Enchanted (Bbangsaz)

64

Hanni sat cross-legged on her couch, her phone gripped tightly in her hands as she scrolled through the endless posts about Minji and Yuna. Her heart clenched every time she saw words like engaged, couple goals, and Tiffany ring.

The photos weren't helping. Yuna, with her radiant smile and effortless elegance, holding a bouquet of flowers as if she'd just walked out of a rom-com. And then there was Minji—looking every bit the perfect partner as she carried a signature blue shopping bag. Together, they looked like the kind of pair people wrote love songs about.

Hanni's stomach twisted. She tossed her phone onto the cushion beside her and groaned, running her hands through her hair. "I'm fine," she muttered to herself, trying to ignore the green-eyed monster clawing at her insides. "We're not even... It's not like we're officially back together yet."

But even as she said it, her chest ached. Sure, she and Minji weren't exactly together right now. They'd agreed to take things slow, to rebuild what they'd lost, but there was something between them. They'd both admitted it. "You're the love of my life." had been Minji's words, and Hanni had clung to that like a lifeline. But now? Watching the internet collectively lose its mind over Minji and Yuna? It felt like that lifeline was slipping away.

Hanni grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly against her chest, resting her chin on top. She stared at the wall, trying to steady her breathing. Minji's not like that, she told herself. There's no way she'd actually...

Still, the doubt crept in. What if Minji was hiding something? What if she'd moved on but was too afraid to tell her? What if all of this—every laugh, every lingering look, every moment they'd shared since they started trying again—was just Minji trying to keep things easy between them?

Hanni shook her head. "Stop it," she whispered harshly. "You're being stupid."

She picked up her phone again and opened the same photos she'd been torturing herself with all morning. Yuna really is beautiful, she thought bitterly, her finger hovering over the screen. She looks so good next to Minji... almost too good. She hated that thought, hated the way it made her chest burn with jealousy.

Her phone buzzed in her hand, and she jumped slightly. A new notification lit up the screen.

Minji: I'm on my way. Be there in 15.

Hanni exhaled, letting the air leave her lungs slowly. Okay. She's coming to explain. Just wait. Don't get ahead of yourself. Don't blow this up before she even gets here.

But her mind didn't quiet. She stood up abruptly, pacing the living room to shake the restless energy bubbling inside her. She glanced at the clock. Fourteen minutes now. What am I supposed to say? she wondered, her heart racing.

She sat slouched on the couch, her phone balanced on her knee as she scrolled through Twitter for what felt like the thousandth time. She'd told herself to stop looking—literally, put the phone down, girl, she'd said an hour ago—but her fingers had betrayed her.

She clicked on one of the tweets. It was a side-by-side photo of Minji and Yuna walking, Yuna holding a bouquet of fresh flowers and Minji casually carrying the unmistakable blue bag. The caption read: 

"These two?? Are you kidding me?? The power they hold 😭🔥 How are we supposed to compete with this???"

The replies weren't any better: 

- "The hottest couple in the industry, no contest."

- "Minji bagged Yuna? I'm sick but also thriving."

- "Minji out here casually holding a Tiffany's bag like it's a bag of chips. And for YUNA?? Iconic behavior."

- "Ok but when's the wedding because I need to plan my outfit?"