when the stars align | sim jaeyun

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It was one of those lazy Friday afternoons where the last thing I wanted to do was sit through another english lecture. I glanced at the clock, mentally counting down the minutes until the bell would finally ring.

Across the room, Jake was lazily leaning back in his chair, his gaze drifting toward the window. It was strange—he seemed almost... distant. Like he wasn't entirely there.

"Jisun," came his voice, quiet but sharp enough to snap me out of my thoughts.

I turned toward him, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"Can you stop tapping your pen?" he muttered, not even bothering to look at me.

I was about to retort when I realized I'd been mindlessly tapping my pen against the desk. It was something I did when I was nervous, or distracted. Which was exactly what I was.

"Sorry," I mumbled, lowering the pen.

Jake didn't say anything more, but I could feel his gaze on me now. It wasn't the usual teasing or mocking look—there was something softer behind it, something I couldn't quite place.

---

After class, I found myself walking out of the school gates alone. My friends had made plans to go grab lunch, but I was in one of those moods where I just wanted to be by myself.

As I walked down the street, my phone buzzed. I pulled it out to see a message from Yuna.

1 new message
twin😼👯‍♀️

- are you coming?

i'll skip today, just not in the mood -

- kay but don't isolate yourself too much
- you know we're here for you right?

I smiled at her message, feeling a little better. Yuna always knew how to make me feel supported without being too overbearing.

As I was about to put my phone away, I heard a voice call out behind me.

"Jisun."

I froze. It was Jake.

I turned to find him jogging up to me, looking a little out of breath.

"What do you want?" I asked, already regretting not walking faster.

"I was just—" Jake started, running a hand through his messy hair. "Never mind. I just wanted to ask if you wanted to hang out for a bit."

I blinked, surprised by the sudden offer. Jake had never really approached me like this outside of school.

I was about to turn him down when something in his expression made me hesitate. He wasn't smirking, or teasing, or making some sarcastic remark. He just looked... uncertain.

"I guess I could spare a little time," I said, before I could think better of it.

Jake grinned, the expression a little too bright. "Great. There's this café around the corner, you wanna go?"

---

We walked in silence to the café, and when we sat down, the awkwardness between us was almost palpable. I wasn't sure why I had agreed to this, but now that I was here, I couldn't help but wonder what Jake's intentions were.

"So," I said finally, breaking the silence. "Why'd you ask me to hang out?"

Jake laughed softly, leaning back in his chair. "You make it sound like I'm trying to start a war."

"You're always starting something," I shot back, rolling my eyes.

Jake's grin faded slightly as he looked at me more seriously. "Maybe I'm tired of always being the one who starts everything. You ever think about that?"

I paused, surprised by the vulnerability in his voice. "You're not exactly known for being the victim, Jake."

"I know," he said quietly, his fingers tapping the side of his cup. "But sometimes, I get tired of pretending."

I didn't know how to respond to that. So instead, I took a sip of my drink, letting the silence stretch between us.

For the first time, it felt like I was seeing the real Jake—someone who wasn't just out to get under my skin.

---

Later that night, I found myself lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. What had just happened?

I couldn't make sense of it. Jake had been different today. There was no teasing, no arrogance, just... quiet honesty.

I didn't know how to feel about it.

---

jake's pov.

I watched Jisun as she walked ahead of me, the afternoon sun casting a warm glow on her. She had no idea what was going on in my head.

I had no idea what was going on in my own head.

For the past few years, I'd kept my distance from her—mostly because I thought it would be easier. After all, we weren't friends anymore, right? She was just someone I could mess with, someone to pass the time with.

But then things started to change. I started noticing the little things about her—the way she bit her lip when she was thinking, the way she always tried to do the right thing, even when it was hard.

And I started wondering if maybe I was the one who had been wrong all along.

When I asked her to hang out today, I didn't have some grand plan. I wasn't trying to win her over, or to get back at her. I just... wanted to see if she'd give me a chance.

But even now, I couldn't be sure of what I was feeling.

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