if it's meant to be | ni-ki

yejin was adding delicate strokes to her canvas, focusing intently on the painting in front of her. the room was quiet, save for the faint sound of her brush gliding against the surface. jaehyun sat next to her, his own project abandoned for the moment as he leaned back in his chair, watching her work.

"you've really got a knack for painting," jaehyun commented, breaking the silence. "i can never get the details right, but you... you make it look effortless."

yejin shrugged, smiling at the compliment. "it's just how i see things. i've been painting for a while now, so i guess it's just practice."

jaehyun nodded thoughtfully. "still, it's impressive. i could never do anything like that."

yejin chuckled, dipping her brush into the paint. "you could, you've got talent. just... focus on what inspires you."

jaehyun's eyes lingered on her for a moment, his expression softening before he leaned forward slightly, clearly lost in thought. "you know," he began, his voice lower than usual, "it's kind of like how you inspire people... without even realizing it."

yejin paused, her brush hovering over the canvas as she turned to look at him. "what do you mean?"

he seemed to hesitate, as though weighing his words carefully. "well, it's just... you have this way about you, you know? people gravitate towards you, whether it's your art or your personality. hana, especially... she's always talking about you, about how you're such a good friend, and... how you're always there for her."

yejin raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "hana talks about me? since when did you and hana start talking?"

jaehyun gave a small smile, but there was a certain hint of something unreadable in his eyes. "yeah, she does. a lot, actually. you're important to her." he paused, as if recalling a recent memory. "the other day during lunch, she sat next to me in the library. we just ended up talking, and she mentioned you a lot."

yejin's mind started to piece things together, but she didn't say anything immediately. instead, she just nodded, her gaze drifting down to her painting again.

"honestly, i think hana might be a person who doesn't get enough credit for how much she's there for everyone else," jaehyun continued, his tone soft but serious. "she's always taking care of things, looking out for people... but she doesn't always talk about herself. i think sometimes she forgets that people care about her, too."

yejin's heart gave a small jolt as she glanced at jaehyun, sensing the weight behind his words. it was subtle, but the way he said it... the way he spoke about hana with such admiration, such care... it clicked.

"so," yejin said, her voice quiet but teasing.

jaehyun blinked, as if caught off guard by the way yejin was acting, and then let out a small laugh. "what? no. i mean, i—well, it's not that simple..."

yejin tilted her head, studying his reaction closely.

his face reddened slightly as he ran a hand through his hair, clearly flustered. "well when i saw her on your lock screen.. i noticed she's really pretty." he admitted with a sheepish grin. "i just don't know how to really say it."

yejin leaned back, her smile widening as she finally understood. "you like her, don't you? hana?"

jaehyun nodded, looking slightly embarrassed but also relieved to finally admit it. "yeah, i do. but i just met her."

yejin chuckled softly, crossing her arms as she leaned forward again, her expression teasing. "so, you like her even though you've only known her for a little while?"