𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 - heeseung

chapter one

"I love you, Minji," Aera whispered to her girlfriend, wrapping her arm around her waist with a smile. 

"I love you too," Minji smiled back. "How can someone so sweet like you be related to someone as vial as your cousin? I don't get it."

"My parents just cared for me more than Heeseung's did for him." She shrugged back. "But he's really not that bad."

"Well, he is to me," Minji mumbled back. "He's been bullying me since I was in 5th grade... even though I never did anything to him."

"Aera, aunt-- oh..." Heeseung trailed off as he burst into the girl's room, making Minji send him a harsh glare. "Sorry, I didn't realize you had you're fling--"

"Watch your mouth, Heeseung," Aera snapped back, standing up from the bed and glaring at her cousin. "Besides, my girlfriend has a name."

"I'm well aware of her name," Heeseung nodded, still avoiding looking at Minji. "Auntie wants you downstairs for dinner and for Minji to go home."

"Hee--"

"It's fine, I should probably be getting home anyway," Minji nodded, giving Aera a small kiss. "I told Eunji I'd cook tonight."

"What about your dad? When's he coming back?" Aera whispered, not liking the idea of her girlfriend being home alone with only her older and younger siblings. 

"He said his convention lasts all week long, so either Saturday or Sunday, unless he has to stay later," Minji replied. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Aera walked Minji down to the door before waving and watching as she began to walk home. Minji continued a few blocks down until she finally reached her house, entering the door before walking into the kitchen and beginning to cook her family dinner. 

"Minji-ah!" Her twin brother, Jimin, called for her as he came running down the stairs. 

"Yes, Jimin?" Minji sighed, watching her brother twirl around her as he ate some of the chopped-up vegetables on her cutting board. 

"So... I was thinking..."

"That's never a good sign," Minji teased, making Jimin scoff. 

"What if the two of us and some friends went out for our birthdays? I was thinking on Saturday we could go to dinner--"

"With who?" Minji cut off Jimin, knowing he was only asking because she probably wouldn't want to go. 

"Oh, you know... me, you, Heeseung, Aera, Sunghoon--"

"Nope." She sighed after hearing his name. "I'm not going out with Heeseung, not unless I'm extremely intoxicated, and even then I still may want to be hit in the head with a bowling ball."

"Oh, come on! You can mostly just chill with Aera, while we all hang out together," Jimin proposed, but Minji wasn't having it. 

"If we aren't going to all hang out together, what's the point of me and Aera even going? We could just stay home together," Minji shrugged. 

"Minji, look," Jimin sighed, sitting down on the counter opposite Minji. "I want to spend my favorite day with my favorite people, and that includes Sunghoon, you... and even Heeseung. I'll try to keep him away from you for the entire night, I swear. Just please... will you go out with us?"

"I'll talk to Aera about it." She sighed, throwing the vegetables into a pot. "If she's fine, then I am. But if he says one word--"

"He won't," Jimin quickly nodded. "I promise."

"Eunji, Jihoon, dinner!" Minji shouted up the stairs, her older sister and younger brother quickly coming down and serving themselves. 

"So, I overheard your conversation..." Jihoon trailed off, smirking at Jimin and Minji. "And I think I should be able to go too... that way I can be a buffer for the lovebirds--"

"We aren't lovebirds!" Minji quickly cut Jihoon off. "Besides, I have a girlfriend. And even if I didn't, which I do, Heeseung is the last person I'd even consider dating."

"Anyways..." Jihoon trailed off, excited to see his sister so irritated by one word. "I think I should go."

"No." The twins chorused, making Eunji laugh as she tried to cover it up with a cough.

"Why not!" He whined, throwing his head back.

"Because you're too young," Jimin shrugged. "Besides, we don't want to be in charge of you, and no offense, but you'd be a shitty buffer between Minji and Hee."

"Language," Eunji mumbled, Jimin just scoffing.

"Yeah, you irritate me almost as much as he does, I don't need both of you to be there on my birthday. In fact, my birthday present from you can be you not coming!" Minji nodded. 

"You both suck," Jihoon groaned, although spoke no more of it. 

"Where are you guys gonna go?" Eunji asked, trying to change the subject.

"There's this new restaurant that supposedly has really good tteokbokki, and since it's Minji's favorite, I figured we'd go there," Jimin responded. 

"Do you need a ride there?" Their older sister offered, Jimin quickly shaking his head. 

"We can just walk, it's only a block away." He shook his head. "I'll do the dishes since Minji cooked."

"Well, I've got homework, so goodnight!" Minji waved to her family before walking up to her bedroom, sighing as she sat down on her bed, pulling out her phone and FaceTiming Aera. 

"Hi!" Aera smiled as she picked up the phone, Minji just groaning. "What's wrong?"

"My brother wants you, me, Sunghoon, him and... Heeseung to go out to dinner for our birthday this weekend." She sighed, Aera nodding her head with a tsk. 

"Well, we don't have to go if you don't want to," Aera offered, but Minji shook her head. 

"I told Jimin that as long as you were fine with it, we'd go," Minji replied. 

"Are you sure? It's your birthday--"

"But it's also Jimins, and it means a lot more to him than it does to me... so I'll do it." She sighed. "As long as you will too."

"Alright," Aera nodded. "I'll be the buffer between you and Heeseung."

"Let's hope I can avoid him enough that I don't need a buffer," Minji sighed, closing her heavy eyes.