????? ???? ? ma minhwan

Sohye had always been good at reading people. It was a necessary skill when you were a street racer, a fighter, and the little sister of Hanwool, the school's terror.

So when she stepped into the usual burger joint where the group was hanging out and saw Minhwan sitting stiffly in the booth, a half-smoked cigarette between his fingers and a sharp glare in his eyes, she immediately knew something was off.

Her eyes flickered to the girl sitting across from him.

Tall. Long, dyed-blonde hair. Sharp eyeliner. And a smirk that made Sohye's stomach twist in irritation.

Sohye wasn't an idiot. She knew exactly what this was.

An ex.

"Tch." Sohye scoffed, throwing herself into the seat next to Jiwoo. "What's with the storm cloud over here?"

Jiwoo, stuffing fries into her mouth, whispered, "Minhwan's ex just showed up out of nowhere."

Sohye clenched her jaw. Of course she did.

The girl—Sena, apparently—was twirling a strand of hair around her finger, looking way too amused by Minhwan's tense posture. "So, you really just disappeared like that?" she purred, leaning forward on the table, her nails tapping against the wood. "No calls, no texts, no closure?"

Minhwan took a slow drag of his cigarette, exhaling smoke before flicking the bud into an ashtray. "Didn't think you needed any," he muttered, his voice low and disinterested.

Sohye hated the way something in her flared at the scene in front of her.

Sena pouted. "I see you've changed, Minhwan." She let her gaze casually shift toward Sohye, lips curving into a smirk. "Or maybe it's because of her?"

Sohye raised a brow. "Damn, took you a whole five minutes to notice me? I must not be that important."

Jiwoo choked on her soda.

Minhwan smirked, but it was humorless. "She's not your concern, Sena."

"Oh, but she is," Sena hummed. "She's sitting in my place, after all."

The words shouldn't have bothered her. But they did.

Sohye tensed, fingers tightening around the edge of the table. "Tch. You should probably stop talking before I make you."

Sena let out a low laugh. "Relax, princess. I'm just reminiscing."

And that was what did it.

Minhwan felt it before it happened—the pure, undiluted rage radiating from Sohye.

Her fist slammed on the table, rattling the drinks. "Say that again."

Sena blinked, feigning innocence. "Say what?"

Minhwan sighed, standing up and grabbing Sohye's wrist before she could do something very illegal in public. "Enough. Let's go."

She wrenched her arm away, eyes still burning into Sena. "Tch. Fine." But not before she threw one last glare at Sena. "Try not to break into his house again, yeah?"

Sena's smirk twitched.

And that was victory enough.

The night ended in drinks. Too many drinks.

Jiwoo and the others had gone home already, but Sohye was still there, sitting on the curb outside the convenience store with Minhwan beside her, a half-empty bottle of soju swinging lazily in his grip.