? HARD BOY BABY // SIM JAEYUN ?

19

and the bell rang, signalling it was time for class. and so on, seohyun head back to her class and listens to her boring, lecture

the lectures were, not that hard, not that easy...

well, she is honestly greatful for her smartness.

lunch ended quickly as well.

as seohyun and joon were walking to their next class, joon couldn't help but glance sideways at seohyun with a teasing smile.

"so," joon began casually, her tone light and playful, " you and jake, huh? you two looked pretty... cozy." she raised an eyebrow, her grin widening at the flustered expression on seohyun's face. "i mean, are you two... a thing now?"

seohyun's cheeks flushed immediately, and she quickly looked away, trying to hide her embarrassment. "no!!! stop that, me and jake are just friends! how many times do i have to say it!!" she stammered, her voice a little more flustered than she intended.

"mhm, sure," joon teased, walking beside her with an amused glint in her eyes. "just friends, huh?" she nudged seohyun gently with her elbow. "i saw, heard what you've talked, and you guys are TOTALLY not friends, don't deny this to me!"

seohyun opened her mouth to argue but stopped herself, unsure how to explain the complex mix of emotions she had toward jake. she didn't know if she was ready to label whatever this thing between them was. maybe joon was right—maybe there was something there, but it still felt too new, too delicate.

"honestly, i'm not so sure about that," seohyun muttered, still feeling the heat of her cheeks. "we're just... figuring things out."

"figuring things out, huh?" joon's voice was filled with mock understanding, though there was a playful note to it. "you know, i think you like him more than you're letting on. don't try to deny it. i can see it."

seohyun sighed, feeling embarrassed, but couldn't deny that joon had a point. she had been spending a lot of time with jake lately, and a part of her heart fluttered whenever he smiled at her. maybe it was more than just friendship after all.

before she could say anything, joon's gaze shifted to something else. "by the way," joon continued, her voice dropping to a more serious tone, though it was still playful, "who's that guy beside jake? heeseung, right?"

seohyun blinked, surprised by the sudden change in topic. "heeseung?" she echoed, a little confused by why joon was bringing him up.

"yeah, him," joon said, her voice taking on a more romantic undertone as she spoke. "he's got this whole mysterious vibe going on. i mean, he's pretty cute, right? i bet a lot of girls have a thing for him." she smiled to herself, clearly lost in her thoughts for a moment. "he's definitely my type. a little cold, a little distant—totally the brooding type." she turned her gaze back to seohyun with a playful glint in her eyes. "maybe i'll try talking to him more, see if he notices me."

seohyun blinked, not expecting joon to be so open about her interest in heeseung. she knew heeseung was jake's friend, but she hadn't thought much about him romantically—certainly not in the way joon seemed to.

"wait... you like him?" seohyun asked, a little taken aback.

"oh, absolutely," joon said with a smile, her tone light and carefree. "he's got that aloof, quiet thing going on, and i just find it... well, intriguing. there's something about him. he doesn't seem to care what anyone thinks, and i kinda love that." joon shrugged with a grin, clearly unbothered by her own attraction to heeseung.

seohyun felt a small pang in her chest at joon's words. she hadn't really thought about heeseung in that way, and hearing joon so openly interested in him made her wonder if she had missed something. could there be more to heeseung than just being jake's friend?

"so," joon continued, glancing at seohyun with a playful smirk, "are you gonna try to set me up with him or what?" she winked, making it clear she wasn't being serious—but there was a hint of real curiosity behind her words.

seohyun let out a nervous laugh, trying to brush off the awkwardness. "i—i don't know. maybe you should just talk to him yourself," she said quickly, avoiding joon's teasing gaze. deep down, she wasn't sure what to think about heeseung. joon was right—he was distant, a little mysterious, but also... someone she hadn't paid enough attention to.

"you're no help, seohyun," joon teased, nudging her again. "but seriously, heeseung's definitely worth getting to know. maybe one of these days, i'll just make my move."

seohyun couldn't help but feel a little uneasy about the idea of joon and heeseung. the thought of joon getting close to him felt like it was pulling her in a direction she wasn't ready for. it was a strange feeling, but it was there, tightening in her chest.

"well, good luck," seohyun said, trying to sound casual, but her mind was already racing with a thousand thoughts.

as they reached the classroom, joon shot her a sly smile before walking in. "thanks, i'll need it," she said over her shoulder, leaving seohyun standing there, lost in her own thoughts.

seohyun couldn't shake the feeling that things were shifting—between her and jake, between her and heeseung, and maybe even between her and joon. everything felt like it was up in the air, and she wasn't sure what to do with any of it.