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Sunoo was sprawled on the living room couch, scrolling through his phone while Ni-ki sat cross-legged on the carpet, flipping through a manga he'd brought over. It was one of their rare, chill hangouts, and Sunoo cherished these moments, even if his stomach did tiny flips every time Ni-ki laughed at something.

The sound of footsteps broke the peace, and Sowon, Sunoo's older sister, entered the room with her usual confident stride. She had that glint in her eye that Sunoo knew all too well—it always meant trouble.

"Sunoo!" Sowon called out sweetly, too sweetly. "I need your help with some choreography practice."

Sunoo sat up, narrowing his eyes. "Choreography? You don't need my help for that. Why not ask your group?"

"Oh, come on," she replied with a dismissive wave. "I need someone with fresh eyes. Besides..." She turned to Ni-ki, her expression lighting up. "Ni-ki's here! He's in the group dance, right? You can help me perfect my moves!"

Ni-ki looked up from his manga, utterly unbothered. "I'm not a choreographer, Sowon."

"But you're amazing at dance!" Sowon insisted, sitting down beside him—too close, in Sunoo's opinion. "It'll be fun, don't you think? Plus, we'll all look amazing when we perform together."

Sunoo's jaw clenched as he watched her lean slightly toward Ni-ki, her gaze practically sparkling. She was laying it on thick, and Ni-ki, as always, looked completely oblivious—or indifferent.

"Sowon, Ni-ki isn't here for you to bug him about dance practice," Sunoo said, his tone sharper than he intended.

Sowon blinked, looking genuinely surprised. "Bug him? I'm just asking for help. Why are you being so defensive?"

Sunoo set his phone down and stood up, his frustration boiling over. "Because it's obvious what you're doing! You're not practicing choreography—you're just finding excuses to flirt with him!"

The room fell into an awkward silence. Sowon stared at her brother, stunned. Sunoo never raised his voice, especially not with family. Even Ni-ki looked up from his manga, mildly surprised.

"I—" Sowon began, but Sunoo cut her off.

"Ni-ki doesn't like you like that, Sowon. Stop trying to use dance practice or anything else as an excuse to get close to him. It's embarrassing."

Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she finally stood up, her face a mixture of shock and anger. "Fine! I don't need your help anyway."

She stormed out of the room, and Sunoo sank back onto the couch, letting out a heavy sigh.

"That was... intense," Ni-ki said after a beat, his tone as casual as ever.

Sunoo glanced at him, his cheeks burning. "Sorry you had to see that. She's just... impossible sometimes."

Ni-ki shrugged. "It's not a big deal. Thanks for having my back, though."

Sunoo blinked, his heart skipping at the rare acknowledgment. "Of course. That's what friends are for."

Ni-ki gave him a small smile before returning to his manga, and Sunoo tried to focus on his phone again. But his mind was racing, and his heart was beating just a little too fast.

As much as he hated what had just happened, one thing was clear: he wasn't going to let Sowon or anyone else get in the way of his feelings for Ni-ki.

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sideship cause idk