stars × cnblue kangminhyuk

16 : When Distance Burns

The living room was still heavy with silence after their kiss—warm, charged, impossible to erase. Hyojin sat stiffly on the sofa, her lips tingling while Minhyuk leaned closer, his hands steadying her shoulders.

"Will you marry me?" he blurted, voice low but firm.

Her eyes widened. "W-what?" she stammered, heartbeat racing.

Minhyuk chuckled softly, shaking his head. "No, don't panic. You don't have to answer now," he said, brushing his thumb against her arm. "I just... I don't want to spend time away from you anymore."

The weight of his words sank deep, leaving her speechless.

"Let's go on a vacation," he offered suddenly, his eyes brightening like a boy with a secret. "Just the two of us."

"Vacation?" she whispered, hesitating. "Is that even possible? People will definitely recognize you in public—"

"I'll take care of it," he cut in, confidence lacing his tone. "I just want time with you. The first chance we get."

But reality wasn't so simple. His schedule was stacked—recording new songs, endless rehearsals, preparing for their comeback.

And Hyojin? She swallowed hard before confessing, "FNC assigned me to help another group's debut MV shoot. One of their staffs had an emergency. A week in Jeju. I'm leaving tomorrow. "

"Already??" Minhyuk leaned back with a groan. "So we're both busy..."

"Yeah," she said softly, though her heart ached.

The silence stretched again, the unspoken longing settling heavy between them. Hyojin fiddled with the hem of her sleeve, unsure if she could meet his gaze after everything he'd just said. Her chest was still thumping too wildly, his proposal—half-serious, half-playful—echoing in her head like a forbidden melody.

Minhyuk studied her quietly, then suddenly leaned forward, his grin returning, softer this time. "You look like your brain's about to explode," he teased. "Want some dinner? I'm starving."

She blinked. "Dinner? At this hour?"

"Yeah," he shrugged, already pulling her up from the sofa by her wrist. "Come on. Cooking together might be the best therapy for both of us."

Hyojin rolled her eyes, but she followed him into the kitchen. The space felt suddenly smaller with the two of them moving around together—her searching the fridge, him standing close enough that his arm brushed hers each time he reached over.

"What do you want?" she asked, voice quieter than usual.

"You," he answered smoothly, then laughed when she swatted at him. "Okay, okay. How about ramyeon and some eggs? Nothing fancy."

She set the pot on the stove, but Minhyuk slipped behind her, arms sneaking around her waist in a back hug. His chin rested on her shoulder, his breath warm against her neck. "Feels like home already," he murmured.

Her hands stilled on the ladle. "You're impossible."

"And you like it," he countered, pressing a quick kiss against her cheek before stepping back to chop some green onions.

They cooked side by side, bumping elbows, laughing whenever one made a mistake. When Hyojin leaned down to taste the broth, Minhyuk leaned in too—so close their lips almost brushed again. She jerked back, flustered, and he smirked knowingly.

By the time they sat at the small dining table, the ramyeon steaming between them, Hyojin's heart was a tangled mess of warmth and dread. Tomorrow would drag them both back into their separate worlds—him into endless practice rooms, her into Jeju's whirlwind schedule.