"Isabella, this is Chanhee," I said, practically bursting with amusement. "Chanhee, my cousin Isabella." Watching her face light up with his curiosity was priceless. She always had that skeptical look when she met someone new, and I couldn't wait to see how this was going to play out.
"Ho, nice to meet you," Chanhee said, all polite and sweet with that perfect smile of his. If only Isabella knew what I knew. Don't be fooled, girl. Behind that angelic face was a devil in disguise. I swear, his charm could convince anyone to do anything.
Isabella gave him a half-smile, probably already trying to figure him out. "Nice to meet you too," she said, all friendly and casual, but I could tell she wasn't letting her guard down.
I couldn't help but chuckle under my breath. Watching Isabella interact with Chanhee was like watching a game of chess. She was cautious, but in the end, she'd probably fall for it. I almost wanted to say, "Girl, you're in for a wild ride." But no, I kept quiet and let the drama unfold.
Here we were, the banquet, and the place was alive. I mean, the noise, the people, the chaos—it was a lot, but kinda fun. My parents sure knew how to throw a party. Music blasting, waiters in suits, and a whole lot of small talk. But none of it really mattered because my attention was firmly on Soojin. She had finally agreed to wear the dress I practically begged her to wear. And let me tell you, she was rocking it. I knew she didn't want to be the center of attention, but damn, she was glowing. And what made it even better? She was chatting with Felix. They were having their own little moment, laughing and flirting. It was cute, and I couldn't help but smile. It felt right seeing them together.
Then, out of nowhere, there was Hyunjin, whispering from behind me like some kind of shadow. "Can I borrow her?" he asked, referring to Chanhee.
"Sure," Chanhee said nonchalantly, but his eyes were practically warning Hyunjin. He wasn't one to be subtle about these things. "But remember—"
"Yeah, yeah, 'Don't mess this up, Hyunjin,'" Hyunjin said, almost bored at this point. It was like Chanhee's mantra, a constant reminder every time Hyunjin and I were in the same room. Not that Hyunjin needed it. He was perfectly aware that he was walking on thin ice with him, but hey, Chanhee wasn't going to let him off the hook that easily.
Honestly, though, it had become kind of funny. Every time I'd hear Chanhee say that, I'd just roll my eyes because, well, it wasn't like I wasn't going to be the one to call it off if anything went south, right? And so far, Hyunjin had been nothing but amazing. But okay, I could let Chanhee have his fun with his little warnings. I mean, he was doing it because he cared. Right?
Anyway, Hyunjin took my hand and pulled me away from the group. I could tell he was kind of relieved to get out of Chanhee's line of fire for a second.
"Want to dance?" he asked, his voice smooth as ever, that cocky grin of his never leaving his face.
I couldn't help it. "Ho, you want to put on a show already?" I raised an eyebrow and smirked at him, fully enjoying the moment where I could mess with him a little. What? It's not like he wasn't asking for it.
He chuckled, but before he could even open his mouth to respond, bam, out of nowhere, Juyeon swooped in. "Iliana, let's dance!" he practically shouted, totally stealing Hyunjin's spotlight.
I glanced at Hyunjin, who gave me that "seriously?" look, his jaw tightening slightly.
But then Juyeon looked at Hyunjin , and in his signature deadpan tone, said, "Hey, chill out, dude. She owns me a dance at least."
Let Juyeon have his little dance moment.
I turned to Hyunjin and shrugged, giving him a little grin. "Guess I'll take that dance after all," I said with a wink, all casual and cool.
Juyeon was way too eager to drag me onto that dance floor. Like, no hesitation. He just swooped in like a whirlwind, and I was a little caught off guard, but in a good way. It was fun. And not the kind of fun where you're worried about making a fool of yourself, but the easy kind. You know? The kind that just flows.
Before, dancing with him used to feel like walking a tightrope. It was like my heart was about to trip over its own feet. There were all those feelings—those butterflies and...other things I didn't even know how to label. And let's not even talk about the confusion. It was like trying to figure out if I had a crush on him or if my brain was just playing tricks on me. But now? Now it was just pure, simple fun.
We were dancing, and I wasn't freaking out about what this move meant or whether his hand on my waist meant something deeper. We were just... dancing. No pressure. No weird undercurrents. It felt so good to just let go of all those unnecessary questions for once.
It was just two friends enjoying the music and the night.
I could see Hyunjin pretending to lean casually against the wall, but let's be real—his entire focus was on me and Juyeon. The way his jaw tightened just slightly every time Juyeon spun me around? Priceless. It wasn't full-blown "storm over and declare his undying love" jealousy, but the kind of possessiveness that whispered, "That's my girlfriend, and I don't love other guys getting all buddy-buddy with her." Honestly? Adorable.
But I knew he trusted me, just like I trusted him. It wasn't about drama. It was about Hyunjin being a tiny bit of a drama queen without even realizing it.
As soon as the music ended, I turned to Juyeon, thanking him for the dance—because credit where credit's due, the guy can still move—when, BAM, Hyunjin appeared out of nowhere. I swear, he's faster than a Wi-Fi connection when he wants to be. One second, he's across the room doing his "brooding artist in a corner" act, and the next, he's by my side with that trademark grin-slash-smirk that just screams mine.
"Done with your little reunion?" he asked, all casual-like, but there was an edge of playful accusation in his tone.
"Oh, relax, Hyun," I said, giving him a look.
"He's still Juyeon," he replied, sliding an arm around my waist like he was reclaiming his spot. "And he got a dance. That's enough."
"You're ridiculous, you know that?" I laughed, leaning into him a little. "You don't have to hover."
"I'm not hovering," he shot back, his tone so light it could've floated away, but then he leaned down, his voice low enough for just me. "But I did wait my turn."
Cue the actual butterflies. Like, excuse me? Who gave him the right to be this effortlessly charming?
"You're such a kid," I muttered, shaking my head like he wasn't making my cheeks warm.
He just grinned wider. "Maybe. But I'm your kid."
And just like that, he tugged me toward the dance floor, no questions asked. I didn't even get to protest. Not that I was going to. Because, let's face it, Hyunjin always wins.
The fact that Hyunjin lets Chanhee get away with everything but treats other boys like they're Bond villains is honestly the funniest thing to witness. Apparently, Chanhee is "harmless" because he's "just like that". It's ridiculous, but it's Hyunjin, so what else is new?
Anyway, after we escaped the dance floor (with Abuela still watching us like we were some royal spectacle—she legit called us her "reyes del baile"), Hyunjin and I grabbed some drinks and tried to fade into the background for a moment. You'd think that would be the end of it, right? Wrong.
