𝗕𝘂𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽. 🚏 sunki

💍 wedding chaos - 𝘊𝘏. 09

"𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺."

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷

The ride back to Sunoo's apartment was filled with Seol-ya's usual chatter, but her focus had clearly zeroed in on one particular topic: Riki.

"So," Seol-ya began, a mischievous grin spreading across her face as she leaned closer to Sunoo. "You and that Riki boy seem close. Should I be expecting wedding invitations anytime soon?"

Sunoo groaned, leaning his head against the window. "Seriously, Seol? Can we not do this?"

"Oh, come on," Seol-ya teased, her grin widening. "You're blushing. I knew it! He's totally your type."

Sunoo turned to glare at her, though the pink on his cheeks betrayed him. "He's just a friend. That's all."

"For now," she quipped, the knowing smirk not budging. "But these things have a way of changing. You already have this cute little 'meet-cute' story—rainy bus stops, shared umbrellas. It's basically a K-drama waiting to happen."

"Do you ever get tired of your own voice?" Sunoo muttered, exasperated.

"Nope," Seol-ya said brightly. "And apparently, neither do you. You're not denying anything."

Sunoo sighed, feeling the need to shift the focus. He decided to pull out his best weapon: her past. "You know, for someone who's so eager to hand out relationship advice, you're the same person who bolted from her own wedding."

Seol-ya paused mid-tease, then turned to him with a sly smile. "Touché, little brother. But honestly, I'm proud of that."

"Proud of ruining everyone's day?"

"Ruining their day?" Seol-ya laughed, leaning back in her seat. "I saved my life. You think I wanted to marry that guy just to keep Mom and Dad happy? No way. I wanted happiness, not a life of being their little puppet."

Sunoo let out a small laugh despite himself. "Yeah, well, I got in trouble for it. Mom went off on me for hours, saying I'd end up 'just like Seol-ya' if I didn't shape up."

She threw her head back in laughter, unapologetic. "Not my fault you happened to be in the line of fire that day. Wrong place, wrong time."

He shook his head, a faint smile creeping onto his lips. "They'll never let it go, will they?"

"Nope," Seol-ya replied with a shrug. "But honestly? I don't regret a thing. I know they mean well, but their version of 'what's best' isn't always what's right for us."

Sunoo's expression softened, a flicker of understanding passing between them. "Yeah. I get that."

The rest of the ride drifted into lighter topics. They reminisced about their café-hopping adventure, childhood mischief, and even debated whether her next store should open in Hongdae or Gangnam. By the time they reached his apartment, the air between them was easy and warm.

ᓚ₍ ^. .^₎

Inside, they were greeted by Luni, the fluffy black queen of the apartment, who let out a soft meow from her perch on the couch.

"Luni, my love!" Seol-ya exclaimed dramatically, scooping the cat into her arms. "Did you miss me? Of course, you did!"

Sunoo rolled his eyes as he dropped his bag by the door. "She probably missed me more. She's been stuck with you for months."

"Don't be jealous," Seol-ya teased, nuzzling Luni's fur. "You'll always be my second favorite sibling."

"Gee, thanks," Sunoo replied flatly, but a grin tugged at his lips as he plopped onto the couch.

They spent the next hour playing with Luni, tossing her favorite toy mouse around and laughing at her dramatic leaps and pounces. Eventually, they settled down into a quieter rhythm.

Seol-ya stretched out on the couch, letting out a content sigh. "I'm going to miss this little gremlin when I go back. You better send me regular updates, Sunoo."

"We'll see," he replied, smirking.

"Rude."

"Honest."

They shared a laugh before Sunoo disappeared into the kitchen to grab some snacks. They spent the next couple of hours watching episodes of a crime drama Seol-ya had been raving about, throwing around playful commentary on the characters and ridiculous plot twists.

As the night deepened, Sunoo glanced at the clock. "You know, if you're staying up this late, you might as well just crash here again."

Seol-ya hesitated briefly before grinning. "Fine. But only because I don't want to deal with Seoul traffic this late at night."

"Sure," Sunoo deadpanned. "Definitely not because you're clingy."

"I'm not clingy," she retorted, tossing a pillow at him.

They ended up transforming his room into a makeshift sleepover den, piling up blankets and pillows on the floor. Luni made herself comfortable in the middle, purring like a tiny heater. They stayed up binge-watching horror movies, laughing at each other's startled reactions and debating which monster was the scariest.

As the early hours crept in, Sunoo's eyes grew heavy. He glanced over at Seol-ya, who was already dozing off with Luni curled up beside her.

A small, grateful smile crossed his face as he pulled the blanket higher over himself. For all her teasing and chaos, he realized how much he'd missed having her around. She brought a kind of warmth and energy to his life that he couldn't quite replicate on his own.