if it's meant to be | ni-ki

the next morning, hana woke up with the worst headache of her life. her head felt heavy as she groggily pushed the covers off and dragged herself out of bed, rubbing her temples. when she walked out into the living room, her eyes barely open, she was met with niki, who was leaning casually against the kitchen counter.

he spotted her immediately and shook his head. without missing a beat, he walked over to her and lightly tapped her on the head. "can't believe you drank," he said, his tone dripping with disbelief.

hana winced, clutching her head. "ugh, don't remind me," she grumbled, shooting him a side-eye. "you've done worse."

niki raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. "yeah, like wha—"

just then, their dad appeared in the doorway, and hana quickly fell silent, her earlier words dying in her throat. she shot niki a glare, her frustration evident, but she knew better than to say anything more with their dad around. she cleared her throat awkwardly, forcing herself to compose.

"can't believe yejin gave you the idea to drink," niki whispered under his breath, leaning in a little closer to her. "i had to tell her brother. he's fucking scary he looked pissed," he added, his voice low but tinged with annoyance.

hana shot him a glare, her head still aching as she groaned. "it wasn't her idea. it was mine. why would you snitch?" she muttered, flopping back against the wall, giving him a frustrated look. niki blinked in surprise. "oh," he replied, clearly taken aback.

                                        ★

yejin woke up to her phone buzzing relentlessly, the screen lighting up with jaehyun's name. groggily, she picked it up, squinting at the time. "3:03? what the—? i slept in that much?!" she shot out of bed, her heart racing as she scrambled to get ready for work. throwing on her clothes and grabbing her bag, she bolted down the stairs, her socks skidding slightly on the floor.

just as she reached the door, her brother stepped in front of her, crossing his arms. "you drank last night?"

yejin froze mid-step, pressing her lips together as her eyes darted around the room, avoiding his gaze. "uh..."

he flicked her forehead, making her wince. "you should be glad it was niki who caught you guys. and you're lucky i'm not telling mom. don't do it again."

"yes, sir," yejin mumbled, rubbing her forehead and looking sheepish.

she turned to leave, eager to escape her brother's scolding, but his voice stopped her mid-step.

"did you take your medicine?" he asked, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.

yejin froze, frowning as she glanced over her shoulder. "ugh, fine," she muttered, quickly darting to the kitchen to grab her medicine.

as she downed the dose, her brother leaned against the doorframe, watching her. "don't skip it again, yejin. i'm serious."

"yeah, yeah," she grumbled, wiping her mouth and grabbing her bag. without waiting for another word, she ran out the door, shouting behind her, "happy now? bye!"

her brother shook his head, walking away with a sigh. he didn't want to be too harsh on her.

dashing down the street toward the restaurant. "great start to the day," she muttered under her breath, her hair still slightly disheveled as she ran.

yejin dashed into the restaurant, slightly out of breath, her bag slung over her shoulder. "sorry i'm late!" she called out, quickly bowing toward the manager and anyone else who was watching.

jaehyun, who was wiping down a nearby table, looked up and smirked. "cutting it close, huh?"

yejin shot him a look as she tied her apron around her waist. "don't even start. i overslept, okay?"

"you overslept? that's surprising," jaehyun teased, leaning on the counter with a smirk. "thought you were more of the responsible type."

yejin rolled her eyes, grabbing a tray as she avoided his gaze. "don't you have tables to clean?" she muttered.

the rest of her shift passed in a blur of taking orders, delivering food, and adjusting to the new routine. by the end of the day, yejin was exhausted but proud of herself for making it through her first day.

"see you tomorrow," jaehyun said as he grabbed his bag to leave.

"bye," yejin replied, offering him a small wave before turning back to clean up her station.

as she wiped the counter, her mind drifted to christmas shopping. she already knew what she was getting hana, but niki was a whole other challenge. what do you even get someone like him?

she paused, thinking back to the times she'd seen him playing basketball. maybe she could buy him new basketball shoes? it seemed like a good idea, but the cost of good shoes loomed in her mind.

with a sigh, yejin finished her closing tasks and grabbed her bag. she'd have to work extra hard and save up, but if it meant finding the perfect gift, she was determined to make it happen.