— “He punched someone.”
It started with a cough.
Jake was sitting on the edge of the courtyard fountain, unwrapping his sandwich while Jay yelled about losing his math notes and Heeseung tried to drink two banana milks at once.
Sunghoon stood beside the bench, quiet as usual, sipping barley tea like none of the chaos applied to him.
Jake, soft-voiced, had just said, “I think this is the best lunch spot so far,” when a voice called out from across the yard.
Too loud. Too sharp.
“Yo, Aussie boy.”
Jake looked up.
A group of senior from another class stood nearby, one of them leaning against a bike rack, arms crossed. Tan blazer. Messy hair. That smug, twisted half-smile Jake had already learned to ignore.
Sunghoon’s head turned.
The boy — Minjae, that was his name — smirked. “Did you understand that? Should I slow down my Korean?”
Jay’s mouth dropped open.
Jake blinked. “I—I understood.”
Minjae snorted. “Look at that. Accent’s still there. Bet you still need subtitles to make friends.”
Jake didn’t say anything. Just lowered his gaze and folded his sandwich wrapper slowly.
Heeseung stood up. “Hey—”
Sunghoon moved.
It wasn’t loud.
It wasn’t dramatic.
He just walked forward, calm as anything, and socked Minjae across the face.
One hit.
Clean.
Precise.
Minjae stumbled, grabbing his cheek. “What the fu—?!”
Sunghoon didn’t blink. “You were being disrespectful.”
Silence echoed in the courtyard.
Jay: frozen.
Heeseung: slack-jawed.
Jake: stunned.
A teacher appeared from the doors, heels clicking. “What’s going on out here?”
Minjae opened his mouth, still clutching his jaw.
Sunghoon turned. “It was me.”
Ten minutes later, the group sat on a bench outside the nurse’s office.
Jake held the ointment bottle like it might bite him.
Sunghoon sat beside him, knuckles already cleaned and bandaged, face blank.
Jay paced. “He punched someone. He actually punched someone.”
Heeseung: “And not just anyone. That guy’s the famous bully.”
Sunghoon only muttered out, “And a dick.”
Jake stared. “You didn’t have to do that.”
Sunghoon turned his head slightly. “I know.”
“You could’ve gotten in serious trouble.”
“I didn’t.”
Jake exhaled slowly, then opened the ointment. “Let me see your hand again.”
Sunghoon held it out without a word.
Jake dabbed carefully at the edge of the bandage. His brow furrowed. “You have calluses.”
“I skate.”
Jake looked up. “You punched him for me?”
Sunghoon didn’t answer.
“Sunghoon.”
“…Yes.”
Jake’s heart did something weird in his chest.
Jay leaned down. “You don’t like when he punches people?”
Jake turned bright red. “That’s not—! I mean—no—I mean—!”
Sunghoon, dryly: “You’re making it worse.”
Jake glared at all of them, flustered beyond repair.
Heeseung flopped beside him. “You’re like a Disney prince and he’s the dragon who fell in love.”
Sunghoon: “That doesn’t make sense.”
Jay: “You don’t make sense. You just committed a crime of passion.”
Jake, still blushing, blew gently on the bandage and mumbled, “Next time… don’t get hurt for me.”
Sunghoon looked at him for a long moment.
Then softly: “Next time, don’t let people talk to you like that.”
Jake blinked. “I wasn’t going to fight him.”
“I know.”
“But you did.”
Sunghoon didn’t look away. “Every time. I will.”
Later that day, Jake found a post-it in his locker.
Written in neat handwriting:
> “If anyone else bothers you, tell me.
— PSH”
Jay, peeking over his shoulder: “A love letter. From the bodyguard boyfriend.”
Jake rolled his eyes, but he didn’t throw it away.
He kept it in his wallet.
Right behind his student ID.
end of chapter
YOU ARE READING
Only You, Jaeyun | JAKEHOON
Fanfiction"Even the cold melts a little when you smile." Cold hands. Warm hearts. One slow-blooming love.
