Aerin rubbed her eyes, groggy and disoriented, as she slowly woke up. The warmth pressing against her side felt comforting, but unfamiliar. Her surroundings were hazy, and for a moment, she couldn't place where she was or how she'd ended up here. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep alone, but something about the weight at her back was different.
Suddenly, a sharp, appalled yell cut through her hazy thoughts.
"AERIN, WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!"
The words pierced through her sleep-deprived fog, and her body jolted upright in alarm. Her head spun as she blinked, trying to register the situation. There, standing in the doorway, were her cousin and three of his friends, staring at her with wide, shocked eyes—like they'd just witnessed the impossible.
"What? Why? What?" she mumbled, yawning, completely caught off guard.
Her cousin simply motioned to something beside her, his face a mix of disbelief and curiosity. Slowly, Aerin's gaze followed his hand—and then her breath caught in her throat.
"HOLY SHIT."
Her voice cracked with shock, and before she could process anything further, she was scrambling to the edge of the bed. Seungcheol, still half-asleep and barely awake, shifted slightly, completely unaware of her distress. The pillow that had once separated them was now abandoned on the floor, and somehow, they had ended up tangled together in a way that sent a fresh wave of panic through Aerin.
No wonder everyone was standing there, frozen.
"It's not what it looks like!" she blurted out, her heart racing as she attempted to scramble off the bed.
Jihoon stepped forward, his face unreadable but the tension in his posture making it clear he was trying to make sense of what he was seeing.
"What does 'what' look like—OH SHIT, WHY ARE YOU TWO IN MY ROOM, AND WHY IS THE PILLOW ON THE FLOOR?" Seungcheol finally snapped awake, confusion clouding his features. His abrupt movements only heightened the awkwardness of the moment.
"You two. Come with me."
Jihoon's voice was calm but carried an edge that sent a shiver down Aerin's spine. Even Seungcheol, typically the group's anchor, stood frozen for a moment before reluctantly following Jihoon's lead.
"Ji, I told you it's—"
"Come. Now. I have questions that need answering in a proper environment."
The walk was long and filled with an almost suffocating tension. Seungcheol and Aerin sat side by side, their posture stiff, their coffee cups now the only thing between them and the uncomfortable silence. Jihoon sat across from them, his gaze steady but intense.
"So, the 'proper environment' is the practice room?" Seungcheol finally spoke, his voice laced with sarcasm as he glanced at Jihoon.
"Yes. Yes, it is." Jihoon's tone didn't shift, and Seungcheol rolled his eyes, finally taking a sip of his coffee in resignation.
The seconds stretched out like minutes. Jihoon's patience thinned as the silence lingered, and he let out a frustrated groan.
"You guys are driving me insane. Do you know that?"
Seungcheol and Aerin didn't respond at first. They could only sip their coffee, trying to avoid meeting Jihoon's unwavering gaze.
"What's going on with you two? Don't think I haven't noticed your meetups." His words were sharp, and the shift in his tone made it clear he wasn't asking out of mere curiosity.
Both Seungcheol and Aerin froze, exchanging a quick, silent glance. It was a fleeting moment, but in that glance, something unspoken passed between them.
"What do you mean, Ji?" Aerin asked, trying to feign innocence, though she knew she wasn't fooling anyone—not even herself.
"Don't bullshit me," Jihoon snapped.
And then, without warning, Seungcheol blurted, "We're dating."
Aerin's head snapped towards him, her mouth falling open in shock. The words left her breathless, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest.
"We're—wait, what?" she stammered, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Jihoon's expression mirrored hers, and for a moment, it felt like time had stopped. He stared between the two of them, trying to piece together what had just been said. His face softened from shock to something more perplexed.
"Well, that's unexpected," Jihoon muttered, still processing. It wasn't the revelation itself that threw him off—it was how little sense it seemed to make.
"Yup! That's the answer, Ji! Now we're done here," Aerin said quickly, her voice far too upbeat, almost desperate, as she stood from her seat and grabbed Seungcheol by the arm, dragging him out of the room.
She marched them down the hallway, not stopping until they were in the quiet solitude of a vacant space. Her hand pressed to her forehead, her mind spinning.
"What the hell was that?" she demanded, the shock still evident in her voice.
Seungcheol, trying to defuse the tension, looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry, but what was I supposed to say? That we're just friends?"
Aerin's eyes widened, her emotions bubbling to the surface. "You didn't have to say anything! But you could've said something—anything other than that!"
Seungcheol held his ground, his voice soft but firm. "Do friends sleep together? Do they meet up every day, talk for hours, and kiss each other like we do?"
Aerin froze. She couldn't meet his eyes, guilt crashing into her chest. "Why are you bringing this up now? Jihoon didn't see anything. He saw us in bed together, which—yeah, it's a mess, but he doesn't know the whole story."
Seungcheol's hand gently rested on her shoulder, and the warmth of it sent a jolt through her. The proximity between them felt too intimate, too real in that moment. She held her breath, unsure how to respond.
"So, what? Does it matter?" he asked softly. "What about us, Aerin? I don't even know what we are right now."
Aerin let out a slow, shaky breath, avoiding his gaze. "I don't know either..." Her voice trailed off, filled with uncertainty.
"What do you want us to be?" he pressed, his tone gentle but heavy with meaning.
She sighed, the weight of everything settling in. "I don't know... But right now, our priority isn't us. It's making sure Jihoon gets the right picture of what's going on. Right now, he thinks we're dating, but we're not. We're feeding him a lie, and I can't keep doing that."
Seungcheol's brow furrowed. "Who cares what he thinks? What if he believes we're dating?"
Aerin stared at him, incredulous. "Are you serious?"
"Dead serious," he replied.
Aerin exhaled sharply, leaning against the wall for support. The tension was unbearable, but then, Seungcheol's next words dropped like a bomb.
"Fine then. Will you let me take you on a date?"
Aerin's jaw dropped. "What? Why—why would you ask that?"
He met her eyes, calm yet sincere. "You said you didn't want Jihoon thinking we're dating when we're not. So... what if we did date, for real?"
