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Aiko & Heeseung
Aiko trudged down the hallway towards the room where the others were hanging out. Her encounter with her mother had left her feeling disheartened, her mind racing with frustration and confusion. She needed to be with her friends, the only people she could trust right now. Pushing open the door, she found them sprawled around the room. Some were watching TV, others were munching on snacks, and there was an odd sense of normalcy in the air—a stark contrast to the chaos swirling inside her head.
"There she is!" Jake exclaimed, sitting up from his spot on the floor with a grin. "We were starting to think you got lost or something."
Aiko smiled weakly, appreciating their efforts to make her feel better, but her heart was still heavy. She dropped onto the couch next to Heeseung, who immediately noticed the stress etched on her face.
"You good?" Heeseung asked quietly, leaning in closer so only she could hear him.
Aiko forced a smile and nodded, but her mind was miles away. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... you know, it's been a long day."
Yuna tossed a handful of popcorn in Aiko's direction, grinning. "Well, you're just in time for movie night! We're watching some action flick Jake picked out. Probably explosions, bad one-liners, and dudes flexing their muscles."
Jake puffed up his chest in response, causing Sunghoon to chuckle from the other side of the room. "What can I say? I've got good taste."
"Good taste in terrible movies," Sunghoon muttered, but there was a smile on his face. The group was trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy, and it was working—at least for the moment.
Aiko leaned back into the couch, letting the warmth of their company wash over her. The tension in her shoulders slowly began to loosen as she watched them joke and laugh. Even if her mom was acting distant and strange, at least she had her friends. She looked around at each of them, grateful for the sense of home they provided.
As the movie played on, one by one, her friends began to doze off. Yuna was the first to crash, her head falling onto Sunghoon's shoulder as she snored softly. Jake stretched out on the floor, making himself comfortable, while Jungwon mumbled something about needing more pillows before he too drifted off.
Aiko and Heeseung remained the only ones awake, their eyes glued to the screen but their minds elsewhere. They were sitting closer than usual, the weight of the silence between them heavy, though not uncomfortable.
Heeseung glanced over at her. "So, how was it? Seeing your mom?"
Aiko hesitated, biting her lip. She didn't want to talk about it—didn't want to relive the disappointment. "It's stupid," she mumbled, trying to brush it off.
Heeseung raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. He leaned in slightly, his voice soft. "Doesn't seem like nothing. You can talk to me, you know."
Aiko sighed, running a hand through her hair. She felt like she was going to explode if she didn't get everything off her chest, but at the same time, the last thing she wanted to do was break down in front of everyone. She stood up abruptly, looking towards the hallway. "Come with me," she said, already heading in the direction of Heeseung's room.
