♫ : lucid dream - aespa

It all started with your best friend shoving a clipboard in your face.

"Sign up," she said, her voice with too much enthusiasm for something happening at 9 a.m. "Come on, it'll be fun!"

You blinked at her, squinting down at the neatly organized sign-up sheet. It was the annual Valentine's Day event - the one where students turned the campus into some kind of rom-com set with pink balloons, cheesy decorations, and an unnecessary amount of roses.

Each year, volunteers made it happen - setting up booths and handing out overpriced heart-shaped cookies. Honestly, you've never been interested. But here you were, caught in the gravitational pull of your best friend's puppy eyes.

"Why am I doing this again?" you mumbled, twirling the pen in your hand.

"Because," she said, dragging out the word dramatically, "You're a good friend who doesn't let me suffer alone. And because you love me." She batted her lashes.

"Sure," you deadpanned, but the corners of your mouth twitched upward. "Fine, but don't stick me with something weird like wearing a Cupid costume."

"No promises," she sang, grinning as you scribbled your name on the list.

"You're lucky I like you," you muttered under your breath.

"Oh, please, you're gonna thank me later," she said, taking the clipboard back. Then, with a sly smile, she added, "Besides, maybe you're just doing this because of him."

You blinked, confused. "Him?"

"Don't play dumb." She leaned in like she was sharing a juicy secret. "Lee Heeseung. The hot senior. Tall. Pretty smile. Ringing any bells?"

You couldn't help but laugh, shaking your head. "I don't even know him. I've barely seen him around campus. Aren't you the one always talking about him?"

"Okay, guilty," she admitted, tossing her hair. "But you can't blame me. The man looks like he walked out of a K-drama."

You rolled your eyes, amused. "Yeah, well, I'm not exactly signing up because of him."

"Mmm," she replied, clearly unconvinced but dropping the topic. For now.

A couple of days later, you found yourself in a small student lounge with about a dozen other volunteers. It was the first official meeting to go over the Valentine's Day plans and you felt slightly out of place.

Most of the others seemed to know each other, chatting excitedly about ideas for decorations and activities. You sank into a chair near the back, fiddling with the strap of your bag.

"Okay, guys, let's get started!" your best friend called out, standing at the front with a clipboard like she owned the place. You bit back a smile. She really belonged in situations like this.

"We're gonna go over the tasks and pair everyone up, so listen carefully. If you have any complaints, keep them to yourself because I don't care."

Laughter rippled through the room as she grinned.

She started listing names, assigning people to different duties. You half-listened, your mind wandering to what exactly you signed yourself up for. Honestly, you were kind of hoping for something lowkey, like handing out flyers or stacking chairs.

"And for the love letters," your friend announced, snapping you back to attention, "We have..." She glanced down at the clipboard, a wicked smile creeping onto her face as she pointed her pen in your direction. "You... and Heeseung."

Your heart skipped a beat. Not because of Heeseung, of course, but because your best friend's smirk meant that she orchestrated this on purpose.

"Wait, what?" you blurted out before you could stop yourself.

"You heard me," she said, winking at you. "You'll be working together on the letters. Handing out blank ones, collecting the written ones, sorting them, the whole deal. It'll be cute."

Before you could say anything, a voice from the other side of the room cut in.

"Sounds good to me," he said.

You turned your head, and there he was. Lee Heeseung. The hot senior. Tall. Pretty smile. Sitting casually with an arm draped over the back of the couch, looking every bit as effortlessly cool as your friend described.

His dark eyes met yours for a brief moment, and he smiled. Not the big, cheesy kind, but the kind that made you feel like he knew something you didn't.

"Great," your friend said, clapping her hands together. "Moving on!"

You slouched in your seat, half-embarrassed and half-annoyed. This was going to be... fun.

The first real interaction came the next day. You were sitting at one of the folding tables in the student lounge, surrounded by stacks of blank paper and envelopes.

The idea was simple: students could write anonymous love letters, and you and Heeseung would make sure they got delivered to the right people. Easy enough. In theory.

Heeseung showed up a few minutes late, sliding into the seat across from you with an apologetic smile. "Sorry. Got caught up with something."

"It's fine," you said, trying not to sound awkward.

For a moment, none of you said anything, the silence stretching uncomfortably. You focused on folding the papers into neat stacks, hyper-aware of his presence.

"So," he said eventually, leaning back in his chair, "have you done this before?"

"What, Valentine's Day stuff?"

He nodded.

"Nah, first time," you admitted. "My friend dragged me into it."

"Ah, the clipboard girl," he said, a hint of teasing in his voice. "She's pretty intense."

You laughed. "Yeah, she is. But she means well. What about you? What made you volunteer?"

He shrugged, a small smile on his lips. "Felt like doing something different. Plus, it's my last year here, so why not?"

"Fair enough," you said, feeling a bit more at ease.

As the two of you worked, the conversation flowed a lot more naturally. Heeseung wasn't as intimidating as you expected. In fact, he was pretty easy to talk to. He had a way of making even the most boring topics, like envelope sizes and paper quality, sound interesting.

At one point, he held up a blank letter and observed it dramatically. "Do you think anyone's actually gonna use these?"

You shrugged. "Probably. People love this kind of stuff. You'll be surprised."

"Hmm," he said, tapping the paper against his chin. "Maybe I'll write one."

"Oh, yeah?" you said, raising an eyebrow. "Got someone in mind?"

He smirked, leaning forward. "Maybe."

Your heart did an annoying flip but you ignored it, focusing instead on sorting through the envelopes. "Well, if you do, make sure your handwriting's legible. Otherwise, they'll never know who it's from."

He laughed. "Noted."

By the end of the afternoon, a few letters were already written and collected by the two of you.

"This one's cute," you said, holding up a pink envelope with little doodles of hearts and flowers on it. "It's addressed to someone named Jaemin."

Heeseung leaned over to glance at it, his shoulder brushing against yours. "Looks like a confession letter. Classic Valentine's move."

You smiled, placing the letter in the appropriate pile. "Do you think he'll say yes?"

"Definitely." Heeseung leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. "Who could say no to something that sweet?"

His words hung in the air for a few seconds and you found yourself sneaking a glance at him.

"Dear my Valentine," you murmured, testing the sentence aloud as you snuck a peek at one of the letters.

Heeseung turned to you, his head tilted. "What was that?"

"Oh, nothing." You shook your head, feeling a little embarrassed. "Just something I saw in one of the letters. It's kind of poetic, isn't it?"

He smiled. "Yeah, it is."