Tangled hearts

Jake sat at a small corner table in the café, staring blankly at the cup of coffee in front of him. The rich aroma filled the air, but he barely noticed. His fingers traced the rim of the cup absentmindedly as his thoughts swirled, tangled and heavy.

He hadn’t been able to focus on anything all day—not in class, not even when Ni-ki had practically thrown himself onto his desk, demanding attention. His mind was consumed with a single thought: He had to end this.

The fake dating. The act. The lie.

He had agreed to this arrangement thinking it would be easy. A simple and harmless deal. But now, with Heeseung’s confession, his own conflicting emotions, and the crushing guilt that wouldn’t leave him alone, Jake knew he couldn’t keep doing this.

It wasn’t fun anymore.

The pressure was too much. He was stuck in a whirlwind of confusion—trying to figure out how to respond to Heeseung, trying to ignore the way Sunghoon’s presence made his heart do strange, unfamiliar things, and trying to maintain the fake relationship without losing himself in the process.

It was too much. He needed to stop before things got worse.

The bell above the café door chimed, and Jake looked up just in time to see Sunghoon walk in.

Sunghoon was easy to spot. His dark sweater contrasted against his fair skin, his hair slightly damp from the cold outside. He ran a hand through it as he scanned the café, his eyes landing on Jake with a small smile. He looked completely at ease, as if this were just another casual meetup between them.

Jake swallowed hard.

He watched as Sunghoon approached, slipping into the seat across from him with an easygoing grin. "Hey" he greeted, stretching his arms before glancing at Jake’s untouched coffee. "You didn’t order food? That’s so unlike you."

Jake forced a small chuckle. "I wasn’t really hungry."

Sunghoon raised an eyebrow. "Are you alright? You've been spacing out since yesterday."

Of course, he’d notice.

Jake exhaled, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He didn’t know how to start. He had been running through different ways to say it in his head, but now, sitting across from Sunghoon, all of them felt wrong. But it's all just an act anyway. Why does it feel so hard?, he thought.

Sunghoon was staring at him expectantly, his lips curled into that casual, confident smirk. He had no idea what was coming.

Jake clenched his fists under the table. "Sunghoon… we need to talk."

Sunghoon’s brows furrowed slightly. "That sounds serious."

"It is." Jake inhaled deeply, steadying himself. "I just, I don’t think I can do this fake dating thing anymore."

For a second, Sunghoon didn’t react. He just blinked.

Then, a small, amused laugh escaped him. "Wait, what? Why are you saying it like you’re breaking up with me for real?"

Jake didn’t laugh. He kept his gaze steady, his expression unreadable.

Sunghoon’s smile slowly faded. "You’re serious?"

Jake nodded. "Yeah."

A flicker of confusion passed over Sunghoon’s face. "But… why? Did something happen? I thought everything was going fine."

"It’s not," Jake admitted. His fingers tightened around his cup. "At least not for me."

Sunghoon sat back, folding his arms. "Jake, if this is about you feeling bad for me or something, don’t. You don’t have to worry about what other people think—"

"It’s not about that," Jake interrupted, shaking his head. "It’s me. I’m… overwhelmed. A lot has been going on, and I just don’t think I can keep pretending to be in a relationship on top of everything else."

Sunghoon stared at him, studying his expression carefully. "Jake, if something’s bothering you, you can tell me. You know that, right?"

Jake hesitated. He wanted to. He wanted to tell Sunghoon everything—about Heeseung, about his confusion, about the way this fake relationship was making things more complicated than they needed to be.

But he couldn’t.

Instead, he just nodded stiffly. "I know. I just think it’s better if we stop this now before it becomes a bigger mess."

A beat of silence passed between them.

Sunghoon didn’t look angry. He didn’t even look particularly upset. But there was something in his eyes—something almost unreadable, like he was searching for an answer in Jake’s face.

Finally, he exhaled, rubbing his temple. "Alright. If you really want to stop, then I won’t force you to keep going."

Jake’s shoulders sagged with relief. He had been expecting more pushback, but Sunghoon was taking this surprisingly well.

"But," Sunghoon added, his gaze sharp, "I don’t believe you’re telling me the full story."

Jake stiffened. "What do you mean?"

Sunghoon leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "I know you, Jake. You wouldn’t just drop this unless something was seriously messing with you."

Jake’s throat tightened. He averted his gaze. "It’s complicated."

Sunghoon hummed, tilting his head. "Complicated like… Heeseung?"

Jake’s head snapped up, eyes wide. "W-What?"

Sunghoon let out a small chuckle. "I’m not stupid, Jake. I saw how weird you were acting in class today. And Heeseung? He looked like someone kicked his puppy. I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but I know it has something to do with this."

Jake didn’t know how to respond. His pulse was racing, his mind blank.

Sunghoon’s gaze softened slightly. "Look, if this is because of Heeseung, you don’t have to tell me right now. But I just want you to know—you can talk to me, alright? You don’t have to deal with everything on your own."

Jake swallowed the lump in his throat. He had wanted to end this fake dating arrangement so he could lessen the pressure on himself, but somehow, sitting across from Sunghoon now, he felt just as overwhelmed.

Sunghoon wasn’t making this difficult. If anything, he was being understanding. And somehow, that made it worse.

Jake forced a small smile. "Thanks, Sunghoon."

Sunghoon smirked slightly. "Yeah, yeah. Just don’t go ghosting me after this. I still need a partner for chemistry class."

Jake let out a small laugh, feeling the tension lift just a little.

But even as they shifted the conversation to something lighter, he couldn’t shake the feeling that nothing was truly resolved.

Because despite ending the deal, the mess inside his head was far from untangled.

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