GOLDEN STRINGS | Heejake

Chapter 1: The mysterious lover

The morning sun poured into the classroom like it owned the place, bouncing off the polished desks and right into Sim Jaeyun’s half-squinting eyes.

He yawned, golden skin glowing under the sunlight, and ran a lazy hand through his soft brown hair, earning a few dreamy sighs from nearby classmates.

The boy was practically built to be admired. The resident golden retriever of Yeonghwa High—charming, loyal, disarmingly polite, and always wearing that damn sunshine smile that made even the teachers suspiciously nicer to him.

Unfortunately for Jaeyun, none of his natural blessings protected him from what was about to happen.

“Jake!” a voice chirped from behind. “I have news.”

Jaeyun didn’t even have to turn around to know who it was. That combination of sass and sugar could only belong to Yang Jungwon, his best friend since elementary school—a boy who looked like a marshmallow but burned like chili if provoked.

Jungwon dropped dramatically into the seat next to him, perfectly glossed lips twitching like he was holding in something nuclear. He adjusted his uniform collar, cleared his throat, and batted his lashes with theatrical elegance.

Jake blinked. “Are you… dying?”

“I’m in love.” Jungwon placed a hand over his chest like he was clutching pearls instead of a basic white shirt from the school uniform catalog.

Jake blinked again, slower this time. “Again?”

“No, not again. This is different,” Jungwon said, his voice dropping to a secretive whisper that still somehow echoed through the room.

“This time… it’s serious. Like... end-credits-of-a-romcom serious.”

“You’ve said that about a guy who cheated on you with his cousin,” Jake reminded him gently, resting his chin on his hand.

“That was ONE TIME,” Jungwon snapped, before softening.

“Besides, I didn’t know they were cousins until it was too late.”

Jake gave him a long look. “They had the same last name.”

“They were close cousins!” Jungwon hissed. “ANYWAY—this is different. His name is Heeseung. And I’ve been seeing him for a month.”

Jaeyun dropped his pencil. “A month? Are you telling me now because you're pregnant?”

“Emotionally, yes.” Jungwon crossed his legs, smug. “You’re probably wondering why I didn’t tell you sooner.”

“A little bit, yeah!” Jake flailed his hands.

“We text every day! We game together! I LITERALLY let you cry into my hoodie when that pianist guy ghosted you—and got engaged three days later?!”

Jungwon waved him off. “You wouldn’t have approved. You get all big-brotherly and suspicious and ‘protective,’ and I didn’t want your judgy golden retriever eyes staring into my soul every time I mentioned his name.”

“I don’t have judgy golden retriever eyes!”

Jungwon took out his phone, opened the camera, angled it toward Jake, and turned it around. Jake looked. The photo did, in fact, feature the most judgmental golden retriever face ever seen on a human being.

He sighed. “Fine. But you really kept it from me for a whole month? That’s like… thirty days! That’s four failed talking stages in Jungwon years!”

“Okay, rude,” Jungwon muttered. “But fair.”

Jake crossed his arms. “So, what’s so special about this Heeseung guy?”

“Tall.” Jungwon raised one manicured finger.

Jake nodded. “Go on.”

“Jawline? Sharper than my standards. Which, by the way, have been elevated recently.”

Jake leaned back. “Oh, so like, slightly above sea level now.”

Jungwon kicked him under the table.

“Okay okay! What else?”

“His voice? Sounds like a sexy audiobook narrator,” Jungwon sighed dreamily. “Like if a warm blanket and sin had a baby.”

Jake’s face did a thing. “That’s… a sentence.”

“AND,” Jungwon added dramatically, “he doesn’t play games with my heart.”

“He doesn’t play any games,” Jake muttered.

“That sounds like a red flag. Is he one of those boring mature types that reads Nietzsche in cafés?”

“He’s mysterious,” Jungwon said defensively. “He’s mature, not boring. He's in college already.”

Jake’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re dating an older guy? What’s next, you going to drive him to the bank in your little pink scooter?”

“It’s lavender! And don’t be a hater just because you’re single and tragically wholesome!”

Jake gasped. “I am not tragically wholesome.”

“You kissed a girl once in sixth grade and apologized to her cat afterward.”

“It looked scared!”

“It was a ceramic figurine, Jake.”

“Whatever,” Jake grumbled. “So, when do I get to meet this… audiobook blanket man?”

Jungwon grinned, eyes glittering. “Funny you ask. Because…”

Jake’s stomach dropped. “Because?”

“Because… he’s picking me up after school today.”

Jake immediately imagined a black car, tinted windows, a guy in sunglasses with a deep voice and suspiciously good skin, possibly from a mafia drama.

“Is he going to eat you or something?”

“Hopefully not in public,” Jungwon said sweetly.

“YANG JUNGWON!”

Jungwon cackled like a hyena and leaned back. “Relax. You can meet him. He’s actually really polite. He doesn’t bite—unless I ask.”

“OH MY GOD—”

“Anyway, it’s happening. Just… be nice, okay?”

Jake groaned but nodded. “Fine. For you. But if he turns out to be some creepy 30-year-old philosopher who lures high school kids with existential questions and leather jackets, I will throw hands.”

Jungwon patted his arm. “And that’s why I love you, you dumb golden himbo.”

Jake paused. “Wait, did you just call me a himbo?”

The bell rang. Jungwon skipped ahead, blowing a kiss over his shoulder. “See you after school, puppy.”

Jake sat back in his chair, dazed, stunned, and vaguely alarmed.

There was a mystery boyfriend in the picture. He was older. Possibly suave. Possibly evil. Possibly—somehow—both. And Jake was going to meet him today.

One thing was certain:

This was not going to be a normal day.