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( 09 ) . better get used to it

Jake groaned dramatically, leaning on his windowsill. "Not yet."

"What?!" Minjae exclaimed, throwing her hands up in mock despair. "Jake, come on! It's just your name. Stop overthinking and sign it already!"

Jake raised an eyebrow at her, amused. "You're very persistent, you know that?"

"I know," Minjae said with a cheeky grin. "Anyway, just sign it, okay? I'm not letting you off the hook. You'll thank me later."

He rolled his eyes but nodded slightly. "Alright, alright. Now stop yelling before you wake up the neighbors."

Minjae gave him a victorious thumbs-up. "See you tomorrow at school, Jake!" she shouted before disappearing back into her room.

"Alright, Minjae," he muttered, folding the form neatly, his mind already picturing the surprise on her face when he handed it in.

The next day, Jake arrived at school with the form tucked neatly in his bag, though his expression betrayed no hint of the decision he'd made. 

He moved through the halls with his usual cool detachment, dodging the curious glances of classmates who knew better than to try striking up a conversation with him.

Part of him wanted to see her reaction, to see that familiar spark light up in her eyes. But another part of him felt uncharacteristically self-conscious, the memory of her quick hug still fresh in his mind.

As he approached his first class, he spotted Minjae across the hallway. She saw him immediately, a broad grin spreading across her face.

"Jake!" she called, bounding over to him. "Did you—"

Jake cut her off by pulling the form out of his bag and handing it to her. "Happy now?"

Minjae's eyes lit up with excitement as she clutched the form like it was a treasure. "You actually did it! Thank you, Jake. You're going to have so much fun, I promise."

Jake shrugged, trying to look indifferent. "It's just a trip, Minjae. Don't make it weird."

Minjae laughed, clearly delighted. "Oh, trust me, I'll keep it as un-weird as possible," she promised with a teasing smile. "But just so you know, this is going to be great. I mean, imagine us exploring Seoul together! I'll finally have someone to drag with me."

He rolled his eyes. "Don't push your luck, Minjae. I'm not signing up for every little cafe and tourist spot."

"Fine, fine," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "I'll keep the itinerary reasonable... mostly."

Jake found himself smiling more than he'd intended. Her excitement was contagious, and for the first time, he felt the beginnings of anticipation—not for the trip itself, necessarily, but for the idea of spending it with someone who genuinely wanted him there. 

The bell rang, cutting through their conversation, and Minjae glanced toward her classroom before looking back at him.

"Let's get to class! They're going to announce our roommates!" Minjae urged, bouncing on her toes as she gestured toward the classroom door. Jake chuckled faintly at her excitement, tucking his hands in his pockets as he followed her down the hall.

Inside, a buzz of anticipation filled the room as students murmured to each other, trying to guess who they'd be paired with. The teacher stepped to the front and cleared her throat, silencing the chatter. "All right, let's begin the roommate assignments!" she announced, scanning a sheet of paper.

Minjae glanced over at Jake with barely contained excitement, and he only shook his head, amused by her enthusiasm. The teacher began calling out pairs, her voice echoing off the walls as names were matched and gasps of surprise or disappointment filled the room.

"Room number six, Heeseung and Niki. Room number seven, Jay and Jungwon. Room number eight, Minjae and Sunhee..."

Minjae frowned slightly but shot Jake a thumbs-up from across the room. The teacher continued, "Room number nine, Jake and Sunghoon."

As Jake slumped back in his seat, Sunghoon leaned over with a wide grin. "Jake, you're cool with rooming with me, right?"

Before Jake could reply, Sunghoon glanced across the room at Sunhee and sighed wistfully. "Man, I was hoping to get paired with her, though."

Sunhee, overhearing, turned to Sunghoon and gave him a shy wave, her cheeks tinged pink.

Sunghoon shot his hand up. "Excuse me, teacher?"

The teacher paused, clearly exasperated. "Yes?"

"Would it be okay if we swapped roommates? I think Jake would be way more comfortable with Minjae. I, uh, think I'd get along better with Sunhee."

The teacher glanced between them, sighed, and nodded. "Fine. Jake and Minjae, you're in room eight. Sunghoon, you're with Sunhee."

Minjae's eyes widened, lighting up with excitement as she shot Jake a beaming grin. Jake just sighed, shaking his head with a faint, amused smile as he glanced away, trying to hide the hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

After class, Minjae was practically vibrating with excitement as she found him outside. "We're roommates!" she announced, her voice bubbling with glee. She clapped her hands together and bounced on her heels. "Can you believe it?"

Jake feigned a heavy sigh. "Guess there's no getting away from you now," he teased, though his tone was warm, a flicker of genuine excitement in his eyes.

Minjae grinned even wider. "Better get used to it."