Brother's Best friend-Nishimura Riki

[7]

Authors pov

Haeun and Riki were deep in conversation, laughing and sharing stories when Jake suddenly appeared, a slight urgency in his voice. "Hey, you two, we've got to go," he said, glancing between them. "Everyone's waiting."

Haeun and Riki exchanged quick looks, their moment interrupted, but they both knew they couldn’t keep the others waiting. Riki gave Haeun a reassuring smile before they turned to follow Jake, leaving their conversation unfinished for now.

As they made their way back to the car, Haeun heard her name being called out. She turned to see Heeseung approaching them, his expression unreadable.

"Haeun, can we talk for a minute?" Heeseung asked, his tone more serious than usual.

Riki glanced at Haeun, unsure of what was going on, but she nodded at him, signaling it was okay. "I'll catch up with you," she told Riki, who hesitated for a moment before walking towards the car

Haeun turned back to Heeseung, curious and a little concerned about what he wanted to say.

Heeseung took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. "Haeun, it’s not just about you getting close to Riki," he began, his tone more resolute. "He's older than you by four years. That’s a big difference, especially right now. I don’t want you talking to him too much because I don’t want things to go any further."

Haeun's eyes widened slightly, realizing what he meant. "You don’t want us dating," she said, her voice a mix of surprise and hurt.

Heeseung nodded, his expression firm. "Exactly. It’s not that I don’t like Riki; he’s a good guy. But you’re still young, Haeun. I just don’t think it’s a good idea for you two to get involved like that."

Haeun bit her lip, feeling torn between her brother’s concerns and her own feelings. "But Heeseung, I like talking to him. He’s fun, and he gets me. I don’t see why our age difference matters so much."

Heeseung sighed, softening his tone a little. "I know he’s fun, and I get that you like him. But relationships can get complicated, especially when there’s a gap like that. I just don’t want you to end up in a situation you’re not ready for."

Haeun looked down, thinking about what he said. She knew Heeseung was trying to protect her, but it still felt unfair. "I understand, but you have to let me figure some things out on my own," she finally replied, meeting his gaze.

Heeseung studied her for a moment before nodding. "Alright, just promise me you’ll be careful and think about what I said."

"I will," Haeun agreed, though she still felt conflicted. She appreciated her brother’s concern, but part of her wasn’t sure if she could just walk away from her growing connection with Riki.

Haeun's pov

I wanted to scream. How could I be so unlucky? Of all the people I could have feelings for, I had to like my older brother’s best friend. And not just any friend—Riki. He was four years older than me, and even though the age difference didn’t seem like a big deal to me, it was everything to Heeseung. He didn’t even want us to be friends, so what was I supposed to do about the fact that I actually liked him?

Every time Riki and I talked, I felt this connection, something I couldn’t just ignore. But then I’d hear Heeseung’s voice in the back of my head, reminding me of all the reasons this was a bad idea. He’d made it clear that he didn’t want us getting close, and dating? That felt like it would be crossing a line I wasn’t sure I could come back from.

But the more I thought about it, the more frustrated I became. Why did it have to be this way? Why couldn’t Heeseung just trust me to handle my own feelings? I knew he was trying to protect me, but it felt like he didn’t see me as someone capable of making my own decisions. And it wasn’t fair. Not to me, and not to Riki either.

I wished I could just tell Heeseung to back off, to let me figure this out on my own. But every time I tried, I could see the concern in his eyes, and it made me hesitate. What if he was right? What if this whole thing was a bad idea from the start?

Still, I couldn’t help how I felt. And as much as I wanted to respect my brother’s wishes, a part of me couldn’t stop wondering—what if Riki felt the same way? What then?