eclipsed | sim jaeyun

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The next morning, the house was alive with the usual chaos. Yunjin was rummaging through her suitcase, complaining about a missing swimsuit, while Giselle was trying to convince Sunwoo to make breakfast. Jungwon, ever the responsible one, was already on the patio with his laptop, probably answering emails or checking up on his internship schedule.

I kept myself busy helping Niki pack snacks for the beach. Anything to avoid thinking too much about last night.

Jake, of course, was nowhere to be found.

"Did he even come back to his room last night?" Yunjin asked, sidling up to me as she stuffed an extra towel into her bag.

"How should I know?" I replied, keeping my tone neutral.

"You two were the last ones awake," she said, giving me a knowing look. "You sure you don't know?"

I shot her a warning glare, which only made her laugh.

"Fine, fine," she said, raising her hands in mock surrender. "But seriously, Haeri, if there's something going on—"

"There's nothing going on," I said firmly, cutting her off.

She didn't look convinced, but thankfully, Giselle called out to her, saving me from further interrogation.

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By the time we reached the beach, the sun was already high in the sky, casting a golden glow over the sand. The water was a brilliant shade of blue, stretching out endlessly, and the salty breeze was enough to make me forget, at least for a moment, about all the complications swirling in my head.

I laid out my towel next to Giselle's and sank into it, letting the warmth of the sun seep into my skin. The others were already running toward the water, Niki and Sunwoo splashing each other while Yunjin tried to wrestle a beach ball from Jungwon.

"Not going in?" Jake's voice broke through my thoughts.

I opened my eyes to find him standing over me, his hair slightly damp from the water and a playful smirk on his face.

"Not yet," I said, sitting up.

"You're not scared of the water, are you?" he teased, crouching down next to me.

"No," I said quickly, though my cheeks flushed at his teasing tone.

"Good," he said, his smirk widening. "Because I was about to drag you in."

Before I could protest, Jake grabbed my wrist and pulled me to my feet.

"Jake!" I shouted, laughing despite myself as he practically hauled me toward the water.

The others cheered as we stumbled into the waves, the cool water splashing against our legs. Jake let go of my wrist just in time for Yunjin to shove a beach ball into my hands, her grin wicked.

"Your turn!" she shouted, stepping back to make room.

The game was chaotic but fun, with everyone yelling and laughing as we tried to keep the ball in the air. Even Jungwon, who usually stayed out of these kinds of things, got caught up in the energy.

At one point, Jake and I both dove for the ball at the same time, colliding in a tangle of limbs and splashes.

"Careful!" Jungwon called out, his voice tinged with concern as Jake helped me to my feet.

"I'm fine," I said, brushing the water off my arms.

"You sure?" Jake asked, his hand lingering on my elbow for a moment longer than necessary.

I nodded, trying to ignore the way my heart skipped at his touch.

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The rest of the day passed in a blur of laughter and sunshine. By the time we returned to the house, everyone was exhausted but happy, their skin warm from the sun and their hair still damp with saltwater.

As the evening settled in, I found myself on the patio, staring out at the horizon. The ocean was calm now, the waves lapping gently against the shore.

"Hey."

I turned to see Jungwon stepping outside, his expression soft but serious.

"Hey," I said, smiling. "What's up?"

He leaned against the railing next to me, his gaze fixed on the water.

"I noticed you and Jake today," he said after a moment, his tone careful.

My stomach twisted, but I kept my expression neutral. "What about us?"

Jungwon hesitated, as if trying to choose his words. "You're my little sister, Haeri. And Jake's my best friend. I just don't want things to get... complicated."

I swallowed hard, his words hitting closer to home than he probably realized. "There's nothing going on between us," I said, though the words felt heavy on my tongue.

Jungwon nodded, but the look in his eyes told me he wasn't entirely convinced.

As he headed back inside, I stayed on the patio, the weight of his words settling over me. Because as much as I wanted to believe what I'd just told him, a part of me knew it wasn't entirely true.

And that scared me more than I was willing to admit.

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