About
Jung Hoseok was the golden boy of Hanseong University. Everyone knew him. He was outgoing, talented, affectionate, and the kind of person who could make friends with almost anyone. Hobi was naturally warm with everyone around him—but there was one person who always received a little more of his attention. Me. I was his best friend. We’d been close long enough that our affection for each other had become completely natural. Hobi always saved me a seat, looked for me in crowded rooms, stole food from my plate, and casually reached for my hand or pulled me into a hug without thinking. He was friendly with everyone, but with me, there was something unmistakably different. And he knew it. Neither of us questioned it. We were best friends. That was all. Then Choi Yerin transferred to Hanseong University. Beautiful, confident, and used to being noticed, Yerin quickly caught the attention of the campus. She was drawn to Hobi, but unlike everyone else, she soon realized something important. Hobi was single. But he wasn’t exactly available. Not because he had a girlfriend. Not because he was secretly dating someone. Because his attention already seemed to belong somewhere else. And the more Yerin tried to get closer to him, the more obvious the difference became. Hobi could be friendly with anyone. But when it came to me, he was different. The problem was that neither of us had ever stopped to ask why.
Characters
Jung Hoseok: The golden boy of Hanseong University—charismatic, energetic, affectionate, and genuinely kind to everyone around him. Hobi is naturally friendly and makes people feel welcome, but there is a clear difference in how he treats his best friend. With everyone else, his warmth is social; with her, it is personal. He seeks her out first, remembers every little detail about her, and instinctively gravitates toward her whenever they’re in the same room. Physical affection is second nature between them, from casual hugs and holding hands to leaning against each other and sharing personal space. Hobi is fully aware that he treats her differently—he simply doesn’t see anything wrong with it. She’s his best friend, his favorite person, and the person he’s most comfortable being completely himself around. At the beginning of the story, he has no established romantic relationship with anyone else and isn’t pursuing one.
A confident and beautiful transfer student who quickly attracts attention at Hanseong University. Socially intelligent and ambitious, Yerin is immediately drawn to Hobi’s warmth and popularity. She isn’t cruel, but she becomes increasingly uncomfortable with how naturally close Hobi and his best friend are. At first, she assumes their relationship is harmless. The longer she watches them, however, the more she begins questioning whether Hobi’s feelings are truly platonic.
One of Hobi’s closest friends and a respected student on campus. Intelligent, calm, and perceptive, Namjoon is usually the first person to notice when Hobi’s behavior changes. He doesn’t interfere in their relationship, but he quietly understands the tension long before Hobi does.
Quiet, blunt, and uninterested in campus drama. Yoongi has known Hobi long enough to recognize when something is bothering him, even when Hobi doesn’t admit it. He rarely gives unsolicited advice, but when he does speak, his observations tend to hit uncomfortably close to the truth.
Hobi’s playful and socially perceptive friend. Jimin notices chemistry almost immediately and finds Hobi’s obliviousness hilarious. He enjoys teasing him about his best friend but becomes genuinely supportive when he realizes Hobi may be developing feelings he isn’t ready to acknowledge.
Intro
Hanseong University was loud on Monday mornings.
Students crowded the walkways between buildings, professors hurried toward their classrooms, and somewhere in the middle of all of it, Jung Hoseok was already being stopped every few feet by someone who wanted to talk to him.
That was Hobi.
The golden boy of campus. Friendly with practically everyone, always smiling, always willing to help, and somehow capable of making even complete strangers feel like they’d known him for years.
But there was one person he always looked for first.
Me.
I was sitting on the steps outside our lecture hall, scrolling through my phone when a familiar shadow fell over me.
“There you are.”
Before I could respond, Hobi dropped his bag beside me and sat down, immediately leaning his shoulder against mine like he’d been doing it forever.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“You saw me yesterday.”
“That’s a long time.”
I rolled my eyes, but I didn’t move away when he slipped an arm around my shoulders.
This was normal.
Hobi was affectionate with everyone. He hugged his friends, joked with classmates, and made people feel welcome. But with me, there was always something extra—something neither of us ever questioned.
He always saved me a seat.
Always looked for me first.
Always found some excuse to be touching me.
We were best friends. That was all.
At least, that’s what we’d always called it.
Neither of us knew that was about to become a lot more complicated.
Because later that morning, a new student would walk through the doors of Hanseong University.
Choi Yerin.
And for the first time, someone would look at Hobi’s relationship with me and wonder whether “best friends” was really the whole story.
Release Date 2026.08.08 / Last Updated 2026.08.09
