제이크. 𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝘆 ✔

chapter 14: romance in boseong-gun

its been almost a year since i left boseong-gun and i felt homesick. so i went out for a little walk.

i stumbled upon this local mall with a lot of grocery items that really captured the culture of boseong-gun. its a cheap grocery store honestly, but almost everything here is locally-made. so i had to go in there. a lot of items caught my eye, and i immediately had a lot on my shopping cart.

as i was inspecting on some green tea-infused snacks and drinks, the soft chime of my phone pulled my attention. i quickly pulled it out of my pocket to check. a smile automatically tugged at my lips as i read the caller id. it's none other than sim jaeyun.

i quickly answered.

“hey, where are you?” the familiar voice—low, warm, and husky—wrapped around me like a comfort i didn’t know i was missing.

“at the local mall,” i responded, glancing around at the quiet aisles. “just buying some things before heading back.”

“can you turn around?”

my brows furrowed in confusion. slowly, i spun on my heel, my eyes scanning the surroundings. then, my breath caught.

there he was.

standing near the entrance, leaning casually against a pillar with that boyish grin stretching across his face—a grin that always managed to melt me. he looked effortlessly handsome, his soft brown hair framing his face, and his golden retriever-like smile radiating warmth. for a moment, it didn’t feel real.

“jake!” my voice came out more like a squeal as excitement bubbled up inside me.

he pushed off from where he stood, walking toward me, and then suddenly, he was running. without thinking, i met him halfway, and in an instant, his arms were around me, pulling me into a tight, long hug.

it felt like the rest of the world had disappeared, leaving just us. it felt exactly how it did that night before they left for their tour. i missed this.

“god, i didn’t know i could miss you this much,” he whispered, his breath warm against my ear, and i could hear the emotion behind his words.

my heart swelled at his confession, and i pulled back slightly, just enough to look into his eyes while still wrapped in his embrace.

"how did you know i was here?" i asked through a smile.

"boseong-gun is a small town," jake simply answers. "also, i wanted to buy something for you."

my smile grows wider. why is he like this?

"you didn't tell me you were coming here though. i could have been more prepared," i said, fixing the loose strands of my hair.

“i wanted to surprise you.” he chuckled softly, his thumb brushing gently against the back of my neck. “we landed back in korea yesterday. and i couldn’t wait to see you.”

my smile widened, the joy in me almost too much to contain. "that's so sweet of you."

"were you able to see it live?" he asks, pulling away and biting his bottom lip, as if feeling some sense of pride in his career.

“yeah, they’re all over youtube you know.”

jake laughed, his eyes lighting up with amusement. “yeah? what did you think?”

“as always,” i teased, “you killed it.”

we spent a few more moments catching up, talking about his tour and how he had been, while i filled him in on my time here in boseong-gun.