Annyeongz One-shots

67. Unexpected

The summer evening air in their usual hangout spot—a small rooftop terrace above Yujin’s family house—was thick with the smell of barbecue smoke, citronella candles, and the faint sweetness of mango soju someone had smuggled in. Laughter bounced off the concrete walls, fairy lights strung haphazardly overhead flickering like lazy fireflies.

Yujin sat cross-legged on the worn picnic blanket, back against the low wall, one knee drawn up casually. His dark hair fell slightly into his eyes the way it always did when he wasn’t paying attention, and he brushed it away with that same slow, gentle motion he’d had since they were ten. Beside him, Wonyoung was curled on her side, chin propped on her palm, long legs tucked under one of his hoodies she’d stolen years ago and never returned. Their friends—six of them tonight—sprawled in a loose circle: Minju giggling into her phone, Jiwoon already tipsy and loud, Hyewon methodically eating all the remaining grilled pork, and the rest trading lazy insults.

They’d been best friends since second grade, when Wonyoung had marched up to the quiet boy sitting alone under the slide and declared, “You look boring. Come play with me.” He never really argued after that. Even now, at twenty-one, their orbits never drifted far. Wonyoung’s girlfriends sometimes teased that they were basically married already; Yujin’s guy friends just rolled their eyes and called it “whatever that is.”

Tonight the mood was loose, reckless in the way only humid summer nights can be.

“True or dare,” Jiwoon announced, clapping once like he was starting a ritual.

Most chose dare—stupid things: chug a mystery concoction, post an embarrassing story, call an ex and hang up. When it finally landed on Wonyoung, she tilted her head, ponytail sliding over one shoulder.

“True,” she said confidently, the same tone she used when she knew she could handle whatever came next.

Minju leaned forward, eyes gleaming with mischief. “Okay then. Be honest. Have you ever—ever—had even a tiny crush on Yujin?”

The circle went quiet. Not dramatically silent, just… noticeably quieter. The cicadas sounded louder.

Wonyoung blinked once. Then laughed, bright and a little too quick. “What kind of question is that? He’s literally like my brother.”

“That’s not a no,” Hyewon pointed out around a mouthful of rice cake.

Yujin stayed perfectly still, expression calm as always, though the tips of his ears had gone faintly pink. He didn’t look at Wonyoung. He never did when things got like this—too direct, too exposing.

Wonyoung opened her mouth, closed it, then huffed dramatically. “You guys are the worst.”

Jiwoon grinned like a shark. “You can switch to dare if you want. We’re feeling generous.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Fine. Dare. Hit me.”

The group exchanged glances. A silent vote passed in half a second.

Hyewon reached into her bag and pulled out a single chocolate Pocky stick—the long, slender kind. She held it up between two fingers like evidence.

“Pocky challenge. With Yujin. All the way until someone pulls back.”

Wonyoung’s confident mask flickered, just for a heartbeat. Then she shrugged, too casual. “Easy. I’ve done worse on variety shows.”

Yujin finally looked at her. His gaze was soft, questioning, the way it always was when he was silently asking *are you sure?* She met his eyes and nodded once—small, almost imperceptible.

“Okay,” she said.

They shifted so they were kneeling facing each other in the middle of the circle. Someone turned the Bluetooth speaker down; the music became background hum. The fairy lights caught in Wonyoung’s lashes and turned her irises golden-brown.