eclipsed | sim jaeyun

06.

-

The morning after Jungwon's words lingered in my head like the remnants of a bad dream. I tried to shake it off, focus on the plans for the day—another round at the beach, maybe some grilled seafood for dinner—but it was hard to forget the way he'd looked at me, like he was already bracing for something to fall apart.

Breakfast was its usual chaos, with Sunwoo and Yunjin arguing over the last pancake and Niki trying to convince Giselle to go snorkeling with him. Jake was his usual charming self, cracking jokes and flipping his hair like he wasn't the human embodiment of a rom-com lead.

"Earth to Haeri," Yunjin said, nudging me.

"What?" I asked, startled.

"You've been staring at Jake for the past minute," she said, smirking.

"I was not," I hissed, my face heating up.

"Sure," she said, drawing the word out. "Totally believe you."

I glared at her, but she just laughed, clearly enjoying my misery.

---

The day's plans shifted when Jungwon suggested renting bikes to explore the island. Everyone agreed instantly, excited at the prospect of seeing more of Jeju's natural beauty.

As we cycled down the winding paths, the air was filled with the scent of wildflowers and the sound of the ocean. It was peaceful, almost enough to make me forget the tension brewing beneath the surface.

Almost.

Jake somehow ended up riding next to me, his pace perfectly matching mine.

"You're pretty good at this," he said, his tone teasing. "Didn't expect you to keep up."

"I could leave you in the dust if I wanted to," I shot back, though I couldn't help but smile.

"Oh, is that a challenge?" he asked, his grin widening.

"Maybe it is."

Without warning, he sped up, leaving me no choice but to chase after him. We weaved through the group, laughter spilling from both of us as we raced down the path.

"Slow down, you two!" Jungwon called from behind, his voice tinged with annoyance.

Jake slowed, glancing back at me with an apologetic shrug. "Guess we're busted."

"Maybe listen to him for once," I said, though my heart was still racing from the excitement.

---

Later that evening, we gathered around the fire pit, roasting marshmallows and sharing stories. The glow of the flames illuminated everyone's faces, casting flickering shadows that danced across the patio.

Jake sat across from me, his gaze catching mine every so often. Each time, I looked away, pretending to be engrossed in the marshmallow I was roasting.

"Remember when Jungwon tried to climb that coconut tree and got stuck halfway up?" Sunwoo said, laughing so hard he nearly dropped his skewer.

"That was Niki's fault," Jungwon said, pointing an accusing finger at him. "He dared me to do it!"

"You didn't have to actually do it," Niki said, smirking.

The laughter rippled through the group, the tension easing for a while. But even as the jokes flew around, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone's eyes were on me.

When I glanced up, I caught Jake staring again. This time, he didn't look away.

---

Later that night, unable to sleep, I found myself wandering back to the patio. The air was cool, the stars scattered across the sky like tiny diamonds.

"You always sneak out like this?" Jake's voice startled me, and I turned to see him leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed.

"Couldn't sleep," I said, avoiding his gaze.

"Same," he said, stepping outside to join me.

For a moment, we stood in silence, the sound of the waves filling the space between us.

"Jungwon talked to me yesterday," I said suddenly, the words spilling out before I could stop them.

Jake raised an eyebrow. "What did he say?"

"Just... warned me to keep things simple," I said, glancing at him. "You know how he gets."

Jake's expression shifted, a flicker of something unreadable passing across his face. "Yeah, I know."

I hesitated, then asked, "What about you? Did he talk to you?"

He shook his head. "Not yet. But I know it's coming."

His honesty caught me off guard, and for a moment, I didn't know what to say.

"You're his sister, Haeri," Jake said finally, his tone soft. "I get why he's protective."

"I can handle myself," I said, a bit more defensively than I intended.

Jake smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I know you can."

The weight of his words hung between us, heavy and unspoken. As much as I wanted to believe we could keep things simple, the cracks were already starting to show.

And deep down, I knew it was only a matter of time before everything came crashing down.

-