-
The car ride home was unusually quiet.
Yunjin, who was usually a chatterbox after any school event, kept stealing glances at me like she wanted to say something but wasn't sure if she should. Giselle sat in the backseat, scrolling through her phone, blissfully unaware of the tension hanging in the air.
When we finally pulled up to my house, Yunjin leaned over and grabbed my arm before I could step out.
"Hey," she said softly. "Are you okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked, forcing a smile.
"You know why."
I swallowed hard, avoiding her gaze. "It's fine, Yunjin. Really."
She didn't look convinced, but she let me go. "Call me if you want to talk, okay?"
I nodded, closing the car door behind me.
---
That night, I couldn't sleep.
The image of Jake looking at me from across the gym kept replaying in my head like a broken record. There was something in his eyes—something raw, like he was holding back more than he was letting on.
But wasn't I doing the same?
I groaned, burying my face in my pillow. This was ridiculous. He was my brother's best friend. Jungwon would never let this slide, and I wasn't even sure if Jake wanted me to.
Still, the memory of his voice from the pantry lingered.
"You don't know how hard it is to keep pretending this doesn't exist."
---
Sunday morning came too quickly, and with it, the inevitable: Jungwon and Jake hanging out in our living room.
I had barely stepped out of my room when I heard their voices drifting up from downstairs.
"I can't believe we almost lost that game," Jungwon was saying.
"Yeah, it was close," Jake replied, his tone casual.
I froze at the top of the stairs, my heart racing. I could hear Jake perfectly, which meant he'd hear me if I moved even a fraction.
"Haeri came to watch, didn't she?" Jake asked after a beat.
"She did," Jungwon replied. "Why?"
"No reason," Jake said quickly, but his voice sounded different—tighter somehow.
I didn't wait to hear more. Quietly, I tiptoed back to my room and shut the door.
---
Later that afternoon, I ventured downstairs, telling myself I couldn't hide in my room forever.
Jungwon was sprawled on the couch, flipping through channels, while Jake sat in the armchair, scrolling through his phone.
"Hey," Jungwon said, glancing up. "Finally decided to come out of your cave?"
"Funny," I muttered, heading for the kitchen.
"You missed breakfast," he called after me. "I made pancakes."
"Not hungry," I replied, though it was a lie.
I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I walked into the kitchen—maybe for Jake to ignore me, like he usually did when Jungwon was around. But when I reached for a glass in the cupboard, I felt his gaze on me, steady and unrelenting.
"Need help with that?" he asked, his voice low enough that Jungwon couldn't hear.
I turned to look at him, but his expression was unreadable. "I'm fine," I said quickly.
"Sure you are," he said, his lips twitching like he was trying not to smile.
"Jake!" Jungwon's voice interrupted whatever tension had started to build between us. "Stop flirting with my sister and help me find the game highlights."
My cheeks burned. "He's not flirting," I snapped, grabbing the glass and turning back to the sink.
"Yeah, not flirting," Jake said, though his tone was light and teasing.
"Good," Jungwon replied. "Because that'd be gross."
I didn't trust myself to look at either of them after that.
---
By the time dinner rolled around, Jake had left, and I was starting to feel like I could breathe again. But Jungwon, as usual, had other plans.
"Why are you so jumpy around Jake lately?" he asked out of nowhere, shoveling rice into his mouth like he hadn't eaten in days.
"I'm not jumpy," I said, stabbing at my food.
"You are," he insisted. "Is he bothering you? Because if he is, I can—"
"No," I said quickly, cutting him off. "He's not bothering me. I just... I don't know. He's your friend, not mine."
Jungwon frowned, clearly not convinced. "You used to be fine around him."
"Well, people change," I muttered.
"Yeah, apparently," he said, giving me one last suspicious look before returning to his dinner.
---
That night, I found myself staring at my phone, debating whether to text Jake.
I didn't know what I'd say, or if he'd even reply, but the urge to talk to him was overwhelming.
Before I could overthink it, I opened our chat and typed out a quick message.
jake🧍
haeriii
did you mean what you said the other night?
I hit send before I could chicken out, my heart pounding as I waited for a reply.
It came faster than I expected.
jake🧍
every word.
I stared at the screen, unsure of how to respond.
haeriii
then why are you acting normal?
jake🧍
because it's the only way I know how to protect you
haeriii
from what?
There was a long pause before his next message came through.
jake🧍
from me
My breath caught in my throat, and I quickly turned off my phone, burying it under my pillow like that might erase the conversation.
But the damage was already done.
Because no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't stop myself from wanting more.
-