if it's meant to be | ni-ki

hana and niki were out shopping, weaving through the crowded mall. niki leaned his head back against the bench he was sitting on, clearly bored and impatient. "why do i always have to be the one for shopping?" he muttered, letting out an exaggerated sigh as he waited for hana to finish up in a nearby store.

"christmas shopping gets harder later on," hana replied, peeking out from behind a clothing rack. "it's better to do it early."

niki didn't bother replying but gave her a side-eye, his disinterest clear.

hana caught his look and shot him a playful glare. "don't look at me like that," she said. "i just have yejin left. should i get her art supplies?"

niki nodded absentmindedly, but her words sparked a thought in his mind. should i get yejin something?

as he sat there, watching hana browse, he debated it. sure, getting her something might be nice, but then again, he doubted she was getting him anything. so why should he? shaking his head slightly, niki pushed the thought aside and leaned back further, letting the buzz of the mall drown out his inner debate.

                                          ★

it was another busy day at work, and yejin and jaehyun were working side by side in the kitchen. as yejin set her phone down on the counter for a moment, jaehyun noticed the lock screen—a photo of yejin and hana smiling brightly together.

"you and hana are close," jaehyun commented, drying a plate and glancing at the image.

yejin nodded as she continued washing the dishes. "yeah,"

"are you close with her brother too?"

yejin paused for a moment, her hands still in the soapy water. she coughed lightly.

am i close to niki? she wondered to herself. if i wasn't, why would i be getting him a christmas gift?

finally, she shrugged, looking thoughtful. "i'd hope so. i mean, i think so."

jaehyun smirked, leaning on the counter. "awh, yejin, do you like him?"

yejin's head snapped toward him, her face slightly flushed. she opened her mouth to respond, but a series of coughs escaped instead, making her pause.

"are you okay?" jaehyun asked, half-laughing but a little concerned.

yejin waved him off, regaining her composure. "i'm fine." she cleared her throat and frowned at him. "who said that?! he's hana's brother. i wouldn't even know his name if it weren't for hana. don't make up things, jaehyun." she quickly shoved a stack of wet dishes into his hands.

jaehyun laughed, holding up his hands in mock defense as the dishes dripped onto the counter. "all right, all right, i was just joking."

yejin coughed again but kept her focus on the dishes. "focus on drying those before you break something."

"yes, ma'am," jaehyun said with a teasing grin, still amused as he got to work.

yejin grabbed a glass of water, hoping it would help ease her persistent cough. she took a few small sips, her throat still feeling a bit scratchy, but the coolness of the water brought some relief.

after a solid hour of nonstop work, she finally had a moment to breathe. she sat down at a small table in the corner of the kitchen, letting out a tired sigh as she leaned back in the chair.

jaehyun glanced over, drying the last plate with a towel. "you good? you've been coughing all day."

"i'm fine," yejin replied, her voice quieter now. "just need a minute."

"you should rest more," jaehyun said, walking past her to put the dishes away.

yejin nodded faintly, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the rim of her glass. "i'll be fine," she murmured, more to herself than to him.

as the shift came to an end, yejin wiped her hands on her apron and let out a relieved breath. the restaurant was quieter now, with most of the cleaning done and the last of the customers gone. she glanced around to make sure everything was in place before untying her apron and hanging it up.

"done for the day?" jaehyun asked, leaning casually against the counter as she grabbed her bag.

"yeah, finally," yejin said, her voice still a bit hoarse from all the coughing earlier.

"take care of that cough, seriously," he added, a hint of concern in his tone.

"stop mentioning it, it'll go away," yejin replied, brushing it off. "i'm taking medicine for it."

"better hope so," jaehyun said, raising an eyebrow. "wouldn't want you coughing all over the food next time."

yejin rolled her eyes but smiled a little. "i'll keep that in mind," she said, giving him a small wave as she grabbed her bag and headed for the door.

★

yejin opened the door to hana's house, stepping inside and immediately taking in the familiar warmth of the space. she spotted niki and his dad in the living room, setting up the large christmas tree. niki's dad turned around, a smile spreading across his face. "oh, yejin, you're here!" he greeted, his voice cheerful.

niki, who had been focused on hanging ornaments, glanced up briefly when he heard his dad, but his attention quickly returned to the tree. yejin smiled, nodding her head in acknowledgment, and started heading toward hana's room, eager to escape the hustle and bustle of the decorating.

but before she could fully pass through the doorway, niki called out. "you're helping us with the ornaments, by the way."

yejin paused in her steps, turning to face him. she gave him a teasing smile, "got it, sir," her tone playful but sincere.

niki gave her a sideways glance, raising an eyebrow as if questioning her seriousness. he didn't say anything else, though, and simply went back to his task of arranging the ornaments on the tree with a small shake of his head.

hana was sitting on the floor, carefully wrapping yejin's christmas gift when yejin walked into the room. hana's eyes widened in panic, and in a swift motion, she slid the gift underneath her bed.

"ugh yejin, seriously you should knock!" hana exclaimed, a little flustered.

yejin raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at her lips. "it's not like you were changing or something," she teased, plopping down onto hana's bed.

"i'm so tired," yejin muttered, closing her eyes and letting out a gentle cough.

hana glanced up, noticing the slight strain in yejin's voice. "huh, where'd you go?"

yejin hesitated for a moment, then lied, "i've been helping out with an art show. there's a lot of moving and stuff."

hana nodded, her curiosity still piqued. "you didn't tell me before."

yejin shrugged, her eyes already half-closed. "i'm sleeping for now. wake me up when you're putting up the ornaments."

hana nodded, a small smile on her face as she continued to wrap the gift, her attention returning to the task at hand.