Falling for you • Y.JW ✔

Chapter 6: A Game of Hearts

The day of the campus festival had finally arrived, bringing with it a whirlwind of excitement, music, and the scent of street food wafting through the air. Stalls lined the courtyard, and students bustled around, eager to participate in the various games and activities.

Among the crowd, Jungwon stood with his hands in his pockets, scanning the festival grounds. He was waiting for her.

"Looking for someone?" Heeseung smirked, nudging his shoulder.

Jungwon scoffed. "No."

Jay raised an eyebrow. "Right. So that intense scanning of the crowd is just for fun?"

"Shut up," Jungwon muttered.

Just then, a familiar voice rang out.

"Jungwon!"

He turned, and there she was—Hyemi, dressed casually in a fitted top and jeans, her hair tied up in a loose ponytail. She looked effortlessly pretty, but Jungwon quickly shoved that thought aside.

She was with her friends—Yuna, Hyeri, and Wonyoung—and they seemed to be just as aware of the tension between them as his own friends were.

"Wow, you guys are actually outside and not in the library," Hyemi teased, crossing her arms.

Jungwon smirked. "Shocking, I know."

Niki, always the troublemaker, suddenly grinned. "Hey, since we're all here, how about a friendly game?"

Sunghoon caught on quickly. "Yeah. Something competitive."

Jungwon shot him a glare, but Hyemi's interest was already piqued. "What kind of game?"

Jay pointed to one of the booths. "A couple's game."

The moment the words left his mouth, both Jungwon and Hyemi snapped their heads toward him in sync.

"What?!"

Jay just grinned. "It's a relay challenge. You pair up, complete different tasks, and race to the finish. Loser buys food for the winner."

"Sounds fun!" Yuna chimed in.

Hyemi hesitated, but Wonyoung nudged her. "Come on, Hyemi. Don't back out now."

Jungwon huffed. "Fine. But if we do this, I refuse to lose."

Hyemi smirked. "Like I'd let you win."

—

The game had multiple rounds: a three-legged race, a balloon-popping challenge, and finally, a guessing game where one partner had to describe a word while the other guessed.

Jungwon and Hyemi were paired up—something that seemed to amuse everyone else. Meanwhile, Jake had teamed up with Yuna, which Jungwon tried very hard not to care about.

"Alright, first up, three-legged race," the announcer called.

Jungwon and Hyemi awkwardly tied their legs together.

"Try to keep up, will you?" Jungwon teased.

Hyemi elbowed him lightly. "Just don't trip, genius."

The whistle blew.

They moved surprisingly in sync, despite their bickering. Other pairs struggled, but Jungwon and Hyemi kept their rhythm—until Jake and Yuna sped up beside them.

Jungwon gritted his teeth. No way am I losing to Jake.

Without thinking, he grabbed Hyemi's waist and pulled her closer, eliminating any space between them.

Hyemi gasped. "W-What are you—"

"Just move," he muttered.

She followed his lead, and together, they crossed the finish line first.

The second challenge was easier: popping a balloon by pressing against each other.

Jungwon smirked. "Don't tell me you're shy, Hyemi."

"Shut up and just do it," she grumbled, pushing against the balloon with her back against his chest.

The balloon popped instantly, but Jungwon's brain short-circuited for a second. He hadn't realized just how close they were.

The final round was the guessing game.

Hyemi stood in front of Jungwon while he described words.

"Uh... It's round, you eat it, toppings—"

"Pizza!"

"Right. Uh, this thing we're doing right now—"

"Competition!"

Jungwon smirked. "Figures you'd say that. But no, I meant festival."

Hyemi scowled. "Be more specific next time!"

They were neck and neck with Jake and Yuna, and Jungwon was not about to let them win.

The final word appeared.

Jungwon hesitated.

Love.

He glanced at Hyemi, who was waiting expectantly.

He should just say something simple—"affection," "romance," anything. But instead, the words that left his mouth were,

"...What I feel when I'm with you."

Hyemi froze.

Time slowed as their eyes met, her expression unreadable.

The buzzer rang. They had lost.

But for once, Jungwon didn't care.

Because in that moment, he realized—he really was in love with his rival.