s.jy || falling for the starboy.

chapter 11: keeping this a secret

third person pov.

it was an unexpectedly free afternoon after their professor canceled class, and harin and jiah found themselves back at their dorm, settling in for some relaxation while jiyeon and haneul were out on a duo date. with snacks scattered on the coffee table, they curled up on the couch, the large screen of jiah’s laptop playing enhypen’s latest performance from their comeback.

“oh my god, harin, look at them!” jiah squealed, clutching a pillow as the camera zoomed in on heeseung. “he’s just... so perfect. his vocals are insane!”

harin nodded absentmindedly, but her gaze wasn’t on heeseung or any of the other members.

her eyes were locked on jake, the familiar flutter in her chest stirring just at the sight of him. seeing him on the screen was a different kind of rush than when they were texting in secret.

on stage, he looked untouchable—sharp, flawless, completely in his element. but offstage, when he was messaging her late at night, he was a different kind of person. he was still the starboy, yes, but with her, he was just jaeyun.

“i mean, seriously, how can one person be that talented?” jiah continued, her eyes still glued to heeseung. “he’s got the looks, the voice, the charisma... i don’t even know how he’s real.”

harin hummed softly in response, her focus drifting again to jake as the camera cut to him during his part.

a small smile tugged at her lips—he looked incredible, of course. he's so majestic on stage.

it was weird to think that just last night, they’d been texting, talking about nothing and everything. and now here he was, larger than life, performing for millions.

jiah didn’t seem to notice harin’s lack of engagement as she sighed dreamily.

“i’ll never get over them, harin. i've never been as addicted to a boy group as i have been with them. whenever i see heeseung i feel all the dopamine rush back into me. i mean, we know we’d never actually date our biases, right? they’re like stars. way out of reach.”

she laughed lightly, shaking her head. “but hey, a girl can dream.”

jiah tells her that knowing about the recent incident between harin and jake. she tried making the situation light, thinking that it will help harin move on.

harin’s smile faltered slightly, guilt creeping into her chest.

“yeah... totally,” she replied softly, her eyes dropping to her lap.

it wasn’t like she could tell jiah the truth—that she was secretly talking to jake, that they’d been texting and calling each other for weeks now. no one could know.

“but seriously,” jiah turned her attention to harin, her tone suddenly more thoughtful, “i’m really glad to see you doing better. you were so down before, and i was worried. but now? it’s like you’ve finally moved on.”

harin blinked, startled by the sudden shift in conversation.

she forced a small smile, playing along even though the truth sat heavy on her tongue. “yeah... i guess i have.”

“good,” jiah said firmly, leaning back on the couch with a relieved sigh. “it’s about time. i hated seeing you so sad. honestly, it’s better this way. no need to get caught up in feelings for someone who’s impossible to reach, you know?”

harin nodded, her heart sinking a little. if only jiah knew the real reason for her change in mood—if only she knew that y/n wasn’t really moving on at all.