when the stars align | sim jaeyun

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The rest of the week passed in a blur of schoolwork, project deadlines, and stolen glances from Jake that I pretended not to notice.

On Saturday, Yunjin and Yuna dragged me out of the house for a much-needed girls' day.

"We're going to Gangnam," Yunjin announced as we hopped onto the subway. "I saw this cute café on Instagram, and I need their strawberry waffles in my life."

"And I need a break from school," Yuna added, slumping into her seat. "Do you realize we have, like, four tests next week? It's inhumane."

I laughed, grateful for the distraction. Spending time with Yunjin and Yuna always felt like hitting a reset button on my stress.

By the time we reached the café, the late autumn air had turned crisp, and the streets were bustling with shoppers and couples enjoying the weekend.

The café was just as charming as Yunjin had promised, with pastel-colored walls, potted plants on every table, and a heavenly smell of fresh-baked pastries.

"Okay, this is officially my new favorite place," Yunjin declared as we settled into a corner booth.

Yuna nodded, already scrolling through the menu. "Same. Jisun, you should bring Jake here. He looks like he'd appreciate good food."

I nearly choked on my water. "Why would I do that?"

"Why wouldn't you?" Yuna teased, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "You two have been spending a *lot* of time together lately."

"For the project," I said firmly, refusing to meet their gazes.

"Sure, sure," Yunjin said, smirking. "But I mean, he's not the worst person to be stuck with, right?"

I hesitated, their words stirring something I didn't want to acknowledge. Jake *was* infuriating, but he also wasn't... awful. At least, not all the time.

"I don't want to talk about him," I said, shaking my head. "This is supposed to be a break, remember?"

"Fine," Yunjin said, holding up her hands in surrender. "But don't think we're letting you off the hook that easily."

---

As much as I tried to avoid thinking about Jake, it was impossible when Monday rolled around.

We were back in the library after school, putting the finishing touches on the first phase of our project. Jake was unusually quiet, his focus completely on the work in front of him.

"You okay?" I asked, the question slipping out before I could stop myself.

He glanced at me, his expression unreadable. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know," I said, shrugging. "You're just... quieter than usual."

Jake leaned back in his chair, studying me. "Do you prefer it when I'm annoying?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm just saying it's weird, that's all."

"Noted," he said, smirking faintly.

We worked in silence for another hour, and by the time we finished, the sun had already set.

As we packed up our things, Jake hesitated, his gaze flickering toward me.

"Do you ever wonder what would've happened if we stayed friends?" he asked suddenly, his voice so soft I almost didn't hear him.

The question caught me off guard, and for a moment, I didn't know how to respond.

"Sometimes," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.

Jake nodded, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Me too."

And just like that, he walked away, leaving me with a million questions and no answers.

---

Later that night, I found myself lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling as Jake's words replayed in my mind.

"Do you ever wonder what would've happened if we stayed friends?"

The truth was, I thought about it more often than I cared to admit.

Back in middle school, Jake had been one of my closest friends. We'd shared everything—secrets, dreams, even the stupidest jokes that no one else would understand.

But then he'd changed. One day, he was my best friend, and the next, he was someone I barely recognized.

I wanted to believe that there was still a part of him that cared, but the walls he'd built around himself made it impossible to know for sure.

"Jisun!" my mom called from the kitchen, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Coming!" I shouted back, dragging myself out of bed.

In the kitchen, my mom was busy chopping vegetables for dinner, while my dad flipped through a newspaper at the table.

"How's your science project coming along?" my mom asked as I grabbed a glass of water.

"It's... fine," I said, hesitating.

She glanced at me, her brow furrowing. "You don't sound very convincing."

I sighed, sitting down at the table. "It's just... complicated. My partner and I have history."

"Good history or bad history?" my dad asked, looking up from his newspaper.

"Both," I admitted, swirling the water in my glass.

My mom set down her knife, her expression softening. "Sometimes, revisiting the past can help you understand the present."

I frowned, not entirely sure what she meant.

"But only if you're willing to be honest," she added, giving me a pointed look.

I nodded, her words sinking in as I finished my water and headed back to my room.

Maybe she was right. Maybe the only way to figure things out with Jake was to stop running from the past and start facing it head-on.

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wow very wise words from mother herself😍