The crisp autumn air wrapped around Seoul like a gentle hug, and for the first time in a long time, Sherri found herself smiling for no reason at all.
She sat curled up in a corner of the Slay Kids' practice room, pretending to focus on her tablet, but her eyes kept drifting toward the group as they rehearsed.
Their movements were sharp, explosive, yet so fluid it seemed effortless.
Hyunjin led the choreography with a quiet intensity, every motion precise, commanding attention without even trying.
YoungBok, on the other hand, was all energy — bright, alive, throwing himself into every beat like the music lived inside his bones.
It was hard to watch them without feeling something stir deep inside her chest.
Admiration.
Affection.
And something warmer, more dangerous, that she didn't dare name yet.
During a break, the members collapsed onto the floor, panting and laughing.
"You look like you're dying," Minho teased YoungBok, who flopped dramatically onto his back, arms spread wide.
"I am dying," YoungBok groaned. "Tell my family I loved them."
Hyunjin dropped beside him, grinning. "You still owe me coffee. No dying allowed yet."
Their easy banter made Sherri smile.
But what caught her was the way Hyunjin's hand lingered a second longer than necessary when he helped YoungBok sit up.
The way YoungBok looked at him — a soft, unguarded expression flickering across his face for just a moment before he masked it with a joke.
Sherri glanced down quickly, pretending to be busy with her notes.
She wasn't imagining things.
There was something real between them.
Something complicated.
Later that evening, Sherri stood by the vending machines, trying to decide between two types of coffee, when she heard footsteps behind her.
"You always over think everything, huh?"
She turned to see Hyunjin leaning casually against the wall, hands in his hoodie pockets, watching her with a teasing smile.
"I like to make informed decisions," she said, lifting her chin.
Hyunjin chuckled. "In that case..." — he pressed a button without looking — "trust me."
The machine whirred to life, spitting out a can of sweet latte.
Sherri raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying you're the expert on life decisions now?"
Hyunjin shrugged. "I'm saying sometimes you just have to take a chance."
He handed her the coffee, their fingers brushing for a fleeting second.
The contact sent a shiver up her spine.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
And then YoungBok's voice echoed from down the hall.
"Hyunjin! Sherri-noona! Come back before ChangBin eats all the food!"
Hyunjin smiled softly at her before pushing off the wall.
"Come on. We can't let ChangBin starve."
Sherri followed him, heart pounding, wondering when a simple touch had started to mean so much.
That night, she couldn't sleep.
She lay awake in her tiny apartment, scrolling through her phone mindlessly, heart heavy with thoughts she didn't want to have.
In one hand, she clutched her old EXO photocard — a comfort from the years when music had been her only safe place.
She had loved EXO fiercely, with the pure, unwavering devotion only a young girl could have.
But this... whatever was happening now with Hyunjin and YoungBok...
It was different.
Messier.
More real.
More dangerous.
Because this time, it wasn't about idols behind screens.
It was about real people.
Real feelings.
And she was in the middle of it.
The next day, the atmosphere in the practice room felt strange.
Tense.
The boys rehearsed the new choreography for an upcoming concert — a powerful, emotional performance about love and loss.
As the music swelled, Sherri watched as Hyunjin and YoungBok faced each other in the center of the stage, the choreography pulling them close, almost touching.
The emotion between them was raw, electric.
When the music stopped, the room was heavy with silence.
Hyunjin turned away first, wiping his face with a towel.
YoungBok stared after him, something unreadable in his eyes.
Without thinking, Sherri crossed the room toward him.
"Are you okay?" she asked softly.
YoungBok gave her a half-smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Yeah," he said. "Just... tired."
But she could see the crack in his armor.
"You know," she said carefully, "it's okay to be honest... even if it's messy."
YoungBok looked at her for a long moment, like he was debating something.
And then, in a low voice, he said,
"Hyunjin and I... we've been through a lot together."
Sherri nodded, staying quiet.
"I loved him first," YoungBok whispered, so soft she almost missed it.
"And maybe... maybe I still do."
Her heart twisted painfully.
Before she could respond, Hyunjin called from across the room, "YoungBok! Let's go again!"
YoungBok smiled, the practiced, easy grin of someone used to hiding hurt.
He gave Sherri a quick nod and jogged back to the others, leaving her standing there, heart aching.
That night, as Sherri walked home under the city lights, she realized the truth she had been trying so hard to ignore.
She was falling for both of them.
For Hyunjin's quiet strength.
For YoungBok's fierce loyalty.
And somehow, impossibly, they were both tangled around her heart.