whatever this was. "i'm holding you to that."

aera smiled, but it wasn't her usual teasing grin. this one was softer, more genuine, like she was letting him in on a secret. "wouldn't miss it," she whispered, and the way her words lingered in the air made his chest tighten, a strange mix of anticipation and something he couldn't quite name.

there was something about the way she said it—so certain, so sure—that made sunghoon feel like it was more than just a promise to show up. it was the way her voice seemed to wrap around him, reassuring him in a way that had nothing to do with the movie playing in the background. it was like she was saying i'll always show up for you.

he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, trying to read her face, but all he saw was that same soft smile playing on her lips. he wondered if she could hear his heart hammering in his chest, or if she felt the way his hand had started to relax a little more, fingers uncurling from the blanket they had been gripping too tightly.

the room was suddenly too warm, too small, and all he could focus on was the way she was leaning into him, as if being close to him wasn't strange at all. the movie's eerie music faded into the background, drowned out by the quiet but insistent beat of his own pulse.

"thanks," he muttered, his voice a little rough, betraying the nervousness he was trying so hard to hide. "i mean it."

her eyes flickered to him, her smile widening just a fraction. "you're welcome," she replied softly, and for a moment, he could have sworn the shadows in the room shifted, not from the horror on screen, but from the quiet understanding that passed between them.

and just like that, the line between friendship and something more blurred a little further for sunghoon , leaving sunghoon to wonder if maybe—just maybe—he wasn't the only one feeling this way.

was it that strange? that delusional? that he hoped aera's red string was tied to his finger?