The small living room of Chae-Rin's house was littered with empty soju bottles, half-eaten snacks, and the flickering glow of a K-drama rerun neither of them was really watching.
Hana lay sprawled across the couch, her cheeks flushed from drink, one hand dangling off the side with an open bottle still clutched between her fingers.
Chae-Rin, equally tipsy, tossed a pillow at her. "Yah! If you're gonna hog the drinks, at least pour me some too."
Hana snorted, sluggishly reaching for another bottle.
"You're already wasted, Rin."
"And you're not?"
"Maybe a little," Hana giggled.
There was a pause as the drama's love theme swelled in the background, some overdramatic scene of a rich chaebol heir saving his childhood sweetheart in the rain.
"Hey," Chae-Rin said, nudging her playfully. "So what happened with you and Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Deadly the other night?"
Hana groaned, covering her face. "Don't remind me."
"Why not? You were practically glued to each other on that dance floor. I thought you were going to rip his shirt off."
"I… don't remember much," Hana admitted, her voice lower now. "But I had this… dream."
"Oh-ho, a dream?"
Hana's face burned brighter, a mix of embarrassment and the soju's warmth.
"It felt so real," she murmured, eyes half-closing. "Like… he was there. Touching me. Kissing me. And it wasn't sweet either. It was… intense. Like I was his or something. I've never—" She cut herself off, biting her lip.
Chae-Rin grinned like a cat.
"Oh my god, you dirty girl."
"I can't help it," Hana groaned, burying her face in a pillow. "It's like… I don't even know him, but something about him makes my brain short-circuit. If he was here right now…"
She let out a breathy, drunken laugh, rolling onto her back and staring at the ceiling.
"I swear to god, Rin… I'd eat him alive."
Chae-Rin howled with laughter, nearly spilling her drink.
"Oh, damn, I didn't know you had it in you, Miss Top-Of-Her-Class."
"I blame the soju."
"You blame the soju, I blame your hormones. And the fact that man looks like a Greek god."
They both cracked up, the easy, tipsy laughter washing away the tension of the past few days.
But when the laughter faded and the room grew quiet again, Hana found herself staring out the window — at the night beyond, where shadows lingered just out of sight.
And for the briefest moment…
she could've sworn she felt eyes on her.
Watching.
Wanting.
She shivered, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders.
Chae-Rin didn't notice.
But Hana couldn't quite shake the feeling that if Aryan Malhotra really did show up at her door…
she wouldn't be strong enough to tell him no.