PJ (Hyunjin) short story collection

Between friends and lovers

Hyunjin and I are sitting side by side on a park bench, sharing a bag of warm, fresh bungeoppang. It’s a light afternoon get-together between two people who feel like childhood friends—ordinary and casual. Hyunjin is wearing a big beanie and comfortable track pants, and he looks so naturally handsome that I keep having to look away without meaning to.

"Hey, you’ve got red bean paste on your face," Hyunjin said with a quiet laugh. His voice cut clearly through the park’s soft background noise.

Before I could even reach for a tissue, Hyunjin suddenly stretched out a hand. His thumb gently brushed the edge of my lower lip, wiping away the crumbs that had fallen there. It was only a fleeting moment, but that sudden touch sent a thin shiver shooting down my spine. Hyunjin pulled his hand back, glanced down at his thumb for a split second, then coughed awkwardly. The tips of his ears were faintly pink.

"Thanks," I muttered softly, feeling my heart pound in a strange, unfamiliar way.

To break the awkward silence that had suddenly settled over us, I raised a hand and playfully signed. ‘You’re eating all the cream-filled ones by yourself. Leave some for me.’

Hyunjin immediately caught the movement of my fingers, his eyes crinkling into a bright smile. Then he quickly signed back. ‘If you catch me first, I’ll give it to you.’ Then he snatched up the bag of bungeoppang and held it high above his head, completely out of my reach, teasing me.

"Park Hyunjin, are you really gonna be that mean? Give it back already!" I burst out laughing and leaned toward his arm, trying to grab the bag.

Hyunjin laughed out loud and twisted his body to keep the bag away. But in the middle of our childish wrestling, my foot slipped on the grass. Completely losing my balance, I pitched forward and fell right into his chest.

In that instant, the playful look on Hyunjin’s face vanished in a flash. He caught me smoothly, wrapping his long, solid arms around my waist to steady me. The bag of bungeoppang was completely forgotten and dropped with a thud onto the ground beside our bench.

We were sitting so close now that our breaths could touch. His chest was pressed against mine, and even through our thick coats, I could feel the rough, rapid pounding of his heart. For a heartbeat caused by nothing more than a prank, it was far too fast.

"Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" Hyunjin whispered, warm breath scattering over my forehead. He didn’t let go of the hand around my waist. If anything, he held me just a little tighter, pulling me flush against him.

"Uh, I’m okay..." I managed to breathe out as I lifted my head.

The moment my eyes met his, the air changed completely. The easy, safe atmosphere that was so uniquely ours as friends vanished in an instant, and in its place a dense, heavy tension rose up. Hyunjin was looking down at me with an intense expression I had never seen from him before. In the long silence, his gaze lingered on my lips for a moment before climbing back up to meet my eyes and locking there.

He slowly loosened his hand from my waist, but he didn’t step back. Instead, he let his hand slide down, found mine, and firmly threaded his fingers between mine.

"You know..." Hyunjin began in a low, serious voice. It was so gentle that my throat felt dry all at once. He spoke slowly and clearly, making sure I wouldn’t miss a single word. "I thought us spending so much time together was just a coincidence. I figured it was because we were really good friends."

He paused, then softly traced slow circles with his thumb over the back of my hand.

"But lately, every time I look at you, my heart does this," Hyunjin confessed, squeezing my hand tightly. Beneath that serious expression, a pleased, flushed smile quietly surfaced. "I don’t think I want to just be friends with you anymore. I like you. A lot more than just as a friend."