Sylvania || jjk

6

The breakfast hall at Sylvania was buzzing with activity as students chatted and laughed over their morning meals.

Rosé, Eun, and I sat together at our usual spot, enjoying our food. The aroma of freshly prepared blueberry pancakes that filled the air, made the environment feel even better.

"Chaeng, did you not get enough sleep?" Rosé asked, concerned.

I tried to hide my exhaustion with a weak smile. "I'm okay, just a bit tired," I replied, trying to brush it off.

"You're lying," Eun said bluntly. "I saw you sneak out last night and come back so late. This is the eighth night in a row. What on earth are you doing out there?"

I was caught off guard by Eun's comment. I mumbled something about needing fresh air and continued eating my pancakes.

"Fresh air in the middle of the night?" Rosé raised an eyebrow, not fully convinced. "You should be careful, Chaeng. Harley is not someone to mess with. If she ever does a random late-night check-up and realizes you're not in your room, she's going to eat you alive."

My eyes widened at the thought of the strict headmistress discovering my secret midnight excursions.

I knew Rosé was right, but there was something about the garden at night that drew me in, and that something was Jeon Jungkook.

I glanced down at my plate, suddenly hyper-aware of how warm my cheeks felt. It wasn’t the pancakes. It was the thought of him.

“Wait,” Eun said, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. “You’re not meeting someone, are you?”

Rosé leaned in, intrigued. “Oh my god. Are you?”

“No!” I blurted out, way too quickly to sound believable. Both of them exchanged a look that screamed liar.

“Who is it?” Rosé whispered, practically bouncing in her seat.

“No one,” I said, trying to sound casual. “I just like being alone sometimes.”

“Liar,” Eun said again, deadpan. “You don’t even like walking alone to the library during daylight. You definitely don’t go stargazing alone eight nights in a row.”

I scowled, stabbing my pancake a little too hard. “Why do you guys even care?”

Rosé softened, nudging me gently. “Because we’re your friends. And if you’re sneaking around at night, looking like a sleep-deprived cryptid in the morning, we wanna know why.”

I sighed, finally meeting their eyes. “I just… couldn’t sleep. And yeah, maybe someone else was there last night. But it wasn’t a big deal.”

Rosé gasped. “Wasn’t a big deal? Do we know him?”

Eun folded her arms. “Is it one of those three guys?”

I blinked. “Huh, no—”

But as our conversation carried on, I couldn’t help glancing across the hall at Jungkook and his group. He sat there with his usual nonchalant aura, surrounded by friends, looking like he didn’t have a care in the world.

Eun nudged me playfully, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Then why do you keep looking at their table?”

Heat rushed to my cheeks. Caught. I fumbled, scrambling for a denial. “I’m not! I was just... looking around.”

Rosé raised an elegant eyebrow, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. “Uh-huh. Sure.”

“Seriously, Chaeng,” Eun said, voice lowering slightly, “stay away from him. He’s nothing but trouble.”