The Perfect Mistake

Chapter 1

Lee Seohyun had always believed in love.

She believed in the slow build of it, in the kind that grew stronger over time, weathering every storm. She believed in the love she shared with Hyunwoo-her boyfriend of seven years, the man she had spent her high school and college days with, the one she thought would be by her side forever.

As far as she knew, their relationship was solid. Unshakable.

But love, as she would soon learn, was not always what it seemed.

The weekend rolled in with a gentle autumn breeze, and Seohyun found herself curled up on the couch, flipping through a book as the scent of coffee filled the apartment. Hyunwoo had left early for practice, leaving her with a rare, quiet morning to herself.

She reached for her phone, opening her messages. Minji still hadn't replied.

It had been two days since their last conversation, and the strange feeling from that evening still lingered. Minji had never been the type to go silent-no matter how busy she was, she always managed to send a quick text, even if it was just a random meme.

Seohyun bit her lip before finally sending a new text.

- Hey, are you alive? Or did work finally bury you under a pile of paperwork?

This time, the typing bubbles appeared almost immediately.

- Sorry, been swamped. What's up?

Seohyun frowned slightly. Swamped? Minji had never used that excuse before.

- Wanna grab drinks tonight? Just us? It's been forever.

The three dots appeared, then disappeared. A pause. Then another response.

- Tonight? Uh... yeah, okay. Just us?

Seohyun blinked at the hesitation in Minji's message.

- Unless you wanna invite someone else?

Another long pause.

- No, just us is fine. 8 PM?

- Perfect. See you then!

Minji didn't respond again after that.

Seohyun stared at her screen, an odd feeling stirring in her chest. Something about Minji's messages didn't sit right with her. She was acting like herself, but something felt... forced. Hesitant.

Shaking her head, Seohyun pushed the thought away. She's just stressed from work.

Later that night, when she arrived at the bar and saw Minji already seated with a drink in hand, that feeling only deepened.

"You've been weird all night," Seohyun said, watching her carefully.

Minji let out a nervous laugh. "What? No, I haven't."

"You barely reacted when I told you Hyunwoo and I are planning a weekend getaway. Normally, you'd be gushing about how cute we are or asking me a million questions about what I'm packing."

Minji took a slow sip of her drink, her fingers tightening around the glass. "I mean... you guys have been together forever. It's not like it's anything new."

The comment caught Seohyun off guard. It wasn't rude, exactly, but it was uncharacteristic of Minji, who had always been her biggest supporter when it came to her relationship.

"Are you sure everything's okay?" Seohyun pressed. "If something's bothering you, you know you can tell me."

Minji's lips parted like she wanted to say something-but just as quickly, she shook her head and forced a smile. "I'm fine, really. Just exhausted from work. But enough about me, let's order another round!"