if it's meant to be | ni-ki

niki walked out of his room, stomach growling as the craving for ramen hit him. he headed toward the kitchen, where his mom was cooking dinner. "i'm going to the store," he told her.

his mom nodded without looking up. "ask hana if she wants anything."

niki nodded and made his way to hana's room, knocking lightly on the door before stepping inside.

"hey, i'm going to the store. you want anything?" he asked, leaning against the doorframe.

hana glanced up from her phone, giving him a quick look. "chips," she said simply, not really interested in making a big request.

niki nodded, turning to leave when he spotted yejin sitting on the bed, scrolling through her phone. he paused, an eyebrow raised as he asked, "you?"

yejin didn't look up from her phone, her face blank as she ignored him completely.

niki waited a moment before repeating, a little more impatiently, "i'm talking to you, yejin."

still no response. she didn't even acknowledge him.

he sighed and walked out, slightly frustrated.

niki walked into the store, his eyes scanning the shelves as he grabbed bags of chips, some instant ramen, and a couple of other snacks. he didn't really feel like thinking too hard about it, just picking things that seemed good at the moment. after a few minutes, his basket was full, and he headed to the checkout.

the cashier quickly rang up his items, and niki paid with a sigh, his mind still on the way yejin had ignored him earlier. he couldn't really figure out why it bothered him so much, but it did.

after paying, he grabbed his bags and headed back home.

niki was standing by the store entrance, watching as yejin walked down the street. he called after her, "you're going home?"

yejin didn't stop or even glance at him. she just kept walking, ignoring him.

niki frowned and called again, "listen to me when i'm talking to you, yejin."

yejin stopped in her tracks, her frustration evident as she turned to face him. "what?" she said, her voice tinged with irritation.

niki walked up to yejin and silently handed her the bag of candy. she looked up at him, her expression still upset, and didn't take it immediately.

"what's this?" she asked, her voice flat, though there was a hint of curiosity behind the frustration.

niki scratched the back of his head, unsure how to start. "sorry about the game," he muttered, still not meeting her eyes.

yejin blinked in surprise, her anger cooling slightly, but she didn't show it. "you're apologizing?" she asked, a bit incredulously.

"yeah," niki replied, a little awkwardly. "i didn't mean for things to get so out of hand. i just... i didn't think it'd be such a big deal."

she looked at the candy in her hand for a moment, then back at him. "it's fine," she said with a sigh, although her voice softened. "just... don't do it again."

niki nodded. "i won't." he paused, then added, "you can keep the candy."

yejin looked at the bag for a moment before giving him a small nod. "thanks," she said quietly.

with a soft grunt, niki turned and started walking away, but before he could get far, he glanced back to make sure she was okay.

"you better not make me go through that again," she called out to him.

niki smirked slightly, a rare sense of relief washing over him as he continued on his way.

niki walked into hana's room and tossed her the snacks with a careless flick of his wrist. "here, got your chips," he said casually, not bothering to wait for her response before flopping down onto her bed.

hana caught the bag effortlessly, raising an eyebrow at him. "you're back early. didn't you have plans or something?"

niki shrugged, leaning back on her bed with a sigh. "didn't feel like it. just came to grab some snacks and get out of there." he glanced at her, then rolled his eyes. "you know how it is."

hana smirked, opening the bag of chips. "sounds like you're avoiding something, huh?"

niki shot her a look. "not avoiding anything," he mumbled, though his voice lacked its usual confidence.

"what?" hana asked, taking a handful of chips.

niki hesitated, his thoughts lingering on the earlier situation with yejin. "just... never mind," he muttered, picking at the edge of his sleeve. "how was your day?"

hana grinned, clearly sensing his discomfort but deciding to leave it alone for now. "same old. drama. friends. the usual."

"uh-huh," niki said distractedly, staring at the ceiling.

"you're not gonna talk about it?" hana pressed, her voice a bit softer now.

niki shook his head, unwilling to dive into the conversation just yet. "not today."

"goodnight," niki mumbled as he stood up, ready to leave the room. he paused at the door, glancing back at hana.

hana nodded, still munching on her chips. "yeah, night."

niki walked out, closing the door softly behind him. as he made his way back to his own room, the thoughts of earlier still lingered in his mind, but for now, he just wanted to forget about it.