Best Friend's Brother (Seungjin)

Chapter 5: The Trade

 Seungmin walked into the Hwang residence as usual, but there was an unusual air of anticipation in the atmosphere. Yeji had texted him early in the morning, requesting his presence at her apartment at 10 a.m. It was strange since the twins were rarely awake at that hour. Seungmin had his own apartment, but he practically spent half of his time at the Hwang's place, making it feel like a second home. He often joked that he should just move in with them and become their roommate.

However, today, Seungmin didn't feel as thrilled as he usually did when entering the apartment. The prospect of interacting with Hyunjin was unavoidable, and the thought weighed on his mind. He knew he needed to talk to Hyunjin eventually. Seungmin wasn't the type to run away from his problems; he was determined to face them head-on. But right now, he needed to find some calm within himself before confronting the possibility of rejection.

As Seungmin knocked on the apartment door, Yeji promptly opened it. She greeted him with a warm hug and motioned for him to take a seat on the living room couch. To his surprise, he found Felix already sitting on the opposite end of where Hyunjin usually sat. Felix smiled and greeted Seungmin, who returned the gesture before settling down beside him.

"So now that you both are here, we can start," Yeji said, a hint of excitement in her voice.

Seungmin exchanged a confused look with Felix, who seemed just as bewildered as he was.

"This may seem a bit weird to you, but Yeji and I decided to switch friends for a day. So, if that's okay with you, Felix, do you mind hanging out with Yeji, and Seungmin, would you hang out with me?" Hyunjin asked, his nerves evident.

Seungmin sensed that there was more to this proposition than just a simple friend swap. He knew the twins and their usual antics, but this felt different, and he couldn't shake off the feeling that there was an ulterior motive behind this arrangement.

"Cool! I've always wanted to be a part of your weird sibling things," Felix chimed in, excited about the idea.

Seungmin couldn't help but offer a half-hearted smile, his mind preoccupied with what Hyunjin might be thinking. "Okay," he agreed, half-heartedly.

 His love life may have been going down the drain, but he sure as hell wouldn't be the reason Yeji would lose such an opportunity. Nevertheless, Seungmin couldn't help but ask, "How come you wanted to swap friends?"

Yeji immediately opened her mouth to respond, "Oh, actually, it was Hyunjin's idea. He used his—" but before she could finish, Hyunjin swiftly silenced her by closing her mouth with his hand.

"It was Hyunjin's idea? Makes sense," Felix smirked at his friend, picking up on the subtle dynamics at play.

Hyunjin nudged his sister playfully. "Whatever. Didn't Yeji want to go somewhere with Felix, which is why we are here so early?"

"Right! Felix, I have these gaming tickets, you know, for that gaming convention. Since we're both gamers, why not go? I know it's a long ride, but I'm a good driver, and maybe it can be kind of a road trip style," Yeji said shyly.

Seungmin couldn't help but chuckle to himself, reminded once again that Yeji had an introverted and shy side to her personality. It was easy to forget, especially when she was around people she was comfortable with, as she transformed into the life of the party, exuding confidence and assertiveness. But in moments like these, when her shyness peeked through, Seungmin couldn't help but feel a fondness for this other side of his best friend.

Felix gave Yeji a genuine smile. "How did you even get tickets for that? Jeongin and I tried everything to get those tickets, but they were sold out. And the ones being re-sold were always double the price. Oh, but Seungmin is also a hardcore gamer. Wouldn't you want to go with him instead? We can always do this trade thing another day."