제이크. 𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝘆 ✔

chapter 17: secrets out in the open

vacation week had officially come to an end. the serenity of boseong-gun felt like a distant memory as harin returned to the bustling streets of seoul, back to the familiar hell routine of school and city life.

jake had left boseong-gun earlier than her, wanting to spend the remainder of enhypen's break with his family.

now, harin was back at university, starting her sophomore year. she had hoped the transition back to school would be smooth, but it seemed like something was off.

as she walked out of her last class for the day, she noticed a few lingering glances from some students. there weren’t many—just a handful of students who seemed to recognize her face. their eyes trailed after her with a certain curiosity, their whispers barely audible, but harin could feel their weight.

she didn’t want to overthink it, but the uneasy feeling wouldn’t go away.

unbeknownst to her, a dispatch article had surfaced earlier that week, showing a candid shot of her and jake together in boseong-gun.

though hybe had quickly taken it down—paying dispatch to erase any trace of the article—some engenes had already seen it. and in the tight-knit world of k-pop fandom, rumors spread fast.

meanwhile, jiah had heard the gossip too. but she didn't know that it was harin at all, even after being aware that she and him had some history 5 months ago.

jiah was in a different class packing her bag as their professor dismissed the class. sitting near her is a group of girls who were quietly discussing something that piqued her interest.

“did you see that dispatch article?” one of the girls whispered. “there’s a rumor going around that jake from enhypen has a secret girlfriend.”

“yeah, i saw it before it got deleted! it wasn’t even up for long, but the photo’s still floating around.”

jiah leaned in slightly, her curiosity getting the best of her.

“who’s the rumored girlfriend?” she asked, trying to keep her tone casual.

one of the girls pulled out her phone, showing jiah the blurry image that had been circulating. her heart skipped a beat when she saw it—jang harin, clear as day. they had been spotted in boseong-gun, back when harin and jake had gone to the grocery store during their playful date.

jiah felt her stomach tighten.

did they get back together? that's great but... why didn't she tell me?

“wait... isn’t this your friend, jiah? it looks like her a lot,” one of the girls commented, her eyes narrowing.

"who was that girl again? jang..." the other girl joins in. "jang harin?"

jiah furrowed her brows, playing it off.

“impossible,” she said, shaking her head. “it doesn’t even look like her.”

the girls shrugged, continuing their conversation, but jiah’s mind was racing. deep down, she knew it was harin in that picture. she felt a wave of mixed emotions—confusion, betrayal, and a little hurt. why hadn’t harin told her? she could have understood… maybe.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

later that afternoon, harin returned to the dorm, unlocking the door and stepping inside. she was greeted by an unsettling silence. it was just her and jiah in the room.

“hey,” harin greeted, forcing a smile, but jiah didn’t respond.

the air felt heavy, and harin could tell  immediately that something was wrong.