ECLIPSED.
➢ Sim Jaeyun
❝ I never thought I'd fall for you. But now that I have, I can't imagine not having you by my side. ❞
Haeri Yang has always lived a predictable life- that is until her world is turned upside down when she finds herself falling...
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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.
