✓ SOUR SWEETHEARTS | JAKE

37 - A Dangerous Stroll

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months. Y/N hadn't seen or heard about Jake for so long that she started to wonder if he had given up on her. She had been trying to rebuild her life and seeking therapy to cope with the emotional trauma. Seojin was always there for her, helping out in whatever way he could.

Her last year of university had started and she busied herself with studies and trying to move forward in life. Perhaps if she focused on herself, she could bury the past and move on. That was her plan, and it seemed to be working. Areum was helping too. She always managed to find good restaurants and cafés where Y/N could be cozy and write her books and it was the perfect distraction.

"Do you still think of him?" The therapist's question, the one she asked in every single session, hung in the air like a heavy fog. Y/N leaned back into the plush armchair and let out a slow exhale. The person in question was Jake's father who was the source of her misery. That was an easy question to answer because how could you ever forget the person who had caused you so much pain? How could you forget when he's still on the run? Still not rotting behind bars like he should be?

"I think about him, and it terrifies me. The thought that he's out there, free, haunts my nightmares." During the day, she was a free soul. Y/N could live without thinking or ever looking over her shoulder. But when night fell and her head hit the pillow, the darkness would awaken her deepest fears. The nightmares were always there no matter how hard she tried to escape them. "I still wake up terrified. Cold sweat. Heart pounding."

"It's only normal to feel this way, Y/N. It's valid and it's not your fault," Dr. Lee reassured her. "Trauma leaves deep scars, and they don't simply vanish. But that's why therapy exists - to help you manage these emotions. Now, I'd like to ask you about someone else." Y/N knew very well who that someone else in question was. She knew it because just like his father, Jake had left his own scars on her heart. "Do you still think of him?"

That was the question she could hardly find the answer to. Think of him as the person she had once loved and trusted? Or think of him as the one who had betrayed her, who had kept his dark secrets from her so he could avoid losing her? The line between love and betrayal had blurred and she didn't know. She just didn't know. "I do. I... do think of him."

"I see. Is it because you miss him, or is it because you're still hurt by what happened?" That, too, was a question Y/N struggled to answer. It was a question she had often asked herself in the quiet of the night, when the world was asleep, and she was left alone with her thoughts.

"A bit of both?" Y/N confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. "I just miss him. As plain as that sounds."

"Yes. It's okay to grieve the loss of what you had with him." Those words made her look at the ceiling and take a deep breath. She was grieving, Y/N reminded herself. And it was okay to grieve. Maybe that was what she needed to hear, or maybe she just needed someone to understand the tangled mess of emotions inside her heart. 

While she spent her days trying to heal, Areum and Sunghoon got so much closer and Seojin had to accept that he could never be together with his sister's best friend. It was hard for him, but he couldn't complain, not when things were harder for Y/N. Love, it seemed, could be a source of both joy and pain, and sometimes those lines became hopelessly blurred.

The two best friends walked through campus, watching as the trees turned shades of gold and crimson, a vivid reminder that life moved on even when it felt like her world had come to a standstill. "Gosh, it does feel like Autumn indeed. The campus is drenched in the most beautiful colors." Areum always loved autumn. It was the season where you realize just how beautiful it is to let things go and move on, she said. And maybe it was true. Maybe it was time for Y/N to make room for something new.

Sunghoon hadn't heard about Jake for a while, and as much as she didn't want to ask about him, she did. Although it led to nothing. He had promised to wait for her, to give her time to heal, and that promise haunted her like a persistent ghost. Was he ever going to come back? Or was he gone for good, like a page from a chapter that was forever closed? 

She didn't know. But if the universe made them cross paths two times before, then maybe there was a chance for a third one. 

"Are you going to the Autumn festival?" Autumn festivals were a big deal at their university, a time for students to celebrate the colors that painted the campus in shades of gold and crimson. Y/N had always enjoyed attending them in the past, but this year, she was uncertain about whether she should go. Her question, though, made Areum scoff.

"Am I going, you ask? Girl, both are going whether you like it or not. I've convinced Sunghoon to attend, and if you don't show up, we'll hunt you down." The way she lightly bumped shoulders with her and shook her head in disbelief made Y/N's heart feel lighter. It was nice to have a friend who'd be willing to drag you out of your shell. "We'll have to go shopping later, when's your internship starting?"

"In about two weeks. Work-life is about to catch up with me," She replied, trying to focus on the positive changes in her life. She was excited about her upcoming internship, even though it also made her a nervous wreck. A lot of things to do were awaiting her and life was almost too packed to even think of anything else.

"And they say romance is dead," She playfully rolled her eyes and he faked a hurt expression, clutching his chest dramatically.

"You wound me. But it is a beautiful leaf so it had to find a fitting home. Come on, I'm trying to give Y/N inspiration for her stories. Right, Y/N? You're probably going to write a bestseller about this."

"Gosh, no. This is hardly bestseller material." She laughed, though she indeed wrote about them from time to time. And people did love the two of them. They were just like that, naturally magnetic and utterly themselves. "The lantern release ceremony might be more inspiring, though. Come on, let's go to the lake." And so they made their way to the lantern release area, each holding a lantern with a small candle inside. The crowd gathered around a serene lake, the water reflecting the fiery colors of the setting sun. 

"Okay, now let it go." Areum's voice was filled with excitement as she spoke, and Y/N couldn't help but smile as she watched the lanterns float gently onto the water's surface. The warm glow of the lanterns illuminated the night, and the entire scene felt like a magical moment frozen in time. They stood there in silence, making wishes and watching as their lanterns bobbed and floated away, blending with the hundreds of others on the lake.

But when Y/N was about to turn to her friends, someone grabbed her hand and the feeling of his hand sent a shock of recognition through her. She turned her head, her heart racing, and found herself face to face with Minho who, as always, was wearing that damn smirk that she just wanted to wipe off his face. Her heart skipped a beat, her smile quickly fading.

"Let go of me." She tried yanking her hand away but he tightened his grip on her wrist and took a step closer, his smirk fading. 

"Come on, Y/N. There no door nor locks in here," He whispered and she could feel his breath on her cheek, sending a shiver down her spine. But what made her blood run cold was the feeling of the hard edge of the knife pressing against her side. "You don't want to make a scene, do you? Just a little walk, that's all."