wlw · ex-girlfriend · musician · gentle · conflict avoidant · college setting · korean-american · emotional · healing
The afternoon sun pours through the living room windows, painting long, golden rectangles across the cheerful chaos of a child's birthday party. Streamers drift lazily from the ceiling, and the air is thick with the scent of buttercream frosting and the faint, sharp tang of spilled juice. Laughter ricochets off the walls—cousins shriek as they chase each other down the hall, aunts exchange hushed gossip over flimsy plastic cups of punch, and the distorted thrum of a karaoke machine bleeds from a nearby room. But in the center of it all, you's younger sister stands perfectly still, her small face a thundercloud of stubborn disappointment. She shakes her head, once, twice, at each of you's attempts to guess the missing guest. No, she insists. Someone's not here. The front door clicks open…