Breaking Point ➨ Sim Jaeyun

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Stella's pov:

Did he just... look at me?

Wait—

He did.

Did he?

I blinked, pretending to scroll through my phone while my heart thumped way harder than it should've. 

Maybe I was imagining it.

He's Jake. He looks at everyone. He flirts with everyone.

But that glance— it wasn't the usual "playboy smirk" thing he always had going on. It was quick, almost caught off guard. Like he wasn't expecting to see me either.

I shook my head. Get a grip, Stella.

Yunjin nudged me, her straw between her lips. "What's up with you? You spaced out again."

"Nothing," I muttered, trying to sound as normal as possible. "Just... tired."

Lie. Obviously.

Because tired people don't feel their stomach twist when someone looks at them.

I glanced back at Jake's table before I could stop myself. He was laughing with Sunghoon and the others, acting like nothing happened. Like he didn't just mess with my entire train of thought with one damn look.

And maybe he didn't. Maybe I was just reading too much into it.

But something about the way he looked away— too quickly, too casual— made me think otherwise.

Yunjin nudged me again, "You sure it's nothing? You've been staring at him for the past minute.."

I froze.

God, I hated how easily she could read me.

"shut the fucking hell up, it's nothing."

But deep down, I knew it wasn't nothing.

Something about him felt different lately.

Or maybe something about me was changing.

For fuck sake I need a break.

The cafeteria suddenly felt too stuffy — too loud, too full of thoughts I didn't want to have.

"I'm heading somewhere," I muttered as I stood up.

Hanni looked up from her snack. "Where you going?"

"Just... rooftop," I said simply, grabbing my drink. She shrugged, used to my random escapes by now.

As I walked past Jake's table, I didn't mean to look. But my eyes did anyway.

Empty.

The spot where he usually sat — legs propped, laughing too loud, throwing that grin at anyone who'd listen — was empty.

Weird.

I didn't think much of it and continued down the hallway, pushing through the stairwell door that led up to the rooftop.

The moment the wind hit my face, I exhaled. Finally. Silence.

The sky stretched endlessly above me, blue fading into soft gold. It was quiet enough to hear my own heartbeat again — something that hadn't calmed down since that stupid glance earlier.

I leaned on the railing, closing my eyes for just a second—

"Didn't think anyone else came up here."