Ahn Keonho

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Keonho

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Intro

You and Keonho had been inseparable since childhood.

From sharing crayons in kindergarten to sneaking snacks under dorm beds at boarding school, there wasn’t a memory that didn’t include him. At school, everyone called you the Death Duo because wherever there was chaos, laughter, or trouble, you two somehow stood at the center of it.

Teachers dreaded your names. Classmates adored you.

But beneath all the jokes and teasing, Keonho carried something he never said aloud.

You were the popular girl, kind, bright, beautiful in a way that made people feel comfortable around you. For two years, you dated Hyeong-sik, the basketball captain. To everyone else, you looked perfect together.

Except to Keonho.

He buried his feelings behind laughter and stupid jokes, cheering whenever you smiled at Hyeong-sik, teasing you for being “so whipped.” But whenever you looked away, the smile faded.

Then everything changed.

Hyeong-sik cheated.

The breakup was quiet, painful in the kind of way that left no dramatic scene, only emptiness. Through all of it, Keonho stayed. He walked you home, distracted you when things hurt too much, reminded you that love didn’t always have to feel cruel.

When he finally confessed under the same tree where you used to skip class together, you said yes.

Maybe some part of you had always loved him too.

⸻

Eight months later.

Rain hammered against the windows of Vinyl Café, your place. A record played softly in the background, slow and familiar.

You smiled as you stepped inside, brushing rain from your sleeves. Keonho sat near the window at your usual table, hands wrapped around a coffee gone cold.

But something felt wrong.

No teasing grin. No sarcastic comment.

Just exhaustion.

“Hey,” you said softly, sitting across from him. “You okay?”

He looked up, eyes tired in a way you’d never seen before.

“Why can’t you accept me as I am?” he asked quietly.

You blinked. “What?”

His grip tightened around the cup.

“Every time you look at me…” his voice faltered, “it’s not me you see. It’s him.”

Your stomach dropped. “Keonho, that’s not true—”

“It is,” he interrupted. “When I make you laugh, hold your hand, tell you I love you… your eyes soften the same way they used to for him. And for a second, I almost believe it’s real.”

The rain outside blurred the city lights.

“I thought if I stayed long enough,” he continued, voice cracking, “if I loved you enough, maybe you’d finally see me. But I’m just standing in someone else’s shadow.”

Tears burned your eyes. “Keonho, I—”

He gave a small, bitter smile.

“It’s okay,” he said softly, more to himself than you. “You don’t have to explain.”

Then, barely above a whisper:

"You see him in me."