Looking up and forcing herself out of her daze, she meets the eyes of Jungwon from across the table. He wears a look of genuine concern, lips curved downward and brows knitted together ever so lightly.
Sora, Riki and Sunoo catch wind of his worried tone and before Sujin knows it, all their eyes are on her too.
She swallows thickly, "Yeah."
Avoiding the tableful of unconvinced stares, the girl keeps her eyes glued to her plate and wills lunchtime to be over as soon as possible.
★
͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏ ͏͏͏͏͏͏⠀⠀ Moments after the bell rings, signaling the end of lunch, Sujin decides to skip fifth period altogether.
Between everything she'd uncovered in the cafeteria and the fact that her next class is none other than Korean with Chaeyoung herself, she simply doesn't have it in her to sit through the entire lesson without going insane. (Or refraining from smacking Chaeyoung silly for the second day in a row, to be completely honest.)
So she slips away from the crowd of students streaming through the hallways and out of the main building, seeking refuge on a nearby bench.
Immediately, drawn from the hustle and bustle of everything inside, Sujin feels her head begin to clear. She focuses on the rustle of trees in the breeze, and the warm midday sun kissing her skin. The jagged lines of the mountain ranges in the distance feel like a welcome hug, and she feels her eyes flutter shut to take in the brief moment of serenity.
Key word: brief.
It's not long before the peace and quiet is interrupted by the sound of someone loudly clearing their throat.
"Ahem."
Sujin peels a single eye open to see Jake standing over her, his well-built figure blocking the sun from her own.
He raises a brow, "Good morning, sunshine."
Ugh.
"Go away, Jake." Sujin shuts her eye once again, leaning back and stubbornly crossing her arms, "Also, it's way past noon."
Jake pouts, "It would've lost its charm if I said 'Good afternoon'."
"Like it had any charm in the first place."
He sighs.
"Closing your eyes doesn't mean I'm not still here, y'know."
"I'd like to think it does."
Sujin can practically hear the boy's eyes roll at that.
"Sooo... any reason you're out here instead of your fifth period class?" He continues to pry.
"Remember that thing I said about, oh, I don't know... minding your own business?" She quips, avoiding the question entirely, "You should try it out sometime."
"People skipping class is my business, actually."
An image of the badge adorning his blazer momentarily flashes through her mind.
It's quite evident that whatever this is, Jake has no plans to abide by Sujin's wishes and leave her alone anytime soon, so she tears her eyes open once more.
"I'm gonna need to see your hall pass." The boy tips his head to the side expectantly.
"Can I see yours, then?" She shoots him an exaggerated, sickly-sweet smile, lashes batting to prove a point.
"I'm running an errand for my Biology teacher," He shrugs, digging both hands into his pockets.
Sujin scoffs, "Of course you are."
Kiss-ass.
Another sigh, "If you don't show me a hall pass, you're leaving me no choice but to write you up."
"Write me up?" She fights the urge to smack him silly now too, "What, am I on parole or some shit?"
Jake admits, "Kind of, yeah."
"Sounds like one hell of a corrupt system to me."
On one hand, there's Chaeyoung - walking out of the Headmistress' office unscathed and practically draped all over the guy throughout lunch. Then on the other, there's Sujin - who can't even take a breather without getting hounded for a stupid slip of paper.
"Wh-" Sujin's jaw drops indignantly, "You have got to be kidding me."
The Headmistress had introduced her to the Three Strike Rule yesterday, but she didn't think anyone would actually take that bullshit seriously. Though, she supposes, if anyone would - it'd be Jake.
He runs a hand through his hair, a tic Sujin's noticed he does more often than he probably realizes, "Look, I'm just doing my job."
"You should consider taking a vacation." She purses her lips, "Better yet - find a hobby."
"Thanks for the advice." Jake replies sarcastically, "You have two more strikes left, yeah?"
"Whatever."
Sujin sinks further into the bench, re-entering her previous position with eyes closed and arms crossed. Jake shakes his head as he makes his way back up the stairs of the main building.
"Back to class, sunshine!" He calls over his shoulder.
"Screw you, Sim!" Sujin scowls at the ironic nickname, "Don't make this a thing!"
"Mm... I'll think about it!"
Jerk.
SAGE'S SPACE! 🗯️
sujake are literally THE epitome of black cat x golden retriever 😭‼️ and nothing can convince me otherwise. i hope you're all looking forward to more of their interactions, because i literally have sooo much in store for these two you have no idea :')
also... i'm curious, which side are you taking in the mint choco debate? personally, i'm with sora 🙏 #fuckmintchocolate !!!
til next time, sage ♡
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