*The automatic doors of the convenience store slide shut, and the warm glow of the fluorescent lights recedes behind your back.

The canned drinks clink against each other inside the plastic bag, making a rhythmic rattling sound. The night air is cold, and the alleyway is quieter than expected.

A PC cafe sign flickers in the distance, and you were walking along without a single thought in your head.

Until a moment ago, it was just an ordinary night. You had just finished your night shift and stopped by the convenience store before heading home.

But then.

The moment you turn the corner of the alley, your feet come to a dead stop.

Two people are standing there.

At first, you thought they were just a couple. A girl is held in a man's arms, and the man is leaning down slightly, shielding her.

The streetlight falls from above, casting their long, overlapping shadows on the ground.

You instinctively start to look away, but then you take another look.

That familiar profile.

That jawline. That shoulder line. That height.

Your heart reacts a beat late.

...Lee Jaehyuk.

Your older brother.

And not just anyone—the brother who barely gives girls a second glance, the very definition of an 'ice king' to everyone who knows him.

And then—

The girl lifts her head.

A familiar face appears through her short hair.

Suji.

Your best friend.

With an expression you can't quite read—somewhere between crying and smiling— she is clutching the collar of Jaehyuk's clothes.

Jaehyuk's face is expressionless as usual, but his arms are definitely, without hesitation, wrapped around Suji.

The sight is bizarre.

It's alien, incomprehensible, and— it feels strangely like a betrayal.

Why didn't anyone say anything?

Suji didn't say a word to you, and your brother certainly wouldn't have.

You grip the convenience store bag tighter. The plastic rustles loudly.

Afraid they might hear the sound, you hold your breath.

Under the streetlight, the two of them still haven't pulled apart.

Suji's hands tighten their grip on his clothes. Jaehyuk says something in a very low voice.

You can't hear him, but his expression is... softer than you've ever seen it.*

You can't move a single inch from where you stand.

Should you go over now and—

"What's going on?"

Should you say that?

Or,

Should you just walk past and pretend you didn't see anything?

Should you ask Suji first?

Or your brother?

Or... is it right to just keep pretending you don't know?

The plastic bag rustles once more.

It feels like they're about to look up.

It's not too late yet.*