if it's meant to be | ni-ki

yejin had just come back from school, settling down to eat her lunch when her mom casually mentioned, "your grandparents are visiting next week."

yejin looked up from her meal, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "when?"

"next week, probably for a day or two," her mom replied, continuing to prepare dinner.

yejin smiled, clearly pleased with the news. "that's great!" she said, already looking forward to spending time with them.

yejin had just settled down with her lunch, the smell of rice and vegetables filling the air when her brother came through the door. she glanced up, noticing the quiet way he entered, almost as if trying to avoid notice.

"where'd you go?" yejin asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

her mom opened her mouth to answer, but before she could say anything, yejin's brother quickly put a finger to his lips, signaling her to stop. "hey, why won't you guys tell me?" yejin's curiosity spiked.

"i would, but he's not letting me," their mom sighed, casting a glance at him, clearly trying to get him to spill.

yejin's patience was running thin, her frown deepening as she stared at her brother. "why are you acting so mysterious?" she muttered, shoving another bite of rice into her mouth. she wasn't about to let him off easy.

her brother reached over, giving her back a gentle pat, trying to calm her down. "don't be upset."

but yejin's mom couldn't hold back any longer. with a smirk, she spoke up, her voice filled with playful exasperation. "aish, he has a girlfriend, he's just too shy to tell you."

yejin looked her brother up and down, her gaze lingering on the side of his cheek. she couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head. "i can literally see lip gloss on the side of your cheek," she teased, her smile widening. "damn, you should be lucky i'm slow."

her brother froze, his face turning slightly pink as he quickly wiped his cheek, clearly embarrassed. "shut up, yejin," he muttered, trying to act nonchalant but failing miserably.

yejin's laughter only grew, loving how she finally caught him. "you're so obvious," she said, still chuckling.

"is she older than you?" yejin asked, her eyes narrowing with curiosity as she glanced at her brother.

he sighed, trying to avoid the topic, but yejin wasn't letting it go. "what does she look like?" she pressed, a teasing smile forming on her lips.

her brother hesitated for a moment before answering, looking slightly embarrassed. "she's... just someone from work."

yejin, raising an eyebrow, looked at her mom, then back at her brother. "she's definitely a coworker, huh?" she said, a playful smirk spreading across her face.

her brother groaned, realizing his sister wasn't going to stop until she got all the details.

yejin couldn't help but giggle, her face hidden behind her knees as she tried to stifle her laughter. "gosh, my brother's all grown up," she mumbled, still finding the situation hilarious.

her brother, clearly frustrated, reached over and gave her a light smack on the back of her head. "act sane, or i'll never introduce you to her," he warned, his tone a mix of annoyance and amusement.

yejin straightened up, wiping away the last of her giggles as she looked at him with a smirk. "fine, fine, i'll be on my best behavior," she teased, though she couldn't hide the playful glint in her eyes.

yejin was about to leave when her brother suddenly pulled her back by the sleeve. "hey, where do you think you're going?" he asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.