The Boy From The Bridge - Jakehoon

Chapter 66: Facing the Music 7/9

"Where was Jake?" Sunghoon asked out loud, he was sat in his chair at the back of the classroom but received no answer. Jay was next to him - talking about dancing with Jungwon or something, Sunghoon hadn't being paying him any attention with his mind preoccupied, 'It wasn't like Jake to be late.' 

There was that one time when he'd stayed in the toilets a bit long but that was the only example Sunghoon could think of when Jake had been absent from the classroom. It seemed out of place that the seat next to Yun was vacant. It was so odd in fact that Sunghoon got up from his seat and made his way over to Jake's desk to make sure he wasn't imaging things. 

Once he had confirmed to himself that he wasn't, Sunghoon walked out of the classroom and went to the cafeteria. The queue for food was there but Jake was not. Neither was he sitting at the lunch table with Heeseung. Next Sunghoon tried the auditorium. Sunghoon suddenly worried that perhaps he had forgotten play rehearsals and it was him, not Jake  who was missing. 

Upon reaching the theatre Jake was still nowhere to be found. He saw his cast-mates sitting around as they usually did talking amongst themselves. Seeing so many people gathered together Sunghoon decided to ask the room. "Has anyone seen Jake?"

"Jake?" They said in unison "He's gone."

Sunghoon bolted up in a flash, his heart was pounding. 'A dream' he told himself, 'just a dream.' Allowing himself to fall back onto his pillow he reminded himself that if anyone other than Jungkook starts calling Jake 'Jake' it's a dream. In which case he was to ignore everything and try and get up to mischief reserved only for lucid dreams.

His level of comfort returned as he embedded himself into his bed linen, however, upon realising why he had dreamt what he had a wave of sadness washed over him. That sadness lingered with him all morning - the feeling occupying his mind as he started to get ready for the day. 

Despite know that it was only a dream a creeping sense of dread had come over him. The sense of doubt that for all he knew, Jake might have already runaway. That he might never see him again. Despite only knowing Jake for a few months, the idea of living in a world without him in it was so unpalatable that it seemed hellish.

The anguish and anxiety continued to ravage Sunghoon as he stood outside Jake's apartment that morning, Waiting, as was often the case, for his friend to leave his apartment to begin their walk to school. 

Sunghoon had to keep checking the time on his phone, it constantly felt like Jake was taking a weirdly long time to arrive and he repeatedly needed the reassurance that Jake wasn't in fact running late. 

The relief he felt was substantial when he heard the latch of the door opposite him turn and the door open to reveal Jake with his backpack slung over his shoulder.

"Morning" Jake said brightly on seeing his friend.

Sunghoon was so overcome with relief that he had to remember to greet Jake  whilst retaining some level of regular composure. "Uh, yeah good morning. Did you sleep well?"

"So, so - you?" Jake asked as they began walking down the stairs. 

"Hmm, the same." 

The dread and fear stayed with Sunghoon. It was a residual feeling that haunted his thoughts through every moment of the day. This was repeated the next day. A nightmare involving Jake's absence in his dreams, anxiety before Jake joined him in the morning and then a sinking feeling that Jake was slipping away dominating his every thought.