Radiant Short Story Collection

A confession scribbled as a doodle

The professor’s voice, bouncing off the blackboard and echoing dully through the wide, empty lecture hall, was boredom itself. It was exactly that kind of warm afternoon when the whole campus seemed lethargic and drowsy. On the screen at the front of the lecture hall, slides packed with historical dates and dense text kept changing, but Chanyeon oppa and I didn’t spare them a single glance.

We sat pressed together at the wooden desk in the very back row of the lecture hall, hiding behind the tall shoulders of the students in front of us. Chanyeon oppa had an empty notebook open on the desk and was pretending to take diligent notes, but every few seconds he’d slyly slide over a little caricature drawn clumsily in my direction, or a playful doodle. I barely held back the laughter threatening to burst out of my chest and buried my face in both hands.

“Stop it,” I whispered. My shoulders trembled in tiny shakes from suppressed laughter. I nudged oppa’s arm with my elbow and said, “We’re going to get kicked out like this.”

Oppa didn’t stop. A low, quiet laugh rumbled in his chest as he turned his head to look at me. His dark eyes curved beautifully, and that warm, handsome smile spread all over his face. Resting his shoulder against mine, he whispered a truly ridiculous joke in my ear. My heart thudded wildly at the intense joy of sharing a secret prank between just the two of us in such a boring space. For the remaining 40 minutes of class, we were completely trapped in our own little world, talking only with glances and muffled laughter.

At last, the moment the class-ending bell rang, we quickly gathered our things and almost fled out of the stifling building. Fresh afternoon air felt desperately needed. The campus courtyard was full of warm golden sunlight, and the huge, ancient oak leaves scattered here and there across the lawn rustled softly in the breeze.

“I feel like my brain completely melted in there.” Chanyeon oppa laughed, stretching his long arms high over his head. We walked away from the busy sidewalk toward a quiet, shaded hill.

“That’s your own fault. I swear I almost choked trying not to laugh.” I said it like a complaint and kicked off my shoes. Then I sank down onto the cool, soft grass.

Chanyeon oppa chuckled low in his chest and sat right beside me, leaning back comfortably against the rough wooden post. Then he pulled a small sketchbook and a charcoal pencil from his backpack. As expected of an artist, oppa was great at focusing; he set the sketchbook on his lap and started drawing the campus buildings in the distance. His fingers moved with practiced, gentle strokes. It was a peaceful afternoon. The quiet scratch of pencil on paper blended with birds chirping in the distance and the soft rustle of leaves overhead. Watching oppa’s calm, focused profile—the serious line of his jaw and the easy rise and fall of his breathing—made a soothing, overwhelming affection surge up from deep in my chest in an instant.

I shifted on the grass and scooted closer until the warmth from oppa’s blue jacket brushed my arm. Without taking his eyes off the sketchbook, he kept shading the distant brick campus buildings with skillful, gentle strokes. But as if used to my presence, he subtly adjusted himself to make room for me to linger near his drawing, a soft, affectionate smile on his lips.

Letting out a satisfied little breath, I moved even closer. I wrapped myself softly around oppa’s broad frame from the side, leaning all my weight against him and pressing my cheek against his sturdy shoulder so he could keep drawing.

“Comfortable?” Chanyeon oppa asked in a whisper. His voice was low and tender, as if he didn’t want to disturb the hill’s quiet peace, and the pencil kept moving without losing its steady rhythm.

“Perfect.” I answered in a whisper too. The hypnotic rhythm of the breeze and the steady rise and fall of oppa’s shoulders as he drew had already made my eyelids heavy.

Oppa kept sketching, but his touch became astonishingly careful and gentle. He held his posture straight so I wouldn’t slip, supporting me with his whole body, and while he brought the campus scenery vividly to life in charcoal on the paper, he became a human brace protecting me. Snuggled in oppa’s arms, breathing in the faint clean scent of detergent and the fresh smell of grass, all the small stress that had built up through the day melted away like snow.

My eyelids slowly slid shut, and before long I had fallen into a deep, peaceful sleep, resting against oppa’s shoulder. Sensing that my breathing had grown calmer, Chanyeon oppa lovingly stopped drawing and set the pencil down on the grass. Then, with his remaining arm, he carefully wrapped it around my shoulder and pulled me a little closer into the protective space of his arms. With the sketchbook closed, he spent that time quietly watching over me beneath the shade of the tree until the sun sank beyond the horizon.

As the sun slowly lowered, the angle of the golden afternoon light changed, and warm, long shadows stretched across the lawn. My eyelids fluttered open, and the peaceful rustling of the oak leaves overhead slowly woke me back to reality. The very first thing I felt was the steady warmth of Chanyeon oppa’s solid shoulder under my cheek, and the reassuring rise and fall of his chest.

I stayed wrapped up against oppa and didn’t move right away.

“Awake?” Chanyeon oppa’s low, soft voice, unbelievably gentle in the quiet afternoon air, reverberated straight through my chest. I rubbed my eyes and slowly lifted my head to look up at him. Oppa had set the sketchbook down on the grass, but one arm was still lovingly around my shoulder.

Oppa kept me close with one arm still gently around my shoulder.
“Yeah. How long was I asleep?”

Chanyeon oppa gave a low murmur of a laugh, and his dark eyes curved beautifully again. He reached out with his free hand and gently brushed the hair that had fallen behind my ear back with his long fingers.

“More than an hour. I felt bad waking you up, so I just stayed like this.” Oppa answered in that sweet, gentle voice that made my heart race like crazy every time.

“Doesn’t your shoulder hurt? I told you to wake me up.” I pouted a little as I looked at oppa’s handsome face. In the real sunlight before my eyes, oppa looked so perfect it was almost speechless, and for a moment my heart literally dropped.

“Not at all,” Chanyeon oppa whispered. His eyes were filled with pure affection, and a playful yet dangerously charming smile rested on his lips. He leaned just a little closer and looked straight into my eyes. “Honestly, I can lend you this shoulder every day, so lean on me anytime you want.”

At oppa’s sly, gentle words, my face instantly turned bright red, and I quickly dropped my gaze to the grass to hide my embarrassment.

I quickly dropped my gaze to the grass to hide my embarrassment. Chanyeon oppa let out a low laugh, as if my reaction was unbelievably cute, and picked up the sketchbook from the grass.
“There, it’s done. Take a look.”

I lowered my head over oppa’s arm and looked down at the open page. Of course, I expected to see the campus buildings in the distance or the wide-spread trees neatly sketched there. But the moment I saw the drawing, I had to draw in a sharp breath.

On the textured paper was a charcoal drawing of me, rendered with breathtaking precision. Oppa had captured me exactly as I looked when I was fast asleep. My head resting safely against his shoulder, my expression relaxed and peaceful beneath the shade of the leaves. From the soft curve of my eyelashes to the gentle shape of my hand lightly clutching the hem of oppa’s jacket—every single detail had been drawn with incredible, delicate affection.

“This... is me?” I whispered. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was hammering against my ribs.

“Yeah,” Chanyeon oppa whispered softly. He smoothly slid his hand from my shoulder, covered my hand on the grass, and interlaced our long fingers. “The most beautiful scenery I ever see when I draw is always right in front of me. So there’s no reason to draw anything else.”

Oppa turned his head and smiled so widely that his eyes disappeared completely into perfect crescent moons. Only the warm breeze separated us, and the sweet, soothing rhythm in which oppa spoke trapped us inside our own beautiful campus reality.

Staring blankly at my own image in that breathtakingly detailed charcoal drawing, the soft rustling of the ancient oak leaves overhead felt unbelievably peaceful. Chanyeon oppa’s long fingers were firmly intertwined with mine on the cool grass, and his touch was warm and wholly reassuring.

“It’s seriously so pretty...” I whispered, my voice thick, and lifted my eyes from the sketchbook to look up at oppa’s large, dark eyes. “Thank you, oppa. For drawing me this beautifully.”

Chanyeon oppa’s cheeks tinted a soft, lovely pink, and a brilliant smile spread across his handsome face. He turned his head to look at me, and the quiet yet intense affection in his gaze stole the breath from my lungs.

“You don’t need to thank me,” Chanyeon oppa whispered. His voice sank into a low, gentle tone that sent my heart racing wildly.

He squeezed my hand softly, then stroked the back of it in slow, comforting circles with his thumb. “Because I’m only putting what I see onto the paper as it is. Everything I feel when you’re by my side is all in this drawing.”

My heart started hammering against my ribs, and my face burned bright red at the pure sincerity in oppa’s sweet, smiling tone. Taking a shaky breath, I decided it was time to stop hiding behind my usual comfortable, playful defenses.

“Actually, I want to be with oppa like this every day too.” Looking straight into oppa’s eyes, I confessed in a low voice. “Not just as a cute, comfortable younger sister... I want to be the most special woman to you.”

Chanyeon oppa’s eyes widened in stunned disbelief. For a brief moment, he could only stare at me, as if he couldn’t possibly believe what had just come out of my mouth.

Then a beautiful laugh, impossibly full of relief, burst from his chest. Before I could get another word out, Chanyeon oppa leaned forward and gently cupped my cheek with his remaining hand, drawing me into his space.

Our lips met softly, making my heart flutter.

Under the broad shade of the oak tree, our lips met softly, making my heart flutter. It was our first kiss. A kiss that left behind a sweet, complete aftertaste, full of the silent vows we had held in our hearts for months. The warm campus breeze brushed past our shoulders, trapping us in our own perfect, golden reality.

When oppa finally pulled away, Chanyeon oppa’s forehead rested gently against mine for a fleeting moment. His signature languid eye-smile spread so wide that his eyes vanished completely into perfect crescent moons, and his face was still tinted with a happy, radiant pink.

“So you’ve completely fallen for me, huh?” Chanyeon oppa teased in a low, deep voice, full of playful triumph and delight. He gripped my hand hard for a moment, then let go and started gathering his art supplies. “Since I kept my promise, I’ll be in charge of the rest of your life from here on out.”

“Wow, hyung. So you were pretending to draw from the back row and then made your move after all?”

Then, from below the hill, a sharp, teasing voice broke through the lazy afternoon quiet.

We both flinched and turned toward the campus sidewalk. There stood Hyunjin, a leather messenger bag slung loosely over one shoulder. He had that art-student look that made you admire him without any effort, and a playful smile with a strange, competitive edge curved his lips. Hyunjin walked up the grassy hill and stopped at the edge of the tree shade where we were sitting, folding his arms across his chest.

“You skip just one afternoon class together and already steal away my favorite like that?” Hyunjin made an exaggerated pout, his sharp, beautiful eyes fixed straight on me. “Baby, you said I was your favorite in the first place. How can you just run off to that fox-like older guy? I’m seriously hurt.”

Chanyeon oppa laughed thunderously as he stood up, naturally stepping in front of me so Hyunjin couldn’t see my face burning bright red. Then he held out his hand, firmly lacing his long fingers through mine and lifting our joined hands up as if to show Hyunjin.

“Game over, Park Hyunjin.” Chanyeon oppa smiled in satisfied victory, his voice steady and proud. “She officially picked her favorite today. You lost.”

Hyunjin let out a deeply dramatic sigh like he’d lost everything in the world, but soon the playful competitive spark in his eyes faded, and he shook his head with a soft, kind smile.

Hyunjin shook his head. “Fine, hyung wins today. But the semester isn’t over yet, right? You buy dinner, and then I’m taking her out for ice cream.”

Under the fading sunlight, the playful rivalry melted into pure delight, and all three of us burst out laughing. Walking hand in hand between the two most handsome guys on campus, I felt so full my heart could have burst. The long-running favorite war had finally come to a perfect, romantic ending.

The three of us walked side by side toward the main gate of the university, and the evening sky overhead was turning into a deep, beautiful purple dusk. Chanyeon oppa kept my hand firmly in his long fingers, not loosening that solid, warm grip even though Hyunjin was strolling along on the other side, showing that he had absolutely no intention of letting go.

Hyunjin walked with both hands shoved deep into his jacket pockets, kicking small pebbles on the concrete path. Glancing sideways at the hand oppa and I had locked tightly together, Hyunjin gave a small, dramatic huff.

“Hyung is really too much,” Hyunjin grumbled, but the dimpled smile in his cheek showed his playful side completely. “She fell for me first because I was cute, and then she still went and chose hyung. Honestly, I still can’t believe it. Since when do I lose in visuals?”

Chanyeon oppa laughed heartily until his eyes became perfect crescent moons, pulling me just a little closer to his broad shoulder.

“It’s not about visuals, Hyunjin.” Chanyeon oppa whispered low in that sweet, polite tone of his. Tilting his head slightly, he looked down straight at my flushed face, then flashed a proud smile at the younger guy across the street. “This is about real sincerity. Because I’ve decided to take responsibility for this person’s life.”

“Wow, listen to that line. No wonder a returning student’s experience is impossible to beat,” Hyunjin laughed loudly, shaking his head as if he’d been utterly defeated. Then he turned his sharp, beautiful eyes straight on me and lowered his voice into a warmer, gentler tone. “Still, baby, if hyung ever gets even a little cold or makes you sad, tell me right away. My arms are always wide open for you.”

“Hey, Park Hyunjin. Don’t cross the line,” Chanyeon oppa warned with a low laugh, but the cheeks that squeezed my hand protectively were also tinted a radiant pink with pure happiness.
At last we crossed the campus gate and stepped into the lively, warmly lit streets of the college district. Between the lined-up restaurants, the smell of meat sizzling and the cozy aroma of steaming, rich soups rode the breeze, and the three of our stomachs all growled loudly at once.

Hyunjin stopped at the corner and smiled as he pointed across the street to a shop selling tteokbokki and chicken under bright neon lights. “Since hyung said he’s paying, tonight we’re ordering the most expensive set meal for sure. Let’s make sure to add cheese balls too.”

“Of course I’m buying whatever you two want to eat,” Chanyeon oppa replied softly in that unbelievably sweet, deep voice that shook my heart without mercy. He stopped beneath the dim amber light of a streetlamp and turned fully toward me. Then he quietly reached out with his free hand and carefully fixed the strap of my backpack. That gentle touch carried all of oppa’s consideration and protective instinct, the same ones that had already completely won me over.

Under the evening lights, he looked down at my eyes with that signature smile of his, endlessly tender and soft.

“If it’s something you like, I’ll buy anything, so don’t worry and pick whatever you want to eat,” Chanyeon oppa whispered, lightly brushing the back of my hand with his thumb. “Because from now on, I’m in charge of all your dinners.”

I bit my lower lip, trying to hold back the huge smile threatening to escape. Just looking at the two of them made my heart feel ready to burst from happiness. Being tucked between the charming, mischievous Park Hyunjin and the kind Lee Chanyeon, who cherished me with his whole heart, made even the cold winter air on campus feel like it was melting away. I had a feeling the most beautiful chapter of our story was just beginning.