Enchanted (Bbangsaz)

13

The night sky above the beach was scattered with stars, and the gentle crash of waves provided a soft backdrop as Hanni and Minji sat together, sharing a blanket. There was an unspoken weight between them that had been building for days, a tension neither had fully acknowledged.

Hanni broke the silence, her voice soft but eager. "So, I've been working on something lately. For my next comeback."

Minji turned to her, curiosity lighting up her features. "Tell me about it."

"Well," Hanni began, her heart thudding in her chest. "I'm writing an album. It's almost all about love."

Minji's expression softened at the word, and though she smiled, Hanni could see the flicker of something behind her eyes—something that looked like hurt. "Love, huh? Sounds like you've got someone special on your mind."

Hanni swallowed, suddenly unsure. "Maybe..."

Minji's smile stayed on her face, but there was a slight tightness to it, as if she was forcing herself to seem unfazed. "Well, whoever this person is, it's gonna be lucky to be in your thoughts."

There was a beat of silence, the tension between them thickening, but Hanni wasn't ready to let go of the topic yet. "You think I'm really lucky?"

"Yeah," Minji said, her voice still kind, but now edged with something more guarded. "I'm sure whoever it is, can be considered the most lucky person in earth."

Hanni could see the wall Minji was building, the way she wasn't letting her fully explain, and it stung. Minji wasn't giving her the chance to say what she wanted, to make it clear who the album was really about. And it hurt.

Minji cleared her throat, trying to shift the conversation. "But, um, how's the new writing process going for you?"

Hanni blinked, caught off guard by the change in topic, but she decided to roll with it. "I'm the one who should be asking you that. You're the one doing something really new, remember?"

Minji laughed lightly. "True. It's been nerve-wracking, to be honest. Acting's so different from modeling."

"Really?" Hanni tilted her head, genuinely interested. "You're always so confident on the runway, I figured this would be easy for you."

"It's not," Minji admitted. "There's so much pressure, especially because Jennie's helping me. She offered her team to guide me through the whole thing."

"That's amazing," Hanni said, feeling proud of her friend's achievements, but the moment of warmth between them quickly faded when Minji added, "Oh, and Yuna reached out too. She gave me some advice about the script."

The jealousy hit Hanni like a wave she wasn't prepared for. "Yuna? You're texting her now?" She tried to keep her voice casual, but the bitterness was unmistakable.

Minji raised an eyebrow, sensing the shift. "It's nothing serious. She just gave me some pointers on the role. That's all."

"Yeah, I'm sure it's just that," Hanni muttered, crossing her arms. "Getting cozy with her now, huh?"

Minji frowned, confused by the sudden attitude change. "It's not like that, Hanni. We don't know each other, we barely talked over, it was just a few texts."

"Just a few texts..." Hanni repeated, her tone more bitter than she intended. She hated how insecure it made her feel, how the idea of Minji connecting with someone else, even platonically, made her stomach churn. "Sure."

Minji could see the jealousy bubbling beneath Hanni's surface, but before she could explain further, Hanni snapped, her emotions overwhelming her. "Why you're pretending like nothing matters? Like it happened nothing between us a few days ago? It's driving me crazy! You're driving me crazy!"