when the stars align | sim jaeyun

21.

-

The next morning, the entire group gathered outside the hotel to board the buses for a day of sightseeing. It felt like everything was returning to normal, except for the silent space between Jake and me. We hadn't spoken since our conversation the day before. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. 

I could feel his presence even from a distance, like a pull that I couldn't ignore. And yet, every time I tried to look at him, I felt my chest tighten, like the air had become too thick to breathe. 

As we climbed onto the bus, I found myself sitting next to Yuna and Yunjin, trying to avoid making eye contact with Jake. I couldn't bring myself to sit anywhere near him, not after the rawness of yesterday. 

"Jisun," Yunjin whispered, nudging me. "Are you okay?" 

I nodded quickly, offering a small smile. "Yeah. Just... tired." 

But Yunjin wasn't buying it. She looked at me with concern. "You sure it's just that? You've been off for a while now." 

I sighed. "I'm just trying to figure things out." 

"With Jake?" Yuna chimed in, glancing at me over her shoulder. 

I didn't say anything at first. It was hard to talk about it without feeling like I was exposing something that I wasn't ready to face. "I don't know what's going on with him. We used to be close, and now..." 

"You two are a mess," Yunjin said bluntly, shaking her head. "But you need to talk to him, Jisun. You can't keep avoiding this." 

I didn't respond, just stared out of the window as the bus began to roll through the streets of Jeju. I didn't have an answer. I didn't know how to fix this. 

---

jake's pov.

I was losing it. 

Every time I saw Jisun, I felt like I was a step away from doing something stupid. Like walking right up to her and finally saying what had been on my mind for months. But I couldn't do that. I couldn't just drop everything and pretend that everything would magically be okay. 

We were standing on different sides of this invisible wall. She had every right to be confused, angry even, but I couldn't let myself be the one to make the first move. 

It wasn't that I didn't care about her. Hell, I cared about her more than I wanted to admit. But there was too much at stake. 

So I did what I always did—I shut down. 

---

jisun's pov.

The day passed in a haze of sightseeing and group activities. We visited the famous lava tubes, wandered around a traditional Korean village, and then spent a few hours by the beach. Everyone else was having fun, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing. 

Every time I caught sight of Jake, I noticed how distant he was, even in the middle of the group. It wasn't like he was ignoring me, but there was a wall—one I couldn't get through no matter how hard I tried. 

When we reached the beach in the afternoon, the entire class started running toward the water, but I stayed back, sitting on a bench near the edge of the shore. The sand felt cool beneath my feet, and I let my mind wander. 

The sound of laughter and splashing came from behind me, and I felt a warm presence sit next to me without looking. "You okay?" 

I turned to see Yuna, her expression soft with concern. "Yeah. Just... thinking." 

"About Jake?" she asked gently. 

I nodded, running a hand through my hair. "I don't know what to do anymore. He's so different now. I don't know if I can handle him shutting me out like this." 

Yuna's face softened with sympathy. "I know it's hard, Jisun. But you can't keep pretending like it's not affecting you. It's okay to feel hurt." 

"I know," I said quietly. "It just feels like everything changed so fast. One moment, we were friends, and the next... I don't even know who he is anymore." 

Yuna reached over and squeezed my hand. "I know it's not easy, but you have to remember—he's not the only one going through something. You're both trying to figure it out. Maybe just talk to him. Even if it's hard." 

I wanted to tell her that I wasn't ready yet. That I needed more time to sort through my emotions. But deep down, I knew she was right. 

The rest of the day passed with an aching weight in my chest. I couldn't keep pretending that everything was fine when it clearly wasn't. 

---

Later that evening, after a dinner at the hotel, the group gathered in the lobby to relax. The room was loud with chatter, but I could barely focus on the conversation. My thoughts kept drifting back to Jake. 

It was hard to ignore the pull between us, the way our eyes would meet across the room, the way I could almost feel his presence even when he wasn't directly in front of me. 

I found myself walking toward the balcony, needing some fresh air. When I stepped outside, the cool breeze hit my face, and for a moment, I felt free. But then, of course, Jake appeared beside me. 

He leaned against the railing, his hands in his pockets, looking out at the night sky. "Nice out here," he said, his voice unusually quiet. 

"Yeah," I replied, glancing over at him. There was a brief pause before I added, "I don't understand you, Jake." 

He turned to me, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" 

"You act like you don't care about me anymore," I said, my voice shaking slightly despite my efforts to keep it steady. "You've been shutting me out, and I don't get why." 

Jake didn't answer right away. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully, like he was calculating something. "It's not that simple," he finally said, his voice low. "I don't know how to explain it." 

"Then don't," I said, my voice rising slightly. "But you can't keep pretending like nothing happened. You can't keep pretending like I'm not standing here, like you don't care at all." 

He sighed, looking away. "I'm not pretending." 

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. "Then what? What is this, Jake?" 

Jake glanced at me again, his eyes softening for a brief moment. He opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself. 

The moment hung in the air, thick with unspoken words. 

Then, without another word, Jake turned and walked back inside, leaving me standing on the balcony, alone with my thoughts. 

-——————————————————————————

watching their miscommunication is so insufferable😭
(as if i'm not the one writing the plot)
but TRUST they'll have a better talk soon