when the stars align | sim jaeyun

07.

"Relax," Jake said, his tone teasing. "I know you still hate me."

I turned to glare at him, but the way he was smiling—like he wasn't taking anything seriously—made it impossible to stay mad.

"Do you ever stop being annoying?" I asked, exasperated.

"Not when I'm around you," he said easily, standing up.

I followed him to the door, relieved that he was finally leaving. But as he stepped outside, he paused, turning back to look at me.

"By the way," he said, his voice quieter now. "You're welcome. For bringing the notebook."

Before I could respond, he was already walking down the street, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

I closed the door, leaning against it as I tried to process what had just happened.

---

The next day at school, Jake was back to his usual self, teasing and smirking like nothing had changed.

"Morning," he said as I walked into the library for another project session.

"You're early," I said, sitting down across from him.

He shrugged. "Guess I'm taking this project seriously. Unlike some people."

I rolled my eyes but didn't respond, too tired to argue.

We worked in relative silence for a while, though I couldn't help but notice how focused Jake seemed. He wasn't just messing around—he actually knew what he was doing, which was both surprising and frustrating.

"Do you even sleep?" I asked after a while, watching as he scribbled notes in his neat, slanted handwriting.

"Why do you care?" he shot back, glancing up at me with a smirk.

"I don't," I said quickly. "You just look tired, that's all."

Jake's smirk faltered for a moment, but he recovered quickly. "Maybe I've been too busy worrying about this project. You're a tough partner to keep up with, Park."

"Right," I said, narrowing my eyes. "I'm sure that's it."

He didn't respond, but there was something in his expression that made me wonder if I'd hit a nerve.

---

Later that afternoon, as I was walking to my next class, I heard someone call my name.

"Jisun!"

I turned to see Sunghoon jogging toward me, his usual confident grin in place.

"Hey," he said, falling into step beside me. "Haven't seen you around much lately."

"Been busy," I said, trying to keep my tone polite.

Sunghoon chuckled. "With Jake, huh? Heard you two have been spending a lot of time together."

"It's for the science fair," I said quickly, feeling defensive.

"Sure it is," he said, his grin widening. "But you know, if he's giving you a hard time, you can always come to me. I'd be happy to help."

"Thanks," I said, forcing a smile. "But I've got it under control."

Sunghoon looked like he wanted to say more, but before he could, Jake appeared out of nowhere, his expression unreadable.

"Jisun," he said, his tone sharp. "We're going to be late for class."

I frowned, glancing at the clock. "We don't even have the same class."

"Doesn't matter," he said, grabbing my arm. "Let's go."

I barely had time to wave goodbye to Sunghoon before Jake was dragging me down the hall.

"What was that about?" I demanded, pulling my arm free once we were out of earshot.

Jake didn't look at me, his jaw tight. "Nothing. Just stay away from him, okay?"

"Why do you care?" I asked, my frustration bubbling over.

"I don't," he said, his voice cold. "But trust me, Sunghoon isn't as nice as he seems."

Before I could respond, he walked away, leaving me standing in the hallway with more questions than answers.

---