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Heeseung & Aiko
The sun had dipped below the horizon, casting a warm orange glow over the camp as the group gathered in the dining area for dinner. The long wooden table was covered in a modest spread—canned beans, some bread they'd managed to bake earlier, and whatever leftovers they could scrape together. It was far from a feast, but it was what they had.
Aiko sat at one end of the table, quietly picking at her food, while Heeseung was all the way at the other end, aggressively stabbing his fork into a piece of bread like it had personally offended him. The rest of the group couldn't ignore the thick tension hanging in the air like a bad smell. Sunoo exchanged a look with Yuna, who raised an eyebrow as if asking, "What the hell is going on?"
Jake, ever the shit-stirrer, broke the silence. "Alright, what the fuck happened between you two this time?" He shot a glance between Aiko and Heeseung, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "You both look like you're ready to murder each other."
Aiko rolled her eyes, refusing to even look in Heeseung's direction. "Nothing happened, Jake. Just drop it."
"Yeah, nothing worth talking about," Heeseung grumbled, his voice laced with irritation. He still hadn't looked up from his plate.
Jay leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Bullshit. You both look like you're gonna explode. Come on, just spill it."
"It's really none of your business," Aiko snapped, her tone icy. She shoved a piece of bread into her mouth, chewing aggressively, clearly trying to avoid the conversation.
Yuna, never one to back down, chimed in with a teasing smile. "Come on, guys, we're all friends here. You might as well tell us what happened so we don't have to sit through this awkward-ass dinner."
Heeseung finally looked up, his gaze locking onto Aiko with a glare that could cut glass. "Nothing happened that wasn't her fault."
Aiko scoffed, slamming her fork down onto her plate. "My fault? You're the one who lost your shit over a stupid picture! Like, seriously, who reacts like that?"
"You were snooping through my stuff! Maybe respect people's boundaries and we wouldn't have this problem," Heeseung shot back, his voice rising.
"Oh, give me a break! You're acting like I dug through your entire life's secrets. It was just a fucking photo, Heeseung! Get over yourself," Aiko retorted, her eyes flashing with anger.
The rest of the group watched the exchange like it was a tennis match, their heads turning back and forth as the argument escalated. Sunghoon couldn't hold back a laugh. "Jesus, you two really need to get a room or something."
Aiko whipped around to glare at Sunghoon. "Shut the fuck up, Sunghoon. Not everything is about sexual tension."
Jake leaned forward, grinning like a kid who just found candy. "Oh, but it totally is in this case. You two bicker like an old married couple. Just kiss already and get it over with."
"Fuck off, Jake," Heeseung snapped, his tone dripping with venom. "I wouldn't go near her if my life depended on it."
"Right back at you, asshole," Aiko shot back, her face flushed with frustration.
Jungwon, always the mediator, sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Alright, can we all just chill for like five minutes and eat without turning this into World War III?"
Yuna nodded in agreement. "Seriously, guys. It's exhausting watching you two fight all the damn time. Just talk it out or something instead of dragging everyone else into your drama."
"Talk it out? We've done nothing but argue since the moment we met. I'm done trying to 'talk it out,'" Aiko said, air-quoting with her fingers as she glared at Heeseung.
"You're not the only one who's sick of it, princess," Heeseung spat back, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
Sunoo shook his head, exasperated. "You guys need therapy. Or like... a boxing ring."
"Maybe I should just punch him in the face. Might solve a lot of problems," Aiko muttered under her breath, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Heeseung clenched his jaw, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his fork. "I'd like to see you try."
"Hey, hey, hey! Let's not start throwing fists over dinner, alright?" Jay interjected, waving his hands to diffuse the situation. "This shit's getting out of hand."
But neither Heeseung nor Aiko was backing down. They locked eyes, both of them fuming, ready to tear into each other again. The rest of the group could see where this was heading, and it wasn't going to end well.
"Fine, whatever. You know what? I'm done with this shit," Aiko snapped, standing up so abruptly that her chair scraped loudly against the floor.
"Finally, something we agree on," Heeseung muttered darkly as he pushed his own chair back and stood up as well.
Aiko didn't even bother with a response. She just turned on her heel and stormed out of the dining area, the sound of her footsteps echoing down the hallway. Heeseung watched her go, his expression hard as stone, before letting out a frustrated grunt and heading in the opposite direction.
The room fell into an awkward silence as everyone stared at the empty doorways the two had just exited through.
Jake broke the silence first, letting out a long sigh. "Well, that went to shit faster than I expected."
Sunghoon shook his head, a small grin tugging at his lips. "Those two are a fucking disaster."
Yuna sighed, picking at her food with a concerned expression. "I know they're always bickering, but I feel like it's getting worse. They're gonna tear each other apart if this keeps up."
Sunoo leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "Or maybe they just need to sleep together and get it out of their systems. You know, hate sex or something."
Jungwon looked scandalized. "Sunoo, what the hell?!"
Sunoo shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm just saying, there's a lot of pent-up energy there. Might as well make it productive."
Jay shook his head with a laugh. "You're a fucking weirdo, you know that?"
"I speak the truth," Sunoo replied, grinning.
"Yeah, well, let's hope they don't kill each other before they get to that point," Jake said, shaking his head.
With the tension still hanging in the air like a bad smell, the group finished their meal in a more subdued atmosphere. Everyone could sense that whatever was going on between Aiko and Heeseung wasn't just typical bickering anymore. There was something deeper, something more volatile simmering beneath the surface.
But for now, all they could do was wait and hope that their friends didn't implode before figuring out how to deal with each other. Because if this kept up, it wouldn't just be Heeseung and Aiko tearing into each other—it'd drag the whole group down with them
