NOSEBLEED; heejake

03.

The blood.

It wouldn't stop.

Heeseung tossed another tissue away into the overflowing trash bin in the corner of his bedroom and reached for another one, stuffing it into his left nostril as he continued to skim over his notes. If he could, Heeseung would put all the blame on Jaemin for this.

Unfortunately, Heeseung couldn't blame Jaemin for him falling behind in his classes. The pages were filled with meticulous annotations and highlighted passages, the product of countless hours of study.

It was now 5:34 am, and Heeseung was nodding in and out of consciousness at his desk. He struggled to keep his eyes open and his head upright to no avail as his body cried out for rest.

Each time his eyelids drooped, he jerked awake, forcing himself to focus on the densely packed text before him. The words on the page began to blur together, and he removed his glasses, rubbing his eyes in a futile attempt to clear his vision.

His phone buzzed softly on the desk, a new message lighting up the screen. Heeseung ignored it at first, but curiosity got the better of him. He reached for the device, squinting at the message from Jia.

Jia:
Hey, u up? We should grab
breakfast before our classes.

As if Heeseung's stomach could sense Jia's suggestion of breakfast, it grumbled, refusing to go unheard before Heeseung decided to ignore her offer. Either way, he couldn't deny breakfast did sound good right now.

Me:
Sure. Where?

Jia:
K! Café down the street. 6:00!

Heeseung glanced at the clock. That gave him just enough time to review one last chapter before he had to leave. He set his phone down and forced himself to concentrate, blocking out the creeping fatigue.

As the minutes ticked by, Heeseung's resolve began to wane. His head dipped lower and lower until it finally came to rest on his open textbook. The room fell silent save for the soft rustling of papers as Heeseung's breathing evened out, his body finally succumbing to the exhaustion.

It was the shrill sound of his alarm that jolted him awake. Heeseung shot up, disoriented and groggy, the forgotten tissue falling from his nose.

The bleeding stopped.

He checked the time—5:55 am. Panic surged through him as he realized he had fallen asleep. Hastily gathering his notes and shoving them into his backpack, Heeseung stumbled to the bathroom to wash his face.

In the mirror, he saw the toll the sleepless night had taken. His face was pale, and his eyes were bloodshot, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. He splashed water on his face, hoping it would wake him up enough to make it through the morning and put on his glasses, hoping they could hide his tired eyes.

Grabbing his keys and jacket, Heeseung headed out the door, his mind racing with last-minute cramming. The cool fall air hit him as he stepped outside, momentarily refreshing him.

He made his way to the café, his footsteps quickening as he neared the familiar entrance. The warm aroma of coffee and freshly baked pastries greeted him, momentarily lifting his spirits. He spotted Jia sitting at a corner table, her laptop open and a steaming cup of coffee in front of her.

"Hey," Heeseung greeted, sliding into the seat opposite her.

Jia looked up, concern etched on her face. "You look like you rose from the dead. Did you pull another all-nighter?"

So much for hiding behind his glasses. Of course Jia would notice or maybe it wasn't that hard to. Heeseung nodded, rubbing his temples. "Yeah, I had to catch up on some reading. My nose wouldn't stop bleeding either."

Jia shook her head. "That's not good, Heeseung. You need to take better care of yourself."

"It's just a nosebleed."

Jia rolled her eyes, but knew that Heeseung was stubborn when it came to addressing his well-being. "I ordered you a breakfast sandwich and a coffee. Figured you could use the energy boost."

"Thanks, Jia," Heeseung said, grateful. He took a sip of the coffee, the bitterness jolting his senses awake.

"So, did you have another nightmare?" She asks, taking a drink of her coffee. Heeseung shakes his head, cradling his cup of black coffee.

"Not a nightmare." Heeseung says softly. "I met up with Jaemin the other night." When no response was heard, Heeseung looked up from his cup and saw Jia staring at him with wide eyes; before Heeseung could backtrack, she exclaimed, "What?!"

Other customers look in their direction at Jia's sudden, but expected outburst. Heeseung reached over and covered her mouth with his hand. "Can you quiet down?" He grits through his teeth. She nods her head and Heeseung slowly removes his hand, settling back into his seat.

"What were you thinking? Meeting up with Jaemin after what happened?" Jia whispered.

Heeseung ran his hands over his head. "I know it was a bad idea, but I wanted to know what he wanted."

Jia was silent, prompting Heeseung to continue speaking. "He didn't want anything. He's just... the same." He shrugs, unwrapping the breakfast sandwich in front of him.

"Same old Jaemin, huh?" Jia muttered, shaking her head. "I don't get why you keep giving him chances. He's nothing but trouble."

And Jia was right. Jaemin had always been a wildcard, unpredictable and reckless. Their friendship had endured many ups and downs, but the downs seemed to outweigh the ups. "I know. It's just...is it bad that I miss hanging out with him?"

Jia studied him for a moment. "Not entirely. But you have to look out for yourself. You can't keep getting dragged into his messes, especially not when you're already struggling."

Heeseung nodded, acknowledging Jia's concern. "You're right. I just need to get it together. Forget him."

Jia sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Just promise me you'll be careful. I don't want to see you get hurt again."

"I promise," Heeseung said, though he wasn't sure how much weight his promise held.

Their conversation shifted to lighter topics as they finished their breakfast, the tension easing with each passing minute. By the time they left the café, Heeseung felt a bit more like himself, the food and company providing a much-needed respite.

As they walked to their first class, Heeseung's thoughts drifted back to Jaemin. Despite everything, a part of him couldn't let go of their history. Jia's voice broke through his reverie. "Hey, are you listening?"

"Yeah, sorry," Heeseung replied, focusing on her. "What did you say?"

"I was asking if you were ready for the presentation today. Professor Kim is going to be tough."

Heeseung's stomach clenched. In his frenzy to catch up on his reading, he had almost forgotten about the presentation. "I'll manage," he said, trying to sound confident.

Jia gave him a smile. "You got this."

_
I'm sorry yall Jake will
be here soon 🤪
Also isn't hee a dry texter?

hope u enjoyed this chapter! hopefully
there isn't mistakes I didn't proof read it.