Get it Together, Taesan! ? han dongmin

( just friendly bonds. . . right? )

Minji didn't mean to hang out with Leehan. Especially because it's, well. . . because it's Leehan.

Really, she just wanted to return Taesan's jacket, scream into her pillow for 40 minutes, and go back to pretending she didn't remember what his abs looked like. But fate—or maybe just the fact that Leehan showed up at the exact wrong time—had other plans.

"Hey," Leehan said, eyebrows raised as she opened her door, clutching the black puffer. "You look like someone just found your fanfic account."

Minji blinked. "I don't—shut up."

He grinned. "Wanna get lemonade?"

She should've said no. But somehow, they were sitting in a tiny alley café ten minutes later, the kind with plastic chairs and hand-written menus. The lemonade was way too sour. Leehan added two sugar packets without asking.

"Better?" he asked.

Minji sipped. "Okay, fine. That was sweet."

"Literally," he winked. She almost choked.

They talked. About weird teachers. About how Woonhak sleeps with his eyes half open. About Asha threatening to fight a bus. And Minji laughed—real, messy, snorty laughs. The kind she usually saved for private. Leehan didn't even flinch.

"Why haven't we hung out before?" he asked, tapping his straw against the table.

Minji paused. "I don't know. I guess... you were always just Taesan's friend."

He nodded. "You were always his too."

The words sat between them, quiet.

Then he smiled. "But I think you're kind of cool. Like—more than I thought."

Minji blinked again, because why was her face hot?

And then, as they stood to leave, he said, "Also, you've got something in your hair. Is that glitter?"

Minji cursed Jaehyun internally.

It wasn't a big deal, Minji told herself. Just one weirdly nice afternoon with Leehan. People were allowed to hang out and have a good time and then move on with their lives.

Except Leehan didn't.

The next morning, he appeared by her locker like it was completely normal.

"Morning," he said, holding a protein bar. "You eat breakfast?"

Minji stared. "...No?"

He tossed it to her like they did this every day.

In class, Minji was doodling something probably incriminating (Taesan's name... maybe) when a paper crane flopped onto her desk. She unfolded it.

You look sleepy. Want to skip math together?

The biggest change came when Leehan slid into the seat next to her at the cafeteria table, tray in hand like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Asha blinked. "Uh, are you lost?"

Leehan grinned. "Nah, just figured Minji needed someone to protect her from Jaehyun's theories."

"HEY," Jaehyun snapped, "my theories are scientifically ridiculous, thank you."

Taesan, across the table, frowned down at his soup. Didn't say a word. Didn't look up.

But Minji noticed the clench of his jaw.

And she definitely noticed how Leehan nudged her shoulder every time she laughed, or how he started showing up more and more—during class changes, group projects, even walking her home once with some excuse about "safety from paranormal pizza spirits."