Jake adjusted his tie for the fourth time, his fingers slightly damp with sweat against the silk.
This was the final interview.
Out of three hundred applicants, only a handful remained, sitting in the impeccable leather chairs of the 12th-floor waiting room. Jake kept his eyes on his tablet, memorizing financial reports, forcing his heart rate down.
You need this job, he reminded himself. You worked too hard to let nerves ruin it now.
The big glass doors opened.
Jake didn't look up immediately; people had been walking in and out all morning. But when he casually glanced up, expecting another applicant. Instead, his heart nearly stopped.
Walking toward the reception desk was a tall, lean man in a perfectly shaped charcoal suit. But it wasn't just his height that made Jake freeze. As the man waited for the receptionist to look up, he reached down with his right hand, his long fingers lightly rolling the silver watch on his left wrist—a small, restless habit he always did when he was focused or tense.
Jake's pulse increased.
He looked up past the silver watch, taking in the sharp jawline, the perfectly styled hair, and those beautiful, piercing eyes.
Heeseung.
~ Five years ago ~
The afternoon sun was bright, cutting through the dusty blinds of the empty science lab. The rest of the guys; Jay, Sunghoon, Sunoo, Ni-ki, and Jungwon—had already run down to the cafeteria, their loud laughter echoing down the hallway.
Jake had stayed behind under the feigning of packing his notes, but the truth was simpler: Heeseung hadn't moved from his desk.
"You're going to be late for lunch," Jake murmured, his voice sounding soft in the quiet room.
Heeseung just stood up, walked over to Jake's desk, and leaned against the edge of it. He reached down, his fingers wrapping around the strap of Jake's backpack to pull it closer. As he did, his knuckles intentionally brushed and lingered against the bare skin of Jake's wrist.
Heeseung leaned in, his eyes dropping to Jake's lips for an agonizingly long three seconds before looking back up, his breath hitting Jake's cheek.
"Let them go ahead," Heeseung whispered, his thumb lightly pressing into Jake's skin. "Stay here with me a little longer."
They hadn't dated.
They hadn't labeled it.
But every touch from Heeseung felt like they belonged to each other.
That was until a month later, Heeseung's desk was empty.
No texts.
No goodbye.
Just a persisting ache where that hand used to linger.
~ Present day ~
YOU ARE READING
Off The Record || Heejake
Fanfiction𓏲🪽˚. ˖ . ݁ Five years ago, Heeseung vanished overnight without a single word. He left Jake with heartbreak he couldn't even explain to their mutual friends, since they never officially dated. Now, Jake is at a high-stakes interview for a job h...
