CHAPTER 25: CHAPTER 25

Woo min’s POV

I was furious. Not just annoyed, not just frustrated, but straight-up furious, the kind that makes your jaw hurt from clenching too hard and your hands twitch for something to throw. Park Min was the worst. I’ve said it a thousand times before, and I’ll say it a thousand more if I have to: he had this incredible talent for making Yu Jin’s life miserable, and he did it with a smug little grin I wanted to punch right off his face. I’ve been by Yu Jin’s side for five years now, not even including our childhood, helping him navigate everything, holding the fort, keeping him sane, and here comes Park Min, all entitled, thinking he can waltz in and get everything he wants.

I stepped back, crossed my arms, and waited. I’d already spotted him pacing in front of Yu Jin’s building, like he owned the place. Typical. I wanted to storm over there and knock some sense into him, but I knew Yu Jin needed space, even if he didn’t admit it. Not that it stopped me from glaring at Park Min like he owed me rent for occupying my mental space.

I remembered the first time I noticed Yu Jin. We were younger, back when life wasn’t this messy. I liked him then, liked him more than I should have, more than I dared to let myself admit. I didn’t tell him. Never could. I figured if I confessed, if I gave him that truth, it would ruin everything; the friendship, the camaraderie, maybe even the fragile little stability we had with Rin. So I stayed quiet. I stayed close. I protected him in my own way. I’ve always protected him.

And yet here we were. Park Min was standing there, jaw tight, pride on full display, completely convinced he could swoop in and make Yu Jin his. Like he could just demand him. Like Yu Jin was a prize to collect and not a person.

Yu Jin’s door opened, and my heart caught. He appeared, looking tired and raw, but there was a fire in his eyes that made me pause. He was shaking, maybe from anger, maybe from fear, maybe from all the emotions he never let anyone see.

"Stop looking for me," he said. "I don’t want to see you."

Park Min didn’t flinch. Didn’t budge. Stood there like he had some right to be there, like Yu Jin’s refusal was a minor inconvenience. My fists tightened at my sides. That’s when I decided I wasn’t going to let this happen. I couldn’t. I couldn’t let Park Min push Yu Jin around, couldn’t let him manipulate him with anger and pride the way he always did.

I stepped forward, putting myself slightly between Park Min and Yu Jin. "He’s not going anywhere," I said, voice steady. "while I’m here."

Park Min looked at me like I’d grown another head. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," I said.

Yu Jin flinched slightly, like he was caught between fear and relief. I felt my chest tighten. He didn’t have to say anything for me to know he wanted to run, to hide, to disappear from all of this chaos. I could feel it. And I couldn’t let him.

Park Min’s eyes narrowed. "And you think you can stop me?" he said.

Yu Jin’s lips parted slightly. He looked at me like he wanted to protest, like he wanted to push me away, but he didn’t. I could see the conflict in his eyes, the mix of fear and longing that always made my chest ache.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. This was it. If I didn’t do it now, I’d regret it forever. I couldn’t wait for him to realize, couldn’t wait for some perfect moment. I’d been waiting long enough. I was done waiting.

"Yu Jin," I said, with a voice low steadying myself with each word. "I’ve liked you since we were kids. I’ve liked you longer than anyone should ever like someone without telling them. I’ve stayed quiet because I didn’t want to ruin what we had, but I can’t do that anymore. Not when Park Min keeps pushing you, not when he.." I stopped, realizing I was rambling, letting emotion run away from me. "I love you. I’ve always loved you, and I can’t let him hurt you anymore. I won’t."

Yu Jin’s eyes widened, and I knew he was processing, knew he might reject me before I even had a chance to take the next step. I saw the hesitation, the fear, the walls he’d built around himself over years of pain. I felt it, and I pushed forward anyway.

I reached out, grabbed his shoulders gently, and turned him to face me. He froze. His breath hitched. My heart was hammering so hard I thought he could hear it. I didn’t care.

"You don’t have to say anything," I said, voice softening.

He looked at me, and for a second, the world narrowed down to just the two of us. Park Min’s presence faded into background noise, irrelevant. He was still there, but the air around Yu Jin and me was taut.

And then I kissed him.

It was just our lips pressed against each other at first like I was testing waters that could drown me. But he didn’t pull away immediately. He froze, body stiff, hands hovering near mine. I could feel every heartbeat, every hesitation, every second of disbelief that he didn’t immediately reject me.

"I love you," I whispered into the space between us, my forehead resting against his. "I love you, and I’m not letting anyone hurt you ever again. Not him, not me, not anyone."

Yu Jin’s eyes widened again.

He opened his mouth, maybe to speak, but when I thought he could reject me In front of Park Min, I took him by the hand and went into our home. And then the door clicked behind us. Park Min was still there, watching, probably thinking he had all the power in the world. I didn’t care about him either.

I let out a huge sigh in relief and all I wanted now was Yu jin’s answer.

But "Thanks for faking it out there like that Min. I hope he leaves me alone. You’re so funny tho."

I couldn’t believe Yu jin. Was he just oblivious, blind or stupid. What did he mean funny?.