from the start | jake sim

2

Seoyun's POV

"Ms Kang, can I cook solo?"

I stared at Jake in disbelief, "That's just rude." I murmured.

"No, work in pairs with Seoyun." Ms Kang said, "She is not even anywhere near being a partner. It has been 30 minutes and she only peeled the carrot and barely chopped the onions."

Ms Kang came over, "Jake, if your partner is lagging behind then you should help her instead of complaining." He glared at me.

"I'll prepare the ingredients, you'll boil the water." I scoffed, as I took off my goggles.

I took the pot and filled half of it with water and I brought it to a boil.

When it started boiling, I took the macaroni and poured it into the boiling water. I fanned the hot steam towards my face.

"What are you doing?" Jake asked, "Don't you know that hot steam can help with your skin?"

He stared at me with a judgemental look, "You can do it at your own home, but this is my food too and that is disgusting."

"What if the oil from your face gets into my food?" I sneered, "My face isn't oily, it's dewy."

He shook his head, "It's just oily."

I didn't want to argue with him further since it's going nowhere. I looked around, and everyone seemed to be getting along with their partners.

When the macaroni is done cooking, I brought it over to the sink to strain it. While straining, I accidentally burned myself.

"Crap." I said, as I winced in pain.

I turned on the water, and placed my finger under running water. "You burned yourself?" Jake came over and looked at my finger.

He came back with a band aid, "I'm only doing this so I wouldn't be marked down." He placed it next to the sink before walking to the stove area.

After we're done cooking, we plated the pasta together and showed it to Ms Kang.

"Not bad. Great job guys, now you guys can devour your own product." Ms Kang said, before walking off to the next pair.

Jake handed me a fork, "Thanks." I said.

He took a bite, "How was it?" I asked, and he shrugged.

I took a bite. As someone that have never really cooked before, it is definitely better than average. Not the best tasting food, but definitely A for effort.

When the cooking lesson ended, all of us returned back to our classrooms. "How was the class just now?" Chaeyeon came over.

"It was trash. Jake was just targeting me the entire time even though I tried to help." I sighed, "I even got burned."

Chaeyeon furrowed her brows, "Why does he even hate you that much? Did you offend him before?" I thought for a bit before shaking my head.

"I've never even talk to him." Her eyes widened.

"What if that's the reason why? maybe he has a crush on you but you're always not noticing him!" I thought for a bit, "He did look at me really aggressively just now."

Chaeyeon nodded, "I'm certain that that's the reason why."

"But wouldn't guys be nicer to the girls they like?" She shook her head, "Some guys are ruder to the girls they like, because they're afraid of showing their emotions."

I furrowed my brows, "But based on our interaction, if he really does like me then he's acting too well." I shook my head, "That's probably not the case."

Chaeyeon thought for a bit, "How about you do some tests on him?" I raised my brows, waiting for her to continue.

"There's a few tests that you can do to determine if he likes you. For example, you can yawn. If he yawns too, it means he was looking at you." She grinned.

"Or, check his feet when he's sitting down. If it's facing you, it means he's likely to be interested in you." I pursed my lips, looking unconvinced.

Chaeyeon cling onto my arm, "There's no harm trying!" I sighed, and I agreed, "but I'll do it myself." she nodded.

During lesson time, I glanced over at Jake who was tilting his chair backwards while staring at the board. He must've noticed my stare because he turned towards me.

I quickly looked away, before glancing over at him minutes later to see him stealing glances of me.

I sneaked a yawn, and I looked over at him again to see him yawning.

"Okay, first test done." I muttered.

Towards the end of class, Jake shifted his seating position and he was facing me. I looked at his feet and it was pointing towards me.

Could it be that he really is interested in me?

But I'm not interested in him though.

I furrowed my brows as I thought about what I should do. "Seoyun, you seem to be deep in your thoughts. So what do you think of this art piece?"

I looked up at the screen to see a group of ducks in a pond, with one duck swimming towards the side with rainbows and butterflies while the rest are following the adult ducks towards a stormy sky.

"It's pretty." I said, "Anything more you can infer from this?"

I stared hard at it, and my expression softened when I think I got what the art piece means. "It means that we are often influenced by the older figures in our lives, but sometimes where they head to might not be the best path."

She nodded while smiling at me, "Alright, anyone else?" I looked to the side to see Jake eyeing me.

I should really figure out a way to reject him before he confesses to me. I've always hate the fact that I have to reject people, it's more difficult than what others thinks.

When the last bell rang, Hana came over to me. "Your answer just now was so beautiful and philosophical!" I smiled.

"So did you find anything out?" Chaeyeon wriggled her brows, and I nodded as I let out a sigh.

"Unfortunately, Chaeyeon I think you're right. I think Jake likes me."

7 December 2023