Seolhyo stood stiffly standing in front of jinsu, her jaw tightening as the noise from the crowd grew louder.
But what jinsu didn't expect was that Seol Hyorim wasn't the type to care about what others thought.
She suddenly threw the bouquet to the ground.
"Kiss him?! You bastards are you crazy?!"
Her voice cut through the laughter, sharp with fury.
"Do whatever you want among yourselves, you crazy bastards!"
Then she turned to Jinsu, eyes blazing. "You! Dating? Don't make me laugh! Is this what you call a confession? It's blackmail! If I reject you, I'm the bad person?! Is that what a friend does?! I really, fucking hate this!"
Jinsu froze, stunned, his voice small.
"Ah… no… I just…"
From the crowd came anxious whispers-
"Shit... this is bad. What do we do?"
"I don't know... let's just stay quiet for now."
But what they didn't notice, a tall figure was slowly making his way forward. Each step he knocked over a few candles, their flames flickering out one by one.
Park Dong, biting his thumbnail nervously, muttered under his breath,
"Fuck... this is worse than I expected. What do we do..."
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement behind.
He turned and his eyes widened.
Yang Jinsu froze. His mind went blank as his eyes locked on the man beside Seol Hyorim.Why… why is that brother here right now?!
Seong Heejun trembled. "M...Minsu hyung…"
The crowd began to murmur.
"Who's that man?""Am I the only one seeing this?"
"No… I see him too. Hey, what do we do?"
Suwon turned his head and his stomach dropped. The tall man standing beside Seol Hyorim was unmistakable. That… that person… Seol Hyorim's older brother!
He glanced toward Park Dong and froze. Park Dong was laughing."HAHAHA, I argued with my mom before I left the house today… I didn't expect that to be our last conversation!"
His laughter cracked, hollow and forced, the kind that came when fear finally broke something inside."I should've been better… HAHAHA!"
Suwon's heart clenched. He's so scared he's lost his mind…!
Seol Hyorim finally found her voice. "D–did you follow me? Since when?"
Seol Minsu's glare cut through her words like a knife. "It's strange," he said slowly, his voice low and cold. "The thing's piling up at home was all convenience store food… yet you said you were going to the store."
He took a step closer, eyes narrowing. "I thought you just went out for a smoke…" His tone hardened, "But it turns out, it was for a confession instead."
Seolhyo snapped at him, voice thin: "Is this even your business, oppa? Go home." Her cheeks flushed; embarrassment and fury warred across her face.
Seolhyo stepped between them, body rigid. She planted her feet and crossed her arms like a shield. "Go. Just go away," she hissed at Jinsu, voice shaking. She gripped her hoodie hood with both hands, bracing as if to hold herself together.
Yang Jinsu trembled where he stood. Minsu leaned in a fraction, the threat clear and simple. "Come here." His tone left no room for argument.
"No don't come!" Seolhyo pushed at him with all her strength, trying to keep him back. Her voice broke. "I said don't come!"
"If you don't come… you're dead."
"Don't come! You're dead to me if you come!"
tense silence. Then he exhaled a long stream of smoke, eyes fixed on Yang Jinsu.
"Hey," he said evenly, voice low but carrying across the stunned crowd. "If you don't come here… should I go there instead?"
Yang Jinsu's heart stopped. The air around him seemed to freeze.Then, panicking, he stumbled forward, clutching the teddy bear meant for Seol Hyorim."I–I'll go! I'll go!! Uh… let me explain, this is all"
Before he could finish, Seol Minsu's hand whipped through the air.SMACK.
The sound cracked like a gunshot.
Yang Jinsu's head snapped to the side.
His body spun halfway before collapsing to the floor.
Seol Hyorim gasped, both hands covering her mouth.
The crowd flinched the whole place seemed to shrink under the sound of the blow.
On the ground, Yang Jinsu's mind spun as he tried to make sense of what just happened.Is the ground shaking…? Or is my head spinning? What kind of insane strength is this…?
"Stand up," Seol Minsu said, his voice calm too calm.
Yang Jinsu trembled.How many hits before I die…?
Seol Hyorim lunged forward, grabbing her brother's arm."Stop! Please, stop! Are you crazy?! He's just a kid!"
But Minsu didn't look at her. His cold eyes stayed locked on Yang Jinsu."I said, stand up."
Yang Jinsu forced himself up, legs shaking."...Hyung, it's not what you think, really it's just a misunderstanding, I swear...."
Before the words could finish, Seol Minsu's foot lashed out.A dull thud echoed as his kick slammed into Yang Jinsu's knee, sending him crumpling again.
"Stand up," Minsu repeated, emotionless.
Yang Jinsu stayed kneeling, his breath coming out in shaky gasps. A tear starts to form at his eye.Did I… do something this terrible?
He slowly lifted his head and froze.
Seol Minsu towered above him, smoke curling from his lips, his expression completely unreadable. This person… even if I beg… he won't forgive me.
Yang Jinsu sat frozen on the floor, his body trembling uncontrollably. His lips quivered as he tried to speak."I–I'm sorry… I'm really sorry, hyung. I… I didn't confess because I wanted to…"
Seol Minsu tilted his head slightly, his tone chillingly casual. "Oh? Do you want me to help you get up?"
"Eek!! N-no, I'll stand!! I'm sorry!!" Jinsu yelped, scrambling to his feet like a frightened animal.
"M–Minsu hyung!!"
Minsu's gaze shifted sideways where Seong Heejun and Park Dong stood stiffly, trying to look harmless. Heejun stammered, "A-ah! Hello! We're sorry! We kind of started this whole thing without asking permission first!"
Park Dong added quickly, bowing his head, "We're really sorry, hyung!!"
The two began their desperate attempt to defuse the situation, recalling the "rules" of social survival.
Step 1: Express sincerity through your actions. Heejun and Park Dong bowed deeply, their hands clenched together, bodies trembling like faulty robots.
Minsu raised an eyebrow. "Right… Heejun and Park Dong, yeah?"
Both nodded frantically too frantically, like bobbleheads trying to stay alive.
Heejun forced a grin. "Y-Yes, hyung!! You remember us!! That's amazing!!"Park Dong echoed, "It's an honor, truly an honor!!"
Step 2: Maintain a gentle tone and sparkling, respectful eyes.
Both widened their eyes to cartoonish size, flashing forced smiles that made them look more terrified than polite.
Step 3: Keep your gaze open and honest.
but sometimes, there are people who don't respond to sincerity.
SLAP!
The sound echoed like thunder. Park Dong's head whipped to the side.
"Ugh!!" he groaned, clutching his cheek.
Minsu stared down at them coldly. "This shouldn't be happening… if you really knew me."
Lee Daegyu swallowed hard from the back. "H-hey… what should we do?"
Kim Jisung whispered, "If we move, we die."
Meanwhile, Seol Hyorim was still clinging to her brother's arm.
"Stop it! Please! Why are you hitting them?!"
Minsu ignored her completely. "Heejun," he said quietly.
Heejun jolted upright. "Y–Yes?! Hyung?!"
"Let's do well from now on," Minsu said and smack! hit him across the face too.
He turned next to Park Dong, who was still rubbing his cheek. "Let's do well, Park Dong."
Park Dong bowed his head, voice barely a whisper. "I'm sorry…"
Minsu's gaze then fell on Yang Jinsu again. Without hesitation, he kicked him square in the side. "Kiss? That's a bit much, don't you think? Answer me. What do you think?"
Jinsu groaned, unable to speak.
Minsu's smacks came one after another, heavy and methodical each one making the air heavier.
Finally, he paused and slowly looked up his eyes sweeping across the terrified crowd.
They all went silent, not daring to breathe.
Then his gaze stopped.
On Suwon.
Suwon froze. Minsu's eyes locked on him like a predator recognizing movement. He felt his stomach drop. His pulse quickened.
Why… why is he looking at me?!