|JAKEHOON| Unique in All the World

14

"We need to talk."

Jake flinched as he heard Sunghoon's voice. The look in Sunghoon's eyes wasn't intense, but strangely, that made Jake feel even more uneasy. He didn't know what to expect and every fiber in his body told him that he was treading on extremely thin ice. He would have to choose his words carefully or else... Jake didn't even want to think about what would happen if things went wrong with Sunghoon.

"Did you have a good time with Heeseung-sunbae?" Sunghoon asked in a dangerously calm tone. 

Alarm bells rang in Jake's head. How had Sunghoon known about that? He had purposely said nothing when he left Sunghoon's house earlier. He desperately wanted to know how Sunghoon knew, but he knew he couldn't ask.

Jake knew Sunghoon well enough to know that Sunghoon's cool appearance was all a facade, but what he didn't know was what Sunghoon would be like if it collapsed. Or rather, when it collapsed.

"Uh, yeah. It was nice," Jake replied. 

"It was just dinner," Jake added in a hurry. "Nothing special."

Sunghoon's face was still impossible to read as a silence hung around the two boys like a dark omen. 

Surprisingly, it was Jake who broke the silence. He just couldn't stand the tension that was wrapped around him and the cold expressionless boy in front of him.

"Are you okay? Did you eat my soup-"

"Are you Jaeyoon?" Sunghoon asked abruptly.

Jake froze as he felt as if he was caught in the middle of a dozen searchlights. He hadn't known what to expect from this sudden confrontation, but it most certainly was not this. He knew that Sungoon would eventually find out that he was Jaeyoon, especially because Heeseung had recognized him. But he thought that he would at least have the rest of the weekend to think things over. 

Right now, the only thing Jake could think about was apologizing. He knew how much Sunghoon must have been hurt by how things ended 12 years ago. 

"Sunghoon, I-"

"Just answer the question."

"..."

Jake felt his eyes begin to water as he felt trapped with no way out. He couldn't lie to Sunghoon, he just couldn't do that. But telling him the truth... That was somehow worse.

He thought about how just a day ago, Sunghoon and he had talked to each other so comfortably. How they had laughed at Jay's ridiculous antics to get Jungwon to like him. How they had walked side-by-side so effortlessly. 

Jake almost wanted to laugh out loud. In the course of 24 hours, he had transferred to a new school, fallen for a cute boy that he knew from 12 years ago, slept and cuddled with said cute boy, and now, he was about to break that boy's heart. And Jake could tell that it would take nothing less than a miracle to bridge whatever canyon was about to made by Jake's next words.

"Yes," Jake said in a soft voice as he stared at the ground. He couldn't bring himself to look at the raven-haired boy. He knew what the other was probably thinking anyways.