제이크. 𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝘆 ✔

chapter 7: the weight of everything

trigger warning: angst.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

third person pov.

when harin returned to her dorm, the atmosphere was tense. jiah stood by the door, pacing anxiously, while jiyeon and haneul sat in the living room, their eyes darting to harin the moment she stepped inside. she could feel the heavy stares from her dormmates, the unspoken questions lingering in the air.

"where were you?" haneul was the first to speak, rushing over to her. "we were worried sick, harin! you weren’t answering your phone."

"yeah, you went totally off the radar," jiyeon added, standing up and scanning the girl from head to toe, searching for any signs of distress. "are you okay?"

"i’m fine, really," harin tried to reassure them, her voice steady but her mind still replaying the events of the night before. "i just needed a change of atmosphere... to relieve stress."

haneul nodded, while jiyeon just frowned, her worry evident. “you sure?”

harin offered them a small smile, trying to ease their concern. “positive. everything’s fine.”

eventually, after more reassurances, jiyeon and haneul excused themselves, retreating to their rooms, leaving harin alone with jiah.

as soon as the door clicked shut behind them, jiah’s playful demeanor vanished. her face was serious, her brows furrowed as she fidgeted with her phone.

“we need to talk,” jiah said softly, her voice barely above a whisper as she handed her phone to y/n.

on the screen was a dispatch article. harin’s stomach twisted as she saw the photo—a picture of her and jake’s backs, leaving the cafe.

it wasn’t clear enough to identify them by face, but anyone who knew jake could recognize his profile. her own back was less distinguishable, but it didn’t stop the speculation.

beneath the image were speculations about jake’s mystery girl. her heart sank as she read through the article, realizing how deep the situation had become.

so this is why he’s been so careful with me, she thought, her mind racing. i've already expected this, but still why is it such a surprise?

“i’m so sorry,” jiah’s voice broke through y/n’s thoughts, her tone filled with guilt. “if i hadn’t convinced you to go to that bar with me that night, none of this would’ve happened.”

harin blinked, confused by jiah’s apology. “why are you apologizing?”

“because it’s my fault,” jiah snapped, her frustration and guilt palpable. “if i hadn’t dragged you along that night, you wouldn’t have met jake at all. you wouldn’t be caught up in this.”

harin’s mind whirled as she tried to process everything.

it’s not just jake who’s at risk. if people find out, i’ll be dragged into this too.

she hadn’t thought much about the consequences before. the thrill of being with someone like jake had overshadowed the dangers, but now it felt like the world was closing in around her.

its almost like a ticking time bomb waiting to blow up in their faces.

“jiah, you didn’t know. and neither did i,” harin finally said, her voice low.

the silence between them was heavy, the weight of the situation pressing down on both of them.

“you need to be careful, harin,” jiah said softly, looking at her with worried eyes. “if anyone finds out... this could blow up. it could ruin everything for you. and for enhypen.”