Butterfly Effect | Han Taesan

14.

The morning sun filtered through the curtains of Jaehyun and Riku's dorm, casting a warm glow over the remnants of last night's celebration. The living room was a testament to the wild party that had taken place - empty bottles, discarded party hats, and a few people still sprawled on the couches, sleeping off their revelry.

Wait till these sleep deprived university students wake up, not only will they be greeted with a head exploding hangover, but they will also feel like death is welcoming them at the door. The only one who is less likely to experience this would be the boy who spent the whole night being everyone's responsible adult.

Taesan woke up early, his mind still swirling with the events of the previous night. He glanced over at Saneul, who was peacefully asleep on the couch beside him. He had stayed up late, ensuring everyone, mainly Saneul, was comfortable and safe before finally getting some shut eye.

A sense of protectiveness washed over him as he watched her tired form, her face serene and untroubled as she slept soundly. He swept away a few strands of her hair that was tickling her face and made sure to adjust the blanket snugly around her.

The rest of the group began to stir, and soon the dorm was alive with the sounds of groggy greetings and the clinking of glasses as water and aspirin were passed around. Everyone who saw the aspirin looked as if they were being blessed by an a guardian angel.

Saneul finally woke up from the loud commotion, her head pounding but her spirits still high from the night before.

"Good morning Sanshine," Taesan greeted her softly, the nickname flowing smoothly, almost as if it was his second nature to call her that endearing nickname.

To Taesan, Saneul looked like a ray of sunshine in that moment. He wasn't lying when calling her one. With the sun beaming into the room, she looked so angelic that he almost thought he was still dreaming.

Saneul smiled weakly as he handed her a glass of water.

"Thanks, Taesan. You're a life saver." she said while accepting the water.

As she was drinking her water, she went on her phone to catch up on messages she may have missed the night before.

The moment she clicked onto Jinny's message, a sudden rush of heat went straight to her cheeks making her choke on her water, resulting in her coughing desperately for air. Alarmed by her sudden lack of air, Taesan rushed to her side, gently tapping her back to prevent her from choking further.

"Are you okay? What happened? Why did you suddenly choke-" a panicked Taesan questioned her but was cut off by her as she waved her hand to dismiss his questions.

"Don't worry about it, I drank too quickly and the water went down the wrong pipe." she said quickly in hopes he would believe her quick lie.

The worried boy frowned and shook his head at the girl's carelessness and continued to pat her back to soothe her from her light coughs.

Jaehyun and Riku, despite their own hangovers, were already in the kitchen, whipping up a makeshift breakfast with whatever food they had in their poor excuse of a fridge. After making sure Saneul was okay, Taesan went over to the kitchen to help them prepare breakfast.

Jinny